TourBackpacker: Potosi, Bolivia

Wednesday Oct. 17th
A bit of internet research in the morning and get my last things ready before leaving Sucre for Potosi. Before going to the terminal I stop at the post office to mail my box back home. It costs me 412.50Bs (58.38$ Can.). I then go strait to the terminal where I find a bus ticket for 15Bs and the bus leaves in 20 minutes. The bus leaves on time for once at 12pm. It arrives in Potosi at 4pm, so 4h and not 3h like I was told. I go the the Hostel ''Koala Den'' only a few streets from the main plaza. I get a dorm room with 6 beds for 40Bs, allowed to use the kitchen, there is wifi and breakfast is included. Wow. I go out for supper and then back at the hostel for the evening.

Cerro Rico or the mountain of Silver ''Actually it's Rich Mountain''

Small street of Potosi

Central Plaza

Thursday Oct. 18th
Little surprise for breakfast, there are pancakes, eggs, coffee and bread. Great breakfast for the prices of the rooms.I leave at around 10am to take a walk around town and to go see the agencies to visit the mines of Potosi. I go see a few but I quickly choose which one I will go with. I then go and visit the ''Convento San Francisco'', which is the oldest church in Potosi. I am not a big fan of religious tours but I do like the architecture and I read that the view from the top is worth it. The first part of the tour is a bit boring, but for 15Bs I don't mind that, the church is quite impressive and nice and the view from the top is actually magnificent. Lonely Planet guide says that there is an extra cost for taking pictures, but it's wrong, it's include in the price of the ticket. I then go back to the ''Big Deals Tours'' to confirm that I will be doing the tour in the morning (100Bs = 14.15$ Can. for a 5 hour tour). I cook myself a quick supper and I go for a beer in the evening with 2 French guy met at the hostel.

Friday Oct. 19th
I get to the agency for the tour at 8h30am. We leave at 9 and go first to visit a transformation plant for the minerals. Quite old machines that must have been in places for a long time but it works for them. We then go to the mountains to get in the mines themselves. The tunnels are sometimes very large and sometimes you almost have to ((crawl)) to get through without hitting your head everywhere. The guides make a superb job at explaining to us how everything works in these mines. We even have to experience of assisting to a blast in the tunnels below. Incredible the push a few sticks of dynamite can do. Back at the agency at 2pm and me and the three other from the tour go out for dinner together. We split up after dinner. In the evening I listen to the movie ''Devil's Miners'' that is a ((reportage)) on the life of a kid of 14 working in the mines since he's 10. It shows a whole other dimension that I did not see in my mornings visit, quite sad.