Jumping back a few weeks — my room on Isabela, the largest island in the Galápagos archipelago (I love that word — "archipelago"). The room was actually partitioned, and I slept in the other area in a larger bed — with sheets. I wrote at the tiled bench in the kitchen area; I wrote in restaurants, I wrote at a little bar on the waterfront, I wrote wherever and whenever I could.
Now I'm in Peru, ready to leave Chachapoyas, which has proved far more interesting and enjoyable than I'd expected. I'd intended taking the notorious bus to Cajamarca, but having been over part of the road yesterday on the way to Kuelap, the desire to enjoy the landscape has waned a little — 12 hours on a winding, rough, slow road no longer seems so necessary. I'll take the night bus to Trujillo instead, despite my aversion to travelling at night when I can't see what I'm travelling through (and they're not as safe as the day journeys). Then on to Huaraz in the climbing and trekking paradise of the Cordillera Blanca.
[13 September 2011 [Ecuador], Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 400, 1/50 at f16]
All content © 2011 Pete McGregor
I sincerely, and with all my heart, wish you a safe journey.
ReplyDeletePete, This photo is beautiful. Hard to articulate... Ralph Waldo Emerson expresses it best: “I dip my pen in the blackest ink, because I'm not afraid of falling into my inkpot.” Safe journey through the night....Hasta pronto.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw this photo was, "Just imagine what it would be like the first day waking up in a hotel room and realizing that you are in the Galapagos!"
ReplyDeleteSafe journey.
Zhoen, thank you. I treasure the good wishes of my friends — and so far they've worked wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteThank you Maureen. Sometimes it's easy to focus on the obvious attractions, and I wanted to show an aspect of daily life instead. Hasta pronto!
Miguel, sometimes I found myself wondering whether I really was on the Galápagos — it seemed so impossible. Now I'm in Peru, in Huaraz, and I have less of that feeling, perhaps because the land itself resembles some of the New Zealand mountains so strongly. But then I need to understand Spanish, and the feeling of strangeness returns.
I love this shot. Your journal with the pen resting there, the old wooden headstand on the bed, the light through the curtains...all beautiful to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lydia. Glad you like it :^)
ReplyDelete