Perdido in Bolivia (2008)
By colinizing phot with colin boyd
13 Jun 2009
When people travel to South America the sought highlights often include the wonder of Machu Picchu, an elegant tango show in Buenos Aires, and maybe some time on the sexy beaches of Brazil. Too seldom however is Bolivia included in one's adventures, or plans.
Let me assure you firsthand - Bolivia has many gems to be discovered.
This four photograph series 'Perdido in Bolivia' (2008) has the purpose of bringing to the viewer's eye the special beauty to be found in Bolivia. More specifically the focus is on the lonely, vast, and awe-inspiring Salar De Uyuni.
What looks like snow at times, desert at others, is actually salt, among other minerals, resulting from a prehistoric lake that covered these flats some 40,000 years ago. This is likely the flattest place I have ever seen, emphasized by the out of place mountains in its' surroundings, and small islands of coral (remember there was a lake there) covered in Cactus.
A three day adventure by Jeep was the most memorable experience I had on my 2 month solo South America adventure. Some 'Salt Flats' highlights aside from what you see in this series were rare flamingos bathing in one of the highest lakes in the world, sleeping in a house made purely of salt, watching the locals harvest the salt, playing soccer with children in a remote village (feeling exhausted from the altitude after one kick), watching geysers erupting and molten hot lava bubble, and seeing a 'train graveyard' in the middle of nowhere.
If you decide to embark on such an adventure, remember it is cold at night and high in altitude (get coca leaves to chew as the locals do).
Below are details about the three photographs in this series:
Alone (2008)
This photograph was taken from the summit of Cactus Island (made of coral) and shows the isolated feeling/reality experienced en route – being 'alone'. It has a deeper meaning in that I see the human existence as rather 'ant-like' at times which comes through in how small these people and their SUV look compared to the immense flats and background mountains. It really symbolizes our susceptibility to nature and how we must respect its superior power.
Vastness (2008)
This simple photograph is meant to show the unique flatness of the Salar de Uyuni. Very rarely do we see something so perfectly round, square, diamond and in this case: flat. The focal point allows the viewer to see the detail in the salt. Weathering has created patterns in the salt as creative as the snowflake. The contrast of the sky to earth adds to the vastness, both are full of mystery and overwhelm the viewer with 'vastness'.
Pausing on Greatness (2008)
This photo sums up the human experience when visiting Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia. Whether it is the high altitude or breathtaking scenery, one tends to feel 'stunned' at times by the beauty. In this photo we see a silhouette of a human being (my friend Ricardo from Brazil) crouching caught in a candid moment checking the grains of salt. Surrounding him are individual mounds of salt ready to be collected.
Before Humans (2008)
Sometimes we see things that bring us into a "geological-time-reality". This photo takes my mind back to the very beginnings of life, emphasizing the fact that my life is just a millisecond in the greater picture of life on earth. It is amazing to drive through desert-like plains and come to a body of water like this.
Next time you are enjoying a dash of salt with your dinner, I hope you will ponder over the possibility of visiting the Bolivian Salt Flats.
6 responses
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Alice gave props (13 Jun 2009):
Well written and well shot...thumb up for Bolivia!
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Branko Balić said (15 Jun 2009):
thank you, great work! wonderful essay and photographs. only wish you showed us the train graveyard :)
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colinizing phot with colin boyd added a link (16 Jun 2009):
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Diego Rojas gave props (17 Jun 2009):
Your story reminds me of my trip around S.A. I also visited the Salar and surrounding region. Good work...I would add pics of the surrounding areas, like the differente lakes visited on this tour!
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Bill Beasley said (19 Jun 2009):
Terrific photos, Colin. If it's alright with you, I added a link to this page on my website. You can see it on the Bolivia page, under "images", click on "Salt Flats photo essay". Hope you like it. http://www.learn-spanish-travel-spanish.com/Bolivia.html
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colinizing phot with colin boyd added a link (19 Jun 2009):
