Walking in Potosi

Uphill, downhill

Went down to Casa de Moneda at 10:30 and the lovely man tells me that there aren’t enough people for a tour in English but perhaps there will be one at 2:30.  I should point out that all these conversations that I have with people are in Spanish as very few people in Potosi speak English.  I was disappointed as they’d told me to come back this morning, but still no luck.   It occurs to me afterwards that they require a minimum of 10 people, so surely if I paid for 10, then I could have a tour by myself if necessary.  Locals are charged 10BOB, AUD1.44, Foreigners 20BOB, AUD2.88.  The worst case scenario is that it costs me AUD28.80.  So I plan to suggest this if necessary.

I go over to the post office with the postcard.

Cerro Rico (Rich Hill)

  I give it to the lady behind the counter.  She manually stamps it and I put it in a box in the room.  Then I head off on another of my discovery tours.  On this particular tour I am lost about 50% of the time, though there’s always the sun and Cerro Rico to guide me.  Potosi is very hilly, so any walking can be quite strenuous.  I look for particular sites of interest and enjoy walking in areas where there aren’t many foreigners.  It is ¼ to 1 and I decide that I will reward myself with my last churros as I’m off to Sucre at 1 pm tomorrow.  Then the terrible realization that it is Saturday and the café is closed, along with many others.  I go back to the hotel and then head back to the Casa de Moneda at 2:30.  Yes, there’ll be a tour…….

Street scene

.no tour now, but one at 4:30.  I tell my plight to one of the lovely ladies and eventually we rustle up 10 people and we’re off on a tour with an English-speaking guide.  The museum is very interesting and tells the history of the mining of silver and particularly the workings of the mint.  I am very interested in the people and would like to know more about this aspect, but I haven’t found a museum here that deals with this.  Of course I have books on Bolivia but they’re all at home.

On leaving the museum, nothing is open that appeals to me, ie in the food stakes.  Finally I see a restaurant close to my hotel and go there.  I order chicken but there isn’t any, so I order filet mignon instead.  It’s pretty terrible, in thin pieces, not chunky like we know it.

Wasn't expecting that! Big new building!

Got back to the hotel to get the blog up to date, tidy up etc.  A blog really is a discipline which gives you an excellent record of your holiday.  Not sure when you’ll hear from me again, will be some time next week, as I’m going to Sucre to live in someone’s home and at around AUD8.00 pn, I’m not expecting wifi ;-)  I start Spanish lessons on Monday and I’m sure that there is internet access at the school, but I don’t know about wifi, as it’s one of the poorer schools, not run by some multinational company.  I’m posting this and then I’m going to bed!