Interaction with other human beings had been limited for the past eight days. We were going south on isolated roads alongside the chilean/bolivian border. We  passed few trucks carrying their heavy loads, blowing huge clouds of black smoke and some of their drivers raising their hands to greet us. We bought coca leaves from an old woman selling goods on the plazas of otherwise lifeless pueblos high in the Andes. And we handed worn bills to men selling fuel from big blue barrels in the backyards of their small houses. Only few words were exchanged. The Altiplano is a quiet place.

Last year in March I visited the Altiplano - the andean high plateau shared by Argentina, Bolivia and Chile - and returned deeply impressed. I had an incredibly productive time up there, being treated to one crazy sunset after the other.…

I had already learned about what locals call the 'Bolivian Winter' during my first visit to the chilean Altiplano. Back then my hopes of doing some nighttime photography in San Pedro de Atacama were crushed by clouds and rain. One day we…