What do I recall when Potosí comes to mind? The coldest nights where I'd be woken up by cold shivers (no wonder! it is situated at 4090m altitude !!! One of the highest cities in the world, I may add. Much higher than La Paz at 3632m), but the sweestest memories come from the best "pastelito" (recall posts from La Paz & Oruro), which is similar to a Queue de Castor/Beaver's Tail but instead of dressing up, the bolivian version is to fill it up with cheese and powder it with powder sugar. The dough is also extremely thin and puffs up once fried and remains puffed until you pop it! If anyone reading this post happens to be in Potosí, please pay a visit to the ambulent in the mini plaza a visit! Unfortunately I do not recall the name of the plaza but starting from 6-6:30pm, the "Cholitas" (dimunitive form of Chola for indigenous ladies/women dressed in their traditional clothing, typically a uni-coloured layered skirt with a bright embroided top, accompanied with a sunshade hat for ladies and 2 waist-long braids falling gracefully on their back)
Food aside, no one visits Potosí without paying a visit to the mine "Cerro Rico" (Rich Mountaing). The tour starts by the processing silver plant, followed by a quick dip at the shops to buy some gifts for the miners, such as a bag of coca leaves, a bottle of juice, a small explo9sive with detonator and the best part? Potable alcohol at 96%!!! I had always thought that after 40-50%, alcohol no longer becomes potable for human consumption! After trying it... it's consummable... yeah. Tasted like a very very cheap, bottom of the line of vodka, without the vodka flavour, which means pure taste of alcohol that hits you BAM in the face! A bottle cap full (around 10ml) of this potable ingestible liquid burns more than a shot of vodka. Why do the miners drink such horrid concoction? Perhaps the price of 10Bolivianos (roughly $1.45CAD) for a bottle of 350ml holds the explanation...
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| El Tío. His virility is up! & yes he is drinking |
That day, every miner we've visited invited us to a few shots of that potent drink all the while with a mandatory pour to the ground for Pachamama, a gesture to thank mother earth for her protection of the miners' safety and the silver production. Intriguingly we were told that not everyone is welcomed to visit the mines, especially unwanted are Bolivian women. Foreigners are generally welcome, as it is believed that we bring luck for the miners. We were later told that Bolivian women are not welcomed as Pachamama is a very jealous female and that they may deter the attention of El Tío, as both "Gods" make a couple! From our perspective these are simple superstitions but the miners take there believes very seriously!
Even our guides were enjoying the drinking festivity a little too much and didn't want to go down another level... I had to make the request! The descent felt like climbing down a maze or rather a hobbit's house with compartments. Except that this is no a maze made of rock and dust, and that the breathing condition is, somewhat suffocating and rather clostrophobic if you let your imagination get the better of you. The further one goes down, less space there is to manoeuvre. I had to climb down 2 tunnels and then crawl up to where one miner was chipping the wall away hard and with every movement, released a grunt that pained me to hear. The man was probably in his early 30s, his skin darkened by the sun, his skin and bone body was glistering in sweat... (The working conditions of the miners are way below standards; with poor protective equipments, difficult working conditions such as lack of funds to purchase electric drills, long working hours, and the constant inhilation of dust, most miners have a life expectany of around 40 years of age)
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| Pay attention to the miner in the darkness on the left |
After such a sight, we decided it was time to go. Not used to the harshness of the miner's life, we could not handle the sight much longer, nor the dust. It is hard to believe but the majority of the miners have been miners for generations and are proud to continue the family tradition.
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| ex- National Mint of Bolivia |
I have not had the chance to witness anything out of the ordinary but was later told that one can hear whips lashing onto the slaves and the sound of horse steps walking in circle to put the printing machine at work!!! A ghostly remainder of the hostility of the conquerers...
Sucre, an escape from the cold, what a relief! A beautiful white city, also the officially judicial capital of Bolivia. What remains of its spendour now are the colonial white buildings that earned its UNESCO World Heritage title in 1991.
As luck smiles on my way, I befriended a tourst guide, invited him for coffee, and we ended up spending a wonderful afternoon and evening together, touring the city, gratuity of the guide :) It was a rich cultural exchange as well as a positive energy exchange. Dino is originally from Tupiza (City located south of Bolivia, near the border or Argentina) but has been living in Sucre for more than 10 years. As he narrated the anecdotes regarding Sucre, he does it with a taste of bitterness and disatisfaction. A month later we spoke again and told me that he is moving to a big city to start afresh. I told him that I felt that vibe from him and urged him to listen his heart, and it belongs to La Paz, not Cochabamba... same as me!!I love beautiful encounters where one can leave a positive human impact! A cultural an energetic exchange!! Bolivia has left many profound imprints in me, and continue to do so, mysteriously and unprecedently :) My journey continues...
