Day 22 - Potosi on a 10th of November

El presidente
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This morning, I arrived by the night bus from La Paz. It was quite comfortable but... My legs were cold half of the night. Yes we are in altitude, actually going to the highest city in the world, and I don't have a blanket (no space left in the luggage). I might still buy one before the next night bus. I think I caught a bit of a cold.

Anyway, I arrived at 6:30am at the Terminal Terrestre in Potosi, not so fresh to be honest. I went to one of the hostal in the guide, was about to bargain and check other hotels but you know what? I was tired so I just checked-in.

Military parade
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I slept a good 2-3 hours and then headed to the town centre and then, I realised there was some kind of parade and a lot of animation... That's the moment I realised that my guide said the main square - that was where I was - was named "Plaza del 10 de Noviembre". Guess which day it was? :) Well, ok, that was very lucky and absolutely not calculated. So I got my good mood back and got an orange juice and a sandwich from the market stalls that were all around the plaza, with nice meat cooked in an onion sauce in front of you. Probably some bacteria in the food given the absence of gloves or any other hygienic precaution but hey, a little bacteria never did wrong to anyone. I ate the sandwich not because of that anyway, but because it looked (and was eventually) very tasty!

A street in Potosi
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That's when I heard the voice of the "MC" saying that it was a great commemoration of the day Potosi rebelled and declared itself free from Spanish Rule (on the 10th of November 1810) and that it was an honour to welcome the Presidente de la Republica de Bolivia. I just thought... What? Evo is here? So I did like the others, I climbed up on something - a fountain - to check it out and yes, Evo Morales was there. I'm telling you, that was really lucky.

I can't say much about politics in Bolivia, but I kind of do like the man, with his agenda focused on the masses and on the development of infrastructure and new resources for the country. Of course, some say he is dangerous, a dictator, and uses propaganda. That he uses propaganda, probably, but given that the Private "Entrepreneurs" (well, i don't think they're creating any new value, more renting on their ancestor's legacy) that accuse him of it are doing the same with private TV networks I guess it's a bit more fair. And seriously, it's been 150 years of authoritative power in Bolivia, so I guess that's not something you change overnight. And if power is used to redistribute wealth better, well I think it's not wrong... although it still needs to be watched carefully.

A street in Potosi
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The elections are next month in Bolivia so the situation is a bit tense, with threats from some the richest parts of the country to separate. I guess that's what happen when for the first time some are asked to contribute a bit more towards the poorer parts. And given that these richer parts are mostly relying on natural resources, I think they should be wiser and think that in the future it might change, with currently poorer parts like La Paz finally thriving thanks to tourism or other "new resources". Think Manchester, think Detroit, think Lille.... These cities are probably happy they never asked to be separated now their respective countries help them to regenerate in new ways... It's crazy how when people are asked to share a bit with others thinks always get difficult. By the way, I do think it also happens the other way around. Being poor doesn't equal being honest :)

Plaza del 10 de Noviembre in Potosu
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Anyway, that was the "political" post of the travel. I might not reiterate the attempt as I can feel through my computer the sound of a few readers snoring already :)

Tomorrow, I'll enter the Devil's belly by visiting the Cierro Rico, the "Silver Mountain" of Potosi, and witness the current conditions of miners, and think about the even worse working conditions of the estimated 8-9 million Indian workers and African slaves that died there in just over 200 years.