A
pleasant taxi-driver took us to a hotel that was still being worked on
where we stayed in a clean-western style room. We had an early flight
the next morning to Sucre and were promised breakfast at 0600 which was
included in the price of the room. We were in the breakfast room the next
morning but, with apologies, we were told that breakfast would be late.
Quickly we flagged down a taxi for the 30 minute ride to the airport. I
sat up front with the driver and had one of my fumbling Spanish/English
conversations conveying no information, just the sound and fury. Bill and
Frank were in back laughing at my pathetic Spanish.
At the airport Bill and I had cups of matte de coca tea and pastries.
Frank declined calling us, 'f***ing druggies.' The use of coca leaves
is legal in Bolivia. We began talking with two German ladies who were
on the same flight. The younger lady had her hair died jet-black. She
had a nose ring. Her Amazon story was chilling, 'I was staying on a
tributary in a small village. Very hot and humid. An insect entered
my ear. I could hear it scurrying around inside my ear, but it did not
exit. A local came and attempted to remove it with a wire. At this time
I totally lost control and went hysterical. I could hear the man poking
the wire in my ear and the now increased sound of the insect. I screamed.
It seemed like 15 minutes passed but, I can't be sure. The man left, he
returned with a flashlight which he shined into my ear. The bug left my
ear attracted by the light.' She relived the experience in the telling.
It was a strong emotion.
Our flight first broke through clouds then as it gained altitude
presented a view of the high plateau, the Altiplano. Landing in Sucre we
were greeted by clear skies and the beer brewery. We hoped that the
clear skies were an omen for eclipse day. Our hotel was next to the
market. The market was crowded and busy. The women wore black bowler
hats and long dresses. I walked up steep cobblestone steps to a catholic
church commanding a panoramic view of the valley of Sucre. The church
was 16th century with detailed rich wooden ceilings and walls. I climbed
to the top of the bell tower to gaze down on the city streets below. On
returning to the room I was first upset to find that my bandanna that I
had washed and left out to dry was missing.
Bill and Frank had a surprise. 'Get a load of this.' In my absence they
had toured the market and found bales of coca leaves for sale. They
purchased a kilo for 25 cents. We chewed the leaves and left them to
soak in our mouths. The effects were minimal. We would find out later
that we were missing the vital ingredient, liheja, that amplifies the
effects of the coca leaf alkaloids.
We were up early next morning before the market opened and boarded our
bus to Potosi which would be the base for viewing the eclipse. The bus
station served matte de coca tea with the leaves floating on the surface.
The bus was modern and comfortable. The road was rough dirt with
potholes. The terrain was similar to the Southern Californian deserts.
On arrival in Potosi we walked two blocks and took over a room that 3
ladies were just leaving. We felt lucky since we had heard that all the
rooms in town had been full. The hotel had a central courtyard and a
common bath. It was not clean, but it was cheap. The central square was
faced by two cathedrals. One had been converted into a museum. The
entrance was an arch with a large wooden face at the highest point. The
head was adorned with an olive branch, it looked like Bacchus.
Potosi was at 11,000 feet. There were not as many tourists as we had
been led to believe staying for the eclipse. As in the Mexican eclipse
(1991), the numbers had been significantly exaggerated. We met 5 other
American tourists. We joined forces and rented a van with driver. The
plan was to drive 30 kilos south to the centerline of the shadow path to
gain 20 seconds more eclipse time. Potosi was at lest 400 years old. It
existed for the silver mining. The great hill to the west had been mined
for the life of Potosi.
I had trouble sleeping with excitement over the eclipse. I went on the
roof and saw stars, The sky was clear! I dressed at 0500 to a few
scattered cirrus clouds. I felt nervous that totality, 0824, would be
clouded over. The van was to be ready at 0600. All 7 of us were at the
location at 0600. But no van and no driver. To add to our anxiety the
clouds to the East were increasing. The driver and van arrived, but
there was some last minute negotiations concerning who was coming with
the driver. All 7 of us were nervous about getting to the centerline on
time for the eclipse. We finally got started to our relief.
We drove on a dirt road. On the outskirts of town groups of people were
climbing up the hills. The tallest one had a wooden cross on top.
People were clustered there. We were heading south to El Porto, which
was close to if not on centerline and had a commanding view according to
our driver. The Altiplano had the look of the low altitude Mojave desert.
Sun-blasted weathered granite with gullies formed by flash-floods.
The lighting was the brilliant illumination of the high altitudes.
We were gaining altitude heading for 15,000 feet.
As we sped along in the van we were watching the sun with our mylar U.V.
filters. We were looking for first contact. Kristin, one of two sisters
from America, was the first to announce it's appearance, 'I see it!' We
all saw it now.
The touch of the moon upon the sun started a drama that would envelope us
for the next 2 hours. We continued to drive as the eclipse progressed.
