Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan


Overview of the Registry
Panoramic view of the historic center of Bukhara
Covered Shortcut
Pedestrians walk through an arcade in Registão.
Colors of the Former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan
Vendor displays old flag of Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
Chor Minor
The minarets of Chor Minor
Tin Crafts I
Craftsman works a sheet of tin.
Tin Crafts II
Craftsman works a sheet of tin.
In Detail
Woman examines jewelry
Uneven Dialogue
Faithful chat next to a facade of the Registão.
Ogival Architecture
Detail of a portico in the Bukhara Registan.
Sunset in Bukhara
Sun sets in the west of Bukhara.
Veiled Choreography
Dancers with their heads covered by veils.
Lada Route
Ladas pass in front of a facade of the Registão.
Dancers
Uzbek dancers in traditional costumes
The Ark Fortress
Woman walks past the Ark fortress in Bukhara.
Uzbek Muslim
Faithful Muslim, with Uzbek look.
Card
Men live together playing cards
Carpeted Stores
Carpets displayed in shops in Bukhara.
Mission Accomplished
Men from Bukhara just after loading furniture onto an old Lada.
Uzbek Chess
Men of Bukhara face off in chess
Recondite Prayer
Worshippers pray in a corner of the mausoleum of Ismail Samani
Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.

From nine in the morning we crossed the aridity of Kyzyl Kum, in the first third of the route, with Turkmenistan imminent, to the south.

A via uzbek that cuts through the desert is little more than a road project. It was only at almost five in the afternoon that we covered the 450km that separate Khiva of Bukhara, two of the great historical cities of Central Asia.

In the time it takes us to check into the hotel and recover from the road accident, the sun begins to set and gild the city, already yellow from the ancient limestone that supports it.

Sun sets in the west of Bukhara.

Sun sets in the west of Bukhara.

In Search of the Bukhara Register

We are a few hundred steps from the Registão, the former pulsating heart of the city, public square, market place and even place of executions of criminals.

In pursuit, down a street paved with gray tiles, we greet two young adversaries.

Kids face off in a game of backgammon

Kids face off in a game of backgammon

They face each other in successive games of backgammon, on an open board-box.

Once seated, the kids play on a set of traditional scarlet and black rugs, with geometric patterns comparable to so many others that we soon spot.

We come across a side facade of the large square. Then, its front.

The façade of the Mir-i-Arab madrasa is filled with twelve tiled, ogival arches, which lead to an integral ogival that serves as a central portico.

Detail of a portico in the Bukhara Registan.

Detail of a portico in the Bukhara Registan.

Crafted and colored down to the smallest detail, this portico also contains ogival niches, a privileged geometric pattern prevalent in the Islamic architecture of Central Asia.

Twilight steals the dominant burnt yellow and turquoise of the domes of the madrasa and the Kalyan mosque opposite.

Silhouettes on a portico of the Bukhara Registan.

Silhouettes on a portico of the Bukhara Registan.

Little by little, the dominance of silhouettes gives way to another, equally or less ephemeral.

A dramatic yellow artificial light emanating from inside the porticos obscures the fading sky blue. Little by little, it reveals the stars and planets studied by Ulugh Beg, from his observatory in Samarkand.

Artificial lights give new colors to the Bukhara Region.

Artificial lights give new colors to the Bukhara Region.

The Kalyan Minaret, the Mosques and Madrasas of Registan

It highlights, like a rocket from another time, the lofty and oldest structure of Registão.

The Kalyan minaret dates back to the 12th century.

It predates the other buildings by several centuries. At almost 50 metres high, it stands out well above the rest of the complex.

It can be seen from great distances in the surrounding desert plain, like an administrative and religious beacon that subjects and believers have become accustomed to praising. And, for justified reasons, to fear.

For a long period, the royal authorities used it as a means of execution. They simply threw those convicted of the most serious crimes from the top.

Kalyan Minaret, formerly known as the Tower of Death.

Kalyan Minaret, formerly known as the Tower of Death.

Because it was too tall to enhance the muezzins' call to prayer, the Kalyan minaret served dual functions of observation and execution of capital punishment.

It came to be known as the Tower of Death.

It gives us a last glimpse of Registão before retiring for dinner in a traditional fabric and carpet shop, versatile enough to serve meals.

Carpets displayed in shops in Bukhara.

Carpets displayed in shops in Bukhara.

