Sucre to Potosi, 105 miles
I woke up looking forward to the end of the day. I was nervous about the mine tour and climbing back up to the very high altitude. Whether I did the tour or not, I would either worry about Mike doing it alone, me being a chicken, or me being completely frightened and not wanting to be there.
I focused my energy on packing up and tried not to think about the tour or mountains we needed to climb. To help me, I even plugged in Mike’s Ipod for the ride.
We left by 9AM. The road we took back to Potosi was the same road we came in on, but since the skies were full of dark clouds, the terrain seemed almost new from the prior trip. Don’t know if it was the music keeping my mind off my anxiety, but I had no problem with the altitude and before we knew it after just a minor shower, we were back in Potosi. Mike had to stop and try a Saltena (typical Bolivian food which is a sort of spiced meat pie with potato, egg and one olive). The Saltena shop in Potisi was highly recommended by the good book, but after about a 30 minute wait for 3 Saltenas, Mike was disappointed; his first Saltena experience in Oruro set the bar so high.
We quickly checked into our hotel and somehow I told myself I couldn’t be a chicken and joined Mike towards the tour office. From what I had read about the tour, it isn’t for wimps. Well, I don’t think I’m a wimp, but I am more wimpy than most…so I was a little anxious to know just how wimpy I was! Before we knew it we were in a taxi towards a building where they keep all the gear (boots, pants, jackets and GIANT heavy head lamps powered by lead acid batteries strapped to your waist!). The morning tour had just got back when we arrived. I looked at everyone’s faces and saw no smiles, just a very distant exhausted glaze to their eyes… Didn’t make me feel too good, but I put my gear on ready to take on what the tour had to offer!
Before we got to the mines, our guide took us to the miners market. It’s a little stretch of the town where the miners shop every morning before entering the mines for supplies such as dynamite. Yes, you can buy dynamite for $2 which is big enough to blast a car to bits… Quite scary in my opinion. You can also buy a bag full of Coca leaves which the miners are known to chew all day. Supposedly they do not come out for lunch, so they stock up on Coca leaves and enjoy warms sodas for the bit of energy they bring. We were told to buy some ‘gifts’ for the miners, so we did: soda, coca and dynamite. What gifts!
Next stop was a van ride with three other tourists (Korean, Swiss and a French guy) towards the mines. We were accompanied by 2 ex-miners and our driver. We arrived at a location on the giant Cerro Ricco Mountain with a miners entrance. This is nothing glamorous. It’s a run down, filthy, rickety old mine entrance which looks like it hasn’t had any improvements for over 450 years when they first started mining the mountain. I turned on my headlamp, saw the dark cave channel everyone started walking into, and just said a prayer. I had a flashback to when Mike took me to a haunted house somewhere in the Bay Area in which I entered, froze and could barely breathe from fear… I kept walking deeper and deeper but everyone was already so far ahead I couldn’t even see their lights anymore. I kept going because HOW could I give up now!?!? I couldn’t. But with each step, a new fear would hit me. Some of the walls in the channel were propped up with old boards, which looked like they were keeping the walls from caving in…that really made me feel safe! The further I went, the harder it was to breathe. Not only are we in the highest city in the world, which makes it hard enough to breathe, but we were entering deep into a dusty mountain where men are working all day with dynamite!
I hate to keep going on the same topic, but believe me, all of the possible horrible things that could happen, and in my opinion easily, were going through my head. I almost couldn’t stop walking deeper as if I did, I thought I would probably freak out.
I finally caught up with the group after crouching down and walking as fast as possible to avoid bumping my head; thank god for those helmets they provide us, they were very useful! Our first stop was the mine ‘museum’. This museum is something you’d expect from a carnival horror movie. Okay, maybe that was just my imagination playing games on me, but first of all, the miners worship the devil when inside the mines. Literally, they believe they are in the land of the devil, so they worship him. They have a statue of the devil in this museum in which they offer coca leaves, alcohol and cigarettes (yes, smart one, around all that dynamite and explosives) in hopes that the devil will continue to provide safety and silver.
