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Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
Lunchtime! Our first day we stopped at what appeared to be a llama farm for lunch. As we parked out in the open plain, I couldn't help wondering if I would actually be eating llama twice in one day. But no worries, it was just a convenient place to stop for photo ops while we munched on sandwiches and Mercedes' amazing non-llama tamales.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
El Sillar (The Saddle) is a beautiful group of rock formations in the red and green mountains near Tupiza. Absolutely stunning from our lofty vantage point.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
Tupiza's specialty is tamales made from dried llama meat. They are good for Bolivian food, but not that interesting overall. Mainly I liked this young seller, who gave me a slight "well, duh" look when I asked if the filling was llama.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Reala 100
In the Cañon del Duendes.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Reala 100The area around Tupiza reminded me of the American southwest, but maybe even more dramatic in parts. I could understand why Butch and Sundance would feel at home here.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Reala 100
The area surrounding Tupiza was stunningly beautiful, the landscape forming colorful and diverse eroded shapes. We were on a brief jeep tour of the area and had stopped on a road above Quebrada Seca when I saw this young rider climbing up the hill. I wish I had waited just one second longer for him to gallop closer...it would have been such a perfect cowboy shot.
Olympus Stylus Epic | Fuji Superia 800
Ah, Bolivian bus travel. The brusque clerks assured us our bus was coming "in 5 minutes." We heard this repeatedly over the next 2 hours.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
In general I was not that into the Amazon area...WAY too hot and humid (dry season), and when I originally planned the trip for lazy days on the pampas and had to change for regular mini-hikes up to our ecolodge, fighting off biting red ants (kill a human in hours!), it was a mental adjustment. Hate being hot. But the boats, as previously mentioned, were wonderful. Not COMFORTABLE, but lovely in their own way and fun to ride. This sunset shot makes it seem much more lovely than it really was...the heat doesn't come through.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
One of my favorite things from the San Miguel del Bala community was the most universal one...a tiny, playful puppy.
Olympus OM-10 | Fuji Superia 400
Our guide's young son Joahn couldn't stop smiling at us during our visit. The next day he stopped by our lodge, again full of smiles.