potosí, bolivia

Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world - they say. Actually, there are other cities which are much higher... but this is still pretty high!

The first wanderings didn´t find much happening around the sleepy mining town. Turns out it does get busier, but nothing compared to the chaos and tumble in La Paz.

Loving the courtyard of my hostal.

Potosí is known for its silver mine. Miners are able to make a healthy chunk of change from the mines - if they´re lucky - but it comes at a cost - their health.

Now begins the tour of the Potosí mine. 

I chose to have my tour in Spanish to practice my listening & speaking skills & I´m very glad I did. We had a crazy guide Orlando Bloom who helped make this tour unforgettable for me.

The first stop is the miners market where you´re able to buy gifts for the miners. Orlando showed us the potable alcohol which some miners drink - tastes awful!

Dynamite!

In our group, there was a French guy & 2 Argentinians.

We bought beer & dynamite as gifts for the miners.

lookout point of Potosí

the entrance to the mine

Here we go! Lots of ducking, climbing a few slippery ladders, hitting your head, & crawling, getting your hands covered in clay.

Naturally, there´s a lot of dust, mud, and water dripping inside, too.

We stopped twice to sit, chat & drink with two sets of miners. The guys we spoke with worked for 8 hours per day, 5 days a week, but there are plenty of miners who work much longer shifts. Miners choose who they work with and for how long - there are no regulations. I heard about one miner staying below for 24 hours. It´s also common to chew coca leaves while in the mine as it helps with altitude, helps keep hunger at bay, & enables workers to keep going for even longer.

All guides are former miners. I asked another guide how long he had worked in the mine and he said 5 years, which was ´normal.´ Those who stay for 10-15 years, that´s considered long. Orlando said he begand working in the mine at 17. The lifestyle is to work hard, then spend all your money on beer on the weekend because you don´t know how long you´ll live.

Many of the miners have families with many children, so they keep working in the mines for years. It´s always interesting to ask the miners how long they anticipate they´ll be there for.

minerals

I see the light at the end of the tunnnel.