The time had come for us to depart from Jardin and continue the adventure. Our sights were set for Valparaiso where we planned to visit a tribe of Indigenous Indians, but en route we stopped at a bridge called Puente Iglesias near the town of Jerico to stretch and get some juice. While walking towards the bridge to take some photos of the view, I came across a few boys walking on home-made stilts of varying sizes. Naturally, I started taking pictures of them, asked if I could try, and in no time we had a full-fledged photo-shoot going on.
When we arrived to Valparaiso, we had lunch with the leader of the about 270 Embanachami Indians, some of which have recently won an award from INVIMO (in laymen’s terms: Colombia’s FDA) for researching and developing a food coloring that is all-natural and does not use any chemicals. These indigenous people live very simply; for the kids a half-inflated soccer ball, a piece of candy, or a bike tire and a stick are all it takes to bring a smile to their faces.
This first photo of me on the stilts was shot by Mikey of lightenupandshoot, I’m not that good at self-portraits…
-Rob Rice
Looks like you’re having a wonderful time Rob! So far, my favorite picture is the last one on this page :)