At a high point on the road we stopped the van where we had a good view
to the East but not to the West. The sun's shadow would come from the
West at more than a 1000 miles per hour. We placed a white sheet on the
ground to view the shadow bands. Frank, Bill and I put on our mylar
eyeglasses and chewed coca leaves but, now with the lijea. Soon our gums
were numb and we felt the drug. Approaching second contact, the sun
became a narrow crescent, the light becoming noticeably different. It
was surrealistic, a Daliesque light with sharp shadows. The strangeness
accelerated as the shadow swallowed us. There was a diamond ring too
bright to look at, then at second contact, a black hole surrounded by the
fires of the corona, photosphere, and chromosphere flashed on; steel
blue, gray, and crimson. Stars were present as if a planetarium
projector had been switched. The corona was asymmetric with a long spike
at 2 o'clock. The view is exhilarating, transcendental; I feel exalted.
All I can say is 'It's so beautiful!', which I repeat. I hear 'Oh God,
.. Oh God!', hyperventilation and crying from the others. As third
contact approached I said, '10 seconds', to warn of the reappearance of
the sun and U.V.... There was a last crimson flare, then the diamond
ring. It has lasted 3 minutes 5 seconds. I had been transported out
of my ego. Looking down at the bed sheet the shadow bands were present.
Low contrast strips of light and dark moving at 3-5 mph. They are
venetian blinds seen at the bottom of a pool.
I repeated a quote from the Bhagavad Gita, which I had selected the
night before and had read out loud before second contact and now
after third contact, 'The flames of thy mouths devour all the worlds.
Thy glory fills the whole universe. But how terrible thy splendors burn!
... I am become death the destroyer of worlds.' As third contact passed
and the light brightened, the exhilaration of the eclipse passed.
We returned to the van for the drive back to Potosi.
We passed many groups of black, brown and white llamas. We stopped at a
cluster of adobe huts where our driver said there were hot springs, aqua
caliente, a short distance. Only Bill and I were interested. In the
company of our driver we walked a mile to the mouth of a narrow canyon
issuing forth a stream. Climbing up the wall of the canyon we passed
through a tunnel and into an oasis: bushes, trees, and plants nourished
by the desert waters. After a few hundred yards we reached a group of
thatched adobe buildings. An Indian family motioned for us to go inside.
The building covered pools of hot water. We stripped to our underwear
and soaked in the water. The eclipse and now this. It was a perfect
moment! The driver did not join Bill and I. We could swim in the larger
pool. We stayed in the water until the driver grew impatient. It took 40
minutes to walk back to the van. It seemed in our absence that Frank had
made remarks that upset the ladies. We noticed a tension.
Back in Potosi Bill and I took a tour to one of the co-operative mines.
The silver has been coming out of the hills above Potosi for 400 years.
At one time it was South America's richest city. On the way to the mine
we stopped at a kiosk to bring gifts to the miners - sticks of dynamite,
50 cents, and coca leaves, 25 cents a kilo. There was also ammonium
nitrate to enhance the explosion. Our guide gave us a detailed
discussion on the proper way to chew coca leaves. Putting the leaves
one-by-one into the mouth well salivated and about a gram of lijea to
extract the alkaloid. Twelve of us gringos on the tour were encouraged
to indulge. Bill and I did not hesitate. By the time we arrived at the
mine entrance my mouth was numb and the coca had enveloped me in a warm
buzz.
We were initiated to the mines by setting off a few sticks of dynamite.
Then we donned carbide lamps and dirty clothes to descend into the mines.
The mining is done by men who are mostly illiterate and who have no idea
of safe engineering practices. A hole 20 inches deep is drilled by hand
and a stick of dynamite inserted. A long fuse is attached. The miner
withdraws, hoping the explosion does not collapse the mine. If all goes
well he returns to collect the silver ore to sell. The miners are
nourished by chewing coca leaves and giving offerings of cigarettes to a
statue of 'El Diablo' deep in the mine. After 20 minutes in the mine we
were anxious to leave. Our guide was enthusiastic and ended up keeping
us underground for 2 hours. The conditions were shocking.
On returning to the Hotel we found Frank waiting outside in the street.
He was worried that we would be late catching the train to La Paz in the
night. We greeted him with a stick of dynamite we kept as a souvenir.
He was upset. He insisted that we leave at once to secure our places on
the train but, Bill and I wanted to shower first. We were filthy from
the mine. However, Frank was intent on going, so I stayed to take a
shower while Bill went off with Frank to check on the train.
Bill returned with the news that the train was OK and Frank was holding
our seats. Bill and I took a taxi to the train. Our coach was very
comfortable. The two American sisters who had watched the eclipse with
us were in the coach. The train had made a few false starts which
startled Frank thinking he would leave without us. He was glad to see us
arrive. As the train left the Potosi station it's headlights illumined
the countryside especially on the turns. It was exciting to be crossing
the Altiplano this way. The lounge chairs were easy to sleep in. As the
night progressed it grew colder as we were 15,000 feet high. I had 5
layers on my chest, 3 layers on my legs, gloves and a wool hat. There
was snow on the ground. The temperature inside the train went down to 48
degrees, but there was no heating. I did not sleep well. Frank said,
'This is the worst night of my life, when we get to La Paz I'm flying to
Miami from there.'
The rosy dawn revealed a snowy landscape. We passed through a dismal
mining town, Oturuo, the outskirts a large garbage dump, people squatting
at their toilet, pigs rooting, sick dogs roaming. We approached La Paz
which is at the bottom of a large valley. The poor live on the rim
looking down on the rich who live on the bottom where it is warmer. The
train tracks spiral down circling the rim. |
