88 CultureShock! Bolivia
expectancy and not just number of accidents, then miners
would easily win the honour of having laboured under the
most perilous conditions. Visitors to Bolivia may test these
statistics in person, by descending mine shafts in Potosí
and hitching a ride with a truck driver over the road to
Los Yungas.
Highway precipices lined with crosses that pay homage to
the victims of fatal accidents provide the type of joyous fright
that one experiences on a roller coaster. When death occurs,
it is instantaneous. But when you reach your destination
unscathed (by far the most probable scenario), you’ll have
less fear about doing it again.
Both truck drivers and miners stop their work at certain
moments to give offerings to La Pachamama. A new vehicle