8/3 Forever upwards to Potosi

Relatively late brekky at 7.30am then on our way by 8.  The youngens had been to the ´Fun Pub´ last night where you drink 10 shots as quickly as possible - then you're supposed to vomit.  Sounds like fun doesn´t it?  Well four of them are less than funloving this morning and room on the beach is at a premium.  The first class section became a vomitorium in the morning.  Not nice.

The chick hat belonged to the bar - unsure how it became the truck mascot.  Danny & an unhappy looking Sam.

We are once again rising up in the world and it is pretty chilly in the truck.  The more sensible young ones bought a bag of coca leaves last night and have been chewing away in an effort to keep altitude sickness at bay. Just about all of them have purchased some very nice alpaca fleece items ranging from hats to socks.

All the clothes were lovely.  Not so sure about the knobbly head bit on these ones.

By lunch time four of the sensible people had become quite ill and the beach after lunch was filled with people with altitiude sickness - or possibly a tummy upset.  So again first class was a vomitorium for another reason.  We both feeling quite well luckily.

Some quite spectacular scenery again today with snow capped mountains, river valleys, and hillsides with the most amazing colours.  The farm houses and surrounding walls are all mud brick/adobe with grasses for rooftops.

Just out of Uyuni the town is on the flats in the below pic.

Miles of mud brick fencing

Typical farmyard area with outdoor oven

Today's lunch stop

There is always someone with the herd animals - always

 

We reached Potosi (4060m) the highest city in the world about 3pm.  Everyone happy to be transported on a small local bus from the outskirts to the hostel for the comfort of waiting beds and especially ensuites. 

Huge slag heap to left and typical religious monument on hilltop

Several more people suddenly became quite ill - again luckily we are still doing ok.  Very few people headed out for evening meals.

Potosi has been quite a surprise.  It is quite a pretty town with narrow winding streets in the colonial district.  Some very grand buildings including many large churches, built on a hillside of course.  The town began when a local herder was caught out on the mountain one night and lit a fire only to see a liquid stream of silver poor from the ground.  The Spaniards very quickly began mining the Cerro Rico (Rich mountain) using slave labour.  Locals at first then imported from Africa.  Very harsh conditions and many, many deaths.  The quantity of silver produced is unknown but it is said that they could have built a bridge to Spain and still had enough silver to carry over the top of it. The mountain is still mined today, but for other minerals.  The area is now quite poor.