Hi Ho Hi Ho

I woke at 6 this morning and just sat downstairs trying to be really quite catching up on my blog. We have a tour to the mine booked today and the feedback in the hostel is thatits quite dangerous but what would life be without a bit of risk . Antonio collects us from the hostel at 9ish and we all board the bus to collect our safety gear. This consists of wellies, a rain coat and matching trousers and a headlamp. While we are all getting kitted out Antonio has us dancing to YMCA with a fake stick of dynamite and a hammer, we really are a show. We board the bus again and we arrive at the warehouse , which really is a little corner shop. Antonio is a real character and cracks a joke that this is a terrorist shop as its the only place in the world you can buy dynamite. Yes you heard right we have the option of buying a stick of dynamite for 2.50 this idea scares the shit out of me. can you imagine if someone irresponsible got hold of this, it could blow your hand off. We all decide not to buy the dynamite and leave this part to the proffesionals . We are told to buy the miners a gift and we all chip in to a kitty to buy a bag of goodies . The other things you can buy here are cigarettes made with cocoa leaves cinnamon and orange and cocoa leaves , 98% alcohol and bicarb that you can use to help the taste of chewing the cocoa leaves as they really dont taste that great. Once wed all bought our goodies it was time to head to the mine. Antonio constantly cracked jokes and did help the feeling of anticipation that i felt. He was actually a miner from the age of 14 and the average life expectancy of a miner is 35, this is due to the inhalation of dust and the conditions these young kids are expected to work in is really ridiculous. Upto 2500 people work on the mine 500 of them being in the tunnels underground. The average miner earns 120 Bolivianos a day but the further underground you work the more you get paid up to 200 bolivianos per day, but honestly I will never complain about working again.
As we enter the mine I am shocked at how narrow the passages are. We trek through various tunnels as Antonio explains more about the working conditions in the mine and how they pay 5% to the lawyers 5% to the hospitals 5% to the families who've lost someone and 5% to the government for the gas, oso even in Bolivia they pay 20% in taxes. The tunnels are so narrow and low that at some points we actually have to crawl through . We reach the first god of the mine and they give an offering of cocoa leaves and alcohol and a cigarette , well two of everything actually one for the padga mamma and macho mama, these are the gods of the mine who they are thankful too and give offerings to keep them safe. As we veture through the mine there are several of these figures and we stop on numerous occasions to make our offerings as we climb rickety ladders . We are underground a good 2 an a half hors and already ive had enough. These poor guys who work here day in day out must get up in the morning and think oh god have i really got to do this all over again. Our last offering is to the Diablo , the picture says it all the idea of the huge manhoo is for good fertility , god help anyone that has to endure that. As we make our way back we are given the option to descend a stage further, but i opt out and as we stand at the side of the track a cart comes hurtling through, this is how the minerals are transported through the mine. This place is so dangerous cos as we all follow antonio out i hear another cart coming and we all dive to the side of the track to let it past. Eventually we make our way out and ive never been so glad to see sunlight. There ar two children outside the man and i offer them both one of my wafers they both take them hastily and i dont like making assumptionsbut i would say that they have lost the father to the mine as the mother is also working outside. Its strange how children have a way of communicating even without speaking but the sorrow in that small childs eyes will live with me for a long time. Her brother is around all the rest of the group trying to sell rocks out of his very neatly organised box of minerals and as i try to take a hoto of the young girl she pulls her hat down over her eyes . I leave the mine with a heavy heart and although it has been an experience it has also been a massive eye opener. We return to the yard to get undressd and were dropped of directly at the hostel . After a quick washe we all go out for lunch together to a place that is really popular with the tourists and with there being a group of nine we have to wait to sit down. We order the lunchtime special which consists of soup, steak egg chips and salad and a drink, all for £1.50 . We then head to the market as i will cook chicken satay for us all tonight. The market is huge and sread over several floors with fruit, veg , meat electrical stuff clothes, actually anything you could want including viagra and cocoa leaves. Back to the hostel and a shower is in order i can feel the dust from the mine drying my skin out like leather. Everyone helps out with dinner and we have a feast . I go to bed thinking about the small girl.Read more