Dear Mom, Don´t Read This One!

If you had never been to Potosi, Bolivia you would read a guide book or two, talk to some people that had been there and decide that based off their collective recommendations, you would not visit. That would be one crucial error, my friend.

I too consulted guide books and most of the people I talked to, that had been their, echoed that it was a washed up mining town with nothing to offer. But since Potosi stood between where I was and my next destination, I decided to see what was so bad about the highest city in the world. Turns out, nothing. I would venture to say it was actually my favorite city in all of Bolivia.

All I expected was a dull, gray town that had the life sucked out of it, along with all the silver in the mines, years ago. What I found was a vibrant, colorful city, full of proud citizens who were thrilled at the opportunity to share their culture with you. And they had lots of it. Potosi had the most bright and exciting culture of any city I have visited so far.

Each day I was there, I couldnt go anywhere without there being some kind of festive parade, or marching band, or dancing in the streets. There was no particular holiday they were celebrating, thats just what Potosi does.

Then a local invited us to his cousin´s wedding. Why wouldnt I go? Bolivian weddings are three straight days of party. And they know how to party. So much food. So much drink. So much fun. Congrats to the happy couple.

Finally, the main attraction. The mine. Its an active mine that employs much of the town and it has been busy since the Spanish invaded centuries ago. Over the course of its existence, it is estimated that around 9 million people have met their end in mine related deaths. So obviously I had to check it out. "Millions of people have died in there? Yeah, I´ll go in."

So we hired a couple exminers to take us in. But before we actually went in, we were told that its a good idea to buy gifts for the miners. They apparently like coca leaves, juice, cigarettes, and dynamite. Excuse me? Is purchasing the dynamite an actual option? It is? Ok, just checking.

Enter- my freak out dance. I had to blow something up. Anywhere outside of town would do. Only in Bolivia can I just walk up to a shop and purchase loads of dynamite, fuses, detonators, and dynamite enhancer.

My mind began to ponder just how far I can run in 30 seconds after I light the fuse. Probably not far enough. But how sweet would it be to do that running/diving thing as an explosion happens in the background? Oh the possibilities......

Miner attire is on. Ive literally got an entire bag full of dynamite strapped to my back. Only thing left to do is go in. So we did.

Crawling through tiny spaces, down poor excuses for ladders and battling the dust all while doing my best not to upset the explosives on my back. And its hot. Like uncomfortably hot. So why wouldnt the devil make an appearance? Indeed he did.

The miners have set up a statue/shrine to the lord of the underworld, whom they call Tio, or Uncle. In their culture, though, he is not a bad entity. Just another god who happens to rule the place they work, underground. So they make offerings to him in hopes they he blesses them with pure minerals.

So after hangin with Tio for a bit, passing out some dynamite to the miners, and being tired of not being able to fully stand up we were almost done. And I still had one stick of boom boom left. I think I'll hold on to it.

But on our way out we passed one more hole that our guide called into. A minute later, a 16 year old boys head pops out. He was working a double shift that day and had been working in the mines since he was 13. Powerful stuff down there. And then my conscious kicked in.

These miners are a poor people. They work in some of the worst conditions imaginable and most dont live 30 years after they first enter those mines. They operate as a co-op so they must buy all their own materials. And I just so happened to have some left. I mean, really? Would I have done anything productive with that last stick? Doubtful. I´m sure that kid in the mine made far better use of it. Besides, Ive presumably got 70 years or so left in my life to blow stuff up. He has less than half that time.

So yeah, Potosi. An amazing city with a sad history and reality that I will forever remember, and highly recommend.

And Then Bolivia Happened

The beautiful thing about open-ended travel is that you can think you have an idea of which countries you will be visiting, and end up somewhere completely different. For me, Bolivia has been that, ¨somewhere completely different¨. And I couldnt be more pleased.

Heading East from Lake Titicaca, in Peru, lands you in La Paz, Bolivia. That is where I jumped on a mountain bike, climbed to an elevation of 15,000 feet and took on The Death Road. Estimates have between 200 and 300 people dying on this road each year since the 1930s until it was closed to motor vehicles in the late 1990s, (took them long enough). So now you can bike down it. But given the narrow road, and the extreme drop off the side, a handfull of daredevils still die each year. Obviously I did not. And it was crazy fun.

From La Paz I ventured South to Uyuni. Its home to the largest salt flat in the world, a train graveyard, and its pretty cold. The salt flats are one of the craziest places I´ve ever been. There is nothing else in the world quite like it. Its also a good place to have a little fun with your camera and perspective.

