The Andes are an incredible mountain range passing from north to south through seven countries making it the longest continental mountain range in the world. There is something about the Andes that is simply magical. The grandeur, scale and scope of the Andes is mind-boggling. Over 4,300 miles long (7,000 km) and at points up to 430 miles wide (700 km), the Andes are immense and are blessed with some of the highest volcanoes in the world and largest ice fields.
I have been lucky to have set foot on the Andes in Peru, Chile, Argentina and most recently, Bolivia. There is no way I can pick favorites as each place has been unique and special in its own way. A four-day visit to the Cordillera Real in the Altiplano of Bolivia gave me once again a feeling of the enormous scale of the Andes. There are over 600 snow-capped peaks in just the Cordillera Real and we only hiked two of them.
On the first day at our camp as the morning sun rose high above the Andes, I shot these photos of what was to come. Judging by the immense beauty, I knew that the Bolivian Andes offered something special.
“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscape but in having new eyes” – Marcel Proust
I always love a good philosophical photo challenge and this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge “Depth” happens to just fit the bill. The host of this week’s challenge Ben Huberman discusses the many different angles and perceptions of depth whether it be in the depth of field, the depth of color or texture or the depth of someone close to you. I felt that depth also offers a reason to look deep within oneself and examine what we see.
Through the practice of yoga, I’ve really began exploring the issue of “self” and “self-reflection”. I’ve learned a lot through the power of using my breath and the strength and flexibility not only of my physical but also my mental self. I truly believe that this self-examination into the depth of my soul has made me a much more balanced, peaceful person that helps me be a better person, mom, spouse, friend and writer.
As personal as it can be, taking time to look deep within our souls can be quite healing. Not only does it bring about long known revelations about who we truly are, it also evoles into some kind of acceptance and peace. I believe everyone has something they can personally work on to make them truer to themselves. For me, it is trying to use all my positive energy for good and not let my type-A personality frazzle me. It is taking time to slow down and stop and smell the roses in life. Relax. Breathe. Embrace. And enjoy each and every moment.
Photography and writing is a way for me to express myself and reflect on my life. If I use the approach of diving deep down within my photo collection and digging out the pictures that most describe my heart and soul, here they are.
The best place to get a feel for daily life in La Paz is to walk her chaotic, often serpentine streets and see it all for yourself. As the sun rises, the streets are relatively quiet save for the growing hum of the cars, vans and buses that transport people around. By nine o’clock, the streets begin to come alive as the street vendors open up the doors of their little green stalls, bringing a burst of riotous color to the scene. Children in uniforms walk to school while men and women move swiftly to get to work. Others pass their time lounging on the stoops of a building or on a bench in the park.
I found the best way to get a taste of daily life in La Paz was to capture as many different aspects of it as possible on film. I have already posted my street photography photos on street art, women, markets and vendors. Now it is time to take a look at how people express themselves in their daily lives.
Singing on the streets to earn a dime.
Eating breakfast outdoors before opening her stall for the day.
In my opinion, the heart and soul of a country can almost always be found on the street. Street markets can tell you a lot about a place. There is no place where this is more true than in La Paz. La Paz’ chaotic and colorful markets are abundant and diverse. You can find anything your heart desires and bartering always ensures the best price. It is at the unusual markets of La Paz that the old and new culture of the city collides. Whether you are looking for a specific door knob, light bulb or toilet seat, you can surely find it at rock bottom prices at the Mercado Negro (Black market). Want a llama fetus to set fire as an offering? No problem. There are plenty of dead ones to choose from at the Mercado de Hechiceria (Witches’ Market). Experiencing the fabulous markets of La Paz is the highlight of any trip and is bound to be a fascinating way to spend the day.
Our hotel, Hostal Naira was located just a block or two away from the start of the Witches’ Market on Calle Sagarnaga thus we spent a lot of time walking around the area. I already posted many of my photos from the street vendors near our hotel in this post however I found that the further up the cobblestone streets we walked, the more interesting and unusual the markets became. As the traditional street vendors known as artesanias selling handicrafts and hand-woven goods dwindled so did the tourists. We knew that we were entering the markets meant for locals as we begin to see no tourists and more unique items for sale.
Bolivia prides itself as having one of the largest indigenous cultures in South America with an estimated 60% of her population claiming indigenous descent. Although many native groups make up Bolivia’s indigenous population, the most prevalent group living in La Paz and the Bolivian highlands are the Aymaras.
