Emily Axtman’s 3 month sabbatical
When 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 Falls, Iguazu, Argentina.
The best steak of my life at Cordillera Vinos y Fuegos in Mendoza, Argentina.
Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
San Martin Square in Mendoza, Argentina.
Domiciano Winery in Maipu, Argentina.
Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina.
Fitz Roy Range in El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina.
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.
Guanacos at Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile.
El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina.
Santiago, Chile.
Chorrillana, an authentic Chilean dish (not good).
Valparaíso, Chile.
ELEMENTAL‘s Quinta Monroy housing project in Iquique, Chile.
Star-gazing in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
Sucre, Bolivia.
Sucre, Bolivia.
The Altiplano, Bolivia.
Salt Flats, Bolivia.
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
Inca ruins on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
Floating Islands of the Uros, Lake Titicaca, Peru.
Alpaca in Puno, Peru.
Cusco, Peru.
Salcantay Trekking up to Machu Picchu, Peru.
My 30th birthday! (I’m so old now) Machu Picchu, Peru.
Coconut shrimp and plantains after whale-watching at Isla de la Plata, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador.
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Sea lion in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Medellin, Colombia.
An authentic Colombian meal, Popayán, Colombia.
Wax-palm forest outside of Salento, Colombia.
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]
[/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]
