Hey there! I’m Ashwin — a geographer, cartographer, and unapologetic map nerd. I’ve spent years chasing coastlines
and pixels, from creating marine navigation charts at Garmin to crafting satellite-based analyses of Portugal’s
landscapes. My passion lies in blending data, design, and storytelling to make geography feel alive.
When I’m not decoding satellite imagery, you’ll find me cycling through scenic trails, capturing forgotten places,
or exploring how maps can tell human stories.
I believe every map should have a heartbeat — a little bit of science, a little bit of art, and a whole lot of curiosity.
Prefer email? Reach out via LinkedIn — I reply quickly.
Journey Around the World
“Hic sunt dracones — Beyond the edge of the map, there be dragons.”
Home Goa, India
Where the journey begins.
2022 Portugal
um país antigo, um novo lar
Portugal became a second home over the years — not through big moments, but through the rhythm of everyday life. From café tables and azulejo corners to long days by the river and simple routines, the country settled into my life naturally.
Porto shaped most of it. I lived there, studied there, cycled its streets, crossed its bridges, and learned what it feels like to belong to a place quietly. Even after leaving, the city stayed with me — its pace, its people, its light.
Portugal gave me direction, but Porto is the place I hope to return to and call home again.
2023 United States
from California to the New York Island, ... this land was made for you and me
The trip moved from the energy of New York — bridges, subway lines, and skyscrapers — to the formality of Washington, D.C.’s monuments and institutions. Between the UN, the Capitol landmarks, and the museums, every stop felt like a different layer of the country. Texas shifted the pace completely: open roads, wide skies, small towns, and plates of comfort food. Together, the three states showed three versions of the U.S. — fast, historic, and wide open.
2024 Paris
Paintings, pastries, Timeless Views
It started with crème brûlée in a small café — nothing fancy, just warm and comforting — and then walking into the Louvre to finally see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa with my own eyes. I remember studying it in French class back in school, so standing there felt weirdly familiar, like meeting someone you’ve heard about your whole life.
I spent the evening sitting by the Seine, watching the sky turn pink, and later stood under the Eiffel Tower while it sparkled. I didn’t take many photos — I was just trying to be present and breathe it in.
Dinner was duck confit, and afterward I ended up at Gare de Lyon, just watching trains come and go and thinking about how everyone there was headed somewhere different.
I visited Notre-Dame and the Panthéon, both really moving in their own way, and closed the night with gâteau au chocolat — the kind of dessert that feels like a small celebration.
I learned French in school, so being here made everything feel familiar and new at the same time. Paris wasn’t overwhelming or dramatic. It was gentle. It was real. And it stayed with me.
2024 Rome
Columns, cathedrals, and carbonara
Rome felt like walking through time without needing a map.
My day started at the Colosseo, quiet in the early morning, sunlight catching the arches just right. From there I climbed up to Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo’s Moses — still as powerful and intense as every textbook and documentary promised.
I spent time inside the Pantheon, standing under the oculus watching the light drop straight through the center, perfectly still while the world moved around it. Later, I followed the river to Castel Sant’Angelo, stopping to look over the bridge where statues watch you pass.
Stepping into St. Peter’s Basilica was overwhelming in the best way — the scale, the silence, the details you only appreciate when you slow down and look up.
Food became part of the rhythm of each day: Spaghettini with house pesto, linguine from Pasta e Vino, a Neapolitan Margherita pizza from Mariuccia, and gelato from Gelateria Della Palma that melted faster than I could eat it.
Rome wasn’t just history. It felt alive — familiar and new at the same time. A city best experienced slowly, one step, one plate, one quiet moment at a time.
2025 Madrid
Palacios, Plazas and Real Madrid
Madrid felt open and full of light from the moment I arrived. I started at the Catedral de la Almudena, its white domes against a perfectly blue sky, and then walked through the Palacio Real, stopping quietly in front of the royal crown and scepter, thinking about how many stories sit behind glass in silence.
Later, I spent time in Parque del Buen Retiro, watching people row boats on the lake and just taking in the calm. The city shifted again when I reached the Bernabéu — loud, electric, full of energy — the kind of place where you feel the heartbeat of a city through football.
I stood outside the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, looking up at the brick arches and trying to imagine everything that space has witnessed. Between all of it, I moved through stations and metros, watching Madrid flow around me.
Food tied the day together — croquetas, tortilla, churros, bocadillo de calamares, and everything that makes Madrid feel warm and generous.
