Potosi: Potosi is the highest city in the world at an elevation just over 4000m. Sometimes, I'd tryto fall asleep and feel my heart pounding in my chest because of the altitude. The bus ride to Potosi from Uyuni was the most treacherous one I've been on so far. The bus would sometimes drive off road and dip very precariously to one side. At one point, the driver was putting in a lot of effort to get us out of some sort of ditch and back onto the road, but with no luck. When we finally made it, the entire bus started clapping :) We also got blankets and a movie - supposedly unheard of on a Bolivian bus!
I had a reservation for six people in a six-person dorm at Koala Den. But when we got there close to 2am, they said they'd have to split us up four and two. That's fine. But then they said that half of us would have to go to the annex (in another building!). On top of that, all of us would have to pay more for rooms we hadn't originally asked for! Oh Bolivia. It worked out eventually and at 8am the next day, I was ready for the mines.
As I write this, I'm finding it really hard to describe my mining experience. I am glad I did it, but it is unfathomable to me that people can live and work like this. It gives a whole new meaning to when my sister says "life is hard." Life is terrible for some of these workers. They endure extremes of weather, from bitter cold to sweltering heat. They breathe in toxic pollutants all day long that shorten their lives and cause disease - they don't wear masks. They spend hours in low levels of the mines not knowing when there will be a cave-in or neighbor who has miscalculated the strength of his dynamite. Basically, they work harder than you can imagine in conditions that are pretty much inhumane.
I went down to the fourth level of the mine with a guide and three others. First stop, however, was the miner's market to pick up sodas, coca leaves, and dynamite to give as gifts. Our guide said we could buy the miners cigarettes too, but given the high prevalence of lung disease, it just felt really wrong to give them to a miner (!) On the way to the mines, there was a flood and about twenty Bolivians looking confused. Our guide got out and put stones in the road so that we wouldnt slide down the hill. Crazy, but we made it!
We were all smiles dressed in boots, pants, a jacket, a helmet, and a headlamp that attached to the battery pack on our waists. Upon entry, no more smiles. The first level was okay... it felt like there was ventilation and I could breathe without a mask over my mouth. It was really muddy though. Masks on from here on out. I had to crawl on my hands and knees to get down to the second level, sliding (well, falling) on some loose rocks. Now the real sweating begins. Down to the third level by climbing over a not-so-stable looking wall (10ft+) using a rope and more loose rock for stability. You had to be careful where you put your hands because some of the (silicon?) rocks would prick into your skin. At this point, my heart pounding in my chest. It's hot. And it's difficult to catch my breathe.
At the beginning of the fourth level, we all look at each other sweaty and exhausted... are we doing this? Can it really get hotter? (It can.) We go for it anyway. The fourth level was terrible. We had to turn back after a bit because there had been a cave-in (so recent that our guide didn't kno about it...) I didn't feel like I could really breathe again until I was out. How do these people do it?! We were hot, tired, and sweaty just from walking in the mines for about an hour. They work incredibly hard, sometimes carrying fifty pounds of rocks on their way out of the mines, and they do it almost every day! Since doing the mine tour, whenever I've been hot or sweaty or tired or made to work hard, I have the perspective still that at least I'm not in a mine being hot, sweaty, and tired... Oh, but seeing dynamite blow up is cool!!
The rest of my experience of Potosi was great. I found the city to be quite charming actually. I tried two new fruits and had a super nice dinner (mixed grill of steak, chicken, and sausage with rice, fries, and 1 Liter of beer for $11). (LOVE how cheap everything is in Bolivia!!) I also went a little crazy and bought all the Harry Potters in Spanish along with Paulo Cohelo's The Alchemist. I don't know what came over me... I'm now carrying them around until I can offload them onto Theo (thank you!) :)
I also met up with two Australians and a New Zealander and the three of us went to the Nacional Potosi vs. Oriente Petrolero soccer (futbol) game. My first South American soccer game! The game was a tie in the end, but I bought a Nacional Potosi scarf to represent anyway. The entire time, there was a band of enthusiastic fans jumping and playing music - even playing The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You." :) The strangest thing: At halftime, approximately 20-30 police officers ran onto the field with their shields and escorted the referees off. I guess to protect them from the rowdy crowd that's going to throw things at them...
Sucre: My morning bus to Sucre was cramped, uncomfortable, and kept stopping to pick up more people. For the 3.5 hour journey, it didn't stop for a bathroom either. Ah, so this is a Bolivian bus. I only had a few hours in Sucre but I saw everything I could possibly see. Love the architecture here! I was looking forward to the Saltenas at a certain restaurant, but it was closed. I Did get a chance to have a quinoa beer at the Mirador Cafe overlooking the city - this was awesome! Sucre is also the first place I've really had people begging me for money. I sat on a bench in the main plaza eating lunch and three people came up to me asking for money. (I eat fast, too!) Three hours later, I was on a bus to Santa Cruz. Sucre is definitely a city I'd come back to...
Santa Cruz: I've never disliked a city more! It was gritty and unimpressive and the best way to describe the people is "ugh." As an example, store venders weren't friendly to you when you were browsing to the point where you felt like you were wasting their time just being there. Things were also more expensive here than in other cities. In addition, I got eaten alive my bugs when I went out to dinner one night - I counted at least 26 bites on my legs! I seriously think the only reason to visit Santa Cruz is that it's cheaper to fly from here to Brazil than from La Paz to Brazil! Definitely Not coming back if I can help it! Hmpfh!
Bolivia, Generally: Bolivia, with its good, bad, and ugly, definitely made an impression on me. I'd really like to come back and spend a month or two here. it's just so cheap to live here! You can stay in a nice hostel for less than $5. You can get good meals for less than $2. And, you can see some of the most beautiful landscapes ever! I'm thinking Summer 2012... any takers?!
