August, 2010

The true test of the camera…

This will be one of the shorter entries I write as my trip to the Uyuni Salt Flats was an experience truly deserving of its own place in the spotlight. The trip consisted of a three-day tour with 4 friends through the salt flats (approx. 100 miles sq.!), then heading south through some of the most amazing landscapes my eyes have ever seen, and ending up at the SW corner of Bolivia just miles from the border of Chile where they have what are called the Colored Lagoons, each having different hues due to the varying minerals in the water. You will see in the photos the white, the green and the pink ones. Flamingos are a familiar site there (even a baby) and since the ecology is desert, the “islands” (really small mountains) that appear in the middle of the salt flats are replete with cacti. The geography changes rapidly there, the wind can be brutal and temperatures were below freezing with the wind at night. Some highlights were seeing the geysers and then getting a dip in the natural hot springs. We also got to see and learn about how the salt is refined for consumption, fyi all of the processing is still done by hand! And in the future, the salts flat will be a lithium gold mine for Bolivia once they get processing and exporting.

My personal favorite though was the “Seven-colored Mountains” which I can attest to since we did take pictures there at different times, we have at least 5 pictures where the colors are completely different. Truly a dream for an artist as you will see. All in all, it was one of the most visually stunning places I have ever been to and as you will see, we had a bit of fun as well taking some silly photos on the salt flats that will trick your eyes. Although I cannot take credit for all of the photos here, enjoy (http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcOGzNk0ZMmLyQ)!

The Next Chapter

As I mentioned last time, I would have an update for future plans. In total I will have spent at the end of my time here one and half years, and as you can see so far, I really try to take advantage of all that Bolivia has to offer and plan to continue doing so until I leave. However, for the last six months of my fellowship I will be going to the World Food Programme’s headquarters, located in (drum roll, please)………Rome, Italy. A bit different that my usual destinations but I am excited about the many prospects it holds for me. I will continue to work on School Feeding issues but globally this time, as an extension of my current work. So as of January, watch out Europe ‘cause here I come!!!