The one where Lynne loses altitude

Thank god to be over the high altitude part of the trip. After leaving Uyuni, we spent two nights in Potosi, which is 4100m above sea level, the highest city so far. It was really hard work. Hard to breathe, like your chest was constantly tightened. I spent one sleepless night tossing and turning feeling short of breath, then got a fever the next night.
It wasnt helped by the fact I spent 3 hours underground visiting a silver mine. Wow. I did it to challenge myself, but kinda wished I hadnt. It was horrible. Potosi used to be incredibly wealthy from all the silver it mined in a mountain which looms over the city. 8 million miners died working in terrible conditions over 400 years.
You know the Indiana Jones movie where they ride in those mine trolleys? Well its kinda like that, only really really cramped, and the place is full of asbestos and not much silver these days.
We walked through tunnels, sometimes having to stand up against the wall so miners could push heavy trolleys carrying rocks past us. The highlight (note the sarcasm please) was when our guide tells us to crawl through a one metre high space, for 5 metres, without touching the walls cause they have asbestos. The Scrivens family isnt renowned for its flexibility, so yes, I touched the walls.
The guide then showed us this statue deep inside the mine that the miners pray to for safety. Its very very well endowed, and the guide tells me all Bolivian men are like that, and asks would I like a Bolivian husband.
I tried to think happy thoughts but was really glad to see daylight again.
Thankfully our next stop was here in Sucre. Its a lovely Spanish colonial town, the official capital of Bolivia. And its only 2500m above sea level, which has made the world of difference to our energy levels and capacity to breathe. I might as well be walking on the beach. The climate is awesome, shorts and t shirts from here on in.
Its a great town to get lost walking around in. We went out last night too. Mimi our cute little 23 year old Brazilian tour leader taught me to dance salsa in a nightclub. I felt like a 200kg uncoordinated gorilla next to her. I think Brazilians are born dancing. I wasnt.
Me and a couple of others kicked on at a couple of more nightclubs. The last one cost guys twice as much as girls to get in, and there were a lot of local women in their finest trying to pick up drunk gringo men. As you can imagine, many succeeded because Bolivian women are mostly very beautiful.
Losing more altitude tomorrow, when I head to Santa Cruz.