20th Anniversary Dream Trip Contest

Great Travel Moment

Bolivia was once one of South America's wealthiest nations, a direct descendant of the powerful Inca culture, but then imperialistic greed robbed it of its grandeur. Today, most of the indigenous population struggles to survive, working labor-intensive jobs under harsh conditions. Coming from the modern era's wealthiest nation and witnessing this human struggle touched me profoundly. When I saw this little dog, struggling to find edible scraps amongst those abandoned in the mud on the shore of Lake Titicaca by affluent tourists, I could not help but view him as a metaphor for the struggle of Bolivia's indigenous population.