Brilliant Bolivia
June 8, 2009
Brilliant Bolivia
“Wow… Amazing, I remember Potosi as a complete shit hole with shitty food!”
Is what a friend who I traveled with on a Tour across South America said about one of my photos from Potosi.
It all depends on what you want to get out of traveling and whether you see with your eyes as well as your heart. Its one thing to look, a whole other thing to see.
Bolivia is normally not a country that has people saying “That’s somewhere I’d really
like to visit”, Most are ignorant of its existence unless a recent viewing of
James Bond: Quantum of Solace has taken place.
With a trip to South America, Bolivia is slipped into the itinerary because it sits perfectly in the middle as the poorest and most conveniently placed country in South America.
S a l a r d e U y u n i , the Salt Flats of Uyuni is the world’s largest Salt Flat at 1 0 , 5 8 2 k m . Uyuni is roughly 25 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.
This is the result of a giant prehistoric lake called Lake Minchin, when the lake dried some 40,000 years ago it left two modern lakes and the salt deserts.
Thousands of travelers every year visit this incredible earthly wonder to see not only the flats, but what is dubbed “Fish Island” and to obtain fun photos of objects and people with visual and size deception. Hanging off a wine bottle, being attacked by a toy dinosaur. The imagination is opened up under the hot Bolivian sun.
The end of the day doesn’t go without a visit to the Train Graveyard. An economy booster that saw the first railway run from and to Peru and Argentina.
Bolivia has two of the highest functioning cities in the world. La Paz is the highest capital in the world sitting at 3,660 metres above sea level. And Potosi is the highest altitude city at 4,060 metres.
La Paz, the capital of Bolivia offers the witches market for souvenirs, the black market for anything and everything and a short drive out of town is where you can cycle the most dangerous road in the world-Death Road.
Being on a budget I had to pick and choose the excursions I would do on tour. Cycling is not something I am keen on and only at the very last minute did I decide to jump on board and boy am I glad I did. It became a highlight of Bolivia.
Starting at the top, 4700m of this downward cycle. 4 –5 hours and 70km of bumpy, rocky, narrow roads, sharp drops and the odd vehicle had you hold on tight to your handle bars, shed layers of clothing and witness some of the most magnificent views all the way down to 1200m.
The road is generally closed to vehicles but there is still the odd truck that comes from Lima in Peru that grips to the edge of the narrow road on the side of a crumbling cliff.
Aside from some poor tasting beer and unkempt streets, which only adds to the experience, Bolivia is an underrated country with colour, vibrance and culture. When visited, whether your heart is open or closed will leave you with the most incredible travel experiences that will be hard to forget.
Doug relaxed into life on the road, Train Graveyard, Uyani.
The full moon rising behind dilapidated Train Graveyard, Uyani.
Not many Bolivians appreciate their photo being taken. This man was happy to be, Potosi.
Doug taking a break from Death Road at about 2000m, La Paz.
SLR or Compact?
May 26, 2009
Does it matter what kind of camera you have?
I think as you become more professional and serious about photography, an SLR camera of your choice is essential as you can experiment and create more exhilarating images. Digital Compacts with SLR features are also fantastic for budding photographers.
However, there are times when a scene or situation presents itself where you don’t have your SLR camera permanently attached to your hand. In the photo above, it was early afternoon on a crisp autumn day; I was heading to work having just had coffee with a friend and 3pm looked exactly like dusk.
The clouds were moody and a striking burning crimson. I think I almost caused an accident by slamming the brakes on my car, grabbing my compact camera and running to shoot this incredible scene before it had a chance to pass.
Despite being taken with a compact camera, it is a favorite among my photos because of the way it came to hand.
Sometimes you need the freedom and simplicity of a point-and-shoot to capture the heat of a moment before it fades and is forgotten.
Keep those eyes wide open!
- Heather
