Mines & Holy Week: Potosi & Sucre, Bolivia

¡Hola a todos!

For the last few weeks, I’ve been camped out in Cochabamba, Bolivia, living with a family and working at a local organization, Proyecto Horizonte.  However, I have not yet provided an update on my time in Potosi and Sucre.  Details on the two cities below (for progress, click here).  As promised, I also added more photos from my trip to the Uyuni salt flats.  Enjoy.


Potosi

Potosi, Bolivia, is an old Spanish silver mining town, which has not seen much wealth since that time.  The mines have been depleted of all silver and pure minerals, but there are still many men from Potosi who making a living mining for minerals such as tin, copper, and zinc.  The girls I met on the salt flat tour and I all went on a mining tour.  Our tour guide was a 29-year-old ex-miner who belonged to a mining family, which meant that his grandfather and father worked in the mine until they died. He began working at the age of 14, but quit when he was 19 to begin giving tours of the mine and educate others about the dangerous conditions and the culture that developed.  


The mine crew

At the beginning of the tour, we were provided with all of the appropriate gear to enter: a headlamp, hard hat, smock and pants, and rubber boots.  Then, we were taken to the market to buy gifts for the miners as a courtesy for allowing us to enter and view the mine.  The guide provided us with suggestions: a bag of coca leaves to chew and alleviate the horrible conditions of the mine, alcohol to drink and provide thanks to the mine god (the Tio - looks similar to the devil), and dynamite and matches to help them with their work.  The mines are cooperatives and all miners have to provide their own dynamite to extract minerals.  I chose the bag of coca leaves.


We entered the mine through a 3X3 ft. hole  There were sections where we needed to duck down and almost crawl, and other sections where we could stand freely.  During other parts, we had to climb down or up over rocks to get to our destination.  At one point, we crossed over tracks of a mining car, used to carry rock and minerals out of the mine (it was exactly like what I’d seen in movies) and all of us jumped out of the way as a car and worker passed by us.  We then climbed up a steep hill to our next stop, but had to wait as one of the girls began hyperventilating.  Her friends tried to calm her, but the guide ushered her out and we waited for him to return.  

Mining rituals

Mines

During most of the tour, it was easy to breathe, but as we neared the end of the tour, the air became thick with dust and sulfides.  A small dose of these minerals doesn’t cause lasting effects, but Potosi miners are exposed to these toxic chemicals every day.  The average life expectancy is about 35 for a miner who only makes a measly 25 bolivianos per day (about $3.50).

The mines have their own culture.  To keep each miner safe, strong, and fertile, the miners pay homage to the Tio, a god who looks similar to the Devil.  We also partook in this ritual with our guide by sprinkling the Tio´s hands, feet and penis with coca leaves and alcohol.  

In Potosi, I also toured the Change House (all Bolivian money used to be produced in Potosi) and a Franciscan monastery.  A Bolivian police woman gave us a interesting tour of art, catacombs, and an incredible view of the city.  

From rooftop of San Francisco church



Potosi from the rooftop of a church













Sucre

Trees in Sucre

Debatably the capital of Bolivia (just ask someone from Bolivia) and home of the judicial branch of the government, Sucre is a beautiful, colonial city with endless white stone buildings.  I arrived here during Semana Santa or Holy Week and devoted myself to enjoying these traditions.  One such tradition was processing up the city’s main “cerro” or hill to the statue of Christ.  Before processing, it is tradition to view the churches, which are all open and decorated for the occasion.  You can listen to music, light a candle or pray with those gathered.  You can also just take in the atmosphere and look at the beauty of each building.  At about 10:30 p.m., Karin (a girl I met from the US) and I began the ascent to the summit of the hill.  We processed with families and teenagers and watched them pause at each of the 12 stations, located at each turn of  the path.  Police were positioned at the bottom to reduce any threat of violence; we had our bags searched before ascending.  We bought candles and popcorn on the way up; Bolivian vendors take advantage of any opportunity to make a profit.  

Sucre city cementary

When we arrived at the top, it was like a carnival, vendors everywhere, and small alters scattered around the statue of Christ.  Each had a bow of leaves around their altars to protect them from the wind.  We attempted to build a small altar and had to have help from the locals to make it work.  We also saw endless fires and tents which were set up side by side and closer than I’ve ever seen.  We stayed until about 2:30 a.m. and then walked back home.  The rest stayed until 5:30 a.m. when the priest came to bless each one.


Apart from the Semana Santa celebration, I hung out with two Belgian girls, Delphine and Celeste, who had recently finished doing bioengineering and environmental research in the eastern part of Bolivia.  With them, I tasted my first Chinese food in Bolivia, ate fruit salad at the local market, and visited an intricately decorated textile and culture museum.  Based on the designs on traditional artisans, I can now determine by which Bolivian groups they were made.  Someone should hire me.
 

Etón, my tour guide

One of my favorite tours was the Sucre city cemetery.  Etón, a local teenager, charged me 15 bolivianos (or $2) for an hour-long tour.  I was so impressed by his comprehensive account, that I gave him 20 (almost $3).  I learned about everything from Bolivian history, including presidents and his opinions, to the many types of graves. 


My last adventure was a trip to the Cretaceous park, a small museum with dinosaur models and a view of various types of dinosaur footprints, visible from a 45 angle section of earth, discovered when the local concrete company was mining.  There were probably some footprints destroyed and mixed into a batch before discovering this layer.




