Whole kind of different mine tour in the Cerro Mines of Potosi

Day 23 (0 km)

  

Wore out!

Our group of five

      The tour people picked us up at nine and took us with a city bus to the mines, we got dressed, helmet, light and rubber boots and soon entered the mine, which is already in operation since 1651 and is rich in silver and a lot of other minerals. 
      The passages in the mine were low and even the 4 ft Bolivian mine workers had to duck there head, so image me and soon I was wore out, back problems, exhausted, can not breath, sulfa scent all over and we went further and further into the mine to see how the local miners did there daily routine, which was in my eyes very primitive, hard labor under harsh conditions and before we went in the mine we had to buy each a 2 liter soft drink and of course a sack full of coca leaves to give away to the miners so they could stay another 24 hours under ground and it seems that the coca leaves makes them not feel tired and hungry and is probably good for altitude sickness as well. 

mine entrance

I felt like the local dope pusher giving free coca leaves away to get them hooked on it!, but then this whole country is chewing this all day long and everybody has a green plastic bag in their hand all day with the coca leaves inside.

Religious meeting to praise the Gods

Now we are more as 4500 meters high and 40 Celcius inside the mine!

The god, they honor in the mine.

On the end around 1 pm, I thought they had to carry me out on a stretcher, that's how exhausted and short of breath I was and told Scotty, I was not going to Uyuni today as we had planned, but rest-up and leave the next day! After all it was a nice experience.

I am thinking, I must have lost 10 pounds