At roughly 4700 metres, the the highest point of our traverse of the altiplano (a.k.a. puna) between the Salar de Uyuni and Eduardo Avaroa Andean National Fauna Reserve on the third day of the tour felt like the roof of the world. For some, this might be one of the bleakest landscapes on earth; for all of us, it felt exhilarating.
[25 October 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 200, 1/500 at f16]
All content © 2011 Pete McGregor
I can empathise with that feeling. I was as high as a kite a couple of weeks ago at almost that altitude. All the salt in the air must make it even more healthy and stimulating. It's wonderful to feel air sizzling inside you!
ReplyDeleteThere are some people for whom a desert is nothing but emptiness, for others a desert is everything but "emptiness"...while still holding exhilaration even in the tiniest grain of sand. I guess a lot of people can't seem to fill that void with their souls, while for me it is as if my spirit bursts out of its confinement and finally fills the space it craves.
ReplyDeleteRR, something about altitude does seem to create that figurative as well as literal high. I've noticed it in other places on this journey, and your experience seems to confirm it.
ReplyDeleteMiguel — well said. Also, the very perception that deserts have nothing to offer appeals to me — we're less likely to ruin something if we can't exploit it. I have more to say about this (I wrote about it after travelling on the bus from Arequipa to Puno), and it remains one of several themes I keep thinking about.