New Photos + The Potosí blockade

New photos - in order of appearance:

Mendoza and Salta (Argentina)
http://www.lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Mendoza-and-Salta
San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)
http://www.lucas.intercate.net/gallery/San-Pedro-de-Atacama
Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
http://www.lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Salar-de-Uyuni
Uyuni and Potosí (Bolivia)
http://www.lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Uyuni-and-Potosi

Right - the road from Uyuni to Potosí and the Potosí blockade......

We were planning on catching the 10am bus out of Uyuni and expected to reach Potosí (the worlds highest city) by around 4pm that afternoon.

Problem 1:

Just after purchasing the tickets we were informed that there was a blockade about 3 hours down the road and that the bus wouldn't be leaving until 7pm that night (getting us in to Potosí in the wee hours of the morning). Someone had been tipped off about a service that drives 7 people (our exact number) in a 4-wheel drive to pretty much wherever they want to go in Bolivia - with some knowledge of back roads to bypass the common blockades. So we arranged for a vehicle to take us and went back to bus office to collect our packs.

Problem 2:

The bus office was closed and locked (with our packs in it) and some discussion with some locals revealed that the office wouldn't be open for another 4 hours. After some attempts to unscrew the bolts in the door and some nervous locals starting to interfere they finally agreed to ring the bus company to get someone to come and open the door. Forty five minutes later and the door was open and we were leaping into the landcruiser and on our way to Potosí. Our driver claimed he knew a back way that would be easier to get through the blockade.

Problem 3:

As anticipated, about 3 hours into the drive we came across the blockade - basically 40 trucks in a row blocking any transport through a small town (not sure of its name). And they were adament that nobody would be allowed through this part of the road and we would have to return to Uyuni and go to another city (the blockade was due to a disagreement between the Bus companies of Uyuni and the Potosí locals due to the high prices for bus tickets being unaffordable for the Bolivians as a result of tourism and they wanted a two-tier pricing system). Luckily the bus driver had been told of a local who knew a back-back way that was pretty dodgy but would get us to Potosí that night.

Problem 4:

It was about 5pm when we reached the blockade and apparently the local who could guide us through the wastelands of the Bolivian altiplano was working tonight and wouldn't knock off until 10pm. After sitting in the car for two hours watching lightening on the horizon and listening to the constant (what we hoped were) dynamite explosions coming from around the corner, the guide found someone to fill in and we were back on the road (I use the term 'road' loosely).

Problem 5:

It was now dark and the guide seemed a little drunk and there was definite smell of marijuana from someone (him or our driver - who knows). Which resulted in numerous U-turns, back tracks, pauses to make sure we were going in the right direction.

The Finale:

Despite the most difficult 4-wheel driving I've ever seen, the U-turns, pushing the car, teetering on the edge of cliffs with the vehicle on the steep angle we rounded yet another bend to be dazzled by Potosí snaking its way up and around the valley it sits in. Today we were greeted with a beautiful day and the bustling town of Potosí with all it's culture. Some exploring this morning and then the mine tour (lots of mining in Bolivia - silver here).