Tag Archives: Bolivia

On the road to Siglo XX!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

This is the mining district in Bolivia. Principal town Oruru.  The picture taken in Huanuni on the road towards Catavi, llallagua and the Siglo XX mine.  Mining in Bolivia is on the uprise again as the mineral prices world-wide are increasing.  The big lithium reserves is also a big asset.. think electric cars!

Revolutions in Bolivia have been initiated from these parts of the country. Working and living conditions are about as bad as it gets!

Heavy load in Siglo XX!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

  Llallagua is situated high up in the Andes at the end of the world . This is the mining district of Bolivia. One of the most important tin-mines is named Siglo XX (20th century). Conditions are hard!

The Bolivian government closed the production at Siglo XX 1987. Small groups continue to work the mine independently .

My hotel (when i was there 1985) charged half a dollar per night. No locks on the door and the roof was leaking!

Solution for the EURO!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

This photo will not give me any awards, I know that.

It´s just an illustration of an eventual solution to the EURO crisis.

This is Bolivian Pesos 1984. The country was in big economical trouble.
The governments solution was simple… Print more money.. brilliant, the ministers tought.

The only problem is that the prices increased as quick as the printer press
rotated. A local bus fare was 65 000 pesos and if a tourist wanted to change
50 dollar she had to bring the backpack because the peso equivalent was a lot to carry!

(No point clicking on the photo to se full size.. the picture just look more awful the bigger it gets!)

The pirate of the Titicaca lake!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

Indisposed (to put it mildly) I stayed a few days in the Bolivian village Copacabana, (no, not the one in Rio) at the Titicaca lake  to recover.

When most of the amoebas had left my body I rented a rowing boat to get some exercise.

Just below 4000 m above sea level Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. Sitting in a boat looking at the surrounding Andean mountain range is a sublime experience, and if on top of that the pirate of the Titicaca lake appears, there is not much more to desire is there?

The enormous lake is crossing the border between Bolivia and Peru. According to the Peruvian popular humour La parte de caca queda en Bolivia the (caca:shit) shitty part is placed in Bolivia.

In a way I can confirm that!

Click on photo to see full size!