Dec 5, 2012 - Potosi

Potosi Apparently the highest city in the world and once as busy and large as paris due to thriving silver and mineral mines this world heritage site is more than a little shabby but really charming. Colonial buildings are surrounded by the smaller more humble mining communities and up in the hills the air is filled with the acrid smoke from the refineries.  The only real draw here is the mine tour. Officially unofficial and nothing touristy about it. Off duty miners take you into the mines with no more guarantee of safety than they have...

Nov 7, 2012 - Railway track picnic and moon valley

We set off in lovely sunshine back through the amazing geology towards the main road. We are all experts on clover leaf junctions and drive through roundabouts now but the first village stumped many with its narrow winding streets. We used our old Garmin GPS which has no maps at all but keeps a trace so we were able to find the way we had come in the previous evening. There was not much to do on the route at the beginning but we found a cafe with 4 orange plastic chairs and stopped for a drink with the Patchetts. There was a mystery drink...

Sep 3, 2012 - We made it

Well the mine trip was well worth the 50 bucks. We went into the mine, had an english speaking guide and all went well. We went to the market first and on the sound advice of our guide Choco, we bought the miners gifts of coca leaves which they chew to give them strength and keep away hunger..these are what they use to make Cocaine. They taste like dried grass. We both chewed our hearts out but not much effect to report there. We also bought gloves as this type of work is hard on the hands...i broke a nail on the tour people!! We also...

Aug 31, 2012 - Potosi

three hours on a paved road and good bus and listening to a live infomercial for about two hours from a guy trying to sell some health pills, and we arrive in potosi. facts potosi is the highest city on the planet..4070metres, yup you can practicaly rub shoulders with the man on the moon. jumped of the bus and shit..wheres the wallet..search the bus, search ya pockets, search each others pockets, check the bus again, look in our day pack five times, check pockets again, shit, crap, fffuuuccckkk we have lost our wallet. disaster. dont worry...

May 4, 2012 - Livichuco

Headed north from Potosi to pick up a guide to take us to our ´homestay´in a little village called Livichuco - quite a good road. Had to pick Pedro up and stopped in a small town some 45kms past our turn off so had to back track. One we had turned off the main highway the road deteriorated rapidly into a dirt track - fine if you are in a four wheel drive but Yana is top heavy and in the back you feel every bump. I hope the photos I took do it justice the road became narrow to the point that we had to stop for anything to pass us and it was...

May 3, 2012 - Bolivian Altiplano

Border open so off we go! Only a two hour wait for immigration ...huge queue of people was waiting to get stamped out because of yesterdays closure. We also picked up a guide for this section as the roads tend to change in the National Park depending on the weather. Braulio appeared to be about 60 and was specifically asked for by Anki as he is not only a good guide but helps around the truck as well. Mamasita followed us as her guide didn´t turn up. There was a two hour drive through no-man´s land and we were quite sure that it was because...

Apr 25, 2012 - Una vita da minatori

Quando, nella notte, l'autobus ha cominciato ad avvicinarsi a Potosi, in lontananza le nuvole hanno cominciato a tingersi di arancio, come se si stessero preparando all'alba, un'alba più simile a un tramonto in realtà. Ho controllato l'orologio, l'arrivo era previsto all'1, un po' troppo presto per il sole. Ma allora, come potevano essere di quel colore? Ho cominciato a immaginarlo, ne ho avuto conferma il giorno seguente: quel colore é dato dal sistema di illuminazione delle miniere, le miniere i cui tunnel corrono in quasi ogni angolo...

Jul 12, 2011 - Potosí

Potosi is where they have had a lot of silver mining in the past and they still have a lot of mining. We went down one of the mines, where the miners do 12 hour shifts. They chew on the coca leaves, having a big lump in their cheek to stop them feeling hungry or tired and also the leaves are supposed to stop some of the dust from getting into their lungs. It´s a horrible place, which I didn´t really like being in for our short visit. The men´s eyes look high and the whole place is full of dust and people yelling to get out of the way for...

May 17, 2011 - Mining in Potosi

The ride to Potosi (the highest city in the world) was very tough. Seven hours on a public bus with only one ´bush´ toilet stop. Nevertheless, I made it there in one piece. I did not spend much time looking around the place as it was so crowded it took ages to walk anywhere. However, I did go on an eye-opening excursion to a working silver mine. The trip began by going to the miners´ market to buy gifts for the workers. I got cocoa leaves (to relieve altitude sickness and re-energise the miners), 96% alcohol (to keep them warm) and...

Feb 27, 2011 - Potosi

Okay...from nice, refreshingly low Sucre of 2000ft ish...to the highest city in the world at 4,800. Not so good. Really pretty hard to breath etc. The city has a mountain of silver..and all red for some reason! But apart from that it was a rather claustraphobic city! Thankyfully only there for 2 nights! But due to Carnival, we got attacked by water and foam a lot! The first was just walking around and a kid sprayed flic with Foam and threw a water balloon at her!! the as it was getting coldr, we both got foam, and both got water pistoled...

Feb 1, 2011 - Potosi

We had a pretty hairy bus ride from Uyuni to Potosi as the road wasnt made and was full of holes it was really bumpy. Once we left our seats about half a foot! Once we made it in one piece to Potosi we went for a tour around the old mint which used to make all the currency for Bolivia but now doesnt make anything. Their coins are made in Chilie apart from 5bolivianos coin which is made in Canada and notes made in France!!

Sep 25, 2010 - Potosi: Bolivia

Potosi is famous for its Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) which was full of silver. The history of Potosi is dominated by the silver mines. The city was founded in 1545 as soon as the silver was discovered and the silver inevitably bankrolled the Spanish empire. At its height, Potosi became the largest and richest city in the Americas, but at a cost. The Spanish enslaved the indigenous population to work in the mines and when they started dying at a rate of knots, they imported African slaves to augment the workforce. The approach to Potosi: The...