Potosí
Idly
Coca Leaves
Landscape on the way to Potosí was simply stunning. Beautiful mountains the colour of terracotta, green and grey - enough to ensure rapt attention rather than idly reading the drive away.
Potosí is one of the highest cities in the world and was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, Casa Real de Moneda, which is now a museum that houses religious art, colonial coins, weapons, rock collections and original wooden minting machines. Five of us pottered around this building, learning about the old mint process.
Took a tour of Potosí's silver mine in the mountain known as 'Rich Hill'. Here, dust-covered miners chewed wads of coca leaves in recesses full of putrid air. We witnessed our guide pay her respects to a horned statue, El Tío. Every day miners leave offerings (cigarettes, drink and coca leaves) for him, as he is the perceived owner of the silver beneath the ground. Working conditions in the mines have changed little in 300 years. Digging is still carried out by hand; there are no power tools here. Each miner keeps the ore they find themselves.
We had to crawl on hands and knees in places to traverse up the shafts, wedging and bracing ourselves against the rock to advance forward and upward. Thankfully it turns out that I am not in the slightest bit claustrophobic. Although it would have been a bit late, and highly unwelcome, to discover this fear inside the mine.
Really enjoyed the tour. We had to buy gifts for miners; basically a goodie bag containing alcohol, cigarettes, coca leaves and gloves, and handed these out to guys we met down the mines. There was also the option to buy dynamite, which the guides set off in the mines in order to give us an idea of the volume and vibration that occurs when it is used.
On returning from the mine we went about celebrating Kirsten's birthday. In order to have the element of surprise we initially had told her that we would all go for cake and coffee at a later time that afternoon. In an effort to get her downstairs without being rumbled Tony was sent rushing to Kirsten's room to inform her that the traffic police were having issues with the parking of the truck and were threatening all sorts. Cue major panic as Kirsten located her shoes and prepared herself to do battle. On reaching the courtyard 20 overlanders bundled out of the hostel's kitchen, where we had been hiding with the cake, and sang Happy Birthday to a very shocked Kirsten. She was well and truly caught out; we were all delighted that we'd managed to surprise her. She also reconfirmed what we had already known, that Ithaca, her pride and joy baby, is her biggest weakness. We all went for a slap up meal that evening and amazingly they managed to cater for twenty two people, get all our orders correct and serve the food at pretty much the same time - incredible!
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