My name is Vasthi and I grew up in East Los Angeles, California. I’m a photographer and a huge travel enthusiast. I’ve always had a fascination with maps and photography thanks to my grandmother’s outdated globe, her old issues of National Geographic Magazines, and trips to the Los Angeles Central Library. But I never imagined I would be able travel the world one day.
Travel was the furthest goal from my mind while growing up in a poor single parent household. I didn’t see how any opportunities would come my way since we didn’t even have a car. Relying on public transportation in Los Angeles during that time was exceptionally difficult and time consuming. The local mountains and beaches sometimes felt like they might as well be in another state. As I got older I had to shake off the belief that travel wasn’t realistic for “people like me”. Against a few odds, I managed to find a way to take my first overseas trip and study abroad in college. I’ve been fortunate enough to continue to visit some amazing places since then. It also took a very long time for me to realize that my travel opportunities as a young adult weren’t a fluke.
Now that I’m older, I want to see more of the world much more often and share my perspective through my favorite medium.
A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. – John A. Shedd
The East L.A. Traveler 