We caught up with Curaçao based content creator and travel blogger Esmeralda Tan-A-Kiam, AKA Es Elsewhere, about moving to Curaçao, hiking Machu Picchu and taking beautiful Instagram pictures.
Where does your passion for photography and blogging come from?
My passion for traveling started 2 years ago. My boyfriend and I moved from Amsterdam to Curaçao and that’s when our travels started to change. Instead of looking for the nearest beach to chill and rewind before going back to our busy jobs, we are way more adventurous now. Because we live on a Caribbean island and spend most of our weekends on the beach, we look for culture, nature and adventure during our travels. This is also when my passion for photography (I’m still an amateur photographer though) and blogging started to grow. Since then, we’ve traveled to Peru, Cuba, Guatemala, Bonaire, Aruba, Panama and Colombia.
When you’re not taking amazing Insta pics what are you up to?
Besides enjoying the island life with my boyfriend and dogs, I work as a freelancer. I made the switch this year from a ‘regular job’ as a Recruitment Marketing Specialist to a freelance Content Creator & Social Media Manager. I provide content (images & blogs) for the social media channels of businesses and run their online campaigns.
What has been your favourite destination you’ve traveled to and why?
Would be a tie between Peru and Colombia. I liked both countries for their diversity and great food! They both have big and small cities, deserts, jungles, beaches… Colombia is also very cheap, so you can easily travel here for a longer period. Peru’s food is incredible culinary, healthy and fresh.
You now call Curaçao home – why did you decide to settle there?
We decided to move to Curaçao because of my boyfriend’s work. When the opportunity arose, we knew we had to take the ‘once in a lifetime’ chance and leave Amsterdam behind.
What are your top three things to do on Curaçao?
Visit beaches on the west side of the island, stroll around Pietermaai where a lot of colorful colonial buildings are located (great for insta ;-)) and swim with turtles at Playa Grandi.
What are your suitcase essentials?
Hiking shoes, camera, sunscreen and Levi’s 501 shorts.
What are the top 3 destinations you would like to visit this year?
Amsterdam (to visit family & friends), Ecuador (especially the Galapagos Islands) and Miami.
Where should everyone visit?
I think this answer is so personal for everyone, it really depends on your preference. But my recommendation would be to visit (at least) one of the seven world wonders. These locations are on this list for a reason and are so impressive in real life. The Machu Picchu really fascinated me!
What are your top tips for taking stunning vacation photos?
I’m trying to learn along the way. I think it’s important to take shots with a good camera. I try to take all my shots with my DSLR camera, but when that’s not an option I use my iPhone X. The quality of smartphone cameras is luckily getting better and better. And most important: have fun! Try to get inspired by other accounts, but also do your own thing. It will show if a shot is too staged or if you’re not having fun with it. I also wake up early to avoid big crowds!
What’s your favorite Instagram picture?
My favorite Instagram shot is not one that received a lot of likes, but every time I look at it, I remember the feeling of being exhausted and excited at the same time. It was taken after we hiked up the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala.
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