July 1 - July 5, 2013. Chari Chari, Bolivia.
"Una Vez Más"
After my harrowing face with reality on the streets of Cochabamba it was great to get out to where life is more peaceful. I saw many familiar faces, including my favorite family, the Arces. Last year Maria and Magali took care of all my cooking needs while I worked with the community to lay the foundations for their Carapari footbridge. I brought some old photos for them and we laughed at the good times we had shared.
I was eager to finally see the completed bridge with my own eyes. It was tough work carving out the rock for its foundation and I was a little upset I had to return to the States last year without being able to participate in its completion. At over 500ft long this would be B2P's longest suspended pedestrian footbridge to date. Due to its incredible length the bridge required wind guys to keep from swaying in the wind too much. Needless to say it created many opportune photography moments.
For the next three days Zoe kept busy with the commuity laying the foundation for the wind guys while I kept coming up with ways to capture footage of this amazing bridge. I took timelapses from multiple angles and at all times of the day. Due to the short amount of time available I decided to camp out at the bridge site to dial down my night timelapses. By the third night I had nailed a number of great starscapes, star trails, and Milky Way timelapses. One of the local dogs named Rocky, aka 'Zoki', Balboa remembered me from last year and wouldn't leave my side. He followed me down to the site and forced me to share my sleeping mat each night.
I spent the last day hanging out with Magali's brother, Wilfredo. He cooked a nice lunch of potatoes and goat meat before taking a walk with me down to the river. As I did last year, I packed up all the things that weren't essential - extra clothes, rain tarps, sandles, etc. - and gifted them to Magali and Wilfredo's family for their kindness. Despite having nearly nothing in terms of personal belongings this family would go to great lengths to provide us with everything we needed to stay comfortable during our stay. I love this attitude toward hospitality and it reminded me keenly of my Peace Corps experience in Namibia.
It was hard saying goodbye for the second time. I had thought I would never see this place again and it pained me there was no easy way to stay in communication. I wrote my phone number and email on the back of a few photos and told them to try and contact me if they ever got the chance. On the way back to Cochabamba we stopped by a little pueblito called Chulpas to visit a new bridge site and to pick up B2P's local head mason, Clemente Guarachi.
Photos: Chari Chari, Una Vez Más
Timelapse: Carapari Pedestrian Footbridge in Chari Chari, Bolivia
See more photos of the Carapari bridge on B2P's site HERE.