Two Backpackers

Indigenous Weaving Art In Sucre Bolivia

| by Aracely | 1 Comment » | Bolivia, South America

Tarabuco Style Weaving

On our second day in Sucre we visited the Museo de Arte Indigena or Museum of Indigenous Art.  The museum is part of a project to revive hand-woven crafts of Bolivia.  The exhibition provides a historical time line of the Candelaria, Potolo and Tarabuco styles of weaving.  There are ancient and current tools on display as well as a variety of beautiful pieces of work for sale.

As part of the demonstration local weavers on site create their own tapestries.  It was amazing to watch these two talented young women at work.   I could not help myself but to engage them in conversation about the projects they were working on. (more…)

F´d Up Economics of Tourism in Uyuni Bolivia

| by Aracely | 14 Comments » | Bolivia, Reflections, South America

Uyuni Salt Flats Sunrise

I think it was during the first days of our trip.  We were in Guatemala having a conversation with Andy and Paulina, another traveling couple from England, when we first heard that the Uyuni Salt Flat Tour was amazing.  Bolivia was definitely in our plans but we try not to have an itinerary more than a few days ahead so at the time, there was no to-do list for our visit to Bolivia.

While traveling for a few months and meeting more travelers making their way up from the south of South America to the north, opposite of our route, we continued to hear great things about the Uyuni Salt Flats.  The destination quickly made its way up to my top three most anticipated events of this trip. Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and the famous archeological site of Machu Picchu were the others on that list.

I was not disappointed.  Everything we heard about the Salt Flats was true; it lived up to the expectation, which does not always happen with every place.  Not only was the experience one of a kind, but our guide was very informative, we met new friendly people, saw unique and unforgettable scenery and took over 750 pictures within a four days. (more…)

Hiking With Condortrekkers In Sucre Bolivia

| by Aracely | 4 Comments » | Adventures, Bolivia, Photo Essays, South America

We joined a 3-day trek with Condortrekkers, a non-profit tour company based out of Sucre, Bolivia.  Our tour included walking on an Inca Trail, visiting the crater town of Maragua and seeing ancient fossilized dinosaur footprints.

On day one we took a microbus from Sucre to a nearby small town where our group of 7 hopped into a “camion,” the only local transportation available to the town of Chataquila where we began our hike.

Packing in the Camion, Our Local Transportation

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Ethics Of Tourism: Mines Of Potosi Bolivia

| by Aracely | 11 Comments » | Bolivia, Reflections, South America

Cerro Rico, Potosi, Bolivia

When I first heard that in Potosi there are organized tours allowing visitors to see how miners work, my first reaction was “Why?  What do tourists do there, take pictures?”

At first thought, to be very honest, I was sickened that people do this.  Imagine a group of gringos who are dressed in protective clothing, rubber boots, helmets and headlamps, which by the way are all likely better than the equipment the real miners are wearing, coming into the mines to take pictures and then getting back on the bus to continue their travels.  It sounds so wrong.  And then I heard that people bring gifts for the miners, such as dynamite, cigarettes, and coca leaves.  “Is this to make the tourist feel better?”  I wondered. (more…)

Sunday In The Tarabuco Market, Bolivia

| by Aracely | 5 Comments » | Bolivia, Photo Essays, South America

How to spend your Sunday morning while visiting Sucre, Bolivia.

In Tarabuco, Bolivia, Sunday begins bright and early, 4am early for the Yampara people who walk 4 to 6 hours up and over mountain ranges into town to participate in the weekly market.

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