mining in potosi, bolivia

yeah it's dynamite
el minero

This was truly an experience. Potosi is an old colonial mining city, minig in the cerro rico started in the 16th century and it seems that methods only have changed slightly since then. There is 15.ooo miners working in that mountain, everybody can dig, exploit and use dynamite as they want. They are organised in cooperativas but there is no general organisation present. The miners don't eat during the day, they only chew coca-leaves, drink 70% alcohol and fizzy drinks, smoke cigarettes. Temperatures going up high in the mine, the dust damaging the lungs permanently, we read somewhere that once 50% of a miners lung are gone he then can retire. 2000 dollars are paid to the family if someone dies. Such a hard life.

Bolivia

Paraguay

Brasil

Santiago-Buenos Aires-Montevideo

Montevideo

Cabo Polonio

Victor surfing the dunes

Dear friends and family, there is a big black hole in terms of pictures as we dont know what happened with our new camera, 3 weeks old, purchased with love, generating happiness. It´s a mistery but it disappeared. Touchy subject.
Anyways:
From Patagonia we went back to Pichilemu to spend christmas there. We rented a room in the house of very friendly and very pregnant Josefina, her boyfriend Chris and their pitbull Cometa. All so lovely. We had some fun with the dog cause she enjoyed running behind the sheeps of the neighbour, and behind rabbits, once we let her escape, so we had to run through the village chasing the dog.
After relaxing for a few days in Pichilemu we headed back to Santiago to collect some documents for the car, go for a beer with the funniest carpenter in the world.
We then went to Argentina through the Andes, beautiful scenary, el paso de los libertadores, and arriving to Mendoza. We spend a night there and back on the road. The next 2000km were just pampa, all the same, nothing but heat and mosquitos...
Buenos Aires had a lot of expectatins for us but we found a really hot city and we were tired as well so we didnt enjoy it that much apart from finding Sun and Andrea a lovely Australian-English couple that we met in Santiago de Chile. We spend newyears eve with them and more people from i dont know where.
Uruguay didnt start very well cause as we said before something happened to our camera but as soon as we were discovering all the small hippy beaches we fell in love with Uruguay, relaxed,friendly people and beautiful.
Cabo de Polonio with big dunes, no cars at all and artists mixed with young people, families, cool atmosphere. The same as Vallizas not as hippie but looked like if in that town there was a festival every night, people with guitars, concerts in most places, artisans.....

Torres del Paine, Patagonia

Perito Moreno in Argentina

Just a few quick words as we are on our way to Buenos Aires which is still some 1000km away, we got up late after a noisy fri night in Mendoza, sleeping at a busy road in a very warm van after arriving late. Driving from Santiago de Chile to Mendoza took longer than expected but the drive through the Andes was lovely. Quite relieved it's not the 30th today as we first thought, we are not the most organized travellers..

Torres del Paine was spectacular!! We went hiking in the national park for 5 days, sleeping in a tent, surviving on oats and spaghetti.

Then a quick visit to the glacier Perito Moreno in Argentina which was impressive but a bit too much instant tourism, we missed the suffering bit (the long hike) before seeing the glacier.

En estos momentos estamos en Mendoza después de pasar una calurosa noche en la furgoneta.La carretera de Chile a Argentina por el paso de los libertadores es maravillosa entre las montañas y al final acaba en un cañon con un rio muy bonito.Mañana esperamos llegar a Buenos aires y pasar alli fin de año.

Sobre Torres del Paine !!!!espectacular!!!hizimos el circuto en cinco dias durmiendo en la tienda de campaña y a pesar de que el tiempo fue muy bueno una noche del fuerte viento pensabamos q ibamos a salir volando con la tienda.

La ultima foto es del famoso glaciar Perito Moreno q a pesar de ser enorme y impresiona bastante a nosotros nos gusto mas las torres ya que en el glaciar es bajar del autobus,foto,fotos y mas fotos y se pierde un poco el espiritu aventurero jjjejeejej.

On the way south

Botilleria Willy ist nur ein Beispiel fuer die vielen deutschen Namen die man hier sieht.

En la fotografia de izquierda a derecha, Jacques Costeau, Felix Rodriguez De La Fuente y Victor Prestamo en una expedicion a ver los pinguinos magallanicos y los Humbolt.

From left to right: Jacques Costeau, Felix Rodriguez y Victor Prestamo on an expedition to see magellan and Humbold penguins

Ferry to Chiloe

After leaving Pucon we went further down south towards Patagonia. Stopped in Valdivia watching fisherman feed enormous sealions. We had a look at Chiloe, watching Magelan-penguins there. We then left our beloved van in Puerto Mont to take a plane to Punta Arenas in Patagonia.

Después de Pucón nos dirigimos hacia el Sur.dirección Patagonia y en el camino visitamos un par de ciudades,Valdivia,Puerto Varas,Puerto Octay.. y cruzamos en barco a la isla de Chiloe.AL llegar a Puerto Montt dejamos la furgoneta en el parking del aeropuerto y cogimos un vuelo a Punta Arenas.De Punta Arenas a Puerto Natales y de alli al magnifico parque nacional de Torres del Paine.