2015 was a big year of travel for me! I kicked the year off in Panama City, Panama trying to figure out the best (and cheapest) way to get to Cartagena. It has been one amazing adventure full of new places, faces and reunions with old friends. I spent the first five months in South America and traveled by bus from Ushuaia (the southern most city in the world) at the bottom of Argentina all the way north to Cusco, Peru. Here are my top 10 favorite photographs from my adventures in 2015:
1. Torres del Paine
I spent two months in Patagonia at the beginning of the year and spent five days hiking the “W” circuit at Torres del Paine in Southern Chile. It was the biggest hike I did in South America and one of the most challenging for me. (It was the first time I’ve backpacked carrying both camera and camping gear.) The last hour of the hike to the three towers was brutal, but the view was incredible.
2. Cartagena
The party never stops in colorful Cartagena. I spent a few weeks here in January exploring the colonial town and meeting up with some old friends. My visit coincided with the Cartagena International Music Festival. There’s nothing quite like listening to classical music in an old colonial square.
3. Machu Picchu
Meet Alfred – the globetrotting gnome. Clearly, this hat was made for a gnome. I’ve photographed Alfred on five continents over the past six years. He’s an Australian gnome. It was love at first sight at the garden section of K-mart in Sydney. I started making funny gnome cards for my friends and later began to sell them on Etsy because people loved them so much. If a tiny green gnome can travel the world, why can’t you?
4. Havana
It is nearly impossible not to fall victim to the charms of Havana. The drive from the airport to the city center felt as if the clock was rewinding back 60 years. It will always be one of my favorite cities.
5. Arequipa, Peru
The Santa Catalina Monastery is a photographer’s dream. Built in 1580, the maze-like fortress covers an entire block and is filled with colorful courtyards and cobblestone streets. I spent hours walking the alleys until the light vanished.
6. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
My friend Manon took this great photo of me on the salt flats in Bolivia. We woke up at 4 a.m. to reach the flats by sunrise. I will never forget the moment the jeep drove onto the flats – an endless sea of white stretched out to greet the pink horizon. I was on a jeep tour with five other travelers—an amazing group of people I’d met on the road. I met three girls (from Switzerland, Belgium and Holland) on a bus crossing the Andes a few days before. They joined me and an Australian couple I met in Argentina on the jeep tour. The best part of traveling is the amazing people you meet!
7. Iquitos, Peru
I choose Iquitos for my Amazon adventure due to it’s remoteness. Despite being the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon, it is only accessible to the world by plane or boat. The wildlife was incredible. Woolly monkeys like the one above were everywhere in the jungle.
8. Uruguay
The crumbling colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento was a charming surprise. The former Portuguese settlement and UNESCO World Heritage site is 50 km from Buenos Aires by ferry. The main purpose of my trip to Uruguay from Argentina was to get US dollars to exchange on the black market for a higher rate in Argentina. (ATMs in Uruguay allow you to withdraw both USD and the local currency.) The town ended up being a great place to photograph. I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the country!
9. Northern California Redwoods
At the end of every big trip, I tack on a smaller trip to visit friends in the States. I flew to San Francisco and road tripped up to the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California with my friend Miles. I try to divide my time between exploring the world and my own country. (My travel digits are currently at 43 countries and 37 states.)
10. Marfa
I love Marfa – a quirky, artsy small town in West Texas. There is an art installation of a mini fake Prada store about 36 miles west of the town. On my first visit in 2014, the store had been vandalized so I wasn’t able to get the photographs I wanted. In October, I drove the six hours back to Marfa and finally got the perfect shot!
COMING UP
I am starting off 2016 with a quick trip to Nicaragua! I’ve got some exciting stories lined up to help you live up to your travel potential in 2016! Let me know what travel questions or topics you want to hear about on the blog. Email me suggestions or leave them in the comments below. Feel free to sign up for the email list to have every post delivered to your inbox! Happy New Year and safe travels!
