Uyuni Salt Flats

"Don't forget that Bolivia's strength is its women" 

Back at the beginning of last week, after saying goodbye to Daniela in La Paz, I took an overnight bus to Uyuni and headed for a 3 day 2 night tour of the Uyuni salt flats which took me through some of the most incredible and surreal landscapes that I've seen in my life, thanks to the hardcore driving of guide José. 

DAY 1: 1st stop the 'train graveyard'

The salt flats themselves - mounds of salt scraped together by local workers to dry, then gathered the following day.  This salt is only sold within Bolivia.

Miles and miles of salt... along with the biting cold this gives the illusion of snow.

Moley and Mini Moley joining our group.

(no Scottish or British flag here - someone bring one out!)

A bizarre rock island covered in cactuses emerges out of the salt landscape:

The island is a place of Aymara ritual here at Plaza Huyna Capac (and my wee offering of thanks to Pachamama!):

Our tour crew huddled up at dinner the first night - this room is made of salt! (left to right) Vivi (Chile), Rahel (Switzerland), Fernando (Guatemala - Canada), Iz (Switzerland) Jocelyn (Mexico) and (right) me and the hostel's friendly wee kitten/ hot water-bottle!

DAY 2: the sunrise view outside our thatched salt cabin - the colouring of the photo is deceptive, this was actually a freezing morning!

Flamingos!  This one appears solitary but actually her flock is just off camera to the left.  

I was well impressed by flamingos and their amazing ability to withstand the battering freezing winds, standing calmly without wavering or walking smoothly and rapidly without a wobble, I now have huge respect for flamingos and their skinny super-strength legs.  (These same winds had we tourists squinting bent over, huddling in our multi-layers as temperatures hit minus 15 to 20 Celsius - José's estimate.)

  

DAY 3: We had an even colder night in stone hostel where we holed up and warded off the chills with wine along with the entire convoy of salt-flat-tourists we'd been en-(spaced-out)route with over these last few.  Our final day started with welcome warmth with a soak in a pool of natural hot spring water, then we dropped our Swiss friends off at the Chilean border (just the other side of San Pedro de Atacama where I was back in March earlier this year!) and made the return trip to Uyuni through stopping off at some beautiful coloured lakes and more crazy rockscapes. 

Huge thanks to José for the crazy long hours of driving.  

A stunning experience :-)

Pattern in La Paz

With Daniela headed back to Chile and a bus ticket to Uyuni in hand, I had another day to explore La Paz. All the churning that has been going on in my head over the last few weeks about how exactly I'll use the three months of the upcoming residency has started slowly to settle and I'm beginning to have an idea of how I might focus and draw together the different strands of my work.

The multicoloured context of Bolivia's weavings alongside its contemporary artists like Mamani Mamani (see the mural above) are certainly having an influence, and reminding me a lot of the Guatemalan weavings I was so drawn to in 2010 and that fed into my drawing back then.

 Contrasts of texture and colour - I'm equally drawn by the layers of local history in the peeling posters on crumbling walls as the detailed carving referencing Incan, Quechuan and Aymaran culture.  How will these different references filter into my work in Cochabamba I wonder?

I'm also interested to note the different styles of figurative representation that are all over La Paz, the indiginous contrasting with the Hispanic.  (Left) Pre-Columbian designs seem to be based in square shapings and highly stylised figures, like the intricate details carved into this replica Tiwanaku statue at the open-pit Museum Al Aire Libre in the centre of La Paz. (Right) Hispanic Catholic imagery seen all over the city's churches and Cathedral tends to be a more rounded natural representation. 

From here my mission as I continue to travel through Bolivia over these next couple of weeks is to gather as much imagery and information as possible about Bolivian weaving and carving as possible, focusing on the narratives the designs convey and what they communicate about the communities in which they are created.

Feeling excited and inspired (definitely less daunted and overwhelmed thankfully, although there is  such a wealth of interesting material and subjects that is interesting and so many ideas that it is going to be a challenge to focus in on one specific project... with time and patience hopefully I'll get there though!)

:-) 

Calm in Coroico

La Madre, a wee'un and Daniela at the Uchumachi Govardhan finca, near Coroico.

Searching for a little peace away from the city Daniela and I headed to Coroico and to this small farm Uchumachi Govardhan run by a lovely Hare Krishna family.  La Madre, Ragga and their wee girl Jaira.  Arriving we were surprised we were the only 'volunteers', though over the three days we were there a gorgeous travelling family passed through - Spanish Irene, Chilean Igor and their two wee girls, then as we all left a German couple arrived (funnily enough the lad had been a volunteer at Sustainable Bolivia last year). 

Made very welcome by the family, we shared delicious vegetarian meals either sat on cushions in circles either in the meditation-holy room, or outside on the grass.  Both having grown up in agricultural families in Colombia la Madre and Ragga are hugely experienced in farming and have spent the last 3 years preparing the land, planting and are beginning to harvest, so we ate lettuce and bananas from the land in our meals.  They do buy some produce from the town but hope to be fully sustainable in 3 more months.

(Left) A weaving that Daniela mostly made, though she taught me the technique so I contributed a little to the design. 