Next was Potosi, an old mining town that is written off and poorly reviewed by guide books and other travelers alike. I had a different experience. Potosi will actually feature on its own in a future post. It was that good.

After that was a couple of fair weather towns farther to the East. Sucre is nicknamed the White City of the Americas and Santa Cruz is the biggest city in Bolivia. Both were nice places to hang out for a few days, but after a month in Bolivia, I hear Argentina calling from the South.

I could not be more happy that I gave Bolivia a chance. It delivered with a tenacity like no other.

When you seize an opportunity with an open mind you end up seeing things like the brightest moon of your life, a rock that looks like a tree, and the Big Dipper, upside down, spilling its contents into the night. Maybe not the best proverb written, but nevertheless, a true story.

Well kids, that is your update for now. I hope all is well with each of you. More later. Lovsies.

Lake Titicaca: The Experience

Lake Titicaca. The highest navigable lake in the world. Don't mind if I do.

Caught a night bus with my new travel buddy who happened to come in the convenient English speaking british model. Our attempts to make it to the lake town of Puno, however, hit a snag. At 5 in the morning.

In the middle of nowhere our bus stopped and we were told that there was a road block in place. This particular block was of the political protest variety. And when I say road block, I mean a bunch of unhappy Peruvians throw whatever they can find in the road to make it impassable for vehicles. Usually it's just a butt ton of rocks. Sometimes it's nasty llama pelts. Oh, and they light fires. Because no real protest would be complete without fire. 

Anyway, Our bus driver told us that the next town was only three km down the road and that we could catch a taxi there. So in the freezing cold darkness we began walking with our 40 lbs of gear. Three km later we discovered that our bus driver was a bit inaccurate. Ten km later it was clear that he had no judgment for distance. And fifteen km of walking later we were just tired and mildly pissed off. 

There was no town anywhere close. Just lots of road block materials and protestors. And fire. Several hours of walking and finally it looked as if there was hope down the road a bit farther.

Sure enough, we reached the end of the road block and there were taxis picking up those like us who were trying to make it to Puno. Unfortunately we were not the only ones to spot those taxis. 

Slightly angered protestors decided they didn't approve of these taxis. So they attacked. Peopled mobbed the cars, throwing rocks, deflating the tires, and doing other general crazy things. I decided it would be in my best interest to not get in one of those vehicles. 

Just a bit farther down the road and away from the mayhem was another taxi. Of course he wanted to rip us off but whatever. We were sick of packing our stuff down that road. So we throw our bags in, get ourselves in, and look behind us.

Now I don't know if you've ever had an angry mob rushing towards you, but it's rather terrifying. "Vamos! Vamos! Vamos! Let's go," I yell at the driver. He peals out. The car only gets hit by a rock or two. And we escape just before the mob converges. 

I know. Way too much fun before 9 AM. 

Now none of this would really have bothered me much if it had not caused us to miss our tour boat. By three minutes. We had put up with so much already that day so this wasn't going to stop us. 

What happens when you need to catch a boat that's already left port? Hire another to chase it down. 

Finally we tracked it down in the maze of the floating islands. They were coming toward us. We were coming towards them. Climb. Onto the bow of our vessel. Gonna have to jump. Only got one chance.

Nailed it like old pros. Once aboard the appropriate boat, after a round of applause, due to our lateness we were asked, "so you boys do a bit of sleeping in this morning?" if only it had been that simple.

Later we were dropped off on an island in the middle of the lake where we were to stay the night with a host family. Shall we say "basic accommodations" may be a bit of an overstatement? Not to worry though, because the overall experience was quite worth it.

A short hike later found us at the top if the island, which was also the highest point in Lake Titicaca. Convenient time and place to enjoy sunset. But as beautiful as that picture was, it was only after the sun had completely vanished that the true show began. 

Never before in my life have I seen so many stars. And if you try and tell me youve seen more, I will smack your face.

Just an obscene number of them jostled for a place in the sky and it was quite the crowded party. The milky way provided the central stage and every so often a plucky star would try it's luck crowd surfing into oblivion. Given our altitude and the lack of any city for miles, we had the best seats in the house.

As I lay there watching, I began to wonder how anyone could ever want to leave this place. After a bit, the riddle was solved. The lack of electricity and indoor plumbing gently tapped me on the shoulder and whispered a reminder that I should put forth a valiant effort to catch the boat back to the mainland that next day.

Lake Titicaca: I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars, but that would just sell it a might short.

So many lovsies!