The Aymaras are known for their rich, highland culture, colorful handicrafts and traditional dress. The Aymara women known locally as “cholitas” generally are always seen dressed in traditional clothing, wearing their tiny little bowler hats, several layers of large colorful polleras (skirts), tiny shoes patterned after Spanish bullfighters and beautifully embroidered shawls. They also generally wear a colorful hand-woven blanket on their backs to either carry a baby or other items.
Walking around the streets of La Paz I was amazed to see so many of cholitas dressed so colorfully, each one bringing her own unique charm. Most Aymaras are short and stout, and purposely wear many layers of skirts to make their hips look quite large. According to their culture, large hips are a sign of beauty and fertility. The woman also always wear their hair long and plaited with black-colored yarn adornments at the end. I’m not sure what it symbolizes but I did not see a single Aymara woman without her hair worn this way.
As I walked around La Paz, it was evident that Aymara women make up the majority of street vendors selling anything ranging from vibrant, traditional clothing to scarves, shawls, vibrant colored blankets and produce. They worked hard yet never seemed to be unhappy about their status in life. I was always greeted with a smile and the woman stuck together.
Here are a series of some of my favorite captures of the Aymara women of La Paz. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Continue reading →
Street vendors are everywhere in La Paz adding vibrancy and culture to the already colorful, hectic streets. You can pretty much buy anything on the street ranging from beautiful handicrafts and hand-woven goods to magazines, drinks, food and anything your heart desires inside the black market.
The life of a street vendor is not an easy one. Most open up their green-colored stalls around nine or ten o’clock in the morning and close well after ten at night. The majority of street vendors are women who have no other choice but to bring their babies and young children with them for a long day and night on the street. They eat at their stalls, watch their children play and sleep at the stalls, and spend most of the time sitting there hoping for a customer so they can make enough money to survive.
I found the life to be a hard yet was amazed at their perseverance by coming day after day to the same spot for well over twelve hours to sell what they could to feed their families. I was heartbroken by the mothers with young kids crying or sleeping at their weary feet. But in a country of high unemployment, at least these women had some income to provide for their family. And the products they sold were lovely.
The neighborhood we stayed in was located in the heart of the Witches Market, a huge tourist attraction in La Paz. I enjoyed watching some of the street vendors set up and close their stalls each day. I enjoyed taking photos of them even more.
In the morning slowly the street vendors begin to arrive and open up their green-colored stalls for the day. These stalls were right outside our hotel.
Every morning this woman would open her small stall around nine o’clock, right outside our hotel door. She had a beautiful collection of handicrafts and also sold bottled water which was very helpful. Her location couldn’t be better given the high volume of customers in the hotel next door.
I adore street art. While some people find street art and graffiti distasteful, I truly love a good work of art and enjoying it for free on the side of a building brings more flavor and culture to a place. Like many cities in South America, La Paz has its share of street art which adds to the riot of color already surrounding her vibrant streets.
My favorite pieces of street art were of the Aymara women who are so common on the streets of La Paz. Painted in vivid, bright colors I found these murals lovely. I wondered who had painted them and how long the art had been there. Had they been commissioned or did an artist become inspired to paint it for free?
La Paz is one of the most colorful, vibrant places I have ever been. Ranking high on the list with such photogenic darlings as India and Cuba, the endless opportunities to take pictures makes you never once put your camera away for fear that you will miss something great. You could seriously spend a week just walking around the winding, lively streets of the city taking thousands of photos. Unfortunately I only had a few days meaning I had to take as many as possible without the correct lighting or framing of the shot. Nevertheless, I am happy with the colorful captures I was able to get despite my hasty, rushed approach.
It took me weeks to sort through and edit my collection of photos. When I finally edited the very last photo, I was elated. However, at first glance I was also a tad bit disappointed. Looking back now, I realize that La Paz taught me a hard lesson in street photography. It is not as easy or simple as it seems.
Trying to capture random pictures of everyday life without attracting too much attention is difficult. I love to photograph every day people yet there is often a fine line between asking for their permission to get a shot or just taking it on the sly. It can feel like an invasion of privacy and if you are caught you may get an angry stare or worse.
