I shall let the post I wrote earlier from my new hostel (which could be called a hotel, it's quite comfortable, as it should be for 75 or 150 Bolivianos a night - I got confused when checking in and can't remember - compared to 50 at the other one - although in absolute terms 15 quid a night at worst isn't bad value at all) stand, as containing my relatively unedited account of the mine tour. I haven't sent it yet as the wifi screwed up, but I wrote it about 3pm before I had too much time to rationalise or mentally edit events. I feel I may have gone overboard to indicate that I wasn't that worked up after the event, but I got the impression other people did think my continual wheezing was a symptom of that. Maybe it was, but I didn't really think it was so I wanted to record that.
I might observe at this point that despite the protective clothing, which was admittedly more against dirt than anything else and wasn't that thick, I scraped my elbows and knees quite badly. When I finally took a look at the new hostel it wasn't a bad as I'd though, there are a few scrapes but not the classic schoolboy-style knee and elbow scabs.
(I was wearing a pair of jeans - they have been trashed by the Uyuni trip and the muddy streets of Uyuni already, so I figured I had little to lose by wearing them again - and a white T-shirt under the provided jacket and trousers.)
I came out afterwards and did the tour at the Casa de Moneda, which my shoestring guide says is the best museum in Bolivia. They are open tomorrow morning but I didn't want to rely on getting up. Not sure how much else I will be able to see tomorrow with it being Sunday, but I think I've already seen the main sights and we'll see how it goes. I need to investigate buses to La Paz on Monday tomorrow. I am here all day tomorrow and depending on how the buses work I may end up being here most of Monday. I need to check I am OK for time but I think I am. If I see La Paz - which is practically certain - and Lake Titicaca I'll be satisfied, if I don't visit Peru it can wait til next time. One thing that surprises me about the three guys I've been with here is how they seem to zoom round, despite having more time than I do. Stefan stayed here only last night and got a bus on to Sucre today after the mine tour, and the couple are off to La Paz tomorrow.
The couple told me last night about 'the most dangerous road in the world' or something, it's a bike ride down the edge of some mountain in La Paz. Apparently no experience is necessary and it's all downhill and guides go with you to stop you going too fast. I may look into that when I'm there. Apparently you can hire everything you need and it's all downhill (they take you to the top in a car or something) so fitness shouldn't be too much of an issue. Of course, given how I managed to fall off going downhill in Puerto Williams this may be a stupid idea, but it sounds quite cool and I'm sure it isn't really that dangerous.
Am writing this down a sort of pub (Cima De Plata Pub Cafe Club, in Calle Padilla) which is miraculously open at this hour after doing the tour at the Casa de Moneda. It was quite interesting, all about the history of minting coins here. I was chuffed to understand 75-90% of what the tour guide said. It wasn't a totally fascinating museum, but worth visiting all the same.
I took a few photos in there although there wasn't much point. But I had paid an extra 20 Bolivianos for permission to use a camera (basic entrance was 10 for locals and 20 for foreigners) so I felt obliged.
While waiting for the tour to start I met an Australian guy. We talked about the mine tour, he did a different one and there was no climbing involved. So I guess despite my problems I had a more 'intense' experience than I might have had on a different tour. Probably better to have 90% success on the tour I did than a complete success on something more pedestrian, so I will try not to beat myself up too much.
I think that mine tour has to be one of the most challenging (I hate myself for using the word, but can't think of a better) things I have ever done. Just a shame it wasn't an unqualified success but at least I had a go and so forth.
I might observe that it wasn't really dark down there. We all had lamps on our helmets (mine kept falling off when I hit my head on a low beam, I kept reattaching it but towards the end after my climbing problem the guide had a look at it and said it was broken and I should just hold it) and with being in such a big group (our group had 7 people) there wasn't really much darkness. There were dingier rooms on the Casa de Moneda tour. I'm sure that helped to keep away the claustrophobic feelings.
The guide said while we were at the miner's market that the guide books say to give cigarettes to the miners. He said that was stupid, some do smoke but not in the mines, and by no means all of them. I checked afterwards and my guide book did indeed say that.
I checked when I got into this bar that they had change for a 100 Boliviano note before I ordered. I have learned from experience (at the hostel this morning paying up before the tour, as well as breakfast yesterday) that you just can't rely on it here.
This bar has a small reproduction of some weird wooden painted head which we closed the tour at Casa de Moneda with. I can't quite remember what the guide said, but maybe it is one of those local icons which sort of represent the city in practice.
It's 7:15 now. I've been nursing a litre of Potosina pilsner (an acceptable if unspectacular drop) and there is now one other table occupied. I've just ordered some food, will eat that, back to the hotel to see if the internet is working so I can leave photos uploading and find one or two bars in the guide book so I'm not totally stuck if my meanderings fail to turn something up.
The music here is all in English ("Another day in paradise" right now, quite a lot of Queen earlier.). No idea if that's common here. The other group look local and this is a pretty small place, so I doubt it's a particulalrly touristy venue.
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