Going Underground

Following our night bus out of La Paz, we headed to the second capital of Bolivia, Sucre. Then we headed to the oldest town in South America, Potosi. 

We arrived in Sucre early in the morning, and took a look around the city before checking into the hostel and having a well needed nap. Given Sucre is one of the capital cities of Bolivia, there isn’t a huge amount to do there. I also had some stomach problems, so that was timed pretty well.

After Sucre, we headed to Potosi, the oldest town in South America. We spent our afternoon exploring the town and taking part in a tour of the mint.

The next day, we headed to the local silver mine, built in the 1500s. This is still a working mine, where the workers need to bring their own equipment in order to excavate materials. You are able to go on a tour around the mine, surrounded by the workers. This was a very surreal experience, where visitors take presents for the miners in the form of alcohol, cigarettes and dynamite. We even blew up some of the dynamite!

After surviving underground, we headed back to Potosi, where there were Christmas celebrations happening. I also had a bottle of the world’s highest brewed beer.

We will be heading to our final stop in Bolivia next, Uyuni, home of the famous salt flats.