herding

The High Atlas

The descent of winter onto the Pacific Northwest brings with it short gloomy days often accompanied by rain. This would have normally been the time to socialize indoors, but it is our duty to be responsible and reduce social interactions to slow down the spread of the pandemic gripping the nation. That, however, does not come without consequences.

To help ease the stress of the dark winters, I use my photography to escape to the furthest places I have photographed. This time around, I relived my memories from driving through the high Atlas mountains of Morocco. While spending a night in the rocky spine of Morocco, I found a vast windswept plain between Lac Islit and Tislit, two surreal bodies of water surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

Life is harsh in this area, and even the arrival of roads, motor vehicles, electricity, and the internet, have only slightly eased the difficulty of living here. Subsistence living with meager livestock still remains the predominant form of sustenance. Two donkeys from one such herd graze on the sparse vegetation in the high Atlas

Imilchil

Morocco

The Simple Life

To be exhilarated by the fresh air and refreshed by the sweet water of the mountains,
to be woken up by a brisk morning walk or relaxed by evening saunter on the grassy alpine meadows,
To be thrilled by the snow in the winter and elated by wildflowers in spring,
To crave for a simple life in the wilderness....


When I spotted this herd lazily grazing by the rolling summer meadows in the heart of the breathtaking mountainous terrain of Kyrgyzstan, I craved for the simple life these herders had. Tough though it may be, this simple life seemed so much more fulfilling. I guess grass in always greener on the other side.

What do you crave for in your ideal 'simple life'?

At Bashi

Kyrgyzstan