The statue of the devil along with other statues, covered in dust and smelling like dusty coca leaves, alcohol and stale air was the museum experience. Beside each statue would be some writing about what that particular person or group of people represented. After walking around briefly I took a rest and sat down. Thinking about what I got myself into. There was nothing more that I wanted than to know I will see the light of day again!
Just as I was gazing off into space, trying to get my mind off accidental explosions, I started to hear a rumble, and it got louder and louder. The guides saw the look on my face and started to smirk. Of course they knew it was the trolley passing by, but they definitely let me look scared for quite some time before letting me know it wasn’t the mountain about to collapse. Phew, close one I thought.
After everyone had their time to view the museum, we continued down the tunnel. The further we went, the more narrow it became, the more I had to duck down to make it through. It kept going and going…then the air became much more dusty until we came to an opening and I didn’t think I could breathe anymore. I couldn’t stop coughing as the particles in the air were probably as plentiful as oxegen. Even through my little paper mask I couldn’t imagine having to keep breathing this air for any longer. I began to panic, looked back at Mike and said ‘I need to get out of here’. Thank god for his quick action and the guides. He asked the tour leader and before I knew it one of the guides said, ‘No problem, come this way, watch your head’. I think they must have to deal with these types of situations often as they almost anticipated it and were completely ready to take me out. In my moment of panic and feeling of urgency to get out, I quickly said goodbye and be safe to Mike and started booking out behind the guide. Once the thick dust started to diminish and I could think straight I realized that I could potentially be in a bad place as I am alone, a woman in a cave following a complete Bolivian stranger ‘out’ of the mine even though I wouldn’t know where he is leading me. Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I heard someone behind us panting and calling out. It was Mike! Yay! Even though I felt completely bad for ruining his mining experience I was relieved he was there with me. I was going to be safe!
We had to walk back quite a ways, I didn’t realize how far we’d actually gone, but as soon as I could see the light, I felt alive again. When the fresh air hit my face, I knew I would be okay. I don’t want to seem dramatic or an extreme wuss, but I guess claustrophobic areas full of dynamite which isn’t regulated isn’t my idea of fun. I don’t know how those miners do it, they are amazing people. Luckily Mike wasn’t disappointed for missing out, he was just happy that I made it as far as I did, that made me feel better, although I still had some guilt for ruining his experience.
Just as we got outside and sat down a group of men carrying a stretcher walked by us and towards an ambulance. We didn’t quite believe that it was a person at first as even though everyone seemed in a rush, nobody seemed panicked. Well, it was a miner who had part of the cave collapse on him. I think it’s a usual occurrence here at the mines, but after seeing that, I only felt so much better for not being in the mountain, but on top of it. I think Mike got a new appreciation for my wussiness at that point as well.
We waited for about 40 minutes before our group emerged from the mountain. They walked out and seemed dazed from a distance. As soon as we got near them, we could see their teeth were covered in black, their eyes bright red, sweat and dust covering every part of their body. Wow, what had they been through? After talking with the Korean guy, he said they went down two more levels where the air was so thick with dust, you couldn’t see in front of you. He said that the point that I turned around was NOTHING compared to the amount of dust further down. He said he thought he would have to be brought back out in a stretcher! Much more crawling, hands and knees and so much more dust… I sure felt good about my decision and I believe Mike secretly did as well.
Of course our guide wanted to demonstrate the dynamite that we purchased earlier in the day (yes, the $2 dynamite that you can buy without any form of identification and in as large of quantity as you please). He attached a long fuse to the dynamite in which would supposedly give us a bit of time before it was detonated. Well, after lighting it he proceeded to ‘pass it around’ to the group. Heck no, I’m not holding that and trusting in their timed ‘fuses’. Mike of course grabbed it and insisted I take a picture…I did reluctantly. Then the guide took it, and RAN very fast out to a bare spot in the mountain side. He then RAN back very quickly and we waited. KA-BOOM! I almost peed myself as the noise and feeling that shook through my whole body was enough to make anyone jump at least a foot high. The whole in the ground from where it went out was the size of a car… crazy and SCARY! Anyone can buy this stuff for $2. The miners are all independent workers, so in my opinion that means there are no regulations on WHERE the dynamite goes off or any type of schedule to it. I guess 15 miners a year die, not including ones that are injured. That’s more than one a month! Crazy lives.
