Potosi - dust, dynamite and 96 proof alcohol!

---

After some more carnaval action in Uyuni, we hopped on the bus to Potosi. Formerly the world´s richest city!! Unfortunately that wealth has dissapated since and what's left is a mining town with little else going for it. Carnaval was still in full swing here, as any time we left the hostel we had to be decked out in ou rain jackets and ponchos to avoid the incessant water bombings, shootings and full on bucket dumpings! Not to mention the canned foam that was sprayed everywhere! It was really cool to see these festivities in different parts of Bolivia, they were all similar, but also very unique! Potosi, as I mentioned, is a mining town first and foremost. So naturally, we had to get in there, underground, where it all begins!

I won't go into much detail about the mines and the miners and the process. I'll skip to straight to what really was in the forefront of my brain. It is scarier than HECK down there!!! Oh my goodness. I would never ever want to be a miner! The darkness and smallness was one thing - and it would drive many people to insanity for sure (a few people on our tour turned back because they realized they wouldn't be able to handle it) but what REALLY got me was the dust. The quality of air down there was horrrrrible. I felt like I just wasn't able to get enough oxygen in, and whatever oxygen i was getting was filled with particles of this or that mineral. It was cool at first, but after awhile i REALLY just wanted to get out of there. We were crawling on our bums or hands and knees through tunnels no more than 2-3 feet tall - i'm really convinced that a tour like this would never be approved in Canada, wayy too many safety concerns! Don't ge tme wrong, i'm glad I did it, but man, i was even gladder to get outta there!!

Another part of the tour that is worth mentioning was the 96 proof alcohol they drink down there. They offer up some of it to the ¨tio¨of the mountain..the uncle of the mountain - a spirit that brings them safety and helps them find the good strips of mineral. And then they drink way more than you would ever think humanely possible!! We had the chance to try this drink, but i quickly passed it up after seeing the reactions of two people who DID try it!! It smelt like a combination of paint thinner, gasoline, and lighter fluid...it burrrnnnned. The miners drink this stuff all the time, and chew on coca leaves all the time too. Before the tour we stopped at a few stores to buy gifts for the miners - we didn´t buy them any of that crap alcohol.....eww!

Once we were out of the mine we got to blow up some dynamite! Now that was fun...our guide was a little crazy - i imagine it was because he'd started working in the mine when he was only 10 years old - but he was really awesome, and he would rather work in the mine than get a touristy job (his english was VERY good) because of the spirit and joy he got from working with the guys way down there under the earth. Even though this meant that his life expectancy was approximately 45 years. He had the lit dynamite IN his mouth at one point before running away with it and burrying it in the hillside. Probably also shaves off a few years right there! Best of luck to him and the others we met through those tunnels. They will be needing it!



L

---

Photos

Potosi...
that mountain is like swiss cheese inside...it's the mine.

Lookin good...ready for a hard day's work
Rich, me, Andy and Callie...all geared up for our mine tour!