TB (according to VnExpress)•February 4, 2025 08:28
Life in La Rinconada, the place closest to the sky, is not as romantic as imagined as people suffer from lack of oxygen and mercury pollution.
La Rinconada in southeastern Peru is the city "closest to the sky" at 5,100 m above sea level. The town has about 11,000 residents, mostly working in mining. La Rinconada owns the world's highest gold mine, so many people still choose to work here despite facing respiratory difficulties.
The town’s high altitude means oxygen levels are reduced to about 50% of what they are near the sea. Newcomers experience nausea, headaches and need a month to adjust.
La Rinconada has no drainage system due to rapid and unplanned development during the gold rush. Its remote location and high altitude make infrastructure development even more difficult. Mercury pollution is also a problem here due to mining activities.
The highest temperature in La Rinconada is around 11 degrees Celsius and the lowest can be below minus 11 degrees Celsius. The average temperature is only about 1 degree Celsius so people have to wear warm clothes all year round.
Security issues make La Rinconada even more of a far cry from the "paradise near the sky" fantasy. This place has been referred to by many media as a "lawless town". Walking on the streets at night is extremely dangerous without police escort.
At the shops that exchange gold for necessities, the owners have to put up barriers to prevent robberies. However, a few adventurous tourists still come here and the town also has enough schools, hotels, bars, restaurants, churches.
In December 2023, Turkish travel vlogger Ruhi Cenet went to La Rinconada to make an experience video. His first impression was tons of trash everywhere. After walking on the streets for a while, he was almost exhausted and had to return to the hotel to warm up and breathe oxygen from a tank.
One of the most bizarre things in La Rinconada are the three statues of "ancestors" dressed as miners. People offer the "ancestors" many offerings such as women's underwear, whole cigarettes, and blood to pray for good fortune.TB (according to VnExpress)
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