Potosi - Potosi, Bolivia
Potosi, Bolivia
This morning we went to the mines, first we had to leave everything we had except for water, money and a camera with flash. Then we got our gear: trowsers, wellies, a jacket, a hard hat, a bag to put our stuff in and a belt with batteries on and a cable with a head lamp on it that clicks on the helmut. We all looked great :-) ready for work! Went to the market first to buy presents for the miners: coca leaves, juice, drinkable alcohol 96% and dynamite... Headed up the hill and stopped for some photos over the town and of the mountain. Got to the entrance where there was a guy selling stones from the mines, he sells the stones in the morning and then goes to college so he hopes he doesnt have to work in the mines later. I bought 2 stones woth mixed minerals in them, 1 with pedrito (bronz) and plata (silver), the other with cobre (copper) and zink. They dont get paid by hour or month, but by the value of what they find or the amount of trollies they roll out of there (weighing about a ton each apparently), and the tracks they use to roll them out dont look very effective. We visited the Tio: dios, the devil, called tio as they dont use the d apparently. The pour alcohol on it for suerte and on the penis for fertility. The also give it a cigarette, dont ask why. They pour lama blood at the entrance, also all for goot luck.. The guide we had was funny, Orlando, making jokes all the time. There were 4 french guys in te group, one was 28. Apparently you never say you are 28 even if you are, as 28junio is gay day. So you say 27 or 29. When he asked my age jhe said he thought i was 18. There is a type of gas here sometimes but they dont use birds to detect it, they use tourists ;-). He was playing with the dynamite, sticking it in my belt and pretending to light it, later he gave me the lighter and told me to light two sticks, one regular one and one with extra nitrate glycerine???. Wasnt sure if he was joking i set light to them and he ran off... 1,5 min later: Boem 10seconds later: BOEM The sound was ok as i had my fingers in my ears. You could feel the pressure though!! Dangerous if you ask me!! Happy i took spanish tour, i understood almost everything, and the english didnt set off any dynamite :-). We sat talking to some miners fr a while about sex and chuchus (boobs). A lot of the miners have around 10 children. I had a surgical mask on the whole time and also used it in town as the gases are horrible there. Probably looked like an idiot, but there is asbest in the mines too. Back at the hostel took off the mine gear and got bags. Waited for julian in the reception, but he never came. Went to look for him but everybody was gone! Got a taxi to the new bus terminal and found a bus that leaves in just 30min. Couldnt find any salteñas here though. Will have to try them in sucre! The taxi 6 to neuva terminal de buses The bus to sucre 17 arrive 18:30? Taxi 5 to hostel travelers guesthouse Travelers guesthouse 40,5