(Right) the patch of earth Daniela and I helped la Madre prepare for planting - a few hours strenuous labour clearing the land of rocks and roots and sifting and turning the earth multiple times to make it as fine and welcoming as possible for small seeds.  My first real experience of working with the land.

Ragga was eager to talk about the Hare Krishna philosophies that he and La Madre follow.  What most impressed me about the belief system is it's tolerance and respect for others, such as Buddhism, Christianty, Hinduism, Islam.  Ragga explained that rather than a religion, the Hare Krishna movement is an 'etiquette'.  In the same way that all cultures use different language and perspectives to describe and understand the world, so too do different cultures use different names and rituals to relate to the spiritual world and the energy or essence which some call 'God' 'Allah'  'Pachamama' etc. This really resonated with me and I've had similar conversations before.  It makes most sense to me that we are all praying to the same Being.

The other part that I enjoyed hearing was the idea of the soul, that we all have obligations as an eternal soul and as a temporal being.  So our eternal part is the part searching to deepen consciousness and lessen ego, and the temporal part is the part of our identity that interrelates with our friends and family in the here and now.   All beings, be they animals, trees, rocks or humans, have an eternal soul and 'Krishna' is in all beings (which in turn links to the Upanishad's world view that I was reading about in "Seeking Silence in a Noisy World"by Adam Ford where Brahman, the World Self and World Soul, is in all beings, meaning all beings are One, Brahman (god) is in all, and all are Brahman.)

Daniela, as we left the finch, heading for Coroico for a 'Women's Gathering' where women and girls of all ages, Bolivian and foreigners, danced, laughed and played in celebration of womanhood! :-)

The sunrise view out the back of our 5 boliviano accomodadtion in Coroico... at 50p that's got to be the cheapest 'hostel' experience so far... Daniela and I sharing a bagged-straw mattresses on the floor of a rickety room, shared with a lovely couple -a Uruguayan artisan and Brazilian musician traveling living from their work and 'el Pirata' as Daniela named him, a Bolivian artisan also traveling with his jewelry who shared his local rum with us.  Unfortunately a sixth room member was a mouse that the couple warned us about that disturbed Daniela all through the night until eventually around 5am she decided it was time for us to leave - as I said to her, she became my mouse! :-) 

Laughing about it in the square we were cheered by drinking hot milky quinoa and eating cheesy pastries. 

Arriving back into La Paz the familiar Obama-Osama bus was spotted again!

Thanks to the Family at Umanachi for sharing your home and food and knowledge with us! 

Wishing you happy and peaceful planting, harvesting and hosting in the months ahead, and that you make it to Colombia as you are hoping.

:-)

Music with Daniela in La Paz

La Paz bus terminal - a place I now know well - waiting for a couple of hours for Daniela's bus to arrive from Chile I met a lovely group of Peruvian musicians, self-called 'cholitas' (ladies who dress traditionally) on their way to a Christian convention in Cochabamba.  One lady in particular was really chatty, curious to know about the weather and harvests in the UK, telling me about her family and life in Peru and happy to teach me a few Aymaran phrases to the laughter of her friends: camisaraki (how are you?) waliki (well) and the only one I could remember "waliki skilva" (nice to meet you).

"For 'la mamita' (literally "little mother" - an affectionate term for a girlfriend or wife) with love"

Mural facing our doorway at the hostel "Family House Hotel" on Pisagua street, very close to the terminal.

Iglesia de San Fransisco in Plaza San Fransisco - turning right at this corner leads to a warren of streets known as the 'Mercado de Hechichería' or 'withches market' where you pass llama foetuses that are apparently buried under a new home to bring good fortune to the inhabitants.  The streets are also full of artisan gifts of all sorts, Andean clothing and musical instruments, including the 'cuatro venezuelano' (4 stringed Venezualan guitar) that Daniela bought.

Museo de Instrumentos Musicales


Ekeko - "the household god and keeper and distibutor of material possessions" according to the Lonely Planet Bolivia guidebook. Ekeko miniatures of varying size, colour and material can be seen throughout the La Paz markets.  During the festival time of Alasitas Ekeko figures like this one from the museum of musical instruments are draped with miniatures of objects and possessions that the family would like to acquire in the following year, and also apparently show what the family can share with the community.

Altitude: the lay of the mountains in Bolivian. La Paz is the highest altitude capital city in the world at 3,640m.  It's high altitude position explains the shortness of breath that I and all newcomers to the city experience   in first walking its streets.  Potosí (where I am as I write) is the highest altitude city, at 4,067m. 

Musical instruments in Bolivia: Lucy Pickles you were right - there are harps in Bolivia! Although I'm yet to see one in the markets there were a few in this museum of musical instruments in La Paz, so I'll keep looking out when I'm back in Cochabamba's Cancha.

Daniela Arcena - beloved friend from La Serena in Chile, one of 'la Familia' from the fantastic couple of weeks I spent there back in March earlier this year. 

Fruit stalls line the streets of the Villa Fatima neighbourhood leading to the bus station.

