Dynamite

 

Potosi, now a truly Bolivian city, was once the financial engine of the Spanish empire. They literally found a mountain made of silver and built a city on its lower slopes. It's also one of the highest cities in the world sitting at a breathtaking, 4100m. 

It's a miners city, the Spanish have left and the Bolivians to this day are still scraping the last pieces of meat from the bone.

Cerro Rico ('rich mountain') 4824m

Upon arrival and making my way on foot up to my hostel I encountered another South American anti government protest. Completely past the novelty of these kind of situations I choose to sit at the side of the road and let it pass. Oh, they put a firework on the road – how cute. 

BOOM – firework my arse; this was my first ever encounter with the force of Nitro Gliserate, otherwise known as dynamite. The thin high sided streets seemed to amplify the shockwave and I was literally shook to the ground. Shockwave the operative word; it was soo powerful and unexpected that I must admit I went slightly into shock and only stopped shaking with fear 45 mins later. Humbled, seriously.

The next day on my way down after climbing the mine pitted mountain I wondered back through an interesting part of town.

Go on guess what this is?*

Yes – Dynamite for sale. Three minute fuse 5p, 200g Ammonia Nitrate 20p and each Nitro Gliserate filled stick of Dynamite 40p. Just how could you refuse, I knew it was a bad idea, I had visions of the phone call to my mum saying I blew my hand off while playing with dodgy Bolivian dynamite.

The protests continued over next three days and I went out to follow them simply just to soak up the tarmac tearing explosions. Only on most occasions after one hour just to return back to the hostel with a sore head. I was caught in a 'to buy or not to buy' conundrum.

I was well aware that it was a bad idea but at the same time a great opportunity. To that end I mentioned it in an email to my father in a desperate attempt to receive a firm 'no' from at least one port of sensibility. Hilariously he said,

          “make sure it has a really long fuse....and send me the picture!”

It must have been the residual shock still in me from the first encounter but needless to say, I left Potosi quietly. Still regretting it.




*The silver stuff on the second shelf is something used to accelerate the effects of chewing coca leaf and the bottles of orange are to mix with 96% alcohol/ paint stripper. All of which is consumed in the mines, by all of the miners, all of the time.