Bolivia - Potosí

Hello from chilly Potosi, some 14,400 feet above sea level, but it´s not as cold as AZ in the winter (though it´s summer here) because it doesn´t freeze at night. Today we toured one of the world´s most infamous mines that has, in the past four hundred years, claimed the lives of well over 8 million people (from African and indigenous slaves to present day miners).

Guided by a 21 year old, ten year veteran of the mines, we crawled and climbed 500 meters into the what used to be the world´s richest mine, before the Spaniards took all the millions of tons of silver for themselves. All is left is a Swiss cheese hill, that has sunk over 1000 meters, averaging now a meter a year. A tragic place, most tragic, is one of the most vivid examples of the blatant exploitation of a land for the benefit of the European Royaly and the Catholic Church. Today, the tailings are picked through for tin and zinc, bought by the USA, but the town still struggles, mainly surviving on tourism. Coca leaves flow freely as they are a save substance in their natural form, but the US places pressure on the officials to eradicate the crop, so the poor poor people are loosing their culture as they lose money and identity. Such a desolate land, only the most humble and the most greedy would try and survive here, hardly any vegetation and minimal annual rainfall, it´s hard to believe that Potosi was once the largest and richest city in the western hemisphere. Definitely worth the visit.

We heard about the Colombia a couple days ago, though the cause remains unknown. Bolivia is full of it´s own news and turmoil, as their history has always been. In fact their government has changed some 160 times in the 140 years it´s been a country (give or take a couple numbers on both) these people are just tired and want nothing more than a simple life, but corruption prevents any form of progress and the weakest suffer the most.

How fortunate I am, so very, very fortunate. All I have to do is go to a bank and I´m set for a week. Which reminds me, the ATM charge has always been $3, that´s why I go inside and use my debit card like a credit card for a "cash advance" because it has the visa symbol, but since it´s not a credit card I get no charge by either bank, as the credit card is supposed to charge a commission.

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Again, I´m so fortunate. I couldn´t be happier right now. We´ll be on the move south again tomorrow, heading to Argentina. Bolivia is a great country with so much to offer the ecotourist, but we´re just passing through right now, trying to get to Brasil. I would like to spend more time here, like Guatemala and Mexico. The food is so good too, though it´s influenced by Argentinian gastronomy as well.