Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dear All, This summer I spent four weeks in Colombia, one week working and the remainder visiting the extended family or travelling with my immediate family - wife, eight year old son and father-in-law. Photographic opportunities were not abundant as security concerns restrict the kind of street photography I normally do. However, in Amazonas we were able to be a bit freer. As a plant scientis,t with research interests in cassava, I was delighted to come across the local production of farinha. Of more general interest, we were invited by an indian community leader, Gustavo, to visit his maloca in the forest. Getting there was quite an adventure as our driver dropped us where the 4x4 could get no further and we had to wait for a guide to lead us through to the maloca - an enormous communal house in a clearing. There after being refreshed with some home made chicha we were taken to the river, during the walk Gustavo waxed lyrical about plants, the indian's relationship with nature and the destructive nature of the white man - in his enthusiasm he kept slipping out of Spanish into his own language, which made it difficult to follow. In the river Gustavo and I sat up to our necks in the water sorting the world's problems out while my little boy swam with his grand-daughter. Back at the Maloca we were offered his powdered tobacco (snuff) blown up our nostrils through a bone tube, I reciprocated by blowing it up Gustavo's - my son did not like it. Then we each had a spoonful of powdered coca leaves with ash, by which time lunch was ready - grilled fish wrapped in banana leaves and plantains, accompanied with cassava bread, all washed down with home-made lemonade. While the food was delicious, my father in law and I drank out of politeness, my son out of thirst, but my wife did not; wisely, as 24 hours later the men were rather unwell! http://www.johnbeeching.com/maloca/album/index.html The photos: 35mm, Tri-X, Xtol. C & C welcome. I am always slightly amused when I read on this forum enquiries about what equipment to take on travels: How many bodies? Lenses? Digital and film? Tripod? Etc.? More often than not I just take my M6 with the 35mm Summicron in a bum-bag (fanny-bag) round my waist - light, secure and inconspicuous, and no back problems! Yours, John -- John Beeching http://johnbeeching.com/ Three Frome Artists: http://www.blurb.com/books/1395201