San Pablo De Tiquina, Bolivia (August 2019) — B&W HDR Image by kenne
San Pablo de Tiquina is a small town on the Strait of Tiquina. This passage connects the larger and smaller parts
of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, connecting the road to the tourist town of Copacabana.
— kenne
Things To Be Desired — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The poem Desiderata has shaped the lives of many and will continue to do so for years to come.
Desiderata
GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
By Max Ehrmann © 1927
Original text
Life On Earth — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Life On Earth…
LIFE ON EARTH is pulled down hard on a man’s head.
This life was made by hatters.
A busy street is only coffee, bread, and hats.
The smell of a man’s hat – an old man’s hat –
is like the nostril of a horse.
You are breathing in what something beautiful
and ancient has breathed out.
The heat and life contained in it, the silk interior.
An old man’s hat is necessary:
You see that when he takes it off,
his hair and skin abruptly float away.
— David Keplinger
La Paz Bolivia Street Scene (August 2019) — Image by kenne
To be born a man
She works so hard
to make up for the sloth
of her husband, and in the house
(Pardon my surprise.)
he's so inept and pompous,
that of course he's the boss
because he's a man!
If some poems get written,
a person must have written them,
but she just transcribed them.
(Pardon my surprise.)
If we're not sure who's the poet,
why assume it was him?
Because he's a man!
A smart, classy woman
can't vote in elections,
but the poorest felon can.
(Pardon my surprise.)
If he can just sign his name
even an idiot can vote
because he's a man!
He sins and drinks and gambles
and in a backwards twist of luck
she suffers, fights, and prays.
(Pardon my surprise.)
That we call her the "frail sex"
and him the "strong sex"
because he's a man!
She has to forgive him
when he's unfaithful;
but he can avenge himself.
(Pardon my surprise.)
In a similiar case
he's allowed to kill her
because he's a man!
Oh, privileged mortal
you enjoy lifelong
honor and perfect ease!
For this, to get all this,
it's enough for you
to be born a man.
-- Bolivian Poet, Adela Zamudio
Gustu Restaurant Tasting Experience — La Paz, Bolivia — Images by kenne (Click On Any Image To See In A Slideshow Format)
In August of 2019, we spent some time in La Paz, Bolivia, before flying over the Andes to the Madidi National Forest in the Amazon. While in La Paz, we went to the Gustu Resterarent. Opened by Dane and co-founder of four-time World’s Best Restaurant, Claus Meyer, in 2013 with grand ambitions to boost investment and training in Bolivia while also propelling the country on to the world’s gastronomic map. We choose one of the tasting menus. The food was artistically presented, each providing a memorable tasting experience.
— kenne
La Paz, Bolivia (08/17/19) — Image by kenne
— John F. Kennedy
One Of Our Balsa Wood Rafts On The Tuichi River In The Madidi National Forest, Bolivian Amazon (08/20/19)– Image by kenne
— from The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho
Cholitas Woman — Images by kenne
It’s a short boat ride
connecting two peninsulas
in Lake Titicaca.
Wrapped in a woolen shawl
she proudly holds her
velvet bowler hat.
Her family waits
in the plaza next to
an Inca God statue
where family members
line up for picture taking
with grandma holding baby.
Until a decade ago
Cholitas women were
banned from public places.
— kenne
Balsa Wood Rafting On The Tuichi River In The Bolivian Amazon (8/21/19) — Image by kenne
The fog was beginning to lift,
one hour after breaking camp
on our first full day on the river.
I’m sitting in front with my camera,
Matt paddling behind me as Padro
stands in the rear, steering the raft.
Except for our companion balsa raft,
the river is our’s, stopping only for
fishing and exploring the jungle line.
Padro has promised us that we will
see a jaguar at least once during
time in the Amazon on the Tuichi River.
— kenne
Tuichi River Birds — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— Henry David Thoreau
Birds On The Tuichi River, Bolivian Amazon (8/23/19) — Image by kenne
— dmperez
Mouth of the Tuichi River in the Bolivian Amazon — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Lake Titicaca (World’s Highest Navigable Lake) In The Andes Mountains (World’s Longest Mountain Range) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Cable Cars Connect El Alto Plateau With La Paz In The Valley — Images by kenne
A PAZ and EL ALTO, Bolivia — In these two cities, geography and rank stand in inverse relation. La Paz — the seat of government, old money, and a lighter-skinned elite — sits in a valley. Above it on a high plateau is the frenetic city of El Alto: poorer, younger, and generally darker-skinned. La Paz has always looked down on its upstart younger sibling above.
Now, that relationship is being challenged, and this urban Möbius strip, where down is up and up is down, is getting a new twist. A mass-transit aerial cable-car system, a cross between a ski gondola and an elevated train, is being installed to better connect them, chipping away at the physical barriers and possibly some of the psychological ones. Read more here.
Subway In The Sky
Cholita Women In La Paz, Bolivia (08/19/19) — Image by kenne
— from “Boarding an Overnight Bus – La Paz, Bolivia” by Marty Saunders
