All that Glistens is not GoldThe first thing I want to say about this is that a decision to visit the mines should not be taken lightly. Before you decide to go a few things really need to be considered.
Firstly, why are you going? Are you going because you have a particular interest in the mining industry? Is it because it's another one of those things that travellers do when travelling through Bolivia? Do you have a slightly morbid fascination with seeing the brutal and unrelentingly harsh working conditions of silver miners in a developing country? I'm not saying that any of these reasons is more or less valid than another. Whatever your reason at least you are showing an interest, all I'm saying is this is not your average traveller's excursion/day trip and you should have given a little thought as to why you've decided to go before you do so! Secondly, what is actually involved in a trip down the mines? This isn't a trip to a museum or a walk around a sanitary reconstruction of a mine, you are going into a working silver mine, deep underground at altitude. Consider what you are going to see and what you are going to do and make sure you are prepared for both. You have to wear safety gear. Boots, overalls, helmets and head lamps are all essential to get you around the mine safely. While you are in the mine people are actually working. They are not putting on a show. They are going about their business, earning their wage in some seriously unpleasant and unforgiving conditions. Some of the workers view tourists as an inconvenience and make no secret of that, while others appreciate the slight break in monotony and may stop to chat briefly or offer to pose for pictures. Whatever the reaction to your presence just be aware and be respectful! The fact that it is a functioning mine means the conditions are uncomfortable, sometimes dangerous and often pretty physically demanding. It is very poorly lit down there, the floors are uneven, the passageways are narrow and you are regularly required to climb under, over or through some pretty awkward routes. Your guide is likely to help you if you need, or wait in order to keep the group together but as I've said before, it's a working mine and you may find you are in somebody's way and have to hurry along or suddenly dodge out of the way. While you are down there you may hear or witness an explosion. These used to be done specifically for the tourists but that practice was banned a number of years ago as it was causing structural instability in the mines. In spite of it no longer being done for tourists it obviously still happens as a necessary part of the mining process. In theory it is nothing to worry about but this is the most dangerous part of being in a mine so just be aware that it could happen while you're inside. Finally, which company do you book with? Potosí is absolutely overrun with tours agencies offering trips to the mines and the prices range hugely. The cheapest I was quoted was 80BS and the most expensive was 150BS. Unlike in a lot of South America, not all of these tours are created equal and the price really does affect the quality and thus the level of safety. I would not have trusted any of the really cheap companies and I wouldn't recommend you do either. Like I said, the mines are not a comfortable or particularly safe environment and you want to be sure of the fact that all the safety precautions possible have been taken. In the end I actually opted for the most expensive company called 'Big Deal' tours which is entirely owned and run by current or ex-miners. They are by far the most reputable company in Potosí. They pay all of their employees a good and fair wage, go over and above when it comes to their safety measures on the tours (including always having a spare guide with a tour group in case any participants feel uncomfortable and decide they want to exit the mine) and are wonderfully informative and knowledgable. I cannot recommend this company highly enough and would never question using them if I ever decided to return. They are absolutely worth the extra expense! Overall, I am really pleased I decided to visit the mine. It wasn't fun and I'm not really sure I would say I enjoyed it, but I found it to be an important experience. I learned a lot on the excursion as a whole and gained a real appreciation for the struggle and suffering these people go through on a daily basis in a very dangerous vocation! If you are in Bolivia and considering going to Potosí then I would definitely recommend it, just as long as you're prepared for what it involves!