Next:  Volunteering in Cochabamba, Bolivia


Cheers,
Ashley
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Llama crossing

   
 

More fun on salt flats




Sunrise

The Salt Hostel - completely made of salt

 
 
 


 
 



Look closely and you can see flamingos

 



Train graveyard



Sunrise at the salt flats





 


 

Exploring the Desert: Argentina to Chile to Bolivia

¡Hola!

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back at it.  To catch everyone up, I’ve been from Argentina to Chile to Bolivia in the last three weeks.  I’ll post half of my adventures and leave the other half for a few days later...

Salta (Argentina)

In Salta, I said goodbye to Argentina.  I believe the most interesting site in this city was my visit to Alta Montaña (High Mountain) archeology museum.  In this museum, I saw three Inca children who were completely mummified due to the cold temperatures and the rich soil of the Llullaillaco volcano (6,700 m or 22,000 ft).  The Incas sacrificed the most perfect children to act as mediators between the Incas and their gods.  There was a girl struck by lightning, a young woman, and a small boy.  I saw the boy.  Each three months, the museum rotates which child is on display to help preserve them.  

Apart from this, I climbed a lookout point for a great view, ate tiny empanadas (meat-filled bread either fried or baked), and tried humitas (a sweet corn treat wrapped and baked in its husk).

From here, I debated on whether to continue directly to Bolivia or to make a side trip to Chile’s Atacama desert.  I chose the desert.

San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)

Viewing the universe

The moon via telescope

As some of you may have heard on Facebook, my favorite part of San Pedro was an astronomy tour in the Atacama desert.  It took three nights of waiting for the clouds to clear up, but I made the tour.  We traveled on a night bus (10:30 p.m.) to the observatory and learned about the stars, the constellations, the movement of the sky, etc.  We also looked through ten telescopes to see nebulae, Saturn (complete with rings!), Mars, galaxies, the moon, etc.  I took a cool photo of the moon via one telescope.  Afterward, we joined the astronomer for hot chocolate and a Q&A session.  

Geysers at high altitude
I also went on a tour of the Tatio geysers at about 4,200 m or 14,000 ft.  This trip could have been spectacular, but the bus got stuck in the mud at 6 a.m. in 0 C/ 32 F weather.  Despite this and having to wait for another bus to rescue us, I

The geysers at sunrise

enjoyed the experience.  We viewed the geysers (nothing like Old Faithful!), ate breakfast (complete with eggs boiled in one of the geysers), and went swimming in some natural thermal baths.  I didn’t want to jump in a first because it was freezing outside, but eventually acquiesced as the group (from Chile and Argentina) convinced me.    

The main problem was that I wasn’t 100% accustomed to the altitude and returned from the trip with a massive headache, which I slept off that evening.  The good news is that I had no problem with altitude after this.

The last adventure in San Pedro was Laguna Cejar, a salt sinkhole, similar to the Dead Sea.  We literally floated on the lake without trying because the concentration of salt was so high (40%). 

Laguna Cejar - Salt Lake

Jean and Ashley in San Pedro

I met a few fun people as well:  

- A lovely woman from Ireland, Jean, who had been traveling South America for three months.  She also is a frequent couch-surfing host, so I have someone to stay with if I make it back to Ireland.  We shared a hostel, a dinner, and some time in the city.
- Two fellow stargazers, Ida and Aaron, from Holland and the US, respectively.  We enjoyed the tour and went for dinner in a very authentic joint.

Uyuni (Bolivia)

The Uyuni Salt Flats

The crew with Bolivian guide, Abel

In Bolivia, the largest salt flat in the world (Salar de Uyuni at 11,000 sq km or 4,000 sq mi) was created when a few lakes dried up about 11,000 years ago, leaving layers of salt and water.  The only means of touring this area is a three-day tour in a 6-7 person jeep over rocky terrain at high altitude.  It was absolutely spectacular and well worth the gamble of being in a jeep with people you don’t like and/or listening to Bolivian music for three days.  Luckily, I traveled with a group of vegetarian girls from Canada and Britain (19-22) who didn’t mind having a relatively “old” person in their jeep.  I ate veggie food the entire time, celebrated one of their birthdays with them, and listened to general gossip about singers and celebrities.

Here are some of the highlights, but the scenery is best shown via photos:

- Welcome to Bolivia - On entering the border, I had to go to the bathroom.  There was an old broken down bus for us to go behind.  Classic.  The driver told me that I’d have to get used to it and that Bolivia is different from Chile.  Nice.
- Visa for Bolivia - US citizens must have a visa to enter the US.  At the border, they wouldn’t give me a visa, so they put my passport in an envelope, gave it to my chauffeur, and made him sign for me and carry it.  Needless to say, he did not want to be held responsible for it and so gave it back to me during the journey.  I gave it back to him at the nearest town and I paid my dues to the Bolivian government ($140 or 945 bolivianos).
- Lake full of flamingos - A beautiful rose lake covered with flamingos.
- Train cemetery - A slew of trains abandoned after the mining industry collapsed.  It was the main transportation vein from Chile (the Pacific Ocean) to Bolivia.
- Rock explosion - Variety of rock formations created by volcanic eruptions, among them are a turtle, a condor, and a tree.

Next:  More photos from my Uyuni trip, Potosi, Sucre, and my life in Cochabamba.

Saludos,
Ashley

Laguna Blanca

Near the Thermal Baths

Flamingos at Laguna Colorado

Geysers in Bolivia