Just when we thought we’d had enough for the day, our next stop was where they process the rocks into the mineral powders. This ‘factory’ which consisted of a few toothless ladies pushing wheel barrels back and forth, a ‘chemical factory’ which was hosted inside what you might expect a large chicken coop to look like, and giant barrels which crumble the rock into powder… Well, that is how it’s done. The rocks get crushed in giant barrels full of steel balls. The powder then goes through chemicals (which were spilling all over the place and looked like a mad professors chicken coop lab) in which the mineral separate, then laid out to dry into dust. The dust is what Bolivia exports all over the world. On the receiving end they turn the dust into whatever is desired. Bolivia exports 80% of what they mine.
That was our tour, it was great to learn about something so fascinating, and it was definitely an eye opener into the hard lives and jobs that some people have. People at home complain when the air conditioner isn’t functioning properly…these men are stuck in a place they believe the devil resides ALL day, in which the average miner lives only 10 years after entering the mine. The world is definitely an unfair place. I’m glad I went and saw what I did today, but I am also glad I turned around when I did!
...then look who we found
We cut the tour short... back safe in the van
Our tour of the mineral processing "facility"
I focused my energy on packing up and tried not to think about the tour or mountains we needed to climb. To help me, I even plugged in Mike’s Ipod for the ride.
We left by 9AM. The road we took back to Potosi was the same road we came in on, but since the skies were full of dark clouds, the terrain seemed almost new from the prior trip. Don’t know if it was the music keeping my mind off my anxiety, but I had no problem with the altitude and before we knew it after just a minor shower, we were back in Potosi. Mike had to stop and try a Saltena (typical Bolivian food which is a sort of spiced meat pie with potato, egg and one olive). The Saltena shop in Potisi was highly recommended by the good book, but after about a 30 minute wait for 3 Saltenas, Mike was disappointed; his first Saltena experience in Oruro set the bar so high.
We quickly checked into our hotel and somehow I told myself I couldn’t be a chicken and joined Mike towards the tour office. From what I had read about the tour, it isn’t for wimps. Well, I don’t think I’m a wimp, but I am more wimpy than most…so I was a little anxious to know just how wimpy I was! Before we knew it we were in a taxi towards a building where they keep all the gear (boots, pants, jackets and GIANT heavy head lamps powered by lead acid batteries strapped to your waist!). The morning tour had just got back when we arrived. I looked at everyone’s faces and saw no smiles, just a very distant exhausted glaze to their eyes… Didn’t make me feel too good, but I put my gear on ready to take on what the tour had to offer!
Before we got to the mines, our guide took us to the miners market. It’s a little stretch of the town where the miners shop every morning before entering the mines for supplies such as dynamite. Yes, you can buy dynamite for $2 which is big enough to blast a car to bits… Quite scary in my opinion. You can also buy a bag full of Coca leaves which the miners are known to chew all day. Supposedly they do not come out for lunch, so they stock up on Coca leaves and enjoy warms sodas for the bit of energy they bring. We were told to buy some ‘gifts’ for the miners, so we did: soda, coca and dynamite. What gifts!
