Bolivia’s Minerals: Na+

The backpacker’s favorite natural wonder of Bolivia?  Salar de Uyuni, or the Salt Flats.  It’s one of the biggest salt mines in the world, what used to be part of the ocean but then got cut off by tectonic movements which created the Andes Mountains.

let me tell you what makes a lucrative business here- cocaine.
this would be worth a million.  instead, this salt is likely ~$50

just reach down and scoop it up

 Here, salt is mined by hand.  It’s not a lucrative industry at all, and the salt flats are protected land so people cant use machinery.  They shovel little piles which are then taken, shoveled onto a hot plate to dry, and then packaged by hand.  Iodine is added to prevent goiters!  A small baggie, enough to refill the table salt multiple times over, goes for about a quarter.

Not far away exists a lithium mine, and Bolivia has the largest supply of lithium, which is indeed a lucrative material.  However, they are currently lacking the technology to mine it properly.  Also, you can learn how Potosi, Bolivia, used to be one of the richest cities in the world with it’s silver being mined by the Spaniards, but now there’s not much left.  Potosi used to have one of the world's largest mints, and the sign (PTSI superimposed on each other) may have been the start of the modern $ sign!

The salt mines are everyone’s favorite place to 

Misa came!  And blew me away!

play with perspective.  The land is incredibly flat (and bright!), so you can go to different dimensions with the lack of diminishing perspective. 

that's one big apple!

I love seeing Japanese people who represent the epitome of their
culture. This group brought a huge set of action figures, and took
pictures of another person fighting with them.  He wore a wig,
bright clothing, and parachute pants.  Wish I had those pictures!