OLAF DüBER
Desolation

The Bolivian town of Julaca once was a main stop along the railway between the Andean silver and tin mines and the Pacific, providing water for the steam trains that transported the ore to the Chilean harbours. When after decades of mining the deposits were exhausted, the railway and the stations scattered along it lost their purpose.
New extraction methods later revived the business, but by then, steam engines had long been replaced by Diesel engines. Water supply was no longer important for the trains. It would not have been unusual if Julaca had become a ghost town, but it hasn't, and the people still living there try to get a share of the ever-growing tourism around the Salar de Uyuni and the Bolivian Altiplano.
For good or worse, Julaca is not on the radar of many tourists. But there is something peculiar about this dusty, tiny settlement, amplified by harsh midday light and the bleached out tones: a sense of desolation and a striking blend of Tatooine and Mad Max atmosphere.

Author
Amateur photographer with an interest in fascinating and remote landscapes and dystopian lost places. Especially the combination of both give me photographical joy and inspiration by conveying a feeling of being lost not only in time but also in space.

Website
www.lostscapes.de

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