Once over the border we took a train from Villazon to Tupiza. We were happily packed in third class smothered within a car of tiny, jolly, brightly colored older women who carry just as much on their backs as we do.
We met some friends in Tupiza several hours later who had organised a trip to Salar De Uyuni, the highest and largest salt flats in the world.
It took three (negative 20 degree) nights to get there, staying in either mudbrick houses or small hotels made entirely out of salt. On the way, some of us battling altitude sickness more than others, we saw red, blue and green lakes. Flamengos, foxes, llamas and vicunas. Fumaroles and geysers at 5000 meters.
Surreal landscapes with still more interesting rocks for Darryl to analyse.
And one large cactus island that used to be a coral reef.
And one large cactus island that used to be a coral reef.
From Uyuni, we went to Potosi which is the highest "city" in the world, sitting at 4070 meters. We arrived there at the tranquil hour of 2 am. The city exists because of the mountain behind Darryl and his coca tea, Cerro Rico, which used to contain a ridiculous amount of silver. This made Potosi the richest city in the world in the 1500s.
All seemed well until 7:00 when the loud crack of dynamite woke us up. We thought it must be an isolated incident and just rolled over.
Three days later, it hadn´t really stopped. The miners were striking and blockading the city, inside and out, using cars, rocks, dynamite, even tumbleweeds and car tires.
We went on a tour of the mines to see what all the fuss was about.
We stopped first at the miners street market to buy some coca leaves, soda and dynamite as gifts for the miners (some of which they blew up for us, just for the hell of it).
All seemed well until 7:00 when the loud crack of dynamite woke us up. We thought it must be an isolated incident and just rolled over.
Three days later, it hadn´t really stopped. The miners were striking and blockading the city, inside and out, using cars, rocks, dynamite, even tumbleweeds and car tires.
We went on a tour of the mines to see what all the fuss was about.
We stopped first at the miners street market to buy some coca leaves, soda and dynamite as gifts for the miners (some of which they blew up for us, just for the hell of it).
Then it was off to some of the dodgiest mines in the world. The miners life expectancy is 20 to 30 years after starting to work the mines, due to silicosis of the lungs. It is estimated that 8 million people have died in the Potosi mines.
There was next to no ventilation, structural design or consideration for the safety of the miners. Almost everywhere you looked there were ominous asbestos fibers, patches of arsenic. It was oppressively hot and some of the passageways were so small you had to crawl on hands and knees. The dust filled your lungs and combined with the altitude, for us it was almost impossible to breathe. Most miners had no protective gear on.
There´s a documentary called "The Devils Miner" that chronicles a short time in the life of one of Potosi´s child miners. Please see it if you can find it. And if anyone has suggestions for an aid program to provide better working conditions, eg safety equipment, we are sure people here would be interested to hear about it.
After three days we had to get out, and we took a taxi to the beginning of the city blockade. There were no problems passing the 1st blockade, however the rest of the day didn´t go so smoothly.
It included getting forcibly removed from a vehicle by a mob of angry miners and walking for 4 hours with full packs to the end of the final bloackade. For our parents sake we will keep it at that.
All was good though once we reached Sucre, the slightly bitter, mostly capital of Bolivia. It was a good place to rest after the mayhem of Potosi. We recuperated for four days, then took a 13 hour overnight bus on a bumpy gravel road east to Santa Cruz.
There was next to no ventilation, structural design or consideration for the safety of the miners. Almost everywhere you looked there were ominous asbestos fibers, patches of arsenic. It was oppressively hot and some of the passageways were so small you had to crawl on hands and knees. The dust filled your lungs and combined with the altitude, for us it was almost impossible to breathe. Most miners had no protective gear on.
There´s a documentary called "The Devils Miner" that chronicles a short time in the life of one of Potosi´s child miners. Please see it if you can find it. And if anyone has suggestions for an aid program to provide better working conditions, eg safety equipment, we are sure people here would be interested to hear about it.
After three days we had to get out, and we took a taxi to the beginning of the city blockade. There were no problems passing the 1st blockade, however the rest of the day didn´t go so smoothly.
It included getting forcibly removed from a vehicle by a mob of angry miners and walking for 4 hours with full packs to the end of the final bloackade. For our parents sake we will keep it at that.
All was good though once we reached Sucre, the slightly bitter, mostly capital of Bolivia. It was a good place to rest after the mayhem of Potosi. We recuperated for four days, then took a 13 hour overnight bus on a bumpy gravel road east to Santa Cruz.
