Through the barricades..

Well were back in the land of civilisation after 2.5 days out in the Bolivian Desert, but I`m not going to tell you about that now, I'm going to leave it to Matt.
I`ll tell you about the trip from Sucre to Potosi through the Miners road blockade.

We had only planned to be in Sucre for a couple of days, before heading to Potosi and then the salt flats then hopefully into Chile last weekend, but because of the miners strike, also coupled with meeting a really nice couple from Manchester we ended up in Sucre longer than we had intended.
Not that this was a problem as Sucre is a really nice warm, sunny place with plenty of opportunity for people watching!
So it got to Thursday and we were still no closer to leaving Sucre by bus as they were still refusing to book tickets at the bus depot, we made a few enquiries and some said it would end soon, others inhaled through their teeth and said they didn`t know (or care!).
So we made a pact there and then that one way or another we were leaving Sucre on Friday, as we couldn`t afford to waste another day, drinking coffee, frequenting the many cafes and just sat about doing sod all, especially as our schedule is now so tight (we leave for NZ on the 24th August!!)
We got back to our hostal and Sarah and Andy had put a note under our door to say exactly the same thing, that they needed to be on their way and that they had booked a taxi for 4 of us for 9am tomorrow morning!!
So the next morning we met in the courtyard with all our gear, there was a lot!!!
There were 4 of us (obviously) 2 x bikes (needless to say not ours!!) 2 big back packs and all of S & A`s road gear.
We loaded it up onto/into a Toyota Corrolla estate and Vamos, we were away!!
We were rammed to capacity and were in for a 160k hike (100 miles) the car was so weighed down with all our stuff that the driver had to keep dropping down into 2nd gear to get some speed up, this was on the straight!!
On the hills I thought the car would come to a standstill we were going that slow!!
Anyway we had been going a while when we saw some sheep in the road, well at this point we were going a fair speed (must have been down hill!) and thwe driver was showing no sign of slowing down to avoid them.
Well me being the animal lover that I am started to feel a bit panicky in the back, we were hurtling towards the sheep and still he hadn`t even attempted to alert them.
Anyway we must have being yards away from them when the driver honks his horn, I mean as if that would work? I don`t know if Bolivian sheep are different from ours in that they understand the highway code etc, anyway they never budged and all the time were getting nearer and nearer.
I couldn`t stand it anymore, I genuinely did think we were going to plough into the little blighters, I closed my eyes and just waited for the thud!
There wasn`t one, there was a few swerves, lots of dust and the sheep miraculously jostled across the road!
The taxi driver didnt bat an eyelid, having said that neither did the sheep, talk about a close shave!!
We hadn`t been going again 5 minutes when we saw a little dead donkey at the side of the road :-( it was as stiff as a board and it`s little legs were just sticking out, it had probably just collapsed after being worked to death.
RIP little donkey, no more heavy bags for you!!!
We were now well on our way when we got behind a people carrier, or should that be pig carrier?!
The people carrier was packed to the rafters with people, but... on the roof rack there was a sheep and a pig, they were both alive, well I say alive, the pig was strapped down within an inch of it`s life to this roof rack and he was trying to wriggle himself free, this was proving a little difficult though as he had a bike on is head! :-(
The sheep was also strapped to the roof rack but it appeared to be in a standing position (maybe they sellotaped it on!?), still obviously distressed though bleeting away.
God only knows where they were taking them and why, they have no respect for animals over here at all, I have seen so many disturbing things.
It really upsets me, but hey it`s all part of travelling and experiencing different cultures!
Anyway after that there were no more animal incidents and we arrived at the blockade.
The driver unloaded all our gear and we then had to walk a while with all our stuff.
We thought it may be a bit difficult or intimidating but we could`t be further from the truth.
It was a breeze (apart from the crippling altitude!)
We marched through lorries, cars, miners, indiginous women and their brood, cows, pigs sheep, chickens, military, dogs, police you name it and they were all out for the strike as if it were some kind of home coming.
It was a bizzare experience yet at the same time it was great to see it all.
The Bolivian people are the most hospitable and friendly we have met so far.
It is the poorest country in Sth America but God they don`t dwell on it, they`re so resourceful and helpful.
They don`t bother you like other Sth American countries, begging for money or hassling you to buy cheap souveniers, they just get on and do what they do, and if there is anything they can do to help you then you only have to ask.
I have a lot of time for Bolivian people and I hope their president gets the country into a better economic state than it is now.
Anyway politics aside..
We had our lunch at the side of the road amidst the blockade, a couple of cheese sarnies, some nuts and a bit of chocolate that our Manc hosts had rustled together for us all (proper hardcore!!)
We then jumped another taxi as we were still about 30-40k from Potosi, well this taxi looked like it was held together with stickers (quote Andy!) it was a shed, it should have been scrapped when the Spanish came across in the 1500`s, but the Bolivians cannot afford to part with anything, so everything is bodged together in a hotch potch way, this taxi was no exception!
Fair play to the guy though he took us about 20k before we had to get out again due to more blockades.
Here we had to jump another taxi, and it wasn`t much better to be honest, although this one was held together with blue tac so it did feel a bit more sturdy!
Anyway to cut a very long story short, we made it to Potosi, through the blockade, unscathed.
It was a brilliant experience and one I`m sure none of us will ever forget!
After that we spent a couple of nights there, we had only intended one by this point due to the delays in Sucre, but the next morning I was almost floored with the altitude (3900 metres) so we delayed our bus tickets for the next day and spent Saturday people watching again.
We also met another nice couple Hamish and Ema who are motorcycling their way through Sth America (among other countries) so on our last night we all went out for some food and fine wine.
To say we have met some interesting people this last week or so is an understatement, out trip has really gained momentum and I know there isnt going to be enough time to see all the things and places we want to see.
I absolutley loved Bolivia and would have liked to spent a couple more weeks there at least but we just didn`t have the time.
Anyway were in Chile now in San Pedro, I will let Matt fill the gap between Potosi and Chile, via Uyuni and the Salt Flats!!