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If You Hear Hoof Beats Think Llamas Not HorsesBolivia was our next stop and we had been very much looking forward to getting back into developing countries since we had arrived back in to Buenos Aires from the cruise. We arrived at the Quijarro bus station after a long morning and were ushered to a bus company by our taxi driver to book a bus for that evening to Santa Cruz. Tired and having had bad news from NZ the night before we decided to just book the bus instead of shopping around. This meant we paid 100 bolivianos (BS) ($19.10 AUD/14.45 USD) each for the trip but were on a very nice comfortable bus. We did then discover that you could do this journey for as little as 70BS ($13.40 AUD/10.10 USD) with other companies but with a major concession in seat comfort, toilet facilities and cleanliness. We headed in search of soda and food and it was here that in very broken Spanish and Google translate we had an interesting conversation with a local kid who was fascinated by our travels and had a million rather random questions. We then headed into the market for lunch and managed to order some delicious soup and a meal of rice and meat (Dani ate the meat) for 34BS ($6.45 AUD/4.95 USD) for both our meals. It was time to settle in for our 8-hour wait for the bus. It turns out we had some very decent Wi-Fi available and soon a group of 3 British girls joined us and helped us pass the time. We had booked different buses but we passed on the name of the hostel we were looking at staying and hoped we might see them in Santa Cruz. Our bus departed pretty much on time and we arrived in Santa Cruz at 5.30am in a tropical storm (yay for travelling in rainy season) so decided to wait at the bus stop until the rain eased and it was light. This turned into a bit of a nightmare the taxis we had scouted out earlier somehow disappeared when we went out at 8am. After an extended wait in the rain we were soaking, but finally managed to stop a taxi. Subsequently, at the worst possible moment, we were refused the journey and neither of us spoke enough Spanish to understand why. After much welcomed intervention from some locals we finally got a cab to Santa Cruz Hostel and Bar. When we got in low and behold there were Nat, Maz and Amy, the 3 girls from the bus station. Somehow they had arrived before us despite leaving Quijarro an hour later than we had. With a quick discussion we decided we would share a room, which cost us 70BS ($13.40 AUD/10.10 USD) each for an air-conditioned room with a private bathroom (this turned out to be the most expensive accomodation we had in the whole of Bolivia, but in Santa Cruz there appear to be few options available at a reasonable price...the reason for this still escapes us!). We also agreed that we would all go out and explore separately but that we would meet up for some caipirinhas later in the afternoon. Dani and I headed to the main square for some shopping and to get more money. It was on this walk that we found the local food market that has small local ‘restaurants’ upstairs. This has great soups and meals at all the stalls and a filling soup will set you back just 5BS ($0.95 AUD/0.70 USD). After picking up some limes, sugar and water for the evening’s activities we headed back to the hostel for some afternoon drinks. Many many hours later we were sufficiently drunk and discussing following the girls to La Paz instead of heading to Samaipata on our own. Waking up feeling slightly worse for wear we debated whether it was feasible for us to head to La Paz. This plan would mean skipping half of the destinations that we wanted to do in Bolivia and so sadly we had to agree this plan wouldn't work. This is where Fernando, the wonderful owner of the hostel stepped in. When asking for information about the route, he informed the girls that the best thing they could do was to go to Samaipata either as a day trip on the way to Sucre or as an overnight stop then carry down to Uyuni from Sucre. Well, it was set, instead of La Paz we were all going to stay another night in Santa Cruz and then head to Samaipata together. We had heard about a zoo in Santa Cruz that had “pleasantly humane conditions” and free ranging sloths and chose to visit here for a full day with the girls before Samaipata. It cost 10BS ($1.90AUD/1.40USD) each for entrance. While we can report that the second part is true and amazing, the pleasantly humane conditions were far from accurate. About 50% of the animals were kept in acceptable conditions the others were in cramped cages with sad desperate looking faces. Due to this I would suggest if it's sloths you're after head to the Botanical Gardens where you can also spot them roaming freely (while we didn’t do this trip ourselves, our guesthouse manager informed us that this was an easy bus journey away and an entrance of 20BS). Early the next morning we all headed off on foot to the shared cab (‘truffis’) station just a few blocks away from the centre of town. Fernando had informed us that it should cost 30BS ($5.75 AUD/4.30 USD) each and that we would need a 6th person or have to pay for the whole car. On arrival we were told that it would cost an extra 5BS ($0.95 AUD/0.70 USD) for our bags that by this