Willow Tree
Disparity
Posted by willow (Chelsea, United States) on 9 March 2009 in Miscellaneous.
This photograph was taken on the Naval base looking out into the harbor at Puerto San Jose. It's probably not ideally lit, but I was struck by how well it illustrated the disparity that exists between the "Have's" and the "Have-Nots".
To the right you can see a few of the small navy boats. Grazing in the foreground are a few sheep from a herd that roams freely on the grounds of the base. I'm not sure if they are kept as pets or if they have some other purpose (security maybe?). Either way they seem to have the run of the place and they were quite the scraggly lot.
On the other hand, in the distance on the left is a luxury liner docked at the yacht club. Wealthy folks disembark their cruise ships here for an "authentic" Guatemalan experience. The problem is they never leave the grounds of the yacht club which is gated and surrounded by barbed-wired fences and guarded by men with large scary-looking weapons. The only locals the passengers see are the chosen few vendors that hack their wares in the market set up just for this purpose. With the average Guatemalan adult earning only a few thousand dollars per year, it's easy to imagine that there is probably more wealth on that one cruise ship than in the rest of this struggling little country.
I have been totally overwhelmed again lately. Sorry I've been so lousy about commenting on your photos. I do visit every time I have a few free minutes. I hope you all are well and I hope to "see" you more soon.
Thank you for visiting and commenting and sharing your photos! I love this site and all the people that make it so great. Photography is my passion and this is the perfect place for sharing that passion with other people who feel the same way.
Don't forget Silly Tuesday!!!! For more info see Liner's blog.
Canon EOS 30D
1/500 second
F/14.0
ISO 400
28 mm