After wandering down the road to have breakfast served by the same cheerful young lady as the previous evening, I explored the market. It was a great people-watching experience. There were no other travellers, and I felt a little conspicuous. There was plenty to take pictures of, and I must have taken over 25 sneaky candid photos without once lifting the camera to my eye.

4782 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4784 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4785 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4786 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4788 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4789 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

The people looked as “Andean” as in La Paz, but the clothes were different, with perhaps less standardisation. In particular the bowler hats (that are typical of La Paz) were barely in evidence, with hats more like Stetsons being the norm, with some closer to top hats…

4791 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4792 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4794 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4796 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4797 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4798 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

I certainly had an advantage having a camera which can be almost hidden in my hands. I attempted to aim “by feel”, without looking down, and then wait for the people in front of me to take an interesting or typical pose. The shutter is also very quiet. Very few people seemed to be aware that I was taking photos.

4800 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4801 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4804 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4805 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

4806 hr RTW 19-20 Jan 1991 Betanzos Bolivia

Finally in the late morning I’d had enough of the market, and caught a small bus (micro) to Potosí. It took 90 minutes and involved gaining 700 m of extra height to reach 4000m (13,200 feet) – Potosí is even higher than La Paz! After a rather long walk to find the Hotel Central, and checking in, I found a cheap lunch nearby. I enquired at the travel information office about the long and all-important onward route over the wilds of the altiplano to Uyuni, and was told that there isn’t really a bus, but that transport can be arranged. I then took it easy – breathing was again a challenge.

On the south side of the city is an unusual looking hill. Potosi’s claim to fame is that the silver output from this hill – called Cerro Rico (rich hill) – kept the Spanish empire funded for many decades, a few centuries ago. I plan to visit it tomorrow – apparently there are tours inside the mine, to see actual miners working… they are still digging holes in this hill…