simply carrying a camera and the necessary equipment such a Glass Plate Negatives....ie. FILM... to make such photos to those locales was a mission of great courage back in those days.
Thank you.
I recall my uncle telling me that some of our ancestors served as guides for these wealthy tourists from the East.
The tourist would meet with the locals and ask if they knew of interesting places . They would offer to pay for the tour. They would also ask to be guided to the next settlement further west. Usually by someone who had relatives or acquaintances in that village.