Isla del Sol Boat — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Isla del Sol Boat
Life is made of simple things
Don’t complicate it.
–– kenne
Archive for the ‘Bolivia’ Tag
Isla del Sol Boat 1 comment
Last Day In Bolivia Leave a comment
Lake Titicaca Sunset — Image by kenne
To see the sunset is to recall the earth.
— kenne
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Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca (Part-Two Of A Three-Part Series) Leave a comment
Michael is pointing to where most of the hotels and restaurants are on the Isla del Sol.
We docked for lunch in a cove just west of there.
The captain’s daughter helps tie the boat to the dock.
Lake Titicaca has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated.
Lunch on a deck overlooking Lake Titicaca.
Lunch On The Isla del Sol
Lunch On The Isla del Sol
Lunch On The Isla del Sol
View of Lake Titicaca — Images by kenne
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Blessing Of The Automobiles Leave a comment
Since the 1950s, Copacabana has become a focal point of this modern-day Bolivian pilgrimage
known as the Bendición de Movilidades (Blessing of the Automobiles).
Michael is explaining the ceremony to Ty and Matt.
Every weekend and most weekdays, new car owners
from Bolivia and Peru will line-up the cars to be blessed.
A priest who sprinkles beer on the each car while reciting a prayer.
The owners decorate their vehicle and often have champagne to celebrate the event, often by spraying the vehicle.
Venders under blue tents are selling plastic and fresh flowers colorful streamers, pinwheels and hats.
Michael buying some Bolivian popcorn — Images by kenne
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La Morenada Traditional Dancer Leave a comment
La Morenada Traditional Dancer — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The word “moreno” means “dark” in Spanish. This music and its dance are from La Paz and involve a lot of drums and rattles. Over the years trumpets, trombones and cymbals were added. This traditional Bolivian dance also originated with the African slaves brought to Bolivia from Africa to work on haciendas; however, this music comes from the area of Lake Titicaca, high on the Bolivian Altiplano (the high plateau that surrounds La Paz) not the tropical Yungas region. — https://www.boliviabella.com/bolivian-music-types.html
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La Morenada 1 comment
Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
When we arrived in Copacabana near the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
we could hear a brass band playing in the Basilica’s plaza.
Clearly, on this sunny Saturday morning, a ceremony of some sort was taking place.
Once we were inside the plaza there were women and men of all ages
in very colorful customs dancing to the music.
The dance is a traditional dance in Bolivia called La Morenada.
Anthropologists say the dance is a satire, inspired by the suffering of black slaves
who were brought to Bolivia to work in the Andean silver mines.
La Morenada is easily recognizable in a procession because it has various characteristics:
There are many rattles and drums, groups of women are dressed
in polleras (multilayered skirts) with bowler hats,
while men wear costumes that supposedly represent barrels
and wear silver or black masks (Morenada means ‘black’).
The origin of La Morenada stems from Lake Titicaca,
based on 200/300-year-old cave paintings found there, depicting these dances.
Video and Images by kenne
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On The Road To Copacabana, Bolivia Leave a comment
Cut Flowers, Tquina, Bolivia — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
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La Paz Market Street Leave a comment
La Paz Market Street — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Bodies pass through the world exchanging gifts
inscribing one another like a mutual tattoo
forcing them to see each other in mirrors and
be known in the sights of beasts and birds
. . . bodies are the center of remorse.
— Juan Carlos Orihuela (La Paz)
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Lower Lake Titicaca Leave a comment
We continue on HWY #2 out of El Alto passing through Batalla.
Soon we begin to see parts of Lower Lake Titicaca.
Lower Lake Titicaca. The lake is bordered by both Bolivia and Peru,
and from where we stood we could see Puno in Peru. 
Lower Lake Titicaca
Michael shares some history and geography of Titicaca.
We are standing at approximately 13,000 above sea level
where the high temperature for this time of year is about 60 degrees.
Our next stop will be Tiquina where we will take a boat
across to the peninsula that Copacabana is on.
— Images by kenne
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Back In La Paz 1 comment
La Casona Hotel
Downtown La Paz
Downtown La Paz
Downtown La Paz — Images by kenne
Back In La Paz
An early morning
Streets still damp from a shower
In downtown La Paz.
Our stay will be short
Quick trip to Titicaca
Before flying home.
— kenne
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El Alto, Bolivia Leave a comment
Our last full day in Bolivia would be going to Lake Titicaca,
so early on August 24th, we met Michael Maldonado, our Lake Titicaca guide.
The most direct route takes us through El Alto, on the Altiplano highlands.
El Alto is today one of Bolivia’s fastest-growing urban centers,
with a population of over 1,000,000. Driving through the city, construction is everywhere.
Michael Maldonado On His Phone.
Common to the architecture, the first floor is designed for commercial use.
Most of the buildings in El Alto did not exist a decade ago,
so they are not only new but reflect a modern Bolivian style.
Images by kenne (Click Here To See More Photos.)
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Heading Down River To Rurrenabaque Leave a comment
Traveling down the Beni River with a few jungle stops before returning to Rurrenabaque.
Video by kenne
The bridge at Rurrenabaque, Bolivia — Images by kenne
(Click Here To See More Photos)
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Capybaras Near The Beni River Leave a comment
Capybaras Near The Beni River, Madidi National Park
The capybara is a mammal that resembles a giant long-legged guinea pig.
It lives in groups near water, which is why we were able to see them
going down rivers in Madidi National Park. The capybara is the largest living rodent.
They are a favorite food of the jaguar, which may explain why some of our group
were able to see a jaguar that had just eaten a capybara near the river shore.
— kenne
Images by kenne
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Nearing The End Of Our River Journey Leave a comment
Camp Site On The Tuichi River, Madidi National Park: Last Night — Images by kenne
End of The Journey
In life, some journeys are long
before the destination is reached.
Some may even take a lifetime
with breaks along the way
when we hit rocky ground,
but the end of the journey
is always profound.
— David Harris
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Macaw Nesting Site In Madidi National Park Leave a comment
Macaw Nesting Site — Images by kenne
Madidi National Park itself contains 11% of the world’s bird species and has been recognized as one of the most diverse places on earth. Most macaw pairs breed once a year, and the female lays her eggs in a nest inside a tree hollow or in a dirt hollow on a cliff face.
Pedro leading the way to the Macaw nesting site.
The macaw nesting site is near the junction of the Beni and Tuichi Rivers. From the riverbank, a short trail leads to a viewing platform. Here one can watch these impressive Red-and-green and Chestnut-fronted macaws fly, call and interact from the platform.
The Macaw Cliff Nesting Site — Chick Here To See More Macaw Images by kenne
