Short but sweet refreshing piece to ring out another buffoonish year...
San Pedro Communal Prison, Bolivia. Due to the tight knit nature of the community, San Pedro Prison is only partly guarded by police. The inmates actually guard the facility. And it is mostly open air, with shops and recreational areas managed by both inmates and local townsfolk. The sentences for crimes there are very light, for a reason. Because if somebody in there had REALLY committed a "crime against life", they will never see the end of their sentence, courtesy of their fellow inmates. The town and life within reminded me very much of the depictions of town life in India at the peak of the powerful Mughal Empire during the reign of Sultans Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, when 'peace extended through the land'. Shah Jahan himself was credited with building fountains on all of the major roads of the empire complete with ornate gold and jeweled goblets where thirsty travelers can drink the water from, and according to legend, not one goblet was ever taken by anybody during his reign.