Our bus ride from Sucre to Potosí was one of the most annoying and uncomfortable ones so far (next to the minibus to Toro Toro) and we arrived in the rain and got kicked out into a rain shower. The whole time during the bus ride, weather had been dry and sunny… We do realize that our bad luck with weather on this trip (starting in the Solomon Islands already) is influencing our mood, so we have decided to skip any places where the weather doesn’t look good going forward. Luckily, in Potosí the rain stopped quickly and we were treated to a nice and sunny afternoon. Originally, we had wanted to straight away do a tour of the mines that afternoon, but since our bus got delayed that wasn’t possible anymore. In the end, this was nice though since it gave us the chance to see Potosí – a cute little town that very positively surprised us! I’m not sure why this place is not recommended more. I think even if you don’t go on a tour to the mines, it’s worth a stop if you’re headed to Tupiza afterwards.

We especially liked the views from the cathedral – the typical Potosí picture you see on posters is taken from here I guess! You can see Cerro Rico, the mountain where the mines are located and the town stretching to all sides. Very well worth the entrance fee and breathtaking climb!

For Sunday morning, we had booked a tour of Potosí’s famous mines. Unfortunately/fortunately there are no miners working on Sundays, so you’re basically visiting empty mines. Unfortunately because it would have been interesting to see them at work and talk with them. Fortunately because it would have maybe felt a bit like a ‚human zoo‘. Anyways, it was what it was. We had a funny guy as a guide who had worked in the mines himself before. He first brought us to his place to get our protective clothes, helmets and headlamps, then we went to the miners market. Not really a market but more like a couple of hole-in-the-wall shops which all sold the same drinks, cookies, coca leaves…and dynamite! Yes, you read correctly. Potosí is the only place in the world where you can legally buy dynamite. We bought some, as well as some of the other stuff as presents for the miners, and off we went up Cerro Rico.

I was a bit anxious before visiting the mines about how the small tunnels would make me feel – and it’s definitely nothing for claustrophobic people! Straight away in the beginning we had to climb down a ladder into a small dark hole. The tour continued through tunnels of various heights, sometimes you really had to duck and squeeze (especially when going up or down a level), sometimes you could walk upright.

Along the way, we learned about the difficult life of the miners and all the health and safety risks they are taking. The life expectancy of a miner is 40-45 years only! I was shocked when by the end of the tour I asked our guide how old he was – 35! He looked like 50+ to me, having lost most of his teeth and having a hunchback. But no, this guy is only 4 years older than me, but looks like his best years are long gone by. And he even only worked in the mines for 5 years!

To ‚protect‘ themselves, the miners have built little statues on different places in the mines called ‚Tío‘ to who they bring some high percentage alcohol which gets poured over various body parts, coca leaves and a cigarette which they light and put in the statues‘ mouth. Doing so every now and then should help them make it safely out of the mine again.

The most exciting and a little scary moment was when we got to try out the dynamite at one point of the tour. Beforehand, this idea sounded fun and cool, but after spending an hour or so squeezing through tunnels, I wasn’t so sure anymore… How stable are these tunnels really and what if something collapses? Waiting for the explosion, my heart was certainly beating faster and I was glad when of course after a loud ‚boom‘ everything was fine. I guess our guide knows what he is doing as a former miner and he brought us quite far away before the explosion. It gave us a good impression though, of the risks that these people are taking every day and what is completely normal for them…

All in all, the tour was very interesting and made me understand Bolivia better. Mining plays a big role in the country and there are often road blocks when miners are protesting for better working conditions. Now we know why.