For some crazy reason I decided to take 13 flights to the North and South America, covering only three weeks. This was the springboard to my travel photography career. I had taken a few short trips around Europe but this felt like I was really doing it properly! Travel is relative to your roots afterall! I found the Tierra del Fuego incredible & hope to get back again one day very soon for some nature photography!

London - New York - San Francisco - New York - Miami - Santiago - Antofagasta

- Santiago - Punta Arenas - Tierra del Fuego - Santiago - Miami - London

Starting in London, I first headed for San Francisco where I spent 5 days getting around the city sightseeing & visiting friends. Then I zipped off to Chile to visit the Atacama desert in the north and the icebergs & glaciers in the south. As a finale I took 3 days in Miami to chill out and get urbanised again before returning to buzzing London and the smoke!

The Streets of San Francisco!

San Francisco is an amazing city, and probably the favourite for Europeans.

The massive bridge over the entrance to the bay is astounding in size, stretching off into the distance across the bay. On the other side you can visit the huge * trees, which make a pleasant change to the urban cityscape.

The trams that take you around the city seem a bit touristy at first, but nonetheless provide quite an interesting addition to the backdrop of skyscrapers. The city as a whole has a peaceful atmosphere and reminds you of all those TV shows from the 60's and 70's. It's as if the place has kept it's sixties pace. People are chilled out too, especially around Haight & Ashbury which is the hippie area. Even in the centre of town and around the tourist areas I found the vibe quite easy going and unflustered; quite the opposite to London at times! Using the BART (a kind of overground tube or metro) to get around, you can get a good overview of the area.. Use it for visiting the universities that were so famous for their demonstrations, as these are out of the main metropolis. Getting around San Francisco is easier with the car though, but that's normal for American cities.

Chugging around Chile

I flew from San Francisco to Santiago in Chile in one go: 3 flights and almost 24 hours in the air!

San Francisco - New York - Miami - Santiago

The last leg was a night flight, so I guessed there would be little to see - we'd arrive in Santiago at 8am - so I knocked back the vodkas that the nice lady from United Airlines kept supplying me and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up mid-flight to see the full moon as we passed over the Carribean, with the islands casting shadows across the calm night sea. Bright clouds occasionally obscured the milky light. Somethings aren't meant to be photographed just experienced with one's own eyes, so I just watched the amazing sight in awe.

Flying into Santiago

Once in Santiago I nipped in to see my English mate Stu, who was getting married to his Chilean girlfriend Macarena - this was the whole reason why I had embarked on the journey in the first place. Headed off afterwards on the next flight to the Atacama desert, leaving the ground just before an small earthquake rocked a town to the north of Santiago. Strange country this. Don't get many earthquakes to the pound in central London! The Atacama Desert was a bewildering place: with towns looking very similar to those seen in Spaghetti Westerns. Clint would love it here, punk!

Santiago - Antofagasta

Away from the towns, the scenery was bare but nonetheless enthralling.Once again I felt that the people were quite friendly and reasonably curious of yet another foreigner wandering around on his holidays. I looked a bit strange in my worn out combats and looking rough & unwashed; nothing new there then!

Getting around this vast place was easy with plenty of coaches ferrying the locals and tourists alike. There were also plenty of rooms available in the local hostels. I chose October to visit. You have to be a bit careful not to arrive in the peak season or when the Chileans have their school holidays.

Visit the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet for more info.