Tonight I just arrived in Puerto Natales. It is a lovely little town on the outskirts of the grand Torres del Paine national park. I am here for some private time for a week with my tent and camera.

I cannot help but be reflective today. My first visit to the park was back in 2003. That’s 22 years of my life which has passed by in that time. And I am seeing contrasts with whom I was back then and whom I am right now.

( I won’t bore you ;-)

In eight days, I will be meeting my group for my Torres del Paine tour in winter time. All the photo tours have left. All the tourists have left. Everyone comes here for the autumn light, but for me, it’s about the winter light. I have two hotels opening up specially for my group coming. They are opening especially for me, because everywhere is now closed. (background info: by the end of April (end of summer), all the service staff are ready to go home).

But I find the winter light here very beautiful. In a way, it is the winter time that defines for me the true spirit of Torres del Paine.

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Wherever you are, if you are dreaming and wishing of being some place, I do hope you can make it so. We only really have a very little time. Time, is our most precious comodity.

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But time is not the most precious thing we have. The most precious thing we have is our connection to others.

One can be distracted by the lure of travelling: the landscapes you dream of photographing have a very strong pull upon you. And if you have those urges and leanings, you should really try to satisfy them. For sure.

But as someone who travels a lot, I can now safely say that the most precious things in my life is are my friendships and my family. I am fortunate to have gone through the tunnel of dreaming and wishing to be in exotic places, to learn that although these places add and give me something rich, the really important thing in my life is the friends and connections I have.

I write these words, knowing all too well, that they may be misconstrued, misunderstood. I can only write them, having gone through the process of doing so much travel, that one realises that what is most important in our lives is our loved ones.

But also, we have to dream. And I do not wish to suggest you should not follow them. Dreams are important. They are vital. Following your heart is the most true we can be to who we are. And by doing so, anyone does so, is brave ( not everyone follows their dreams),

Tso follow one’s dreams does not mean we find true happiness. Instead, what it does allow us, is to be able to figure out what is important. As the saying goes: regrets are mostly about what we didn’t do. Not what we did. Even if what we did was a failure, we at least found out it wasn’t a good idea. You don’t get to find that out if you don’t go for it.

In my view, the more I travel, the more I realise my family and friends are crucial in my life. I need some stability. And good friends and family help you stay grounded.

Cherish your connections and tend them well. We all need them.

They are what give us the foundation we need, to help us follow our dreams.

Stay close.