Potosi and silver mines

Arrived in Potosi, Southern Bolivia - 4070 metres high (equal second highest city in the world).

Legend has it that Potosi was founded in 1545 when a local Inca build a fire at the foot of a mountain, the fire was so hot the earth started to melt and shiny silver oozed out of the ground. Once the Spanish heard of the enormous amount of silver, centuries of exploitation and slavery began... The silver extracted was bankrolling the Spanish empire.

Eventually in the early 19th century the output began to decline.

Today only a few miners work and make a meager living. Conditions have changed little over the centuries. They spend days underground, often working around the clock. Except on fridays when they smoke, chew coca leaves and drink themselves unconscious. Toxic fumes eventually end their career undergroud.

This morning we got fitted in some snazzy banana yellow jumpsuits, gumboots, helmets, torches and headed into the mines. We crawled through narrow shafts and climbed ladders into little pockets where we found miners chipping away. As thanks to the miners, we purchased and handed out coca leaves, cigarettes, cookies to the kids and dynamite (strangely the guys loved that part). As a final treat, are guide decided to light some dynamite. While greg hung around to the watch the fuze light up, I made a quick exit away from the explosion. The effect was amazing, while we were 30metres away, its impact rippled through our chest cavities.

Tomorrow we head to Uniyi for some salt flat action...