ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY, THE WORK OF PEPPER K. ETTERS

South America: Bolivia 2005

Often referred to as the Tibet of South America, Bolivia is the continent's highest and least developed country. Over sixty percent indigenous, a majority of the population still speaks Spanish as a second language. And while much of the country sits in the high altiplano, the valleys and rivers feed much of the Amazon Basin creating a topography quite similar to the Himalayas and their bordering lowland regions. Containing vast cultural differences and a slowly emerging economy, Bolivia is another location in which you can't help but feel like you have stepped back in time.

  
  
     
  
   
On the outskirts of sleepy San Juan, funery towers of volcanic tufta dot teh horizon. Placed among pottery, food, textiles, tools and protective amulets over 600 years ago by the hands of thier kin, the mummified remains of the region's early ancestors face teh setting sun. THe very nature of this "Necropolis," the fact that there are no fences, glass, or even a lonely caretaker, sums up the authenticity of our imersion in the region. We feel as if we are the first to walk upon this ground, and know we are among the few outsiders to journey across this forgoten corner of the world.
  
On the outskirts of sleepy San Juan, funery towers of volcanic tufta dot teh horizon. Placed among pottery, food, textiles, tools and protective amulets over 600 years ago by the hands of thier kin, the mummified remains of the region's early ancestors face teh setting sun. THe very nature of this "Necropolis," the fact that there are no fences, glass, or even a lonely caretaker, sums up the authenticity of our imersion in the region. We feel as if we are the first to walk upon this ground, and know we are among the few outsiders to journey across this forgoten corner of the world.
     
  
   
  
     
  
The historical source of potatoes, the altiplano and surrounding regions have given rise to hundreds of different varieties.
  
Ironic, that a city named La Paz is perhaps the most tumoltuous place in Latin America and one of the more unstable countries in the world. Protests, blockades and demonstrations are as much a part of everyday life as the peacefull times. Our own journey was altered due to country-wide strikes and blockades which nearly forced teh president to resign. Stranded in La Paz for almost a week, we witnessed this facet of Bolivian culture firsthand.
  
Ironic, that a city named La Paz is perhaps the most tumoltuous place in Latin America and one of the more unstable countries in the world. Protests, blockades and demonstrations are as much a part of everyday life as the peacefull times. Our own journey was altered due to country-wide strikes and blockades which nearly forced teh president to resign. Stranded in La Paz for almost a week, we witnessed this facet of Bolivian culture firsthand.
     
  
Ironic, that a city named La Paz is perhaps the most tumoltuous place in Latin America and one of the more unstable countries in the world. Protests, blockades and demonstrations are as much a part of everyday life as the peacefull times. Our own journey was altered due to country-wide strikes and blockades which nearly forced teh president to resign. Stranded in La Paz for almost a week, we witnessed this facet of Bolivian culture firsthand.