28 AUG 16 | it’s colombia not columbia

Emily Axtman’s 3 month sabbatical

Colombia t-shirtWhen I was leaving Cartagena, Colombia to come back to Colorado, I saw these t-shirts at the airport and thought they were pretty funny. I thought to myself, “Who thinks Colombia is spelled with a “u”??” Today, as I re-read my pre-travel blog-post, 91 days, I realized I am one of those people. Oh well, at least now I know, it’s Colombia, not Columbia.

20,000+ miles traveled
6 countries
34 cities
12 flights, 33 buses, 44 taxis, 7 ferries, 3 boats, 2 jeeps, 2 tuck-tucks, 1 dingy, 1 train, 1 rental car
37 hotels/hostels
452 miles walked/trekked
flying, riding, walking, trekking, scuba-diving, zip-lining (lame), snorkeling, swimming, laughing, drinking, eating . . .  highest navigable lake in the world, largest salt flat, fifth highest airport, best steak, best wine . . .  flamingos, guanacos, sea lions, sharks, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, Sally Lightfoot crabs . . .  waterfalls, jagged mountain peaks, cloud forests, lagoons, fog, frost, sun— burns . . .  91 days of adventure: happiness, frustration, amazement, surprise, angst, gratefulness, inspiration . . .

There’s no better way to explain a trip than with photos. I’ve limited myself. Grab a pisco sour and a map…

Iguazu FallsIguazu Falls, Iguazu, Argentina.

SteakThe best steak of my life at Cordillera Vinos y Fuegos in Mendoza, Argentina.

Buenos AiresRecoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

MendozaSan Martin Square in Mendoza, Argentina.

WineDomiciano Winery in Maipu, Argentina.

Perito Moreno Glacier Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina.

Fitz Roy RangeFitz Roy Range in El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina.

Torres del PaineTorres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.

GuanacosGuanacos at Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.

Torres del PaineTorres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.

El Calafate El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina.

SantiagoSantiago, Chile.

ChorrillanaChorrillana, an authentic Chilean dish (not good).

Valparaíso
Valparaíso, Chile.

ELEMENTALELEMENTAL‘s Quinta Monroy housing project in Iquique, Chile.

San Pedro de Atacama

Star-gazing in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Sucre
Sucre, Bolivia.

SucreSucre, Bolivia.

Altiplano The Altiplano, Bolivia.

Salt FlatsSalt Flats, Bolivia.

Lake TiticacaLake Titicaca, Bolivia.

Lake TiticacaInca ruins on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.

PunoFloating Islands of the Uros, Lake Titicaca, Peru.

Alpaca Alpaca in Puno, Peru.

CuscoCusco, Peru.

Salcantay TrailSalcantay Trekking up to Machu Picchu, Peru.

Machu Picchu My 30th birthday! (I’m so old now) Machu Picchu, Peru.

ShrimpCoconut shrimp and plantains after whale-watching at Isla de la Plata, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador.

CuencaCathedral in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Galápagos
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Marine iguanas
Marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Sea lion
Sea lion in the
 Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

MedellinMedellin, Colombia.

Colombian cuisineAn authentic Colombian meal, Popayán, Colombia.

SalentoWax-palm forest outside of Salento, Colombia.

Cartagena Old town in Cartagena, Colombia.

“The camera is a liar. It shows everything; it shows nothing. It reveals only what we want. Often what we see is seen only from a window, moving past, then gone. One window. My window. If you’d been here, chances are, you would have seen things differently.”
-Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown, Madagascar

THANKS FOR READING

[raw]

Snorkeling[/one_half] [one_half_last]

I just got back from traveling in South America for 3 months; I’m excited to get back to work and start making money!

Emily Axtman, Architectural Designer
28 August 2016

[/one_half_last]