Next stop was a van ride with three other tourists (Korean, Swiss and a French guy) towards the mines. We were accompanied by 2 ex-miners and our driver. We arrived at a location on the giant Cerro Ricco Mountain with a miners entrance. This is nothing glamorous. It’s a run down, filthy, rickety old mine entrance which looks like it hasn’t had any improvements for over 450 years when they first started mining the mountain. I turned on my headlamp, saw the dark cave channel everyone started walking into, and just said a prayer. I had a flashback to when Mike took me to a haunted house somewhere in the Bay Area in which I entered, froze and could barely breathe from fear… I kept walking deeper and deeper but everyone was already so far ahead I couldn’t even see their lights anymore. I kept going because HOW could I give up now!?!? I couldn’t. But with each step, a new fear would hit me. Some of the walls in the channel were propped up with old boards, which looked like they were keeping the walls from caving in…that really made me feel safe! The further I went, the harder it was to breathe. Not only are we in the highest city in the world, which makes it hard enough to breathe, but we were entering deep into a dusty mountain where men are working all day with dynamite!
I hate to keep going on the same topic, but believe me, all of the possible horrible things that could happen, and in my opinion easily, were going through my head. I almost couldn’t stop walking deeper as if I did, I thought I would probably freak out.
I finally caught up with the group after crouching down and walking as fast as possible to avoid bumping my head; thank god for those helmets they provide us, they were very useful! Our first stop was the mine ‘museum’. This museum is something you’d expect from a carnival horror movie. Okay, maybe that was just my imagination playing games on me, but first of all, the miners worship the devil when inside the mines. Literally, they believe they are in the land of the devil, so they worship him. They have a statue of the devil in this museum in which they offer coca leaves, alcohol and cigarettes (yes, smart one, around all that dynamite and explosives) in hopes that the devil will continue to provide safety and silver.
The statue of the devil along with other statues, covered in dust and smelling like dusty coca leaves, alcohol and stale air was the museum experience. Beside each statue would be some writing about what that particular person or group of people represented. After walking around briefly I took a rest and sat down. Thinking about what I got myself into. There was nothing more that I wanted than to know I will see the light of day again!
Just as I was gazing off into space, trying to get my mind off accidental explosions, I started to hear a rumble, and it got louder and louder. The guides saw the look on my face and started to smirk. Of course they knew it was the trolley passing by, but they definitely let me look scared for quite some time before letting me know it wasn’t the mountain about to collapse. Phew, close one I thought.
After everyone had their time to view the museum, we continued down the tunnel. The further we went, the more narrow it became, the more I had to duck down to make it through. It kept going and going…then the air became much more dusty until we came to an opening and I didn’t think I could breathe anymore. I couldn’t stop coughing as the particles in the air were probably as plentiful as oxegen. Even through my little paper mask I couldn’t imagine having to keep breathing this air for any longer. I began to panic, looked back at Mike and said ‘I need to get out of here’. Thank god for his quick action and the guides. He asked the tour leader and before I knew it one of the guides said, ‘No problem, come this way, watch your head’. I think they must have to deal with these types of situations often as they almost anticipated it and were completely ready to take me out. In my moment of panic and feeling of urgency to get out, I quickly said goodbye and be safe to Mike and started booking out behind the guide. Once the thick dust started to diminish and I could think straight I realized that I could potentially be in a bad place as I am alone, a woman in a cave following a complete Bolivian stranger ‘out’ of the mine even though I wouldn’t know where he is leading me. Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I heard someone behind us panting and calling out. It was Mike! Yay! Even though I felt completely bad for ruining his mining experience I was relieved he was there with me. I was going to be safe!
We had to walk back quite a ways, I didn’t realize how far we’d actually gone, but as soon as I could see the light, I felt alive again. When the fresh air hit my face, I knew I would be okay. I don’t want to seem dramatic or an extreme wuss, but I guess claustrophobic areas full of dynamite which isn’t regulated isn’t my idea of fun. I don’t know how those miners do it, they are amazing people. Luckily Mike wasn’t disappointed for missing out, he was just happy that I made it as far as I did, that made me feel better, although I still had some guilt for ruining his experience.
