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Published: October 11th 2014
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DAVE
Unreal pic ;) POTOSI
There once was a city that was the jewel in the crown of the Spanish empire, the center of legendary riches - its name... Potosi! I decided to travel here to see the mountain which was the source of all these riches and which to this day is still the main source of work for Bolivians living in Potosi; Cerro Rico or The Mountain who eats men as its also known. Estimates range between 6m and 8m men who have died in the mines here since the 16th century in the search for more and more silver which Cerro Rico had in abudance. However the further you go in, the more dangerous it gets. Therefore a city with massive history and one I couldnt pass through without checking out the mines. The miners here still brave toxic gases, claustropobic tunnels, unstable structures and undetonated explosions. The tunnels were that enclosed that at times you"d have to get on your hands and knees if you wanted to keep going forward.
There was nine of us in the tour group who travelled up to the mountain. Beforehand after we suited up we purchased dynamite, water and coca leaves (aka cocaine
leaves - not illegal down here !) for the miners as thnks for letting us see them work, a peace offering of sorts if you will! Then we got a view of the processing plants were the silver is extracted from the rocks by having it melted and then blasted with water to return to its purist form. Finally we got to enter the famous mines though slightly unnerving as Bolivia and health and safety dont go together as I may have mentioned once or twice. 😉 The further we got in it got harder to breath and you could imagine why the average life expectancy of a Potosi miner is 45 years as the dust swirling around wasnt of the healthy sort.. Unfortunetly there are few other empoyment options for these brave, hardworking men. We meet some of the miners and found out some interesting things. The men once they enter the mine in the morning and leave late in the evening dont eat as the dust can get on the food and cause bad stomach problems. Instead they chew the coca leaves which increase energy, blunt hunger and stop the headaches that can be brought on by altitude
(Potosi is the worlds highest city). Also important to go bathroom before entering as methane gases produced in enclosed areas can prove to be very dangerous if coming into contact with a spark!
SALAR DE UYUNI
I got the bus down to Uyuni with Floris, a guy Id become friendly with on the mining tour in Potosi. The trip down was an adventure in itself...! To begin with the journey was extremely crowded as about ten different merchants with all sorts of food crowded onto the bus to try sell their wares before hopping off ten minutes into the travel. Next we had a Bolivian film on domestic violence. Waiting and waiting I never got the happy ending I wanted.. after repeated beatings the wife is eventually punched to death in the end. While the husband is sent to prison I was shocked as were told 7 of 10 Bolivian women experience domestic violence and one in three admitted to hospital dont survive. Afterwards the lady in the seat behind us decided to belt out a few tunes and I mean literally belt them out before it got dark outside and the bus quietened down and
lights were switched off. Waking after a short snooze I felt my foot come in contact with something soft.. what the hell?! Oh just one of the passangers who decided lying on the floor would be better for getting to sleep! Eventually we arrived in Uyuni that night.
The following morning there was a minor panic as I went to pay for the Salar de Uyuni tour I had booked and discovered electricity had gone in the entire town and ATMS were down! 500 bolivianos short even the tour guide was getting a bit panicky as I was headed for Chile straight after so there would be no opportunity to get the money off me. Thankfully one of the banks managed to get a generator up and running so after a long queue I got the money I needed !
Salar de Uyuni actually used to be part of an ocean but 10,000 years ago two magma plates collided trapping the water. When the intense South American sun evaporated all the water, a thick pure white salt surface was all that remained for hundreds and hundreds of miles. I was in a jeep with a few buddies I
Potosi Architecture
In the poorest city in South Americas poorest country had made in Sucre (Jack, Harriet, Mike, Jessie) and the eccentric, most enthuastic person Ive ever meet Tony from Poland! Day one was pretty interesting where we first went to a scrapyard for old trains that no longer service the Bolivia Chile Argentina route. Then a bike ride to a one story hotel that had been constructed with blocks of salt (which basically melts once it rains and must be built again!) In the afternoon we spend ages taking amusing pics as the plain white in every direction removes the concept of perspective. Food was suprisingly good aswell; quinao and steak for lunch and chicken legs and veg for supper - veg being a rare occurence in Bolivia!
Day two consisted of red lagoon and green lagoon with the water turned so because of the different minerals seeping into them. We also visited an "island" completly of cactuses, some naturally made caves and some viewpoints for the surronding still active volcanos.. It got really cold that evening as we were at an altitude of 5000m and that night after dressing myself in thermals, I climbed into a sleeping bag and then pulled four blankets over the sleeping bag.. wasnt
Miners
After a hard days work! taking any chances! 😉
Finally day three we were up at 4.30AM to travel to some sites that were spurting sulphur (not the nicest smell) and then onto some natural hot springs to relax before crossing the Chilean border where I currently am !
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Bolivia to Chile
I have always wanted to visit the Atacama Desert so in Jan/Feb 2015 I am doing it. I am thus researching Bolivia to Chile by taking a route from Sucre to Potosi to Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama or maybe start in Uyuni as its volcanoes and colours I'm most after. Your blog makes me think I should start in Sucre and not miss Potasi under any circumstances. What do you think?