I've arrived in Potosi!

This city of 175,000 people is the world's highest city, at 4100m (13,300ft) above sea level. And boy, can you feel it!

This morning was my last chance to perouse Sucre's wonderful market, and unfortunately the Saltena stores where I've been getting my breakfasts were closed. Plain bread for breakfast then...

Then it was time to leave the 7 Patas hostel and head to the bus station. 7 Patas is a lovely little hostel, set in a colonial mansion, and currently being run by a couple volunteers from the midlands. It was a very relaxed hostel, unlike the owner of the one I'm currently staying in. More on that later...

The bus ride was a little tortuous. It was cheap - £2 for a 3 1/2 hour trip -but... I was sat next to a campesino (farmer) who smelt a bit bad (and stole my window seat + refused to give it up). But worse, there were tonnes of screaming kids, whose parents seemed to care little for the ears of the fellow passengers.

Nevertheless, the scenery was nice, although its a grey day in Central Bolivia today. Eventually, we made it to Potosi. Sucre got rich off Potosi's back. Whilst Sucre is a city of later, neoclassical colonial style, Potosi is host to older, ramshackle architecture.

I love it. Whilst Sucre is all clean and orderly, Potosi is a bit more chaotic (building wise) and jumbled up. Potosi still feels even safer than Sucre however, is almost like Cusco just slightly more untidy, and about half (but still quite a few) tourist agencies and gringo-oriented restaurants.

It was lovely just to pramble around the town, befriend a few stray dogs, and eventually find a shop that sold bottled water (weirdly a rarity in a city at 4000m altitude). Like Sucre, Potosi on its own won't set the world alight but is nice to check-out. The Cerro Rico however...

The Cerro Rico, a 4700m mountain that looms over Potosi is why this city is so large for such an inhospitable environment. Potosi is a mining town, and was the world's richest city for 300 years. The Cerro Rico bore a seemingly never-ending silver supply that kept the city's white elites ludicrously wealthy, and the indigenous and african miners, horrifically impoverished and sick. Tomorrow, I'll visit those mines... few things have gotten me so excited!

Ah yes, the hostel. Well he seems to have calmed down now. Am in the Koala Den Hostel, close to the centre but down a weird alley-road cross. The hostel is mostly full of buoyant Italians, Argentines and French. The owner, who looks like an ex-miner seemed to be getting a bit irate at some of the Frenchies. His wife appeared to be attempting to diffuse the situation by saying he was drunk. Anyway, quite confusing, but still all semed to work out!

Vamos!