When I left for the trip to South America one of my friends was adamant that my plans would change and probably quite drastically as well. First of all there was the earthquake... enough said. Then there was the decision to leave Argentina and Uruguay for the end of the stay in South America. These were big changes but what we never really planned on were the little towns we had to stay in as we passed from one major centre to another. Sucre was a must, we had been told. Potosi was nothing spectacular, at least that was our impression. With this in mind we reluctantly decided to bus three hours to Potosi and spend the night before jumping on another bus to La Paz. In the end we spent three nights in Potosi and probably received the best history regarding Bolivias colonial heritage from all the places we visited in Bolivia.
When we first arrived by bus to Potosi we were dissapointed to say the least. The city owes its heritage to the massive (and I mean massive) dirt pile that dominates the entire citys skyline. Potosi was originally home to the worlds largest silver mine and at one point in history was the largest city in the world dominating Rome, Paris and London. What has been left, however, is a hideously scarred monstrosity overlooking the town with equally bleak buildings built to support what is essentially a mining town (with an equally grand lead mine just 20minutes down the road). At first we were determined to spend as little time there as possible and given the frosty reception at our hotel it seemed justified. We had subsequently become a little fed up with sharing single beds in order to avoid questions at reception and had thus decided to declare ourselves a couple and book a matrimonial room. The woman at the counter flat out refused to allow two men to share a bed even though we made it clear that the driving factor was the desire for the private bathroom. She tried to convince us that the room had a prior booking after having shown us the room and we had declared out intentions. In the end we decided to stomach the decision as we were only staying one night and could tolerate a shared bathroom for the night. In this instance it pays to shop around for accommodation if you dont already have anything booked. Whilst we werent overjoyed with our choice it was at least comfortable and smelled a lot better than the alternatives.
Our first night changed our minds on Potosi and demanded we make plans for a longer stay. We walked towards the old part pf the city and were shocked to see grand and intricately decorated churhes on every single block. The colonial architecture predominated and with the countrys bicentenial celebrations approaching the streets were full of marching bands, military parades and stalls selling all sorts of wares. Quite simply Potosi is a must see in Bolivia. It informed and drove the direction of colonial America under Spanish rule and is riddled with history. We made sure to visit La Moneda which used to be one of the biggest mints in the world and gives a very valuable insight into the city, and Spains dominance in the new world. We also thoroughly enjoyed the tour at the Monastery of Santa Theresa. It has some priceless works of art and everything to inform the visitor of life in a prereform catholic monastery. The women in these monasterys were only allowed to talk for two hours a day and were not allowed to see, hear or touch their families when they visited. Incidentally it was a tremendous privelege for young women to enter the church in this manner and extremely large dowries were payed for the honour meaning that the museum has a fantastic collection of art and works in gold and silver. We also highly recommend visiting the main church off the main square at sunset as one can climb the bell tower which commands the whole city gazing directly at the Cerro Plata (silver hill).
To our delight there is also a central market which serves pasteles de queso, buñuelos, api and tojori. We had the best experiences by returning to the same lady every morning for breakfast as they do seem to appreciate your patronage.
We managed to pass our days strolling through the city enjoying the architecture or watching the processions in the street. There is also plenty of opportunities to enjoy sweets and pastries although admittedly Bolivia doesnt quite perform as well as Peru with regards to sweets and desserts. Potosi is a tourist destination and as such there are a lot of places that seek to exploit the uneducated tourist. We honestly find the best places are usually cheap, full of locals or both. However, If you are doing a trip through multiple countries in South America Bolivia is not exactly a culinary haven. If you eat cheap or with the locals expect a lot of rice, deep fried chips and a single slab of beef or quarter chicken. By the end of Potosi we were a bit tired of the same old fare but still could not bring ourselves to settle for pizza or a hamburger.
Sucre and Potosi complemented each other quite well and we were very happy to visit the two cities. Potosi makes a great experience but doesnt boast the amenities that would necessitate a return any time soon.
Next, La Paz.
