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Josh Storkey

@joshstork

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Stills of my life | Food Experimentation | @storksauce on hiatus

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La Paz, Bolivia 🇧🇴

The highest administrative capital in the world at 3600m and it's surrounded by mountains and so you're either going up or down hill constantly out of breath. A small exaggeration but honestly not far off, considering I've spent nearly 3 weeks in high altitudes I was hoping it'd be easier by now.

Some interesting culture here, some partake in 'witchcraft' which involves burning colourful sugar 'images' of what you need improvement in be it health, wealth, work. A traditional occurrence is when they construct a new building to offer a previous living being, often a baby llama that's died of natural causes.

Very fortunate that they were celebrating El Gran Poder "The Festiva of the Lord Jesus of Great Power", similar to Brazil's Carnival. People were out drinking since before midday watching many different groups pass by. Some were dancing, some jingling and others just looking pretty. Nighttime though it got cranked up with lights, fireworks and just a jolly atmosphere.

#solotravel #backpacking #lapaz #bolivia #granpoder #carnival #witch taken in La Paz, Bolivia by @joshstork

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a year ago

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia 🇧🇴 Day 3

Bucket list item ticked off. I've always wanted to go to a salt flat and see the mirror effect, and was so lucky to have done so. Normally these flats are dried up by March, but thanks to climate change the rainy season lasted until late April. Watching the sunrise on the salt flat was magically, it didn't feel real and even now it feels like a dream.

The water wasn't ever much deeper than a foot but it was an odd feeling driving over it. We did stop at one point and walked out on to the and it was just barely able to be walked on, my feet did get wet! All worth it though.

Then out in the middle of the flats is this cactus island, again a very surreal experience. Something that doesn't seem like it should exist. Thousands of years ago it was underwater and was covered in coral that has now solidified so you're often walking over it while exploring the island.

#solotravel #backpacking #saltflats #mirror #sunrise #salt #cactus #island #surreal #dream #state taken in Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia by @joshstork

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a year ago

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia 🇧🇴 Day 2

Started the day with some dizziness and headaches but after some hydration and breakfast I was sorted for another day of adventure and dust. We stayed in a village that was predominantly known for smuggling drugs, apparently there is a documentary (I've forgotten the towns name though).

This was a day to test the heights fear with a lot of scrambling up rocks, I did what I could before the legs turn to jelly. Thankfully my tour buddies didn't have the same issue so could get some poses in.

We saw so many Llamas this day, including some very cute baby Llamas. Finally stopping in a pretty abandoned train town, with a couple of shops blasting dance tunes was very surreal but would be much better if they didn't.

We stayed in a salt hotel this evening, with blocks carved out of the flats and can be used for about 10 years before needing to be replaced. I did lick the walls and can confirm they weren't lying!

#solotravel #backpacking #salt #flat #desert #4x4 #life #sand #llama #canyon #lagoon taken in Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia by @joshstork

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a year ago

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia 🇧🇴 Day 1

Nice and early start once again, to be taken to the Bolivian border, we ended up having to wait over an hour before the border was actually opened. It was freezing too!

Once through the border we swapped from the minibus and into the 4x4 jeep we'd be in for 3 days. This was such a raw and remote experience that I don't think I'll ever forget.

Our first stop was to a beautiful Lagoon that had half frozen over. To then go to the mud geysers, like nothing I've ever seen before. It was so alien seeing it all bubble up. All of our meals were great with lots of vegetables, meat and carbs. Just perfect when exploring all day.

This first day was absolutely the toughest, we hit just under 5,000m shortly after the mud geysers. Just for context Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe at 4,800m. The combinations of the early start and being rocked about in the 4x4 at times I got a bit dizzy and in the evening I had a massive headache. Thankfully it only really lasted until after breakfast the next day.

Lastly the visit to the Red Lagoon populated with flamingos and Llamas was so stunning to see.

#solotravel #backpacking #adventure #saltflats #bolivia #geyser #flamingo #llama by @joshstork

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a year ago

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 🇨🇱 Part Three - June 2025

Strolling through some old history, the 'Rainbow' valley was a little lacking in colours but still fun to explore the old desert. Did manage to capture a rainbow flare in the valley though!

