When the People Move On

On May 15, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America5 Comments

No matter where you travel, you will often find towns and cities where the people have left in large numbers because they couldn’t make a living where they were. They aren’t necessarily ghost towns, but they will be in time if nothing changes to keep the people from leaving. This is true no matter the country or part of the world. There is something very sad about seeing these places, but you certainly can’t blame the people who have left in order to try and make a better life for themselves and their families. There are times when these places find a way to transform themselves and revitalize their economies and there are other times when they simply disappear into history never to be heard from again. When we happen to come across one of these places with their dilapidated buildings, we try to take the time to document them through photography. One of our favorite such memories was visiting one such village, Chimboata, during our time in Bolivia.

Making an Effort to Get the View

On May 1, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge3 Comments

We all love those panoramic photos with breathtaking views, but it is often a struggle to get to the location to take those pictures. Whether hiking to the top of a large mountain, making your way up a steep set of stairs, or even climbing up a ladder it can be exhausting and even sometimes risky to get that perfect shot. There have been a few times when we have looked at a rickety ladder or seen a trail on the ledge of a cliff when we’ve decided that the shot “to die for” wasn’t literally worth the price. We definitely don’t want to be one of those people who inadvertently fell off of a cliff while taking a selfie of themselves. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is about Outdoor Ways to Move Up and Down. What lengths would you go to in order to get that memorable photograph.

Someone (Not Us) Rock Climbing in Garden of the Gods

We Walked this Twice in Heidelberg, Germany

Stairs Leading Down to Gullfoss Falls in Iceland

Trail Climbing Down to the Laguna in Quilotoa, Ecuador

Climbing Stairs in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain

Tower We Climbed to the Observation Deck above the Rainforest Canopy in the Amazon

Traveling Can Make You Appreciate Your Life

On April 24, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Photo Challenge, Romania, South America4 Comments

There are times, when you travel to certain locations, when you realize how lucky you really are. Sure, on some trips you go to places with palaces and temples of gold that can make you dream of a pampered life. Like most people, we feel that we work hard and can often feel stressed and overwhelmed. Then, we go to a part of the world that doesn’t have all of the modern conveniences and see people truly toiling to make a living for themselves and their families. Seeing those people who work so hard and make so little for their efforts remind us that we are truly lucky. We do work long hours, often getting up before the sun comes up and working late in the day, but we aren’t going to fool ourselves into believing that work is as hard as some of the people we have seen in struggling countries. To do the kind of physical labor that they do with antiquated equipment in weather conditions that would drive most of us indoors is truly impressive. So, the next time that we complain about how tired we are or what a difficult day we’ve had, we will remind ourselves that if it weren’t for the luck of where we were born, we might be enduring difficult conditions just to eek out an existence for ourselves.