stage had been strapped to the roof (we were pretty sure this was gringo tax). We were also informed that we would need 7 people to leave or pay 200BS ($38.20 AUD/28.85 USD) for the whole car. We established that having a big group was beneficial for being able to leave quicker but also left us more susceptible to ‘gringo tax’. We decided to wait and it wasn't long until Nicolas a lovely Frenchman came along to join us. At this point we decided that we would pay the 200BS so that we could get on our way and we all piled into the station wagon. On arrival in Samaipata we sent Nic and Dani off as our most competent Spanish speakers to check out some guesthouses while the rest of us watched the bags (we often choose this option, even if it is just the two of us as it makes the hunt much easier and less stressful). They established there were a few hostels around that would be between 35BS ($6.70 AUD/5.05 USD) and 45BS ($8.60 AUD/6.50 USD) for a bed in a dorm depending on whether there was a private bathroom or not. As we wandered down the street we decided to check out another guesthouse just off the main square. Hostel Rosario was 30BS ($5.75 AUD/4.30 USD) a night and had a nice enough room for all 6 of us with single beds rather than bunks. As it was cheaper we all agreed to stay, unfortunately, this hostel, as cheap as it was, turned out to be a bit of a backpackers nightmare. The list of rules was a mile long and included no talking loudly, howling (yes howling), no alcohol, no using the main entrance and no sitting in the communal area after 5pm. This basically meant no fun! To add salt to the wound the showers and rooms were swarming with mosquitos and the outside areas were thick with them. To enforce these rules was a girl of maybe 15 who would stare and follow us around the hostel. Every so often she would approach me and speak in very quick Spanish so I would have to grab Nic or Dani over to help translate. She was slightly unnerving, however I do believe she was just fascinated in this strange group of gringos frequenting her establishment. Once we had settled in we decided we'd check out the tour agencies in town to see how much it would cost to do the 2 main attractions surrounding Samaipata, El Fuerte (the Inca Ruins) and Cuevas, which are the waterfalls. The tours get progressively cheaper the more people you have and for both in one day we were quoted between 165BS ($31.55 AUD/23.80 USD) and 200BS ($38.20 AUD/28.85 USD) each which included the entrance to both. We then discovered that a taxi to El Fuerte would cost us 110BS ($21 AUD/15.90 USD) total with the 50BS ($9.55 AUD/7.20 USD) entrance each. For Cuevas it would cost 100BS ($19.10 AUD/14.40 USD) for the taxi and an extra 15BS ($2.85AUD/2.15 USD) each for the entrance fee. Overall this meant for the 2 trips over two days (which we decided would be a more relaxing option), it would only cost us 104BS ($19.90 AUD/15 USD) each because Nic only joined us for El Fuerte. One thing to note is that the taxis allow you 2 hours at the attractions before they increase their prices for waiting. This can be negotiated but is the standard rule. After making our decisions regarding our excursions for our time in Samaipata we opted to head to the local market and pick up some ingredients for a shared dinner. This was an excellent idea as a bag of 5 large avocados only cost 10BS ($1.90 AUD/1.45 USD) and only 13BS ($2.50 AUD/1.90 USD) for a large bag of tomatoes, 2 onions and some limes. This meant we could make a giant guacamole (Riv's signature dip) and tomato salsa for the sum total of 23BS ($4.40 AUD/3.30 USD) for 6. The next day we headed off to El Fuerte in a taxi, which we simply picked up from the main square in the morning. The drive took about 25 minutes and was all up hill! Some travel guides may say that you can do this on foot (somewhere between 8-10kms each way depending on the route you take) but having done it in a car and in the heat of Samaipata I wouldn’t say this is a reasonable expectation of anyone! When we arrived our driver gave us our meeting time of just over two hours later and after paying our entrance we headed in and followed the well-mapped route around the grounds. Throughout the area there are well signposted lookouts and signs with detailed explanations in English and Spanish. Don’t let the tour agencies in town convince you that you need a guide, it is completely unnecessary. The two hours allotted to us by our driver turned out to be absolutely perfect as we finished the loop in just enough time for a quick bathroom stop at the end before getting in the taxi back to town. Day two in Samaipata and it was time for our trip to the waterfall. As mentioned before Nic had chosen to do an alternative trip to a local national park that day so it was just the five of us. Prior to going we had decided to pack a picnic lunch to have at the waterfall while we were there. In preparation we headed back to the market to grab supplies and were elated to find out that a bag of mangoes only cost 5BS ($0.95 AUD/0.70 USD). Supplies acquired, it was back to the main square where again we very quickly and easy got ourselves a taxi and set off to the waterfall. As we’ve said, taxi drivers give you a two hour waiting time when