Madrid was sunlight, movement, history, and everyday life happening all at once. A city that felt real and welcoming, the kind you settle into without even trying.
2025 Galicia
Pontevedra’s stone paths, Vigo’s open water.
Galicia felt like a meeting point between sea and stone. From Pontevedra’s quiet mornings along the Lérez to Vigo’s restless harbor skies, every moment carried its own rhythm.
Grey clouds, granite churches, fishing boats rocking against the tide, and plates of crisp calamari shared slowly with the Atlantic breeze.
Between stillness and movement, I found a place that felt both ancient and alive — where the ocean writes the map and the land remembers.
Portugal Chapter
From everyday Porto life to weekends spent exploring the country.
Home Porto
Sunsets, saudade, and home.
Porto became more than a city to me — it became a rhythm.
Mornings started with the Clérigos bells and the quiet walk down to Ribeira where the river always felt alive. Somewhere between the colours of the old houses and the hum of the boats was the version of myself that felt at home.
Evenings belonged to the Atlantic — sunsets at Foz, long pauses at the edge of the water, and the kind of skies you can’t really explain, only feel. Weekends drifted between Matosinhos waves, late-night francesinhas, and aimless strolls through neighbourhoods lined with azulejos.
And then there was São João — the fireworks, the chaos, the happiness in the air — the moment I knew Porto wasn’t temporary.
It was mine. A place I lived, breathed, and grew into.
Trip Guimarães
Castles, humble origins.
Guimarães has a quiet charm that grows on you with every step. Walking through its calçadas and old streets, you feel why this place is called the birthplace of Portugal. The city carries its history naturally — from the calm façade of São Gualter to the long gardens leading toward the old town. The castle feels solid and timeless, a reminder of where the country began, and the view from Penha adds a peaceful sense of space above it all.
Nothing here feels rushed. I moved from corner to corner slowly, taking in how past and present fit together so easily. I finished the day with presunto, carne de porco, and a glass of vinho verde — simple, local, and perfectly Guimarães.
Trip Aveiro
Moliceiro canals, ovos moles, and Art Nouveau facades.
Aveiro felt light and easy from the start — bright calçadas, quiet churches, and wide open squares that make the city feel airy. The canals bring everything to life; watching the moliceiro boats slide past felt like stepping into a slow, painted postcard. The old buildings have a soft, worn charm, and the whole place moves at a calm pace that’s hard not to fall into.
I wandered without a plan, letting the city guide me from one corner to the next, until I finally stopped for a warm tripa — simple, sweet, and very Aveiro. It stays with you because of its gentleness, not its noise.
Trip Figueira da Foz
Seafood, surf, sun.
Figueira da Foz felt shaped by the sea from the moment I stepped onto the calçada — stars and shells set into stone leading me through town.
They carried me toward Rua Bernardo Lopes, where the streets open toward the river breeze and the sound of the Atlantic in the distance.
By midday I was sitting down to a seafood lunch that tasted like the ocean itself — prawns, crab, and lobster piled high on a plate still warm from the sun.
Later, I walked to the beach and watched a lone fishing boat drift across the bright water, the whole afternoon settling into that slow coastal rhythm.
Trip Viana do Castelo
Santa Luzia climbs, Atlantic breeze, and tiled streets.
Viana do Castelo felt northern, coastal, and calm: Santa Luzia above the town, Atlantic wind moving through the streets, and tiled corners that made the whole place feel carefully kept.
Trip Lisbon / Sintra / Cascais
Alfama rooftops, Cascais waves, Sintra hills.
Lisbon was all light, rooftops, viewpoints, and the slow climb of old streets. Cascais shifted the day toward the sea, with waves and coastal air. Sintra brought the hills, palaces, and a cooler, dreamlike atmosphere above the city.
Trip Nazaré / Fátima
Waves, silence, devotion.
Nazaré during Christmas had a different feel — calmer streets, the sanctuary dressed for the season, and the Atlantic still sending in those heavy winter waves.
The mix of cold air, quiet viewpoints, and the sound of the sea made the place feel both festive and raw at the same time.
Fátima in August was the opposite mood: bright skies, wide open spaces, and the basilica standing sharp in the heat.
Inside, everything slowed down — quieter, more focused, more reflective. It was a simple visit, but the atmosphere stayed with me.
Featured Projects
Selected GIS, remote sensing, and cartographic work.
