Posted in Chile, Photography, Reflections on Oct 18th, 2008
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In the rubble
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Not so interesting – Diamond in the rough – Welcoming people – Herd instinct – Shades of gray
There is usually a reason why certain spots are off the beaten path. Most of the time this is because there is not much of interest to be gained at that site or the trouble involved in getting there does not merit the payback in entertainment value. On the other hand, going to sites mobbed with tourists can be quite off-putting and most places cannot handle the large volumes of people wanting to see them. Rare is the site like Machu Picchu that can handle hordes of visitors and still feel uncrowded and spacious.
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Posted in Chile, Videoblog on Oct 15th, 2008
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Humberstone, Chile
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Nitrate crisis – Crumbling buildings – Magnificent ruins
I have found ghost towns fascinating but until now I have never had the opportunity to visit one. The closest I ever got was old abandoned warehouses, which are species of mini ghost town unto themselves. The northern part of Chile has quite a distribution of ghost towns, mostly related to the nitrate industry that operated in the Atacama desert from the latter part of the 19th century to the early part of the 20th. The development of the Haber process in the 1910’s provided for a more economical way to make fertilizer and the nitrate industry went into decline and eventual extinction.
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Posted in Peru, Videoblog on Oct 11th, 2008
The worst hike – The Colca Canyon – Andean Condor – Reward for diligence. (Map this!) You know that you are on the worst hike in the world when You start the off not feeling well and know that you probably shouldn’t be hiking in the first place. Your expectations of an easy hike are […]
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Posted in A Long Drive, Peru, South America on Oct 6th, 2008
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At Santa Catalina
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Gang aft agley – Drug Policy – Not adding to the tally – Perturbations
I am very happy that my parents are able to visit us here in Peru. But as I write this we are not with them – they are in the flatlands of the Peruvian coastal desert and we are in the heights of the Colca Canyon. As much as they would like to come to the Colca, they cannot, because in Daddy’s opinion he is suffering from the effects of altitude. Hence they have fled, for now, to sea level for “personal reasons”. Not a drastic situation, but an example of the best laid plans gang aft agley…
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Posted in A Long Drive, Peru, South America on Oct 6th, 2008
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At Santa Catalina
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Gang aft agley – Drug Policy – Not adding to the tally – Perturbations
I am very happy that my parents are able to visit us here in Peru. But as I write this we are not with them – they are in the flatlands of the Peruvian coastal desert and we are in the heights of the Colca Canyon. As much as they would like to come to the Colca, they cannot, because in Daddy’s opinion he is suffering from the effects of altitude. Hence they have fled, for now, to sea level for “personal reasons”. Not a drastic situation, but an example of the best laid plans gang aft agley…
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