Facts about Potosí:
1. It is the highest city in the world at 13,420 feet (it also has the highest brewery in the world -- Potosina Beer!)
2. It was founded in the 1500s by the Spainards and exploited for the rich silver mines of Cerro Rico.
We all met at the airport at 8am to fly to Sucre and then had to take a bus to Potosí which is supposed to take about three and a half to four hours. We stocked up on water, coca and snacks and were on our way! I believe Sucre is still considered the capital of Bolivia... it used to house all of the government officials, but then they moved to La Paz... but Sucre is still starred on most maps and you can't just change your capital when you feel like it, so let's say it is still the official capital of Bolivia and La Paz is the governmental capital! Anyway... we all immediately began chewing coca to prep for the climb in altitude en route to Potosí!
Facts about Coca:
1. It is NOT cocaine. One of our books for class describes it as follows: "Coca is to cocaine what grapes are to wine" (Dignity and Defiance by Jim Shultz & Melissa Crane Draper)
2. In order to make cocaine from coca there is a very complicated chemical process of extracting just one of the 14 alkaloids in the coca leaves and then science science science CHEMISTRY! Just to give you an idea of the coca to cocaine ratio, to make just 1 pound of cocaine you need 390 pounds of coca!
3. There are no long term affects of using coca and addiction is not possible (according to WHO)
4. It works wonders on altitude sickness, stomach aches, head aches, staves off hunger and many Bolivians chew coca instead of drinking coffee!
5. Because it does all those wonderful things, when the Spanish ran the mines in Potosí, the indigenous people were sent to work in the mines for months without leaving. And because coca staves off hunger, in order to cope the indigenous people chewed coca continuously. The Spanish loved this because that meant that they didn't have to feed the miners as much or worry about their health... (if they worried much at all)
6. The tradition of chewing coca in the mines is still present today. Many of the miners we saw looked like they had ping pong balls in their mouths they had so much coca in their cheeks!
7. 'Chewing' coca means you kind of mash up the leaves in your mouth and put it into one side of your cheek like you would do with chewing tobacco (apparently, this is what my peers have told me!) You kind of suck on it and after a few hours spit it out and start over. It's an experience, and takes some getting used to, but it really does work wonders on altitude sickness!
So now you know all about coca, on with the story! We stopped about two hours outside of Sucre at this beautiful bridge that marks the borders of Sucre and Potosí. We were allowed to get out, stretch our legs and cross the bridge and we all jumped at the chance! As usual, pictures are the best descriptions I can give! :)
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| Climbing down to the bridge, there was no path... |
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| Potosí side of el puente |
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Sucre side
At the top of the bridge looking towards Potosí
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I'm really not kidding about those mountains... what a view!
We had a grand time climbing up the bridge, albeit it was a little frightening at times climbing up steps that were less than 6 inches wide, but we did it! Unfortunately, right after we stopped at the bridge our bus broke down... We were able to pull into a parking lot of sorts with a small convenience store (convenience store meaning they sell soda, water, beer and a few snacks and have a small sitting area). I slept for about an hour on the bus and when I woke up our chofers were still trying to fix the bus so a few of us decided to explore. We ended up spending almost three hours at this 'rest stop.' But, that meant that we got to explore the mountains! We climbed up into the hills to find some shade and the variety of rocks, minerals and plant life was incredible! There was shale (I think) and terracotta colored rocks, rocks that looked like petrified wood but wasn't, quartz and other crazy minerals growing in weird shapes, cacti of all shapes and sizes with flowers and mountain goats (and kids! --baby goats -- we made a lot of kid jokes)! Plus there's this stunning view of the mountains of Bolivia everywhere you look and somehow, no matter how many mountains I see, I am still amazed!
Eventually the bus was fixed, but being three hours behind schedule and practically out of food and water made the bus ride seem veryyyy long. And when we finally got to Potosí we got lost and about 15 of us had to pile into a trufi (which is a taxi about the size of an airport van) to get to the hotel, and well, it was just a very long day and everyone was very ready to be off the road. But we reached the hotel, ate dinner and woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to go -- or as refreshed as you can be after crazy altitude dreams.. aka I was trying to wake up from my dream and instead floated above my bed for about five minutes. It was like those dreams when you're falling and wake up, except I couldn't fall onto the bed, I was literally suspended above my bed. SO STRANGE!! The next morning I found out the symptoms of altitude sickness: headache, nausea, not being hungry, feeling weak or tired, dizziness, crazy very vivid dreams and insomnia!
We saw a lot just on the journey between Sucre and Potosí, but there's still much more to come in my next post about Potosí, the mines, Wayna Pacah and La Casa de Moneda! Just you wait!!! :)
Carly "I'm definitely taking my computer with me next time we go on an excursion so I don't have to write tons of super long blog posts all in a row" Krystyniak
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