Herding goats in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains
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it’s much more laid back than India,
though I did like India; I’ve been
there as well. It was very nice, but it
is an intense country. Both Nepal and
India are great for photography —
just so much color, so much action.
Every way you turn your head there’s
a picture waiting for you; it’s just
non-stop action for a photographer.
“Another great country is
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
They just came out of a dictatorship
a few years ago, and it was closed for
such a long time. It preserved a lot
of Southeast Asian culture, whereas
Thailand and Laos and Vietnam
have been more influenced by the
outside world. As a photographer, it’s
very exciting to see all that culture
preserved.”
Sánchez has also traveled
throughout South America, excluding
Brazil. “And most of those Andean
countries, all the way from Columbia
to Argentina and Chile, are very
fascinating, especially the indig-
enous cultures in Peru and Bolivia,
the markets, and seeing people still
maintaining their traditional dress and
customs — it’s fascinating.”
He’s tromped through Central
America as well.
“Costa Rica is great,” he said,
“but a country that surprised me was
Belize. I got to get away from where
the cruise ships dock and the people
were really, really nice. I’m so used
to people, when they approach you,
you expect them to ask for money. In
Belize people approached me all the
time, and they just asked me how I
was enjoying the country. And that’s
it. They just walked away and told
me to enjoy my stay. Not that I blame
people for asking for money, I mean,
they’re desperate a lot of times, you
know. You can’t really blame some
of them for doing that, but in Belize
everybody was really laid-back. I
really appreciate that about Belize.”
In January, Sánchez crossed the
Atlantic to what 19th-century explor-
ers called “the Dark Continent.”
North Africa provided a diverse array
of subject matter for the landscape-
loving artist. He made the trip with
friends and a professional photogra-
pher out of Germany.
“I met up with them and we did a
road trip across the Atlas Mountains