Bolivia - Uyuni to Sucre

Fresh from the salt flats excitement, we caught a regular bus to go via Potosi to Sucre. It's a 3 hour and then 4 hour bus trip on good condition roads. Just leaving the outskirts of Uyuni, the bus slowed to a walk and there there were people on either side of us, off the side of the road. We ground to a halt and further people. The busses quite often stop for a break, but his way way too soon. Mands stayed on board and I joined others jumping off to see what was up. I walked a little further up the road and there it was. We'd heard about this in out Bolivia research and heard that most will not avoid it. It was a Bolivian roadblock. Rocks and stones were placed across the road in both lanes and off the side of the road so it wasn't possible to ride around. Woman seemed to be leading the sit it with their children and a few men and bicycles thrown in. The actual blockade wasn't up much so don't know why people didn't force their way through, but everyone seemed very accepting. The roadblock is there to get the grievance to government representatives and if they don't disrupt enough people they don't feel their grievance will be accepted.

An hour after we'd stopped 2 police men on a motorbike sped up and the everyone not protesting ran to their cars or onto busses with the feeling it would be resolved soon. 5 minutes later it was. We were glad this time it was fairly short as they can continue a full day.

On the road again and about half way there we stopped for the drivers lunch and pit stop for us. This is always a site as men and woman leave the bus and head out, for a "bush wee". Usually there are animals dotted in between us and with pigs and chickens, this stop was no exception. Why does everyone head to the bush, well there's usually one smelly toilet and you have to pay to use it.

Waiting to board the bus a well inebriated guy started a conversation with me for some friendly banter and soon more joined. The Bolivians are proud of their country and very interested in hearing where we've been and query where were going. One of these men was on route to Potosi to the miners 2 day fiesta we'd heard about previously. He suggested I join him as it's a fantastic weekend - I figured alcohol, dynamite and masks sounded like a party to skip this time. His English was good and he went on to explain that he'd previously been a miner and was one of the few to get out alive. He joked about this, but he must be quite a person to be able to turn his life and his familie's lives around - he studied languages while he was still working in the mines and can now speak, read and write 7 different languages. This enabled him to become a guide and now works as a Salt Flat tour guide.

On board the ex-miner came past me seated and warned that we shouldn't sit in the front or back on the bus - that's where people die in an accident. We've little choice most of the time where we can sit, but have taken it on board. Just that day leaving Uyuni we passed a bus we'd heard about that had driven into a river and many had drowned. The next day after this bus trip the local news reported 3 crashes involving 4 busses with a high number of fatalities and injuries - we saw photos of the busses and there wasn't much left of the front 3 rows of each. Bolivia is notorious for their bus driving and accidents, we hadn't had or heard of and problems until now. In the first 24 days of January Bolivia had 12 major road accidents and 79 people dead. A full investigation has been kicked off in Bolivia and days of news coverage, but no mention in international news. We are grateful a safe hand has been kept over us.

We arrived in Potosi where we had to get from ex terminal to new terminal. The bus driver and side kick were hugely unhelpful shouting in Spanish and expecting us to understand everything. Eventually we got sorted out and on a new bus to Sucre.

Up until this bus route, the landscape was quite barren, descending down quickly towards Sucre, with each mountainous twist and turn, the vegetation became more green, more lush with streams and trees. In total contrast to Potosi's largely bleak buildings, colonial ranch houses began to appear with orange walls and tilled roofs.

The bus entered Sucre at dusk and immediately you could see it's more affluent than the rest of Bolivia we'd visited.