There we recharged our batteries by tasting Uzbek dishes. There we learned that hand-embroidered fabrics, usually made of tablecloths or bedspreads, are called Susanne.

As always on this journey through Uzbekistan, we are accompanied by Ravshan, the driver, and Nilufar, a young guide. Nilufar explains this and much more to us.

She has been with us for almost a week now and also reveals that she and her family are from there, from Bukhara. She misses seeing them.

But his parents live more than 40km away. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to do it.” He says in frustration, just before we finish the meal and go to the hotel.

The minarets of Chor Minor

The minarets of Chor Minor

New Day in Bukhara. Discovering the Ancient City

The next morning, Nilufar begins his explanatory tour of Bukhara. From the city's supreme minaret, we advance to the tower block of Chor Minor, a building with the unique design of a mosque in Bukhara.

It was built at the beginning of the 19th century as part of an old madrasa, which was later destroyed.

Of its four towers, three were used to store supplies. The remaining one contained a staircase leading to the upper floor.

In 1995, due to the action of an underground water table, one of them collapsed and, because of the structural imbalance generated, Chor Minor itself was at risk of collapse.

The damage was repaired. Still, the strange building, built by a Turkmen resident of the city and used for liturgy and shelter, remained closed.

Painter touches up the painting of the Chor Minor monument.

Painter touches up the painting of the Chor Minor monument.

We limited ourselves to admiring it from the courtyard that stretches out in front, where, in the shade of a low tree, an artist was putting the finishing touches to a painting that made the monument and its stronghold look much greener than the way it was painted in reality.

The Ismail Samani Mausoleum and Bolo Khauz Mosque

On Nilufar's recommendation, from there we progressed to one of the most revered and pioneering mausoleums in all of Central Asia, that of Ismail Samani.

As the name suggests, it was built by Ismail in the 10th century as a burial place for the Samanid kings who succeeded him.

Inside, a family prays, sitting in a corner.

Worshippers pray in a corner of the mausoleum of Ismail Samani

Worshippers pray in a corner of the mausoleum of Ismail Samani

Nilufar whispers to us what he has to explain. After that we move on to the Bolo-Khauz mosque.

We quickly realize that it is distinct from the others, clearly demarcated by the wooden columns that support the canopy at the top of its façade and by the lake (khauz) rounded at the front.

At the entrance, artisans work on tin crafts, absorbed in the meticulous lines of Bukhara's monuments that furrow the metal plates.

Craftsman works a sheet of tin.

Craftsman works a sheet of tin.

A few faithful pray in the mosque's prayer hall, under a new set of large and smaller ogives that delimit and decorate what we would dare to call a peculiar Islamic altar.

An Eccentric Trade in Soviet Jewelry and Relics

The day was already long. The heat was getting worse again. We forced ourselves to take a long lunch break. The restaurant is next to a shopping complex.

There we witnessed an unexpected hustle and bustle, especially in the sale of jewelry with precious stones.

A woman admires them, arranged on velvet displays, using small magnifying glasses to reveal them.

Two potential buyers in non-Islamic attire talk to a business owner.

Behind this trio, a strange poster is insinuated, with an image of the ritual hajj of Mecca, under the name, in Cyrillic alphabet, of his jewelry store.

Jewelry salesman talks to two women.

Jewelry salesman talks to two women.

We continue to find precious things there.

Another dealer displays a whole panoply of Soviet-era relics from present-day Uzbekistan, medals, posters of generals and political leaders.

Photograph in a store full of Soviet relics.

Photograph in a store full of Soviet relics.

Even if his image is smaller than others, that of Vladimir Lenin, one of the ideological and political mentors of the formation of the USSR, stands out.

Convinced that he would entice us to buy, the seller unfurls a red flag, with a blue stripe in the center and a hammer and sickle above.

As eye-catching as it was, the standard only reflected 67 years of Bukhara's incredible antiquity.

Vendor displays old flag of Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

Vendor displays old flag of Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

The Successive Metamorphoses of Bukhara

Bukhara has evolved as a city, it is estimated, for more than two millennia.

From the 2nd century BC, it was part of one of the main routes of Silk Road who contributed to bringing the Budismo to the oasis in which it was located.

The expansion of Buddhism and, to a lesser extent, Zoroastrianism, between at least the 709st century BC and the XNUMXth century AD was abruptly interrupted by the Arab invasion of XNUMX AD and the promotion of the city to the capital of the Persian-influenced Samanid, Karakanid and Khwarezmian khanates.

