Our Great Adventure: Potosi Day 251 27/05/2015

Our bus to Potosi was scheduled to leave at 1000 so we had a leisurely start to the day after the early starts over the last few days. We had breakfast at the hotel, packed and walked to the bus station in glorious early morning sunshine. There was one other westerner getting the same bus who we chatted to before boarding and setting off. All other passengers appeared to be locals travelling to various destinations between Uyuni and Potosi. The journey was just under 200km and took nearly 4 hours, travelling through stunning scenery made more impressive by the dusting of snow that had fallen yesterday. The bus driver must have been extremely cost conscious as we free wheeled down every hill! Potosi is the capital of the area and, at 4060m elevation, claims to be the highest city in the world. Cerro Rico (the rich hill) made it famous for being full of silver and the city was founded in 1545 as soon as the ore was discovered. Silver mined here filled the Spaniards pockets for centuries and was transported all over the world. It was once the richest and biggest city in the Americas. The city has since gone into decline as the silver has more or less run out but it does remain a key tourist attraction due to it's legacy and ornate colonial architecture. The bus dropped us at the old terminal where we attempted, and failed, to buy onward tickets for Sucre. Apparently onward buses leave from the new terminal which all seemed a little odd given we just got off the bus which was continuing on to Sucre. We decided to sort it out later and got a taxi to our hotel, Cima Argentum, where we checked in and dropped off our bags before walking into the centre to get lunch. The streets were crazily busy with people, market stalls, cars and local buses pumping out carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. We found out later that it was Madre del Dia (mothers day) which might have accounted for the volume of people. We had lunch at a lovely cafe on Plaza 10 Novembre before searching out a tour company to book a trip to the local mine cooperatives for tomorrow. The owner of the first company had had a little too much vino tinto so we gave that one a miss before booking a trip with Big Deal Tours, a Lonely Planet recommendation. The Plaza and surrounding area are very attractive with numerous grand churches, ornate buildings and lots of colourful crafts and food being sold along the streets. A lot of the ladies were in tradtional dress with their bundles of wares (or babies) strapped to their backs. We wandered back to the hotel and had a few hours chilling out before heading back out for dinner at El Fogon, both enjoying a traditional Bolivian meal washed down with Potosini beer.