Sunday the 27th of April 2003 – Day 68
Rob was up at 7.30am as he was heading south for 2 days. He lost his credit card in London, and has to get all his money transferred by Western Union. My bus was at 10.30am. Beside me was Rich, a surfer-skater from Canada who had spent 3 months in Brazil surfing and was now bringing his surf board to Peru to do more surfing. Its pretty crazy and the locals were having a good laught at this guy with his surf board in the middle of the continent. Beth from England and Dominic from New Zealand were also on the bus. It was very scenic but bumpy. We arrived to Potesti around 4.00pm and we proceeded to look for a hostel. We picked the Hostel Maria Victoria which was 15 P per night. It was a dorm room. I dont normally like to stay in dorms but I kind of knew the people now. i walkied around this buzzing city for a while, took money from an ATM and booked a mining tour for 9.00am in the morning. The company is Koala tours and the cost was 10 US or 75 B. We went out for Dinner with a kwiwi couple who are very, very anti-israeli (not anti-jewish). Israelis have a very bad reputation in certain parts of South America, india and New Zealand where hostels have been putting up “no Israeli Groups”. They tend to travel in big groups and have a reputation of being arrogant and having no manners. To be honest, I have met few travellers who have not complained about them.
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Potosi – Bolovia
Taken on the 27th of April 2003
The bus stops at a restaurant. No air-con of this vehicle.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
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Potosi – Bolovia
Taken on the 27th of April 2003
The locals play Foosball (table football) at the bus station.Foosball (from the German Fußball = soccer) is also known as table soccer, table football, babyfoot, or gettone. It is a table-top game based on soccer invented by Alejandro Finisterre, a editor and poet from Galiza.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Players attempt to use figures mounted on rotating bars to kick the foosball into the opponent’s goal. A foosball may travel at speeds up to 35 mph in competition. The sport requires quick reflexes and fine motor control.
A winner is determined in foosball when one team scores a predetermined number of goals, say 5 or 10. A two goal victory is often required.
A foosball table can vary in size, but is typically about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. The table usually contains 8 rows of players, which are plastic or wooden figures mounted on horizontal metal bars. Each team of 1 or 2 human players controls 4 rows of figures.
Foosball is often played for fun in pubs, bars, workplaces, schools, and clubs with few rules. “House rules” often include a ban on spinning your foosmen, so one’s hand must maintain continuous contact with the handle.
A Garlando style table with a game in progressFoosball is also played in official competitions organized by a number of national organizations. The two main table types used in official tournaments are “Italian-style” Garlando and “American-style” Tornado.
Garlando tables have ramped sides and use smaller, thinner foosmen with blocky feet, which leads to an open, flowing style of play.
Tornado tables use bigger foosmen with wedge-shaped feet. This allows balls to be pinned to the surface of the table, before skill moves like the “snake” are executed.
Foosball strategy varies greatly. With teams of one human each, it is impossible for each person to control all four rows of foosmen simultaneously. Some players keep the left hand always on the goalie or defensemen and move the right hand among the other three rows. More aggressive players may take up an attack with the offense and midfield, leaving the goalie unattended.
With practice, it is possible to learn very fast “set-piece” moves, including the “snake”, “pull-shot,” and “tap-bang.”
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Potosi – Bolovia
Taken on the 27th of April 2003
Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico (“Rich mountain”), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city. Founded 1545 as a mining town, it soon acquired fabulous wealth. In Spanish there is still a saying vale un Potosí meaning “being worth a fortune” and, for Europeans, “Peru” was a mythical land of riches. It is here that most of the Spanish silver came from and Indian labour, forced by Francisco de Toledo through the mita institution, came to die by the thousands. After 1800 the silver mines became depleted, making tin the main product. This eventually led to a slow economic decline.
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Potosi – Bolovia
Taken on the 27th of April 2003
During the War of Independence (1809-1825) Potosi was frequently passed from the control of Royalist and Patriot forces. Major blunders by the First Argentine Auxilary Army (under the command of Castelli) led to an increased sense that independence was needed and fostered resentment against the Argentine. During that occupation there was anarchy and martial excess, and Potosi became unfriendly to the point where it could not be defended.
When the second auxillary army arrived it was received well, and the commander, Belgrano did much to heal the past wounds inflicted by the tyrannical minded Castelli. When that army was forced to retreat, Belgrano took the calculated decision to blow up the Casa de Moneda. Since the locals refused to evacuate this explosion would have resulted in many casualties, but by then the fuse was already lit. Disaster was averted not by the Argentine who at that time were fleeing, but by locals who put the fuse out. In one stroke the good feelings Belgrano delicately built were destroyed. Two more expeditions from the Argentine would seize Potosi.
Zacatecas in Mexico was the other big silver mine of the Spanish Empire.
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Potosi – Bolovia
Taken on the 27th of April 2003
Thw city is scarred by mining.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size