Epic Journey to Patagonia: Why My Trip Now Has a New Soundtrack

As I embark on an epic journey to Patagonia, I bring along a new soundtrack

Before I tell you today’s story, I want to give you a warm welcome hug, along with the hundreds of people who have joined this Journal in the last few days. It moves me to know there are so many of us who still believe in slow stories and the magic of traveling through someone else’s eyes. Thank you for trusting me with a space in your inbox.

You know me (or you’re just starting to). You know that for the last six years, my camera and I have been a team of two. Together, we crossed the United States from coast to coast, explored every corner of our Colombia, and lost ourselves across Europe. Solitude was my compass, and silence was my best editing companion.

The Month of May has Marked my Life

The month of May has always held a special meaning for me. Yesterday, May 3rd, marked 25 years since I moved to the United States. I arrived in love (I had also met my husband on May 3rd, six years prior… Coincidence?). I arrived full of dreams, traveling with my three eldest children while pregnant with my fourth, building a life through the challenges of migration and the excitement of discovering a different world. Personally, I transitioned from analog to digital photography, experimented with new techniques, taught art to children, and began exploring nature through my lenses.

Love stories don’t always end with a “happily ever after,” and mine ended in chaos. In May 2020, I left my refuge and the life that had sheltered me amid the pandemic. Now, on a new anniversary, I am setting out on another uncertain path.

A Viola and a Guitar

But this trip toward Patagonia has something different that I want to share with you. For the first time in a long while, the passenger seat isn’t empty, and the trunk isn’t just carrying my tripods, cameras, and watercolors. This journey has a new soundtrack: a viola and a guitar are coming with me.

I’ll be traveling with my son and his friend—two young men, both conservatory musicians. Now, while I search for the perfect light for a photo, the air will be filled with strings and chords. I am moving from absolute solitude to being the official photographer for a musical tour across the continent.

This change is forcing me to look—and to listen—in a different way. Solitude gave me much, but this new company is gifting me a different kind of light.

The Joy of Playing

When I hear them practice, their music fills me from within. Their joyful laughter reminds me that they have rediscovered the pleasure of playing; the rigidity of years of auditions and masterclasses had stolen some of the joy that led them to build their lives around music in the first place. I’ll be sharing the stories of this road as it opens up before us, but for now, I’ll leave you with a small sample of their practice so you can hear them too.

Thank you for being here and for joining me on my journey.