Heaven and Hell

Well I suppose this entry is a little overdue but I have been travelling quite quickly over the last week and haven't had time to update. Well when we last left the adventures of Keith he had just bid ado to Nat who was going to northern Brazil to warm up. I decided to head to the colder south of Bolivia and visit both Potosi and Uyuni before entering Argentina. Arriving in Potosi at 6am I met Sharon, a native Vancouverite that has been in Australia for most of her life. Sharon and I decided that we were both going to the same hostel so we shared a cab. The hostel however was full and we were told we had to wait until 12 to get a room. At this time the foyer of the hostel was filling up quickly. Upon inquiring I learned that everyone was gathering to go on a Potosi mine tour that started in less than an hour. I first thought I would have to wait another day before I could go on a tour so this was perfect.

So, both Sharon and I signed up and were off to some of the worst working conditions I have ever seen. I ended up being in a group with a ragtag bunch of common-wealth travellers, Mickey and Locki (Aus), Matt, Bo, and Dave (Brit), and a couple Scots I can't recall the name of (no Nat, a journal wouldn't have helped. I forgot their names before I could write them). For some reason unknown to me, we dubbed ourselves, Team Flange. First stop, the dynamite and pop store. Yes, in Bolivia it is perfectly legal for anyone of any age to purchase a stick of dynamite, a fuse and blasting cap for a whopping $3 dollars. It was suggested that we buy some soft drinks and dynomite as gifts for the miners and maybe some additional charges for demonstrations.

Next stop, the market. I am not sure why we went to the market but I believe it was to find things to blow up. Our group decided to purchase a melon, seems pretty obvious, doesn't it. However, Bo, being the quick thinking person she is, purchased the coup de grace... for less than a dollar, Bo managed to get us a severed goats head. Sorry to all those that this disgusts.


Demolition Man

It was off to the mines. These mines have been worked for hundreds of years, since 1545. When the Spanish first discovered that silver was present in the mountain, the brought in African slaves to work the mines. However, the cold and the altitude proved detrimental to these miners as millions perished. Now, most miners work in cooperatives. Sharing the ore that is steadily removed form the mountain. Howeverr, as most of the silver has already been removed and the tin market has crashed since the introduction of plastics, the wage these miners make is minimal. The current average life span of a miner is around 40 years. Most death is related to inadequate ventilation and lung diseases. Inside the mines, temperatures range from freezing to 40 degrees centigrade.


Diggin' in the darkness.


Pushin' for a living.

That night, our guide, Pedro Negro (not to be confused with the other guide Pedro Blanco), took us out to a bar and quite empty discoteque. I did not drink as much as the others as I had to get up early to travel to Uyuni and the Salar.


Dave drinking the "black stuff".


More Team Flange

The next morning, slightly hung over, Sharon and I left Team Flange, who were heading north and boarder a bus for Uyuni. We arrived un Uyuani at night and booked a tour for the following morning. Walking up at 7am, well before any breakfast shop was open or any saine local was out, the two of us, along with Matt and Julie (Amer), Gerrome (Fre), and Danella (Bra) left to visit the Salar. The description of the Salar Tour will be mainly pictures as words cannot describe the beauty of Southern Bolivia, or I'm just too lazy.

Day One: The Salar de Uyuni
The salar is a giant salt flat that floods in the rainy season and is sparkling white in the dry. It and other, smaller salars in the region are remnant of an ancient lake that covered much of southern Bolivia.


Matt, Julie, Gerrome, Sharon, and I (right to left)


The fishless Isla de los Pescadores


I know it's cheaper to buy in bulk, but come on!?!


Come on in!


Sunset on Day 1

Day 2: Lakes, Lagoons, and Some Rocks.


Lunchtime Lake


Rocks I forgot the name of


Now, I'm no Lakeologist but...


Sunset anyone?

Day 3: The Lake Verde and other disappointments.


Green my ass!!!


And me without my bathing suit


This is gonna get kinda weird... Two dragons!


By the power of Greyskull...

Well I have a lot more pictures but this is taking quite the amount of time. So there you go. From the Hellish mines of Potosi to the Heavenly scenery of southern Bolivia. Oh, and Ryan, the jumping technique went over big. My pictures didn't come out to well but your became a hero of the group.

Currently I am in Salta, a town in northeast Argentina. Being a completely modern little city it is a nice change from my last month and a half. Well off I go to explore... hasta luego.