This photograph was taken the morning we started our adventure up the mountain to visit an older Mamu and his family. We drove on extremely washed out dirt roads with huge boulders and ruts that would swallow up most vehicles. At the end of this road we were dropped off in what seemed to be a village. One thing I love about these types of trips is the unpredictable nature of the adventure, never quite knowing where we are going to end up. All I knew is that we were going to be sleeping out on a mountain in maybe a “hammock”? Soon a small boy with long hair rode up on a donkey. Miguel and Fredy started loading supplies and we grabbed our backpacks and camera gear then started walking higher up the mountain. The vistas grew bigger with each step. About 45 minutes later we reached our final destination. We dropped off our things in a clay built hut then headed down to a very special area amongst the reeds for more conversation with the Mamu. The light poured in behind the reeds illuminating the leaders as we sat. My deepest desires wanted to capture this image with my camera but I was not permitted at this point to take any photographs. The image will forever be burnt into my memory and perhaps best to live there beside the magic of the moment. Kelsey managed to sneak a guitar along for the trip and I was coerced to play a song the next day called "Sleeping Princess", which is about a mountain range in Indonesia. Though they did not speak English there was something special that translated beyond words and a bond was formed. The once stoic skeptical older Mamu was now warm and open and I was then permitted to take photographs. The little girl in the picture hung around anytime I pulled out the guitar. This is one of my favorite images from our time there in the mountains. See what @kelseytimmerman wrote #indyphotographer #travelphotography