"Rivales" (Rivals) - this image of Obama and Osama Bin Laden painted on the back of this bus made me laugh when I spotted it at the Fatima bus station.  Daniela and I caught our less colourful bus to Coroico from here.  

Pachamama in La Paz

'la alegria de los colores latinoamericanos'

'The joy of Latin American colours'

Two weeks into this branch of my journeying here in South America and I'm writing this blog from Potosí, looking back through photos from the last couple of weeks and wow, what a lot I've seen and experienced already. From my first few days with Camilla in Cochabamaba's heat and chaotic cancha, up into altitude and artisans of La Paz, through a couple of calm vegetarian days at the Hare Krishna homestead in Coroico with Daniela,  past the flamingos that withstand freezing temperatures and fierce winds in the Uyuni salt lakes, to today, passing through the Potosí mines with Vivi.

What a lot of sights and smells, people and foods, extremes of temperature and altitude, and above all, what grabs my attention above all, the explosion of colour, pattern and texture that is all over Bolivia in its textiles, costume, artisans, markets and murals - as the mural above celebrates - "the joy of Latin American colours". 

So in a (hopefully not too wordy) catchup, I'll start uploading photos of some of the highlights from the last couple of weeks in the posts to follow.  For now, here are some photos of my favourite murals in La Paz from my first day wandering there, waiting for Daniela to arrive from Chile.  Their focus on Pachamama (Mother Earth) reflects Bolivia's strong connection to the earth agriculturally and spiritually, a part of the culture that really attracts me. 

"The question in play is humanity itself and the moment to undertake the task is now or never" J.D. Perón

Public campaigns in the streets of La Paz encouraging happiness: 

(right) "And if you open your heart to the world?" 

"200 years free, we are a fire that never goes out"

Details from a mural in La Paz celebrating the 200th year mark of Bolivia's independence: the Bolivian War of Indepedence began in 1809 full independence was proclaimed on August 6th 1825.

Post Transit: Cochabamba with Camilla

London - Miami - La Paz - Cochabamba: Moley, Mini Mole and Munkey are off adventuring again. I happily bumped into two ICYE volunteers at Heathrow - Sarah and Emma that I recognised from the recent training in July and was chuffed to learn they'll be in Cochabamba the whole time I am! 

29 hours in transit and I am safely landed in Bolivia.... let this new branch of the Hecho Juntos journey begin :-)

Strong sun and shadows dapple the Sustainable Bolivia house which is like a sunnier and looser version of Unit D Omega Works, so I'm feeling right at home - this colourful moth has me smiling about one of the highlights of these last 6 weeks in the UK - Fish and Piers' moth-theme wedding last Saturday where the dance floor was the most jumping I've experienced at any wedding!

Camilla's here in her 3rd month of the art residency I'll be on from next month, so as well as getting a mate's pick up from the airport (thanks Mili) I've been able to see the space I'll be working in and best of all have met some of the other volunteers and staff.  My mind's racing as I wonder how my work will develop over the 3 months, who I might collaborate with and where in the community there might be the potential for sharing skills through workshops.  

In wandering the streets I'm struck by how different Cochabamba feels after London.  Scorching hot as the country moves into summer, a rich mix of dress including the beautiful woven traditional dress that so draws my eye.  Streets lined with vendors of all sorts of colourful goods and foods, and as I noticed whilst sat drawing in the shade of a tree in Plaza Colon the air's full of a cacophony of beeps, alarms, vendors's bells, engine revving, pigeon's flapping, friends chatter and kids laughter. I wonder how this might start filtering through my work? :-) 

El Cristo de Cochabamba - 33 and a bit metres tall for the age of Christ (the 'a bit' makes it taller than the Christ in Rio!). Depicted here in a detail from a beautiful painting in the SB house, and in the far distance atop the hill whose steep climb  had me panting and heart racing today... a definite fitness opportunity for the months ahead!

Amelie's Mini Mole is joining Lily's Moley for these adventures, so keep an eye out for updates of their Bolivian experience!

Big love from Bolivia!

:-)

HEARTS 'n' ARTS Fundraiser

A big huge thanks to everyone involved in the Hearts 'n' Arts fundraiser for ICYE who are sending me to Ecuador as an arts educator with the Charlotte Miller Art Project in January to work with Juconi in Guayacil.

Special thanks to my Mum, Anne Alexander for donating so many things to the auction and for putting such a huge effort into organising the event along with my sister Becky Alexander-Kandola.  Thanks to Uncle Noel Willis for playing brilliantly and getting folk up on the dance floor, and to all the other lovely local musicians who played. Thanks to Uncle James Murphy for doing an amazing job as auctioneer on the mic. and to the formidably well organised team of aunties, Maria Murphy and Maggie Henderson for ensuring the smooth running of the raffle and bidding. 

Thank you also to all the kind individuals and local Leamington businesses who donated such generous prizes to our auction!

And of course, thanks to all you lovely folk who came along on the night and bid your hearts out! 

Your eager bidding raised £1500 on the night and has brought my fundraising total to an amazing total of £4420!! (Just £80 to go!) YAY!!

 A huge thanks and big love to you all for your incredible support.

:-)