Traveler's Inspiration Challenge: {two}

WOW...this week's Traveler's Inspiration Challenge photo was like a blast from the past for me!

This is the beautiful inspiration photo:


...and it is from Anthonette at Chavez Designs.

...and this is the blast from the past that it evoked for me...


This photo is taken in Bolivia at the Bolivian/Chilean Border post near Laguna Blanca, in the Andes. In June 1998 we spent a day at this far-flung, altitudinous outpost (5000 m), as part of our travels in South America and Antarctica. The locals gave me Coca leaf tea to help alleviate the altitude sickness I experienced up here...but it didn't do much for me (apparently Coca leaves contain an alkaloid which is the basis for Cocaine [Wikipedia]...so no wonder it didn't do any good!!!!!!!). One of the volcanos in the background of my shot is Licancabur (5921 m). No, we didn't climb it, but two french guys on our tour did!

I have a bunch of other pics I'd like to put in here...we saw flamingos, llamas, guanaco and geysers, and the landscape of the Bolivian altiplano is awe inspiring, but lucky for you they are all slides (as was the one above), and we haven't scanned them in yet (maybe later ;-)...besides which, this post is about Anthonette's pic..not mine...sorry for the sidetracking!

Here is the card that Anthonette's photo inspired me to create:


The Ingredients (all from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock: Sahara Sand and Ballet Blue plain cardstock, Whisper White textured cardstock
Accessories: Cuttlebug folders, Linen Thread, On Board Accents (retired), A Perfect Day rub-ons (retired), Sahara Sand Classic ink, sponge dauber, SNAIL adhesive and dimensionals.

I hope you can see where I have tried to recreate the texture and feel of the desert sand, and then the mud buildings...same colours, different textures, and the white to help delineate. This card was a lot of fun to make!

Thank you Tina and Anthonette. This has been a great way to start my day.

PS. Like my new watermark? I got it from Karen Giron....I might even have to get some more. They are soooo cute!.

PPS. We've been having some fun this afternoon, and scanning in our negatives...so here are a few more shots from Bolivia:


Me, outside our 'motel' room...with the world's worst headache.



The toilet (baño)..which is a very elaborate building housing a unisex hole in the ground (aka toilet)...which, being at 5000 m altitude, was frozen solid..ICK!



Laguna Blanca, complete with Flamencos (the small dots of fluff in the lake).



Bathing in a thermal pool...blissful!



Bogged in the magnificent Salar de Uyuni. The guy on the outside is a fellow traveller from Norway named André...André if you ever read this blog...HELLO! The large foot that you can see extending past the others at the back belongs to my hubby...I think he almost fell flat on his face trying to push this 4WD out of the salar bog.



This shot taken from the Isla de Pescado, looking out over the Salar de Uyuni. MUY MAGNIFICO!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Just me and the Salar!



The salt hotel...you can actually stay here. The whole place is made up of blocks of salt, cut from the salar...GROOVY, but not so good for the skin ;-).

One of the things I remember best about this trip is the sky...such an awesome shade of blue, and the landscape...such stark contrasts and extremely beautiful. Bolivia is an amazing country and I'd go back there in a jiffy!