Let the photos do the talking

I'm kind of a photo-holic. It's gotten to the point where I bought an external hard drive just to house all of my photos. And then a second hard drive to back up the first one. Normally, my photo-taking is just tolerated as a quirk. But since returning from study abroad in Lima, Peru, my photo-taking habit has been entirely vindicated.

After commenting on how tan I am (if I do say so myself!), people here in the States, in their well-intentioned interest to learn more about what I did while in South America, ask the question. "So," people say, "tell me about Peru." And I really have no answer. How do I sum up five months of study and travel into an elevator sound bite? It's almost as impossible as the Badgers going to the Rose Bowl two years in a row and losing both times (oh wait, that actually happened). But as hard as it is to explain, I do want to tell stories and share my experiences. So I often just show my photos and let them do the talking. The system works well, except that I can never pick what photos to show, especially considering that I returned from South America with approximately 2,000 photos to choose from! I've tried to narrow it down for you all, so here is a small(ish) selection of photos from my study abroad.

If you're looking for more, during the semester, I did keep a personal blog with written stories, reflections, and descriptions of my adventures as well as more photos.

I started the semester studying at a Peruvian university in Lima.

The skyline of Lima

A corner market in a poor area in Lima

Gastronomy is one of the prides of Peru. Here is ceviche, the most famous national dish.

During the semester, I traveled around Peru and Ecuador on short weekend trips. I went to the Andes:




A valley at the foot of the Andes



The highest point we crossed in the Andes - 4,750 meters

The northern beaches and fishing towns:
 

Fishing and tourism are the major industries in the northern coast region



A young boy watches as a motor taxi passes by

The Amazon river and jungle: 

Turtles for sale in a city market

The port city of Iquitos

A cove from an offshoot of the Amazon River

After the semester, I went backpacking for a month around southern Peru and Bolivia.

We started at Machu Picchu:

The view from Huayna Pichu

Headed south to Lake Titicaca:

One of the "floating islands"

Passed into La Paz, Bolivia: 

A view from the colonial section of La Paz

Traveled through the western desert of Bolivia:

Salt plains

Bolivian desert plants

Flamingos eating in a lake surrounded by sulfur



The "colored" lagoons



And finished by trekking through the Cotahuasi Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world:

The deepest point in the Cotahuasi

Since returning to the states, I have experienced a huge reverse culture shock. Prices are higher, and there is snow on the ground. Buildings are cleaner, skin is paler, and internet is easily accesible. The bus system uses a schedule. People eat on the go. If these first two weeks are any indication, it will take me quite a while to re-adjust to the States. But I'm not worried, because I know what will help me to reflect on the transition: I'll just take some pictures along the way.