Panoramic view of the historic center of Bukhara

Panoramic view of the historic center of Bukhara

This new Arab direction was interrupted in 1220 by the Mongol invasion of Ghengis Khan, which was followed by incorporation into the Timurid Turko-Mongol empire until 1405.

Finally, Bukhara and the surrounding oasis were part of a trio of Uzbek khanates (kingdoms) that administered it prolifically and provided it with many of the religious monuments that still exist there, including the minarets that define its distinctive skyline.

Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.

Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.

In 1870, the rapidly expanding Russian Empire subjugated these khanates.

We come to 1917 and the Russian Revolution.

Bukhara and the Current Fusion of Islam and Soviet Heritage

Based on the newly emerging Uzbek ethnicity, the former khanates adjusted to the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic whose flag the vendor was showing us.

And that the Bolsheviks and their Soviet successors flooded with Marxism-communism, atheism and so many other dogmas and cultural and political elements incompatible with Islam.

Woman walks past the Ark fortress in Bukhara.

Woman walks past the Ark fortress in Bukhara.

We went around the ancient Ark, a strength completed in the 5th century AD, used as a royal subdomain of Bukhara by the various monarchs who controlled the region, until its incorporation into Russia and the USSR

In this circle, four men carry furniture on the roof of a Lada Vaz-2101.

On a real motorized box, just one of thousands of examples that prove how much – thirty-three years after the breakup of the USSR and the Independence of Uzbekistan – Soviet mechanics and heritage persist in Bukhara.

Men from Bukhara just after loading furniture onto an old Lada.

Men from Bukhara just after loading furniture onto an old Lada.

A second relic seller places a peaked hat belonging to some Red Army officer stationed there.

To retain us, he emulates a military speech in Russian.

Soviet relics seller in a military hat

Soviet relics seller in a military hat

As we walk under a large archway in the Registan, close to the Kalyan minaret, a muezzin echoes a new call to prayer.

How to go

Book your program in Uzbekistan with Travel Quadrant: quadranteviagens.pt

Chã das Caldeiras, Fogo Island Cape Verde

A "French" Clan at the Mercy of Fire

In 1870, a Count born in Grenoble on his way to Brazilian exile, made a stopover in Cape Verde where native beauties tied him to the island of Fogo. Two of his children settled in the middle of the volcano's crater and continued to raise offspring there. Not even the destruction caused by the recent eruptions deters the prolific Montrond from the “county” they founded in Chã das Caldeiras.    
Passo do Lontra, Miranda, Brazil

The Flooded Brazil of Passo do Lontra

We are on the western edge of Mato Grosso do Sul but bush, on these sides, is something else. In an extension of almost 200.000 km2, the Brazil it appears partially submerged, by rivers, streams, lakes and other waters dispersed in vast alluvial plains. Not even the panting heat of the dry season drains the life and biodiversity of Pantanal places and farms like the one that welcomed us on the banks of the Miranda River.
Castro Laboreiro, Portugal  

From Castro de Laboreiro to Raia da Serra Peneda - Gerês

We arrived at (i) the eminence of Galicia, at an altitude of 1000m and even more. Castro Laboreiro and the surrounding villages stand out against the granite monumentality of the mountains and the Planalto da Peneda and Laboreiro. As do its resilient people who, sometimes handed over to Brandas and sometimes to Inverneiras, still call these stunning places home.
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Great Zimbabwe, Endless Mystery

Between the 1500th and XNUMXth centuries, Bantu peoples built what became the largest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. From XNUMX onwards, with the passage of the first Portuguese explorers arriving from Mozambique, the city was already in decline. Its ruins, which inspired the name of the present-day Zimbabwean nation, have many unanswered questions.  
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The Holy, Yellow and Beautiful Mexican City

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Cape Coast, Ghana

The Divine Purification Festival

The story goes that, once, a plague devastated the population of Cape Coast of today Ghana. Only the prayers of the survivors and the cleansing of evil carried out by the gods will have put an end to the scourge. Since then, the natives have returned the blessing of the 77 deities of the traditional Oguaa region with the frenzied Fetu Afahye festival.
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The Namibian Guts of Africa

When nothing makes you foreseeable, a vast river ravine burrows the southern end of the Namíbia. At 160km long, 27km wide and, at intervals, 550 meters deep, the Fish River Canyon is the Grand Canyon of Africa. And one of the biggest canyons on the face of the Earth.
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

