Hanna and I set off for Potosi (the highest city in the world at 4000m) when we returned from the salt flats. Our bus driver seemed crazy from the start, driving through intersections without stopping and generally driving agressively. It got worse.
About 40 minutes into the ride, around 9pm, a faster bus behind us tried twice unsuccesfuly to pass. On the third attempt, he honked the horn for a while, then went for it. Our bus driver seemed to think it was a race, and wouldnt let him past. The road narrowed when the other bus was halfway past ours, and it came within 5 inches of hitting us before it backed off. From that point, our driver decided that he had to prove he was faster, and continued like a rally driver down the mountainside dirt road. It got to the point that the Bolivians, also fearful for their lives, started yelling at the driver to slow down. Two of them went to reason with the driver who eventually slowed and let the other bus pass, but the adrenaline rush made it impossible to sleep for the rest of the 6 hour journey.
Upon arrival in Potosi, we were ripped off by a taxi driver (weve learned our lesson now - bargain, bargain, bargain!) before finding a nice hostel and going to sleep.
The following day we took a tour of the functional mines of Potosi, where they mine silver, zinc and I think bronze. We got kitted up with hardhats and overalls then they took us to buy gifts of alcohol, cigarettes, coca leaves and soft drink which we would present to the miners. We also purchased some dynamite ($3AUD) for a demonstration.
The mines are pretty atrocious, around 40 people die there per year. Thats the recent average, anyway. We walked down operational mineshafts where we had to get out of the way of trolleys carrying rocks, being pushed by one or two miners. We continued until we found an area where about 8 miners were working. Shovelling rocks and using a pulley system to retrieve rocks from lower levels. They stopped working when we arrived, chatted with us and shared with us the alcohol that we bought for them. The alcohol (96%) burns your throat on the way down. It is a tradition to spill a little on the ground for pacha mama (mother earth) before drinking yourself.
After around an hour of sitting, talking, drinking and helping a little with the miners work, we left for what turned out to be an amusing sight. In the mines, they have a statue of a devil (apparently hes supposed to be married to mother earth) which brings the miners good fortune and helps them find more minerals. He has a huge penis which sticks out, as a symbol of fertility, and it is tradition to light a cigarette and stick it in his mouth, and give him alcohol.
We left the mines and, all of us breathing a little easier, watched the demonstration of the dynamite. Our guide asked me to mould the stick into a ball before he shaped it as a face and stuck the fuse in. Fuse lit, we got some photos and then ran for shelter... The explosion was a lot bigger and louder than expected. I had my finger on the button of my camera, but the shock meant my photo was shaky and blurred.
It was a really great experience and something I will remember for a long time. This trip has made me realise how lucky we are in Australia. We dont have to work Monday through Saturday every week of the year (although some do) to make a good living.
We are heading to La Paz tonight which I am really looking forward to, and then on to Peru.
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