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November 05, 2005

Rio Mamore & the mines of Potosi

A decision was made that it was time to get off the beaten track. Looking over a map of Bolivia, the farthest seemed to be Guayaramerin, in the very north eastern part of Bolivia. From there we had read that it was possible to arrange transport on a cargo boat down the Mamore river to the town of Trinidad. Sounds just like what we were looking for. We booked a flight with TAM, the Bolivian military airline for the next day, and were off.

List of departures from Guayaramerin

Guayaramerin, a small, humid town in the heart of the Amazon lies opposite Brazil on the banks of the Mamore river. Definitely far from the beaten track, we were the only gringos in town (although perhaps mistaken for Brazilians as we were quoted prices in Brazilian currency on several occasions). No restaurants have menus, instead we were approached as if we were supposed to know what they had. At the restaurants around the main plaza we would escape from the heat, sip on a couple of beers, and watch the motorbikes repeatedly circle the plaza with dizzying authority. Cars seem to have little use in town and everyone whips around on motorbikes or scooters. Most bikes would have a minimum of three passengers, and one was even seen carrying five.

After checking in to our hotel we immediately headed to the dock to sort out our transport down the river. We were pointed in the direction of a white board outside the port office with a list of departing boats. All we had to do was find one headed for Trinidad and arrange transport with the captain - a challenge that would definitely test our Spanish communication skills. We were happy to find a boat leaving that day and the captain told us he would take us for $44 USD. It was slightly more than we expected, but it included food and meant we didn't have to wait days looking for a boat. The only problem was that it left in thirty minutes and we had no supplies. No sooner had Sinead inquired about where to purchase hammocks, we were both on the backs of two motorbike taxis, racing off towards the market.

Twelve dollars bought us decent hammocks, but we still needed rope to hang them, groceries, and our bags from the hotel (who wouldn't be happy to find us skipping out on the bill). Back on the bikes we climbed and our drivers shuttled us all over town to take care of everything before we headed back down to the dock. By now I was clinging to the bike with my large pack on my back, Sinead's on the front of the bike, and a pair of daypacks and hammocks in each hand. I didn't realize a motorbike could carry so much. Of course the boat didn't leave in thirty minutes as nothing is ever on time here. As we stood on the boat watching a nasty rain storm approaching, and noticing that the spot for our hammocks wasn't covered, we got the bright idea to actually ask the captain how long the trip would take. Six to ten days was the answer...way longer than planned. Not getting a good feeling for the boat, we hopped back on to the river bank just before it departed and the massive rain storm hit. There was no way we would be staying dry on that ride.

Accomodation for 7 days

We regrouped and tried a couple more boats until we found one that seemed promising - thirty dollars each including food and only taking five days to complete the journey. The captain was friendly and the boat looked seaworthy. Most importantly, it left on time - a very good sign. Our sleeping area was on the third level at the back of the boat in the open air and sheltered underneath the roof. After many embarassing failed attempts to hang our own hammocks, one of the guys working on the ship took care of it for us. There are a few things that I can never quite grasp, and despite my dad's repeated efforts to teach me, knots is one of them. The crew consisted of two captains, which would enable them to travel throughout the night, three deckhands, a couple of cooks, and a little girl that seemed fascinated with everything we did. There were other passengers as well, all Bolivian, who would get on and off at different points along the river. We seemed to be the only ones sleeping in hammocks, the rest slept on the deck of the cargo container we were pushing (or as one guy did, wander aimlessly around the boat all night). One of the passengers, Elvin, talked with us for a bit and when he found out where we were from, his question was "Why aren't you travelling with all the other gringos? Why are you travelling on this boat, talking to me?" The only answer I could come up with was that we needed to practice our Spanish.

Our time on the boat was about as relaxing and carefree as it could get. Active travel was put aside and our days were spent lounging in our hammocks, reading, and searching the shores and waters for any sign of movement. Mornings would start with beautiful sunrises over the Amazon, and in the evenings we would retreat to the cool breeze on the roof of the boat to watch the sun go down. Each time the sky would turn amazing shades of pink, purple, and red. The only interuption to the routine was one day of serious rain, which forced us to retreat to a dry corner of the boat to wait it out. Along the river, our boat would occasionaly be approached by canoes looking to trade items for gasoline, such as fish, fruit, and meat, which helped to keep an abundant supply of food. The meals were delicious, although sometimes the breakfasts left a little to be desired. A whole fish fried and a cup of coffee wasn't exactly the best way to start the day.

Croc sighting

Throughout the trip our watchfull eyes paid off as we spotted crocodiles, pink river dophins, monkeys, capybaras, and more birds than we could possibly name. We also were witness to loads of turtles, who much to our surprise were a sought after delicassy for the crew. Armed with a long stick with a net on the end they would take turns trying to pluck turtles out of the water as the boat sped past. At first it didn't seem to be working out too well, but by the third day they were picking them out of the water without any problem. I guess turtles don't give up much of a fight. This led us to wonder for the rest of the trip if the salty meat we were eating was not the beef we thought it was.

