In an effort to get me writing my own blog Sadie has passed this next installment to me. So here you are you lucky fellows. The last post was from Potosi and quite a lot of time has passed since then, much of this spent on the toilet. Potosi was our first real stop in Bolivia and it is a fascinating city. At 4,600 metres above sea level it is the world's highest city and place which literally leaves you breathless. There is pretty much one reason that tourists visit the city. The Mines of Cerro Ricco. Looming over the city is Cerro Ricco [rich mountain} a mountain so full of silver that it funded the Spanish empire for over 200 years. Today most of the pure silver is gone, but this doesn't stop thousands of miners working in very dangerous and appalling conditions. It is reckoned that around 8million people have died in the mines since the Spanish started forcing the natives to work in the mines in the 1600s. Bearing all this in mind along with the mountains nickname 'The mountain that eats men' I booked a trip down the mines.

Sadie had elected to stay in bed rather than go clambering down a small dark tunnel with the constant threat of cave ins, personally I can't think of a better way to start the day [apart from a hot bowl of ready brek]. We started our tour with a quick trip to the miners market where you can buy presents for miners you meet down't mine. I was thrown into a quandary…What do you buy for a miner?,A shiny new pick axe?, 'Coal Annual 2009'? Some Dynamite? Actually yes the last one. Dynamite! You'll be pleased to know that you can buy dynamite in lots of shops in Potosi no questions asked. They didn't even ID me. And what's the miners favourite tipple? Yes that's right 95% alcohol. They knock this stuff back at an alarming rate, partly I presume because it's not going to do anymore harm to their health than their job. As you might expect it tastes pretty grim, although not as bad as Lambrini.

So equipped with headlamps, boots, overalls and bag full of coca leaves, alcohol, cigarettes, juice and dynamite for the miners we headed up to the scarred mountain towering above us. We entered into one of many thousands of mines dotted across the mountain and begun our descent into the darkness. After about 15minutes of breathless walking bent over double we stopped to sit by the large red edifice of'Tio'. Tio is the devil god of the mountain that protects the miners and helps them find good seams; he also makes accidents happen so catch 22 there. We gave some offerings and continued on our way down some rickety ladders and across some precarious planks to a lower level. We were slowed somewhat by an annoying, fat American girl in our group who insisted on taking facebook profile pictures all the time, but eventually we reached a group of miners and sat to talk to them. This was a real highlight {if you can call it that} as it gave an insight into a world that most people believe consigned to history. These men work in cooperatives of about 6 to10 miners for 12 hour shifts underground, sometimes if they uncover a rich vein then this shift could double. Their lives are tragically short affairs with most miners only living until they are about 45 due to the development of silicosis in their lungs. Indeed the one topic we were told to steer clear of was asking about the future. There is no certainty in their lives other than that they will die young if they continue to work in the mines. However for a brief time I sat and shared coca leafs and drank with these men, and I was astonished to find that even though they endure backbreaking work in horrific conditions that would make a health and safety official take several years sick leave, they seemed to be happy. At least it was a happiness derived from the tight knit group of friends they kept down there. Most of them were pretty young when they started working down there, although I didn't see any, I was told by several tourists that they had seen children as young as 12 working there which is a pretty grim thought. Finally it was time to leave and make our way back up to the entrance and glorious sunshine. We spent some time exploding dynamite with our guide and headed back to the safety of the hostel. On the way back I chatted with our guide {Daniel} was a miner himself about why people still go down there for poor grade minerals if it is so dangerous. His answer was somewhat predictable…money. 'Some miners believe that they have yet to find the 'heart of the mountain' an area of solid silver' he said. So they continue to dig in dangerous areas and explode dynamite wherever and whenever they like. Sooner or later Daniel reckoned there will be a huge cave in and the mountain will fall in on itself. Left with this sobering thought I felt like being distinctly unsober and drank the last capful of our 95% proof alcohol.

Hope you've enjoyed my first blog…coming soon more from Sucre, La Paz and Copacobana Christmas.

Love Tim