taking you to the local attractions. Once at the waterfall, Dani managed to negotiate an extra 30 minutes, but in hindsight, given the nature of the visit and the desire to sit and chill and maybe go for a couple of dips in one of the three waterfalls in the area a longer stay would have been preferable. This should be negotiated with your potential driver before leaving town. That evening we had planned our route on to Sucre via night bus. These tickets can be bought for 90BS ($16.90AUD/13USD) from the Nueva Touristica restaurant/bus station, which is a short and easy 10minute walk from the main square. Ask in any of the tour agencies and they will point you in the right direction and it’s probably best to arrange this the day before or at least the morning of the day you are leaving rather than just turning up and expecting to get on. We had pre booked our tickets the day before and were informed that we needed to return at 8pm for departure at 9pm. Now, in the guide books this journey is described as being anywhere between 13 and 23 hours from Santa Cruz so we had no idea how long this journey would take or the type of bus that was going to show up. This normally wouldn't be an issue but the next day happened to be Dani's birthday so the thought of spending the whole day on a bus (should it take the full 23 hours) was a little daunting. We ordered some food and sat patiently waiting, as bus after bus arrived that wasn't ours. The owner of the restaurant became increasingly amused as the gringos got less and less patient with each passing bus constantly gesturing at us that we should sit and he would get us when the us arrived. Well, the bus that rocked up wasn't the luxury that we had become accustomed to in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil or even from Quijarro to Santa Cruz. This was very much a local bus. Built a little to high for comfort it swayed every time we turned a corner (a great thing when going through the mountains) and we were possibly sat over the engine, which meant it was unbelievably hot. Also the noises coming from the engine left us a little skeptical as to whether we would make it to Sucre at all. After a difficult nights sleep we awoke to a beautiful sunrise in the mountains of Bolivia. The bus pulled in to the station at 7.30am meaning the journey had only taken just over 10 hours, which we took as a birthday miracle. Next came our amusing journey to the centre. A kind taxi driver offered to take us for 5BS ($0.95 AUD/0.70 USD) each and loaded the 6 gringos into his station wagon complete with our 6 large backpacks. This required skills that even a circus contortionist might have found difficult. Perched on Dani's lap in the front seat I had a great view of Sucre as we sped through the narrow streets. After checking out a couple of hostels some which looked great but didn't have enough space for all 6 of us we settled on Travellers Guesthouse for 40BS ($7.65 AUD/5.80 USD) each a night each. We had a 6-bed dorm to ourselves and this turned out to be a small miracle in itself as 4 of us came down with gastro and only the birthday girl and Nat were unscathed. Now those of you who know us know that we make a big deal about birthdays, but unfortunately as this is actually the first birthday either of us have had where we didn't know where we would be before hand it was difficult to plan. Luckily due to the awesome friends we had acquired Dani had a great day and even managed to find birthday cake in the Bolivar square market. We also had a bit of a laugh on the paddle boats (10BS /1.90 AUD/1.45 USD) each in the pond in front of the "Eiffel Tower" and in the evening we headed to the supermarket to put together a birthday feast and a few drinks. At this point we had predicted our group would be separated. This was due to the fact that the girls were wanting to push on to Uyuni after a night in Sucre, Nic was wanting to stay in Sucre a little longer and we were planning to stop in Potosi for 2 nights. Well, as fate would have it, the majority of the group were struck down by gastro. Now not that we would wish that on anyone, we were secretly a little pleased that this meant we could at least carry on with the girls to Potosí for a night then on to Uyuni together. We said goodbye to Nic with promises to try to meet up later in La Paz and headed out to grab a taxi. We were able to flag one down and it cost us the same 5BS ($0.95 AUD/0.70 USD) each it had cost on the way there. At the bus station we were flooded with offers to get us to Potosí. Originally we were planning to take a shared taxi which we had been informed would cost us 200BS ($38.20 AUD/28.40 USD) for the car but as we looked around we could only see cars that would require the aforementioned contortionist skills ok for a 10 minute ride and not so much for the predicted 2 hours. This meant the longer bus 3-4 hour bus ride, which cost us 15BS ($2.85AUD/2.15 USD) each after a small amount of large group motivated negotiation. Just a tip there is an exit tax that needs to be paid before they let you on the bus. This costs 2.50BS and you can pay this at a counter near the exit. The bus to Potosí was nice enough for a short journey although winding around the mountains at 10km/hr we weren't