A 6:00am taxi costing 80 Bolivianos roundtrip does not lead one to expect anything priceless. Especially if said taxi reeks of decade's worth of cigarette smoke and requires a jump start every 20 blocks, give or take.

But this particular taxi was driving to the La Paz airport which, at 13,300 feet, is the highest in the world. We were meeting the last of the long-term volunteers and I wonder if our astonishment at the aching beauty of this country gave us a befuddlement equal to the one she landed with after a night on a multi-lingual international flight.

Enjoy this photo of our sunrise this morning (taken across the back seat of our speeding cab) and know there are more shots from La Paz to come. When the miracle happens of a 67mm circular polarizing filter existing in South America, you can expect many more from Carmen Pampa as well.


La salida del sol, La Paz Bolivia -- seriously taken from a cab disregarding the speed limit