Bolivia in 3 weeks

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Left Arequipa, Peru and headed for Puno on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Didnt want to stay there as I had heard it was a bit of a dump. Arrived at the bus terminal and there was one bus leaving for Copacabana straight away! Had to rush to buy a ticket and we were on our way to Bolivia, armed with a snckers each and some soda bread, that should last us the 3 hour journey. We arrived at the border control after 2 hours or so, very straight forward, and now were in Bolivia! Copacabana was a nice place, reminded me of the mediterranean a little, the water was very calm nd the weather was warm. The first thing we noticed that evening was how cheap everything was! I had a 2 course meal, soup and spaghetti for 10 bol´s or 66p! We stayed there for 3 nights and visited the Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the Inca´s! This was a beautiful Island and we enjoyed walking form the north to the south of the island in 3 hours. As we waited for the boat to take us back the weather was changing, we could see lightening in the distance and feel the wind picking up. The boat was now ready for us although it was being rocked quite vigourously by the lake at this point, it was raining heavily and the storm was right above our heads. It didnt last long though and we were back on land to see the whole spectacular lightening show from the comfort of our hotel room which overlooked the lake.
We left Copacabana for La Paz, another 3 hour journey, I was feeling more apprehensive about this place because I had read many stories of people being robbed or worse so I was being extra vigilant and also remining Rachael to not look so sleepy! La Paz is a huge bussling city, noisy, dirty and not somewhere we wanted to stay long. La Paz is great for shopping especially if your someone that likes the ´pound shops´, everything is so cheap here and you can always haggle with them, in fact its rude not too! After 3 nights we hurriedly left for Sucre, hoping it would be nicer and it was. In fact its probably my favourite place in Bolivia. A lovely town, not too big to be unfriendly and not able to find your way around. There´s a lovely square which is nice to relax although be prepared for constant begging from local people and of course the shoe shine boys. In fact on eof them took a liking to us and sang us the bolivian national anthem in Spanish and Quecha, the original language before the Spanish arrived. He then asked us to sing our national anthem whcih I tried rather embarrasingly, although at least I did try, Rachael was too embarrassed to even try! However she was more than happy to sing him "supercalafragelisticexpealadoshos"! Which he didnt beleive her that it was English! We then took him to buy a delicious ice cream for himself and us and we sat there chatting for maybe an hour talking about what he wants to do when he grows up.
We stayed in Sucre for 1 week, we took private Spanish lessons, 4 hours a day, so that Rachael could say something to people when they hassle her to buy something and for me to learn more than just pleasantries. We visited a very intersting textile museum which is now encouraging indigenous people to not forget there ancient traditions and methods of weaving and instead to expand the ideas and patterns that there ancestors have used for hundreds of years.
I left Sucre feeling like I could stay there for alot longer, but we were now ready to see the Silver mines of Potosi. These silver mines have been used since before Inca times and is all there is in this small run down town. The following day we were booked on a tour to visit the mines, which are still in operation today. First stop, the miners market, where you could but anything from dynamite (50p per stick of dynamite!) to coca leaves and it was recommended that you buy a present for the miners who work there, fizzy pop, coca leaves and dynamite was there preffered choice. Visiting the mines was an incredible experience, firstly younoticed the lack of oxygen, trying to breath through the thick dust was hard and people were already panicking and running out, we werent even 100 metres in! As we went further in the tunnel became smaller and darker and hotter! Sometimes you had to get out of the way for miners bringing the barrow loads of ore up to the surface, you could see the sweat on their faces and the huge bulges of coca leaves in the sides of their mouths. We were told that these miners start as early as 15 yars old, they work from 8am till 6pm sometimes later as they work for themselves not for any company! They have a 20 min break at lunchtime but they dont eat anything because of the toxic elements in the air, so they chew coca leaves and drink fizzy pop then its back to work! We met a few of the miners and they all looked old before their time! Theres no way I could do a days work in those conditions, alot of them have problems with their health and breathing.

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Comments

[The Baccis]

Dynamite shop
On the dynamite stall, in front of the fizzy drinks and next to the dynamite, are those cocaine-filled condoms ready for travellers to 'carry' back home? 50 pence for a stick of dynamite is a bargain, they're at least four times that much in Sainsburys. Thanks for the update, things aren't quite as exciting back here. Nearly, but not quite. Keep well guys

[m taylor]

haha
lets see you light up that "fag" then steve.