sure the bus was cut out for the journey. Equally we were stumped as to why every so often the bus attendant would jump off the bus, pick up a few large rocks and toss them into the baggage hold. Just another mystery in the joys of South American bus travel. Arriving in the estimated time we checked into a great room at Hostal Felimar for 42BS ($7.95AUD/6.10USD) each in a private 4-bed room that they allowed us to cram 5 into with a hot shower and a basic breakfast. Potosí is a great town with some ruggedly beautiful architecture and a great central market. The main reason to visit Potosí is the silver mines that you can visit. I didn't feel I could cope in altitude down the mines and witnessing the harrowing conditions that the miners work in so Dani decided she was going to do this one on her own (she's always been braver than me). She paid for the expensive tour done by the only company run by ex-miners. We both felt it was important that she use a company that supports ex-miners rather than the less safety conscious more exploitative tours. Her tour cost 150BS ($28.45AUD/21.85USD), which included safety equipment, water and transport. You are also expected to buy a gift for the miners and it cost 15BS ($2.85AUD/2.20USD) for some soft drink and coca leaves. I'll leave it to Dani to tell you about the actual mines in a separate post. While Dani was in the mines I took the safer option of watching our travel children drink beer for breakfast and waited patiently for my spouse to return. From Potosí it was onward to Uyuni to see the world famous Salt Flats. We boarded a bus at the old bus station (a 20 minute walk downhill from the centre) after Dani’s tour. These buses leave hourly and take approximately 4-5 hours. Due to our late start we arrived in Uyuni after dark. Dani was exhausted by her taxing trip that morning, which meant finding a hostel, and a tour for the next day seemed impossible. This was until the lovely Andrea accosted us. She was offering a hotel and tour for the next day but being bombarded with information at the speed of light we weren’t sure how to proceed. Andrea was offering a night’s accommodation and a day trip to the salt flats for 300BS ($56.85AUD/43.75USD). I managed to negotiate this down to 250BS ($47.40AUD/36.45USD) with no commitment until we saw the hotel. She shuffled us into 2 taxis (which she paid for) to take us to the hotel. In hindsight the bus station is only 3 blocks away from the centre and this was unnecessary but as Dani was exhausted and a few of us were still recovering from 'Bolivia Belly' this seemed needed at the time. The hotel she took us to didn’t have a room for 5 so we were offered 2 doubles and a single for the same price as a dorm. This was already a bonus (at least for us), as we hadn’t had a room to ourselves since the cruise. Dani managed to negotiate 2 nights plus the tour for 300BS and despite not being able to check out other companies this seemed like a good deal. The hotel was called Residencial La Cabaña and without a tour costs 60BS ($11.35AUD/8.75USD) per person and includes a basic breakfast.
The tour is the standard 1-day tour, which takes you to the rail cemetery (the old trains used to transport salt), a craft market, and the salt hotel for lunch (included) and then onto the salt flats. We were lucky enough to experience the flats as well as a bit of the reflective surface caused by flooding, however due to the wind there was not quite the ground turning into the sky we were hoping for. The girls also got to ride on the roof of the 4x4, which by the sounds of the singing, squealing and whooping they seemed to enjoy. Overall, this was a great day trip however we did leave feeling that we may have been better visiting the lesser known Salar de Grande in Argentina for a less package tour type experience. We had discussed taking a night bus to La Paz straight after the tour but none of us felt up to this. We were told we could catch a bus to La Paz in the morning that would take 10 hours and would cost 110BS ($20.85AUD/16USD). If you're there on the right day there are also trains that run to Oruro (you can then catch a bus on to La Paz) a few times a week. It will depend on the schedule whether this is a cheaper option or a much more expensive one as there are 2 different companies that share this service. If you are in time to catch the Warra Warra service it will cost 60BS ($11.35AUD/8.75USD) to Oruro and then 20BS ($3.80AUD/2.90USD) to catch a bus from Oruro to La Paz. This may be the most comfortable overnight journey however the train doesn’t leave until after midnight on the day scheduled (not the morning of as this also confused us). The third and cheapest option is the bus to Oruro and then a bus on to La Paz. The bus to Oruro is no longer via an unpaved road and takes between 4-5 hours and runs frequently throughout the day. We decided that this was our best option and the first bus cost 30BS ($5.60AUD/4.35USD). On route Dani and I made the decision that we would stay in Oruro for the night as we were both too tired to keep pushing on. We got off the bus together and with a quick “La Pa… La Paaaaz” the girls were ushered off and gone … taking us back to 2. |
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