Also saw some old carvings into the rocks of an ancient meeting place, some of the drawings were definitely abstract.

#solotravel #backpacking #chile #atacama #desert #ancient #rainbow taken in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile by @joshstork

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a year ago

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 🇨🇱 Part Two - June 2025

Another early start to see more beauty, many Lagoons and 3 different species of flamingos Chilean, Andean & James (lol yes).

Many people said that Chilean food was bland and I'd disagree, it was simple but tasty!

#solotravel #backpacking #atacama #chile #desert #lagoon #flamingo #wildlife taken in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile by @joshstork

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a year ago

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 🇨🇱 Part One - June 2025

This was such a unique experience, San Pedro de Atacama is the biggest town in the Atacama desert at over 2,400m above sea level. It is the launching point to such amazing scenery, the weather swinged from freezing temperatures to shorts and t-shirt by midday back to freezing once the sun dipped.

To start the trip I went to see the El Tatio geysers which are the highest geysers in the world at 4,320m, third largest geyser field in the world. It was a tough start to get here for sunrise but it was so worth it.

Also went for a night time astrology tour, got to look through some huge telescopes star gazing. It was incredible even with a full moon lighting up the night sky. I cycled to the Valley de la Luna, which was a tough but rewarding experience. Felt like I was exploring Mars.

#solotravel #backpacking #chile #atacama #desert #altitude #geyser by @joshstork

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a year ago

Valparaiso, Chile 🇨🇱 June 2025

Wow is this city beautiful! A UNESCO World heritage site, once an incredibly wealthy port town took a turn once the Panama canal opened. There isn't much flat land here and what there is mostly industrial or already been built. As such most new building is into the hills, of which most of it is done illegally out of desperation.

This complex situation has led to a massive boom in artists expressing their discontent and opposition through street art. Making some form of message to the government over the treatment of the poor.

To get up and down are the very vertical 'ascensors', only about 10p to get up many metres to get people to their homes. There used to be over 70, now sadly only about 10 are operational as of which have been renovated in the last decade.

#solotravel #backpacking #chile #valparaiso #streetart #streetphotography #protest #art taken in Valparaíso, Chile by @joshstork

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a year ago

Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱 May 2025

The capital of Chile! I had heard mixed things about this city but I thoroughly enjoyed it! A great history founding it almost 600 years ago to modern times when the financial exchange was created and Americans came and demanded hot dogs, creating the Italiano. Named after the ingredients, tomatoes, guacamole and a ton of mayo.

#solotravel #backpacking #santiago #hotdog #chile #capital #spain taken in Santiago, Chile by @joshstork

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a year ago

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a year ago

El Calafate, Argentina 🇦🇷 May 2025

I had been looking forward to this for a while and honestly the only real thing to do in the town is to visit the Glaciar Perito Moreno. Oh boy is it a sight!

This glacier is part of the second largest ice sheet in the world after Antarctica and it is stunning. You are able to get quite close to it but you used to get right next to it and unfortunately people have died when the ice calved. One thing I was surprised was actually how often it happened. I managed to see a dozen of them and it is very odd, you see pieces fall off and then a couple of seconds later the massive cracking sounds and smashing into the water. The photos are deceptive as this thing is massive, so the calvings are sometimes many kilometres away. An amazing experience and a beauty. For the longest of times it has defied any shrinking but unfortunately now looks to have started retreating as every other glacier is.

This town has an unfortunate number of stray dogs, of which one got a bit too protective and actually bit me! More shocking than anything else.

#solotravel #backpacking #patagonia #argentina #peritomoreno #glacier #elcalafate #hiking by @joshstork

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a year ago

Punta Arenas & Puerto Natales, Chile 🇨🇱 May 2025

These 4 days I spent in my first time in Chile were very much a nothing burger, during off season there isn't much going on. You could do some trekking to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales but at significant cost. Even during the high season Puerto Natales is still a staging town before setting off into TdP.

So it was just a bit of a lul period of just exploring the quiet towns, home cooking and relaxing before getting to El Calafate & El Chalten in Argentina. Splitting up the longer journeys to these other towns.

#solotravel #backpacking #patagonia #chile #hiking #nature #mountain #countryside by @joshstork

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a year ago