23rd January Potosi

Martin has gone on a tour to the mine today and I am once again resting up and consulting with my medical advisors at home.
Martin has just returned from his mine trip, the meeting point was about 2 minutes from the hotel and he thought a 4x4 or similar would take him up to the mine. Oh no, on arriving there they then walked half way across the city to meet a bus which then took them up to the mine.
On arrival they kitted up in coveralls, gumboots and hard hat and the group Martin was with was Spanish so he moved to another group with a couple of Australians and an English speaking guide who had been a miner for many years, they then descended into the mine. There is no health and safety whatever and pipes run through the mineshafts carrying compressed air and they literally go directly to where they have to go crisscrossing the shaft so that you can walk into it. Most Bolivians we have met and come across are quite short so this is less of a hazard for them but for Martin.....!!
Temperature started off really cold and as they progressed further into the mine it got hotter. The height of the shaft varied a lot on the way in, from a height where Martin could just about stand down to being bent double with bent legs, they eventually got about 2k into the hillside after making turns at various t-junctions.
From way out they could hear this tap tap of someone working, it is Sunday so there are very few miners here today. About 1.5k in they went off to the side and saw this workman in a space barely big enough for him tapping away on a chisel and rotating it after every blow, he is drilling a hole to put the dynamite in and this will take him about six hours to complete. Martin and the rest of the party had a go at drilling a hole, well a few taps anyway. This minor is 16 years old and has worked down here for 3 years.
The miners can pay a fee as an individual and go into the mine and get paid for what they bring out but most seem to work as a co-operative pooling their finds and probably balancing there income. Some 41000 metric tons of silver was pulled from this hill over a period of 230 years from about 1600. Everyone thought it would go on forever but by the late 1800’s it was virtually depleted. The miners nowadays and for the 100 plus years are scraping a living on slim pickings.
The air in the mine is stale and Martin described it as smelling of photographic chemicals for those who have done a bit of developing and printing. There is also dust in the air, hopefully slightly less today for Martin as there are not many working.
When they exited Martin said it was good to see daylight and breath some fresh air, that was a short visit and the miners are in there for 12 hours a day.
A visit to the village and the Aussies bought some dynamite which the guide prepared and then lit the fuse, this was then passed around the group burning away, seems like fun, then the guide ran down and threw it in a crater filled with water and ran back. Suddenly there was an almighty explosion and a plume of water rose in the air. I asked if it was a loud bang and Martin confirmed it was extremely loud, if fact he was filming it and bear in mind he is expecting the explosion, when it went off he jumped and you can see that on the video.
They then un-kitted and jumped on the bus and were brought back to the city.
We just went out for something to eat end I had a burger with ad egg and tomato and chips and Martin had a burger with egg, cheese, ham, tomato and chips with a coffee and I had a fanta, two pounds eighty pence the lot.
OK, we are going to stay here one more day and give my leg the best chance and hope that Martin wont get too bored, then off to La Paz.