Archive for the ‘Bolivia’ Tag

Rafting On The Tuichi River   2 comments

BoliviaBalsa 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   Leave a comment

Tuichi River Birds — Photo-Artistry by kenne

This world is but a canvas to our imagination.

— Henry David Thoreau

 

A Standoff   2 comments

Birds On The Tuichi River, Bolivian Amazon (8/23/19) — Image by kenne

me ignoring you
    ignoring me.

— dmperez

 

Mouth Of The Tuichi River   1 comment

Mouth of the Tuichi River in the Bolivian Amazon — Photo-Artistry by kenne

Posted August 27, 2020 by kenneturner in Bolivia, Information, Photo-Artistry

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Lake Titicaca In The Andes   Leave a comment

Lake Titicaca (World’s Highest Navigable Lake) In The Andes Mountains (World’s Longest Mountain Range) — Photo-Artistry by kenne

La Paz Taxi   Leave a comment

BoliviaLa Paz Taxi — Image by kenne
Life & Death in La Paz

Taxi from El Alto spirals towards the clogged streets
A thousand metres down from hell to high-rise
Thanksgiving in America a daily struggle in Bolivia
Street lamp effigies signal certain death to thieves
Two bodies on road surrounded by yellow tape
Hombres sleep-like stillness an uncovered curiosity
This morning neither knew it would be their last
Fifty police listen to chief behind mahogany lectern
Death brings them 15 minutes of news-time fame
Cars and peasants pass by with unheeding speed
Is death the end or just another part of life in La Paz?

— Ian Beckett 

Bolivian Cholita Women   Leave a comment

BoliviaCholita Women In La Paz, Bolivia (08/19/19) — Image by kenne

City of the full moon & speckled dove, of breathlessness,
thin air spiked with smog & the clay-colored fingers
of La Cordillera Real cutting a serrated skyline
behind grey buildings. City of black-haired women,
stout cholas sharpening their eyes under
the curled brim of a bowler hat
tipped to one side, their shoulders swimming in shawls,
hips wobbling the hem of a bell skirt. City
of open-air markets where chilies spill from burlap sacks
wrapped around the vendors like colors in a palette
running from rust to buttercup yellow.

— from “Boarding an Overnight Bus – La Paz, Bolivia” by Marty Saunders

La Paz, Bolivia Buildings   Leave a comment

BoliviaLa Paz Buildings (08/17/19) — Image by kenne

Bolivia

Perhaps instead of expecting things
Expecting everything to end the way you think,
It is better to leave them to the unknown.
To leave them empty so as you travel,
As you evolve…
And the pages will follow.

— Andrea

Illimani As Seen from La Paz   2 comments

BoliviaIllimani As Seen from La Paz, Bolivia (08/18/19)– Image by kenne

The Legend of the Illimani and Mururata

The Legend of the Illimani and Mururata,

a story of mountains in which,

takes place in the middle of the Andes,

in a country divided by mountains,

Bolivia.

 

The Legend goes as follows,

long ago,

there were four lords watching over the Andes.

 

Huayna Potosi, Lord of stone

Illampu, Lord of light

Mururata, Lord of air

and lastly,

Illimani, lord of water.

 

They were ruled by the main god,

Viracocha,

who favored Illimani the most.

 

Mururata envied that Illimani was favored,

so much so,

that he started a brawl between him and Illimani,

that went on for years,

until Illimani had won.

 

As punishment to Mururata,

for causing too much trouble,

he was beheaded,

and his peak,

was left in the Andean plains.

 

If you look up,

La Paz, Bolivia,

you will come to find a beautiful mountain,

watching over the city,

that is Illimani.

 

— Marcelo_lelo12

Posted August 6, 2020 by kenneturner in Bolivia, Information, La Paz, Photography, Poetry

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Isla del Sol Boat   1 comment

BoliviaIsla del Sol Boat — Photo-Artistry by kenne

Isla del Sol Boat

Life is made of simple things

Don’t complicate it.

– kenne

Last Day In Bolivia   Leave a comment

Lake Titicaca Sunset-2-72Lake Titicaca Sunset — Image by kenne

To see the sunset is to recall the earth.

— kenne

 

Posted September 26, 2019 by kenneturner in Bolivia, Information, Lake Titicaca, Philosophy, Photography

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Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca (Part-Two Of A Three-Part Series)   Leave a comment

BoliviaMichael 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.

BoliviaThe captain’s daughter helps tie the boat to the dock.

BoliviaLake Titicaca has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated.

Isla del Sol-23-72.jpgLunch on a deck overlooking Lake Titicaca.

BoliviaLunch On The Isla del Sol

BoliviaLunch On The Isla del Sol

Lunch On The Isla del Sol

BoliviaView of Lake Titicaca — Images by kenne

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessing Of The Automobiles   Leave a comment

Bolivia

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). 

BoliviaMichael 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. 

Basiluca of Our Lady of Copabana Car Blessing-12-72.jpg

BoliviaA priest who sprinkles beer on the each car while reciting a prayer.

BoliviaThe owners decorate their vehicle and often have champagne to celebrate the event, often by spraying the vehicle.

BoliviaVenders under blue tents are selling plastic and fresh flowers colorful streamers, pinwheels and hats.

BoliviaMichael buying some Bolivian popcorn — Images by kenne

 

La Morenada Traditional Dancer   Leave a comment

Basiluca of Our Lady of Copabana-10-2-Edit-1-art-2-72.jpgLa 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

La Morenada   1 comment

Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana-12-72.jpgBasilica 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.

BoliviaOnce we were inside the plaza there were women and men of all ages
in very colorful customs dancing to the music.

Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana-9-72.jpgThe 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. 

Bolivia

La Morenada is easily recognizable in a procession because it has various characteristics:

Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana-7-72.jpg
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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