So potosi...

Highest city in the world so not so great for my altitude sickness but the antibiotics were helping with my cough by this point so feeling on the mend regardless.

Everyone had been fairly dismissive of potosi but we found it to be quite a nice little city, buzzing with people. Unfortunately we were warned about the food being likely to cause illness and poor Katie spent the time we were there in bed with a dicky tummy.

The main reason we went was for the tour of the silver mines, over 70% of the male population of the town works in them and the tour shows you inside a working mine. To go in you were dressed in rubber boots, big trousers, a jacket and hard hat with torch and had to buy some presents for the miners you would meet such as squash, coca leaves and alcohol.

The guide told us to cover our noses and mouths so as not to breathe in too much dust then took us through. The mines were a tiny cramped set of tunnels snaking around and steeply climbing downwards to the next levels, there was a lot of crawling and darkness and a claustrophobic would not have enjoyed it at all! We talked to a few of the miners who all worked ridiculous hours with little weekend in such hot and dark conditions and it made you really appreciate your own life. We went all the way down to te 4th level where breathing became extremely difficult and when we had to try and climb out through sheer rock tunnel it was pretty horrible to say the least! I just couldn't catch my breath an was very upset and anxious about it, but the only way out was up so we had to power on!

All in all in my opinion the tour was hellish, but a very worthwhile and important thing to see.
Next to Uyuni for our salt flat tour!