aintbroke: (Default)
[personal profile] aintbroke
I come from a photographically retarded family.

No, really. We’ve never really been into taking photos, or looking at photos, or thinking in photos; at least, not until the advent of the Parent-As-A-Teacher. Now, we’re evidently all about documentation. (Tsch, leave for a few years, and your family goes all wacky on you.)

Which is why the eight hundred plus photos we ended up with from our trip in Peru is a little shocking. I mean, more than a hundred of them are actually decent! Madness. With that heartening intro, I’d like to share some this unexpected photographic windfall.


The number of photos of Pariajaja (Pah-REE-ah-ha-ha) we took was a running joke. This rest point was about six thousand meters, which was pretty impressive for those of us who live at six thousand feet. My lungs are not what they used to be.


Chosas like this one dot the high puna (Puna is the generic name for the high grasslands above the tree line.). Most of them date all the way back to the Inca. They’re used infrequently, now that fewer shepherds roam the hills, but they are periodically rebuilt to shelter the herds.


This is Cody, contemplating one of the eight bajillion waterfalls we came across in the Andes.


Dona Julia fed and sheltered us in the tiny town of Tanta- a town with no electricity, two phones, and a satellite internet connection.


There are literally five hundred varieties of potato in Peru, and each one is more nutritious and flavorful than anything we get in the States.


There were dozens of these weird rock shapes up in the mountains. Ruben, our guide, thinks they were sights, although he wasn’t sure what, exactly they were pointing at. It’s true that this one lined up perfectly with the summit of Pariajaja.


Whatever conservation biologists think, the introduction of eucalyptus to the Andes is probably the best thing that happened since the Spanish left. They grow at elevation, they grow fast, and for a culture that measures wealth in warmth, they raised the standard of living about a thousand percent.


Is this not the most ingenious use of cactus you’ve ever seen? All you have to do is throw a piece on, and it’ll sprout itself. Hurrah for the low tech brilliance of the countryside!


This parrot called out “A donde vas! A donde VAS!”* when we passed, which was a little disconcerting. It was also the only parrot we heard who spoke. Peruvians just don’t seem to find that as amusing as gringos do. *(Where’re you going?)

The next three pictures are from the dia de patrimonio fiesta in Chewpaca.



The dance that accompanied these incredible costumes was perhaps the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. The men and women stood in two rows, with one hand at the hip (Or holding the hem of the skirt) and the other holding a handkerchief. The actual dance consisted of half a step, turn to the right, half step back, turn to the left. No arm movement. No net body movement. Back and forth and back and forth for about twenty minutes. I was unimpressed.


On the other hand, I really have no words for how impressed I am by this guy. Not just anyone can march along carrying six feet of harp over their head.

These three pictures come from the Parque de la Identidad, in Huancayo. They made a theme park of their cultural heritage, and wow is it amazing. They’ve got famous people, and traditional dances and all the native plants and jeez. It’s all done in this tiny inlay rockwork, and it is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen, possibly ever. Also: how great of an idea is it to make your identity something tangible? I approve a lot.




And that is end part one.

Date: 2005-12-12 06:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cryptosporidosi.livejournal.com
wow dude like wow. ;)

Date: 2005-12-14 04:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joyouschild.livejournal.com
Yay! I suddenly get why people are so obcessed with the photo taking- it's totally fun to look back at them and say OH YEAH, I REMEMBER THAT.

New goal: take more photos.

Profile

aintbroke: (Default)
aintbroke

April 2017

S M T W T F S
      1
2345 678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 26th, 2025 05:07 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios