Our first steps in Bolivia

Salt flats, mines, colonial buildings, elections, women in traditional colorful clothes (including the typical hat), bumpy roads, huge fresh-fruit salads and juices, bargaining, cheap food and accommodation, cold showers, thousands of food stalls in the street ... The contrast with Chile and Argentina is huge !

Salt flats
Together with our guide Pablo and our companions Sarah and Barry (from Ireland) and Susannah and Paul (Australia) we crossed the altiplano dotted with lakes (colored blue, white, green, red, ...). We saw the Dahli dessert, enjoyed natural hot springs (including minerals and all other kinds of things - hey Sarah), spotted a fox, vicuñas and llamas, viewed the geysers from close-by, survived a night at 4300 m.a.s.l., slept in a hotel entirely made of salt (except for the shower and toilet), took the BEST pictures on the salt flat, hugged a llama and found ourselves in a train cemetery.
It was a wonderful tour with the perfect guide and great companions. An amazing first impression of Bolivia!

The mines of Potosi
In Potosi, the highest city of the world (4060 m.a.s.l.) our friendly hostel owner showed us how to survive the freezing cold that came with the height: at least 4 sweaters and 3 trousers.
The first morning we were woken by street music. On the central square we found hundreds of school children marching with music and banners to celebrate the foundation of the city. This was mixed with the last days of campaign for the upcoming elections and made Potosi a very lively and vibrant city.
Our excursion to the Potosi mine the next day was extremely confronting: Today the miners still work in colonial-time conditions without any safety measures and all dreaming of finding the ultimate vein dotted with silver!
For us just visiting the mines it was already hard: sometimes crawling through small tunnels, breathing poisonous dust and a heat of 35º. We could almost not believe that people endure these conditions 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 30 years or more. Some from the age of 11!

Sucre, the ciudad blanca
We explored the beautiful white city on good Friday of the semana santa and since Bolivia is a very religious country this is a public holiday. We started the day with a delicious fruit salad on the central market, walked around the shaded plazas and viewed the many churches. Just before we had to catch our bus to La Paz we saw a religious procession and realized how strong the belief still is in this country.

Interesting facts

• The Uyuni Salt flat has the same surface as Belgium and thanks to the guy selling the tour, everybody knows that now.
• Miners are good drinkers: their favorite is pure alcohol of 96º
• Buying dynamite in Potosi is completely legal. We bought 2 sticks: one as a gift for the miners and one to ignite ourselves.
• One for the people of Yara: Before adding the fuse to the TNT, it is mixed with fertilizer for a stronger explosion.
• It is prohibited to serve alcohol in restaurants and bars 3 days before the elections ... a good way to make sure that people are sober when they vote.
• The whole public life stops 24h before the elections: no long distance busses, empty streets, ...