Potosi - Bolivia

We back tracked on ourselves 3 hours to a town called Potosi, although we took the one carriage train that took 6 hours, for the amazing scenery. The place to visit in Potosi is the mines. It is a working silver mine where the Spanish killed 8 million Bolivian and African slaves. The toxins in the mine over a 10 year period apparently kills off the workers, so we saw what the conditions are like. You get kitted up in yellow plastic wet weather gear, a hard hat and the old fashion flame light that is generated from some powder mixed with water. Initially when I saw other tours with their sexy looking battery operated head torches, I thought that ours were povo. But actually they are better for safety, as the flame changes colour if there are bad gases in the mines. We were taken to buy gifts for the miners such as coca leaves (which helps them cope better underground, suppresses hunger and thirst and gives them more energy), dynamite (as its so expensive and they have to buy their own), and fizzy pop. As we drove up the mountain to approx. 4300 mtrs we were encouraged to chew coco leaves. I firstly said ´I don´t think so´, knowing that when Ian had done this before, his breathe smelled of poo. But the guide insisted and said that I would need it. So here I was chewing on leaf after leaf and keeping it in one cheek. They even had us make stops in the mine to continue chewing some new ones to add to my bolging mouth. Before we went in, they gave us a dynamite explosion demonstration. Ian had the pleasure of molding it in a ball, and helped to set it alight, and then run. Although I was expecting it, it still scared the shit out of me. Ian was quite breatheless after his flee for his life, as the high altitude does make it sometimes difficult to breathe. We walked approx. 200 mtrs into the mine. Half of the group turned back and chose not to continue. As it is a working mine we had to, on numerous occasions, hug the mine walls, or quickly move to a spot with space to do this, as the mine trolleys were at times run through the mines by groups of 4 miners at a time. We even climbed down some dodgy wooden ladders to a level below to talk with miners, and give them gifts. You had to be careful not to burn your hands with your head torch (flame) as you were climbing the ladder and trying to see where you were putting your feet. The mine in parts were both really cold (near the top) and really hot (further down). I don´t think I would have coped so well without chewing the coca leaves. We spent approx. two and a half hours in the mine. It was really interesting. Not as safety conscious as the one we went down in Kalgoorlie in Western Australia!! Our dusk masks were covered in black stuff, so I was thankful we had asked to purchase some beforehand.