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Follow my Path
@followmypath
Best of the week 23 at #nomadict 2020
I traveled solo for the first time when I was 13. My father pushed me to do that, and I wasn’t quite convinced. Nevertheless, I did it again when I was 15 and really enjoyed it. It teaches you so much, such as being independent, always finding solutions for every case scenario, and you become more mature as you survive on your own, meet new people and discover distinct worldviews.
"Photography jumped in when I traveled to Indonesia five years ago."
I visited some of the most amazing places I’ve ever been to and lived an incredible solo travel experience. When I got back, I was watching Jon Olson’s vlogs on Youtube and he went to the exact same spots I visited but he captured them in a beautiful and artistic way with his camera and drone. He was the one who inspired me to pick up a camera and try the same. The year after bought a camera and a drone and headed back to Indonesia. Now I am fully into photography and wish to inspire others myself, show the beauty of the world and motivate others to go on that trip all by themselves.
"I know it may sound unbelievable, unachievable or even unrealistic, but if you want and dare yourself, the opportunity to travel is there."
In 2019 I visited 14 countries, lived incredible moments in places I didn’t expect to be. If I had to choose the most special moment, it has to be hiking up an active volcano and almost dying up there. My guide and I went for a sunset hike to the summit of Volcan de Fuego in Guatemala – little did we know there would be a huge thunderstorm. When we were on top, it was super cloudy, but the sunset was on fire on the other side of the volcano. I managed to take some shots; but then it happened really quick. We saw a huge thunder from a distance, which was impressive and scary at the same time. It got closer in a second and the thunder almost hit us, it was literally 10-20 meters away from us and the noise was so loud it destroyed my ears. I literally shit my pants, I was so close to die!
"My guide and I rushed back down and made it back to camp after the most difficult time of my entire life."
We had to go back under the rain and the thunder through a forest, which of course is not recommended but that’s the only way back to camp. There’s a huge story behind this and I am actually editing the vlog that explains it all. It will come out soon on my Youtube channel and I can’t wait to release it!
Central America is still not that popular among landscape photographers, I think mainly because a lot of these countries are considered to be really dangerous and people don’t want to take the risk. After all, I am an adventurer, anywhere on the planet you have to be cautious anyway and the fact that we don’t know that much about those places pushed me to go there. I have been to several countries in Central America and it’s so worth it. It is rich in culture, the people are warm hearted, the landscapes are impressive and there are a lot of volcanoes in that region, one hike even more challenging and beautiful than the other.
WINNING PHOTOGRAPH
BEST OF THE WEEK 23
The winning shot was taken in Panama and this was definitely my favorite hike there. First of all, that mountain is located at a 3 hour drive from Panama city. My friends and I decide to head there for sunrise so I started driving at 1:30 am and we made it there at the perfect time. We parked the car in the bushes and started the hike at 4:30 am. After 30-40 minutes we made it on top of Los Picachos de Ola. I was truly amazed; it was a bit cloudy in the beginning but then the sky cleared up and we had a wonderful light. I sent the drone up to get this shot and I am so happy I won this contest thanks to this one. Panama has so much to offer, wherever and whenever you go for a hike you are most likely to be the only one top of the mountain so you can enjoy the view by yourself, free of other curious tourists.
My experiences during my solo traveling and the people I met made me change my vision of the world. We are all one, no matter where we come from, what we do for a living, what our religion is or what our skin color looks like. And so many ideas, stereotypes and biases that I’d been taught or taken up by rumors and the news, were proved to be untrue. I am so proud to have been able to travel to 44 countries so far, and I am only 24! It’s about making it your priority. Making yourself priority. It may sound cheesy but never give up on your dreams and always trust your guts.
"Never miss an occasion to do something you're really passionate about and don't wait for people's validation in order to achieve your goals! Never wait, always take action!"
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