Ok, so I was having a great time in Sucre, Bolivia, but after a bit of serious thought, I have decided to continue my travels down through Argentina, about which I have heard great reports. I have also decided to fly back to England in late November to see the boy (Dan) for two weeks. I will then return to Argentina to continue my travels, before heading home to Australia for Christmas.
Given the above, I have under four weeks to make it to Buenos Aires for my flight to England, which is little time for such a vast continent. I therefore decided to leave Sucre after just under two weeks, and head south in Bolivia to Potosi. At over 4700m above sea level, this little city is supposedly the highest in the world! (This is however according to the Bolivians, who are a little too keen on their superlatives!). The main attraction is the mines nearby, where Bolivians survive treacherous conditions to mine and sell silver, zinc and lead. So, in accordance with the tourist trend, I decided to partkae in a mine tour, despite hearing they were not overly safe or pleasant. I did, however, book it through a very reputable organisation.
The mine tour was a truly eye-opening few hours, and I will never again complain about working in a restaurant, shop, care industry or otherwise!
The safety standards in these suffocating, intoxicating, and sweltering mines are non-existent. Even if not claimed by a mine collapse from misplaced or forgotten explosives, miners rarely live beyond 45 years; Noxious fumes and other harsh realities of the atrocious conditions make miners susceptible to every form of heart, lung, respiratory and otherwise disease. To enter the mines, one must crawl on hands and knees through tiny dark holes, surrounded by intoxicating gases and with an almost complete lack of oxygen. Despite having an oxygen mask (which the miners dont), I still found it extremely difficult to breath at times, and was also dripping with sweat from the stifling humidity. These mines are still very primitive, and lack any modern technology - Huge carts weighing many tonnes are still pushed, pulled and manually filled by the overworked miners, who work with little aside from a shovel. Miners also develop severe back problems due to the demanding physical labour.
Possibly the worst aspect of these mines is the age at which men start work. Miners are typically the poorest Bolivians, as no-one with other options would choose to work in such surroundings. Sadly, many begin in the miens at 13-15years, as orphans or very poor children who have no choice but to do so to survive. Many work for 15-20 years, before dying an untimely death due to the factors above. A miner typically works a 10-12 hour day, with several breaks in between. In that time, they must remain in the mine, as entry and exit is too time consuming. However, because of the noxious fumes etc that can be fatal, they cannot eat whilst underground. Therefore, they chew coca leaves to suppress their apetite and give them energy, and drink water, which they must carry on their backs. They use rudimentary lamps which are operated using a ctalyst and water. However, as water is a precious commodity that must be carrried, they often dont have enough to operate the lamps. So, they ´recycle´ the water by lighting the lamps with another bodily fluid.
Miners also carry and drink liquor which is 96% pure alcohol, and very cheap. I was offered some myself, but didnt think it wise at such an altitude, and being such a lightweight!
The mines are a co-operative venture, and miners work in small groups to mine and sell their produce. Work is completely performance-based, so if one has a bad day and doesnt find any material of value, they earn no money. Most miners therefore have to work a 6 or 7 day week to earn enough money to support families/themselves etc.
After 3 hours in the mines, I was exhausted, shocked, filthy and dripping with sweat. And I wasnt even working! Imagine how it would feel for those who toil for three times as long every day, without the luxuries of oxygen masks, protective clothing, and food in the stomach. To support the miners, we all brought them some explosives and catalysts, and water and soft drink. It must, however, have been a small consolation for them.
After the tour, I returned to the hostel for a long hot shower, before heading to bed for an early night.
