Getting high on Potosi
Trip Start
Oct 14, 2005
1
70
71
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Potosi,
Bolivia
Friday, May 12, 2006
Unfortunately to get to Potosi was one of the most uncomfortable journeys of my trip. We had purchased our tickets before we did the Salar de Uyuni tour, and had natuarlly picked 3 seats together. By the time it came to getting the bus, they had no knowledge of us and the fact we were supposed to be on the bus. After we had shown them our tickets and convinced them we were on the right bus, they let us on... but it was full. The lady from the ticket office came on the bus, and evicted 3 people (all women) from their seats for us. Splitting us up in the process, Martin getting stuck at the back while I got to take the seat neat to the husband of the lady who had to give up her seat and spend the next 8 hours on the bus standing. I felt uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as when the fat Bolivian guy next to me decided to get comfortable by sitting on top of me and squashing me up against the window. I tried to explain to him that he was taking up room on my seat in my bad spanish, but I had just taken his wife's seat so he wasn't very talkative. 3 hours into the journey I was feeling so claustrophobic I was going to let his wife have the seat and I would stand, I couldn't cope. Fortunately we had a break and as Freddie was sitting in front of me when we got back on the bus I sat next him and let someone else suffer the fat mans wrath for the rest of the night.
As we were in Potosi, and having nothing better to do we decided to visit the mines, it was a very eye opening experience, as the conditions were appalling, and with the very thin air it was a wonder they lasted 10 years. Before we visited the mines, we had to buy the miners presents, this in it self was a strange experience. The guide advised us that we should buy them drinks and biscuits, because they are very poor and that food and drink are good for them, as opposed to the dodgy looking cigarettes and 80% proof alcohol that was also available to purchase. We decided on a compromise, buying them lots of biscuits, and some alcohol. We also had the option of buying some dynamite, either as a present or just to blow up for fun outside the mine, so we did it cost 10 bolivianos, this is about 70p, for very powerful explosives, that we just purchased from a market in the street. That´s a little cheap and easy, especially when we later witnessed the damage it can do.
After buying our presents for the miners, and putting on our protective clothing, we set off, starting at around 4000m high, we descended into the claustrophobic tunnels of the mines. Being at such a high altitude the air was pretty thin, combine that with all the dust particles in the air it was not easy getting a good lungful of oxygen and a few times I felt a bit light headed. We visited various miners doing various different jobs, all seemed faitrly happy, despite the fact that they know that they will not last a decade working down there. They all gladly appreciated our meagre gifts, being a cooperative mine everyone shares the profits, but being part of the cooperative means they had to purchase all their equipment and dynamite out of their own money. Climbing broken wooden ladders barely held together by string, and traversing narrow ledges over very long drops, none of this aided by Freddy´s head light breaking, we climb on our knees through a narrow low cave, and use a rope to negotiate a rock face on our descent. We stumble across a small shrine to Pachamama, the Inca goddess similar to mother earth, we gave an offering to Pachamama, by way of spilling drink on the floor, as you should always do when having an alcohol drink, always a little bit for Pachamama. As our 2 hours in the mine draws to and end, we head down a long passage, and can hear a slow rumbling in the distance, it was a different noise to the dynamite explosions we had heard earlier in the day, it was a low quiet rumbling that was slowly getting louder as we neared. The air was getting noticeably thicker with dust, and it was feeling hotter. The noise was nearly deafening now, as we climbed another dilapidated ladder. We finally saw the source of this noise, barely visible through the clouds of dust was a miner with a large drill, carving away at the rock face, the dust was so thick he was barely a silhouette, the dust was suffocating and the noise deafening, a few seconds observing the spectacle was all I could manage before the fumes and the noise and the air overwhelmed me and I descended the ladder to the relative calm of the adjoining passage. It certainly made me appreciative of mind numbing desk job, that most surely awaits my return to England.
After the harrowing experience of being in the mines for 2 hours, it was a joy to have the sunlight on our faces again, and take a long deep breath of fresh air, our guide takes to a secluded spot on the mountain and we get to have a bit of explosive fun with the dynamite. The guide mixed up the various parts of the dynamite, and then went with Frddie to bury it under a small amount of dirt and small rocks, as they came hurrying back to where Martin and I were sitting, the tension began to mount. After what seemed like a long time there was an almighty explosion and a showering of debris, that more than satisfied our infantile love of loud noises. Our guide later informed us that one group had asked her to put some big rocks and stones over the dynamite and the resulting explosion sent large chunks of rock into a broadcasting aerial that she indicated to behind us. The aerial broadcast the TV signal for the entire city, they were without TV for a few weeks all because of her. She was not very popular...
On our last day in Potosi, before catching the night bus, we went to visit some thermal pools, we were advised to catch the micro, and we got dropped off in the middle of no where, and we think the driver said to go up. We scrambled up a very rough looking dirt track that lead to the top of a steep slope. First we came across a naked, old, Bolivian couple swimming in a very small, but hot looking pool. We thought it best not to disturb them, and ventured on wards. We then came across a broken wall with some steaming pools inside, these were scalding hot, and did not look pleasant, cursing the lonely planet for more bad advise, we spy a couple of gringoes coming over the hill, looking like they had just had a swim. We pushed on to find this huge pool, on the crest of a hill, surrounded by a mountainous panoramic view, there are a couple of other tourists there, but they leave soon. The water is gorgeous, lovely and warm, and someone had conveniently built a ramp by the edge to launch yourself off. We could have stayed there all night, but we had a bus to catch, and with the temperature dropping to minus figures when the sun goes down was prudent to get out in daylight hours. With another extremity covered, worlds highest city, we move on, and I say goodbye to Freddie and Martin, as they head off for a jungle adventure, and I head to Cochabamba to continue learning Spanish.
