Balatoc Mines Tour ( part2 )

To enter the site a miner has first to drop his chapa ( remember we were given each at the registration ( here ),  in the box as his identification and retrieve it at the end of the day. Each chapa has a unique number to each miner. In the real mining world, this chapa is a lifeline. At the end of their working day, a remaining chapa in the entrance box means a miner left inside the tunnel.




The walking tour begun. .

Various machines, gadgets and tools of mining were showcased on our way to the tunnel. Interesting and very informative.








Gold ores!!! For those who are clueless what they are (like my girls before this tour. . ), gold ore is a concentration of gold in a rock, particles or flakes in water.  Technically, only if it is feasible to mine for extraction of the precious metal  that it is considered to be ore. Our guide said these samples were of low grade and not worth of undergoing the tedious process of extracting. I agreed no less. Otherwise, I don't think these gold ores could be seen on piles in this spot!! Don't you think so???




Until. .  we reached the Vegas Tunnel.Dated 1946, this is already is an ex-site  and currently exists as the main site of this only one mining tour in our country.

Entering the tunnel was super exciting for us. . it was a whole new world_

dark. .




dangerous. .

in every inch_ interesting!!

An actual dug hole and said to be a good one cos other holes were far smaller and meant to be crawl by the miner like a rat. This one is a lot better cos a miner can fit almost standing  and the hole can be almost walked thru. Can you imagine that?!!

We took turns  to operate this machine and managed to dig each a hole.

An actual lecture on how to install a dynamite that is being used to achieve a rock blasting.




They install not only one dynamite in one explosion but several of them to achieve a muti-blasting.

There's a hiding corner in the tunnel where a miner run to protect himself from the dangerous explosion of the dynamites.




The most thrilling moment of the tour was when we got to experience a real blasting. We were warned and had to run for our life (not that extreme but for the thrill you could internalize and pretend that the situation is actually life threatening) as a miner performed a real blasting with us inside the tunnel.




And then our ride arrived. .

Out we went off the dark tunnel back to the airy and sunny  earth.




The girls were so happy surviving the tunnel tour!!!