My general rule of thumb when photographing people is that if they are only a part of the scene I am taking, then I generally don’t ask. I take the photo from far away and get the entire scene. If I want a closer view of the subject, I crop it later when I am editing in Lightroom. If the photo is exclusively of a person and I need a close up shot, then I always ask their permission. The unfortunate part is that sometimes a shot that is not candid just doesn’t turn out as well. But I’d rather be respectful and ask permission than chance upsetting someone.
Another lesson I learned about street photography on this trip is that timing is everything. I may see the perfect photo but if my camera is not ready at that exact moment in time or if a bus or car drive through the photo, then it is ruined. La Paz is a very busy place with people, cars, buses, and tourists everywhere. Oftentimes I would try my best to get a shot when all the sudden a pedestrian would walk right past my camera as I snap. If I was traveling on my own, I could try again but I’m usually always with an impatient non-blogger who doesn’t want to spend the entire day stopping every step to take pictures!
Timing is also important when it comes to the location of the sun. When you are only in a destination for a couple of days, you just have to take your chances on the photos. The sun may be in the worst spot possible but if I really like something than I take the photo anyway knowing even if it is not the best, at least I got it.
The last lesson I learned is that to be a true street photographer takes incredible talent. I’m just an amateur photographer who loves to capture the world through my eyes. Sometimes I get lucky and a photo I take turns out really great. But I acknowledge the fact that I am no expert. If my photos aren’t perfect that is ok. As long as they show the world through my eyes and help me share what I have seen, then I’ve done my job.
The next series of my Bolivia posts will all revolve around street photography. Here is a preview of the different subjects:
One of my favorite things about Central America and Cuba are the gorgeous, bright colors that often surround you everywhere you go. Normally I head south during our winter here in Minnesota when the landscape is barren of color and blanketed in snow. I feel so deprived of color that when I arrive, I go crazy snapping photos of everything I see- from buildings, to flowers, to artwork and people – I search the vibrant colors my eyes are craving. Yellow is one of those colors that always makes me feel happy. It is bright, glowing and warm. It also is a common color found painted on buildings in Central America and Cuba, perhaps given the Spanish Colonial influence of when they were built.
As the world around me is painted white, I long for the brilliant and bright shades of yellow that make my heart sing. Here are some of my favorite yellows I’ve spied in Guatemala, Honduras, and Cuba.
Bolivia has the largest indigenous population in South America with an estimated 60% of her population claiming indigenous descent. In La Paz, the most prominent indigenous culture is the Aymara who are known for their rich, highland culture and colorful handicrafts.
Walking down the streets of La Paz, the landscape is awash is brilliant colors of tapestries, handwoven scarves, hats and sweaters, and tiny little street side shops and stalls run by the local Aymara women. Cholitas dressed in wide, layered skirts, a brightly colored handwoven blanket along the back and an English-style brown bowler hat atop their head, line the streets waiting expectantly for a sale.
I saw her alone, seated next to a small street side shop and a bucket of colorful dolls. I knew I’d have to stop and say hello and maybe purchase a doll for my daughter.
Over the past week, I’ve been off the grid so to speak, in the high Andes of Bolivia. My blog has been quiet while I spent four days sleeping at 15,400 feet at the foot of Condoriri Mountain (5648 m) in the Cordillera Real Range of Bolivia.
It was quite an adventure to say the least. One that I will never forget and one that I am still recovering from. My dad and I managed to climb two mountains in two days, the first at 16,899 feet (5152 m) and the second at a whopping 17,698 feet (5396 m). I still am in awe at the beauty of it all.
In honor of today’s photo challenge here are some photos of where I was. Many more will be coming soon as I play catch up and sort through all my colorful photos from Bolivia. Here is a sneak peak of a few unedited ones that capture the imagination of such a remote, spectacular place.
Setting out to our destination: The foot of the Condoriri
In my opinion, there is no city on earth as architecturally spectacular and beautiful as Paris. Her beloved monuments, buildings, and angular streets are a living work of art that never ceases to inspire the imagination. Much of Paris’ amazing beauty can be credited to the genius work of Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Paris’ city planner who was hand selected by Napoleon III to carry out a massive renovation of Paris between between 1853 and 1870. Haussmann’s renovation of Paris as it was commonly called transformed the city with its grand boulevards, elaborate parks and magnificent public works.
Although other European cities tried to imitate Haussmann’s work, no other city compares especially in regards to Haussmann’s grand boulevards that cut across the city in perfect lines and angles.
Here are some of my favorite angles of Parisian streets.
