Erin & Regan's South American Adventure

Hola,

We rode a bus through the rain to Potosi.  We arrived in the cold grey afternoon (4:30pm ish).  Potosi is the highest city of its size (112,000 people) in the world at 4070m. 

From the bus station (such as it was) we took a taxi to a hostal called "Koala Den" which turned out to be too expensive for us at 30 bolivianos each for a dorm room.  So, we walked around the corner to Residencia Felcar which was much cheaper... but was as it turned out a bad choice (more on that later).

First, some shots of Potosi itself.  The third shot shows the hill which contains the mines.

The next morning we were up early for a mine tour (with Koala Tours for 80 bolivianos each).  The hot water at our hostal was not on yet, so we didnt have showers.  We checked out and left our bags in the safe keeping of our hostal.

Koala Tours supplied all the gear, dont we look fine!

Our first stop was the miners market where we all purchased a bag containing one stick of dynamite, one fuse, one detonator and some accelerant (white stuff, I forget the name).  Also a bottle of fizzy drink and a bag of coca leaves.  All to be given to the miners who work for 12 plus hours without eating (as that causes stomach problems).  Total cost 27 bolivianos or NZ 5.40.

Next stop a processing plant where they take the combined minerals plus waste and crush it down and extract the minerals from the waste.  There is approximately 70 percent waste.  Bolivia export the minerals in powder form for further separation.  This is what the rock looks like before crushing.

This is the machinery used to crush and extract the minerals.

Next stop a mine itself, this one called "Candeleria" one of the largest mines with 200 workers.  There are over 300 mines in this hillside "Cerro Rico".  The entrance.

Miners in the mine.

Erin.

The lowest level of the mine is where they are still blasting (they start at 5pm, after we leave).  This is a shot of them preparing the charges.

At the end there was the option to blow stuff up, our guide was showing his machismo by placing a lit charge in his pants.

He then took it out and ran down the hill. This was the result

(no miners were harmed in the making of this blog)

Upon returning to our hostal we discovered that despite paying for a night, and their sign stipulating we were entitled to a shower, we were not allowed to shower without paying (5 bolivianos each).  Further, they would not supply us with towels.  After a brief discussion we took our bags and left.

We would NOT recommend RESIDENCIA FELCAR to anyone.  Try the one down the road.

Footnote: we found out later that a Czech tourist was killed in the mines, on a tour, a few days earlier.  Also, an Italian woman was injured in a separate incident.  Apparently accidents happen all the time, which is why they get you to sign a waiver (which Erin reckons you could drive a bus thru)

Potosi wasnt our favourite place, we left that night for Tupiza.