Tuesday 3 January 2012

Back to La Paz via Potosi

Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th December

 
Leaving our Hotel in Sucre.


The ride back to Potosi.
 
I hate traveling the same road twice but the necessity to be in La Paz for Thursday & the re-opening of the British Embassy means we have no choice, the trip to Potosi is short & OK but the 2nd stage to La Paz is a bit of grind. While in Sucre we watched a documentary film called ‘The Devils Miner’ in the Amsterdam Bar (yes Dutch owned) which told the tail of a 14 year old boy who works in Cerro Rico.

 
Cerro Rico viewed from the town of Potosi, the town once had 200,000 inhabitants due to it’s wealth & was one of the largest cities in the Americas.

 
Miners memorial in the residential outskirts of the City.
 
The mines inside ‘Rich Mountain’ produced over 41,000 tonnes of Silver to support the Spanish monarchy, also during the 400 years of occupation over 8 million workers died including both locals & imported African slaves. It now operates as a worker co-operative with meagre pickings of the remaining Silver, Lead & Zinc, life expectancy is short due to Silicosis with retirement available when your lung capacity hits 50%, If you want to know more seek out the DVD above.


Lunch stop on the road back to La Paz, long ride, poor weather & not very interesting.

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