Just as we got outside and sat down a group of men carrying a stretcher walked by us and towards an ambulance. We didn’t quite believe that it was a person at first as even though everyone seemed in a rush, nobody seemed panicked. Well, it was a miner who had part of the cave collapse on him. I think it’s a usual occurrence here at the mines, but after seeing that, I only felt so much better for not being in the mountain, but on top of it. I think Mike got a new appreciation for my wussiness at that point as well.
We waited for about 40 minutes before our group emerged from the mountain. They walked out and seemed dazed from a distance. As soon as we got near them, we could see their teeth were covered in black, their eyes bright red, sweat and dust covering every part of their body. Wow, what had they been through? After talking with the Korean guy, he said they went down two more levels where the air was so thick with dust, you couldn’t see in front of you. He said that the point that I turned around was NOTHING compared to the amount of dust further down. He said he thought he would have to be brought back out in a stretcher! Much more crawling, hands and knees and so much more dust… I sure felt good about my decision and I believe Mike secretly did as well.
Of course our guide wanted to demonstrate the dynamite that we purchased earlier in the day (yes, the $2 dynamite that you can buy without any form of identification and in as large of quantity as you please). He attached a long fuse to the dynamite in which would supposedly give us a bit of time before it was detonated. Well, after lighting it he proceeded to ‘pass it around’ to the group. Heck no, I’m not holding that and trusting in their timed ‘fuses’. Mike of course grabbed it and insisted I take a picture…I did reluctantly. Then the guide took it, and RAN very fast out to a bare spot in the mountain side. He then RAN back very quickly and we waited. KA-BOOM! I almost peed myself as the noise and feeling that shook through my whole body was enough to make anyone jump at least a foot high. The whole in the ground from where it went out was the size of a car… crazy and SCARY! Anyone can buy this stuff for $2. The miners are all independent workers, so in my opinion that means there are no regulations on WHERE the dynamite goes off or any type of schedule to it. I guess 15 miners a year die, not including ones that are injured. That’s more than one a month! Crazy lives.
Just when we thought we’d had enough for the day, our next stop was where they process the rocks into the mineral powders. This ‘factory’ which consisted of a few toothless ladies pushing wheel barrels back and forth, a ‘chemical factory’ which was hosted inside what you might expect a large chicken coop to look like, and giant barrels which crumble the rock into powder… Well, that is how it’s done. The rocks get crushed in giant barrels full of steel balls. The powder then goes through chemicals (which were spilling all over the place and looked like a mad professors chicken coop lab) in which the mineral separate, then laid out to dry into dust. The dust is what Bolivia exports all over the world. On the receiving end they turn the dust into whatever is desired. Bolivia exports 80% of what they mine.
That was our tour, it was great to learn about something so fascinating, and it was definitely an eye opener into the hard lives and jobs that some people have. People at home complain when the air conditioner isn’t functioning properly…these men are stuck in a place they believe the devil resides ALL day, in which the average miner lives only 10 years after entering the mine. The world is definitely an unfair place. I’m glad I went and saw what I did today, but I am also glad I turned around when I did!
Amie has been dreading today for a while... what a trooper
Feeling pretty good about the gear
Lets go mine!
Amie losing her enthusiasm
Amie thought she was in hell
...then look who we found
We cut the tour short... back safe in the van
Just after we got out, so did this guy, on a stretcher!
These two were happy to come out alive
DY-NO-MITE!
Our tour of the mineral processing "facility"
posted by Pedro and Maria at 2:46 PM
4 Comments:
Bolivia sounds like Middle Earth! Giant scary creatures over millions of years old. Dark mines with demons and balrogs living there. TOTALLY COOL!!!
B
you wimps, hopefully I can get deeper in the city of zing the silver mines Ive been looking for them all my life!
ap
Wow! I'm glad you guys made it out in one piece!! ~jaz
xoxoxo
Good grief, I'm glad you got out of there! Sounds like your gut was right, Amie, eek! Well, enjoy your weekend - be safe - and back from the States - Merry merry Christmas to you two. :)
-Melissa (amber's bud :P)
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