True to South American time standards, the trip took two days longer than planned. It was made slow due to a recent storm that had left the river littered with logs, making it incredibly difficult to navigate. Despite having a great time on the boat, by the seventh day we were ready to move on. Six nights in a hammock is pushing it for me, and my skin was caked in a DEET, sun screen, sweat mix.
Normally I am opposed to spending extra money on transport just out of convienence sake, but needing to make up time and avoid a potentially impossible bus ride, we splurged and took a flight from Trinidad to Cochabamba. In Cochabamba, before catching a night bus to Potosi, we passed a day watching university students dancing in the streets practising for the real festival a couple of weeks later.

Cerro Rico, rich hill, has played a huge role in the history of Potosi. There was a time during the 17th century that Potosi was one of the richest cities in the Americas due to it's abundance of silver in the mines. The Spanish came over and took the majority of the silver in the hills, using the indigenous people and imported Africans as slave workers. These slaves would spend up to six months living in the mines without leaving. It has been said that the amount of silver extracted from the mines would be enough to build a bridge from Potosi to Spain, and a second could be built using only the bones of those who died working in their mines.

Narrow passages of the mine

Today the mine works as a cooperative, and each of the miners are self employed. Workers can have the freedom to choose their schedule, but most work six days per week and earn their money by selling the minerals that they extract. The miners work in small groups and they purchase all their own equipment. The earnings of the miners vary from group to group. Many only earn eighty to one hunderd dollars per month, but some earn upwards of throusands per week. The working conditions in the mines are primitive to say the least. Air quality is terrible, and much of the equipment wouldn't meet any safety standards. A pension is offered but in order to qualify either a doctor needs to determine that fifty percent of their lung capacity is gone due to siliocis, or they reach the age of 65. Unfortunately, the life expectancy of miners is only 40-45 years. If they do make the pension due to failed lungs, it isn't much relief since they will most likely die within a couple of years. That said, many of the miners prefer working in the mines to living life outside.

Our tour started with our guides dressing us up in rather goofy looking mining outfits and taking us to the miners market to buy gifts for the miners. Our guide explained all of the supplies necessary for miners, including one foul tasting 96 percent alcohol which was passed around for us to try. On Friday afternoons the miners drink themselves blind. We were also given the low down on South American dynamite - the Argentinian and Bolivian dynamite are the best, and the Peruvian type is rubbish. According to the guide the peruvian type is mainly used at parties or for when the miners clash with the police. In 1994 a huge fight broke our inside the mines and the weapon of choice among the miners was Peruvian dynamite. Anyone in Potosi is permitted to buy dynamite, from children to the mentally unstable. Even two gringos from Canada. Our presents to the miners included dynamite, soda, and coca leaves, for the miners claim they would rather not work than to work without coca leaves.

Entering the mines was like entering a different world. Slightly concerned as I was chosen as the guides helper and was carrying a backpack full of dynamite, Pedro assured me everything would be okay as long as I didn't fall. It took a few minutes to get acclimatized to being in the mine as the air quality was instantly different and the walls were tight. Initially it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but we soon descended to the second level and it became difficult to breathe. Dust filled the air, passageways were ascessible only on hands and knees, and the temperature rose. I could feel the sweat pouring down my back. Every now and then we would hear a rumble and have to leap for safety as a group of four men would rush past pushing a two tonne mine cart down the only discernible path. Along the way we would pass miners and offer them our gifts of coca leaves, dynamite and soda. One such miner was only twenty years old and had been working in the mines since he was fourteen.

Live dynamite

The walls of the mines were covered in incredible colours of green, yellow, and white. It was fascinating until we asked what the white material was. Asbestos. When the guide hurried us into another narrow passage we heard a blast and I felt the rumble in my whole body. An explosion nearby. This reminded me that we were not in any sort of tourist attraction but a real working mine with real dangers. We descended down to the third (out of five) level before making our way back out of the mine. By this time I was doing alright, but Sinead was starting to feel a little clausterphobic. Her voice had disappeared and her breathing was hard. This part was the toughest as we crawled on our hands and knees for twenty minutes through a dust filled tunnel. I started to get a little panicked and was having a very hard time breathing myself. It was a huge relief to get back to the main level were we could feel the cool air from outside. Back in the safety of the outside world, our guides did a brief demonstration with explosives and I even got to hold a lit piece of dynamite before it was exploded.

Our time spent in the amazon and the time in the mines showed us two contrasting sides to Bolivia and further stressed what an amazing country this is to travel.

Click Here to see the photos

Posted by brett at November 5, 2005 10:52 AM

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Posted by: Shawn at November 8, 2005 05:46 PM

Posted by: Danielle at November 18, 2005 05:12 PM

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