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Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
Uzbekistan

Journey through the Uzbekistan Pseudo-Roads

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Table Mountain, South Africa

At the Adamastor Monster Table

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Florida Keys, USA

The Caribbean Stepping Stone of the USA

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Dali, China

The Surrealist China of Dali

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Bhaktapur, Nepal

The Nepalese Masks of Life

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Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
Easter Island, Chile

The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

Until the XNUMXth century, the natives of Easter Island they carved and worshiped great stone gods. All of a sudden, they started to drop their moai. The veneration of tanatu manu, a half-human, half-sacred leader, decreed after a dramatic competition for an egg.
Ketchikan, Alaska

Here begins Alaska

The reality goes unnoticed in most of the world, but there are two Alaskas. In urban terms, the state is inaugurated in the south of its hidden frying pan handle, a strip of land separated from the contiguous USA along the west coast of Canada. Ketchikan, is the southernmost of Alaskan cities, its Rain Capital and the Salmon Capital of the World.
Reunion Island

The Bathing Melodrama of Reunion

Not all tropical coastlines are pleasurable and refreshing retreats. Beaten by violent surf, undermined by treacherous currents and, worse, the scene of the most frequent shark attacks on the face of the Earth, that of the Reunion Island he fails to grant his bathers the peace and delight they crave from him.
El Tatio, Chile

El Tatio Geysers - Between the Ice and the Heat of the Atacama

Surrounded by supreme volcanoes, the geothermal field of El Tatio, in the Atacama Desert it appears as a Dantesque mirage of sulfur and steam at an icy 4200 m altitude. Its geysers and fumaroles attract hordes of travelers.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
hippopotami, chobe national park, botswana
safari
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
Braga or Braka or Brakra in Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
A Lost and Found City
Architecture & Design
Machu Picchu, Peru

The City Lost in the Mystery of the Incas

As we wander around Machu Picchu, we find meaning in the most accepted explanations for its foundation and abandonment. But whenever the complex is closed, the ruins are left to their enigmas.
Salto Angel, Rio that falls from the sky, Angel Falls, PN Canaima, Venezuela
Aventura
PN Canaima, Venezuela

Kerepakupai, Salto Angel: The River that Falls from Heaven

In 1937, Jimmy Angel landed a light aircraft on a plateau lost in the Venezuelan jungle. The American adventurer did not find gold but he conquered the baptism of the longest waterfall on the face of the Earth
Newar celebration, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Ceremonies and Festivities
Bhaktapur, Nepal

The Nepalese Masks of Life

The Newar Indigenous People of the Kathmandu Valley attach great importance to the Hindu and Buddhist religiosity that unites them with each other and with the Earth. Accordingly, he blesses their rites of passage with newar dances of men masked as deities. Even if repeated long ago from birth to reincarnation, these ancestral dances do not elude modernity and begin to see an end.
Residents of Iloilo in front of one of its many churches
Cities
Iloilo, Philippines

The Most Loyal and Noble City of the Philippines

In 1566, the Spanish founded Iloilo in the south of the island of Panay and, until the XNUMXth century, it was the capital of the vast Spanish East Indies. Although it has been Philippine for almost one hundred and thirty years, Iloilo remains one of the most Hispanic cities in Asia.
Lunch time
Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
Djerbahood, Erriadh, Djerba, Mirror
Culture
Erriadh, Djerba, Tunisia

A Village Made Fleeting Art Gallery

In 2014, an ancient Djerbian settlement hosted 250 murals by 150 artists from 34 countries. The lime walls, the intense sun and the sand-laden winds of the Sahara erode the works of art. Erriadh's metamorphosis into Djerbahood is renewed and continues to dazzle.
Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Traveling
Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar

The Malagasy Way to Dazzle

Out of nowhere, a colony of baobab trees 30 meters high and 800 years old flanks a section of the clayey and ocher road parallel to the Mozambique Channel and the fishing coast of Morondava. The natives consider these colossal trees the mothers of their forest. Travelers venerate them as a kind of initiatory corridor.
Skyway crosses Jamison Valley
Ethnic
Katoomba, Australia

The Blue Mountains Three Sisters

Located west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains form one of the most sought-after evasion realms both by the. ozzies and foreigners. They are attracted by the natural beauty seen from Katoomba, the sharp cliffs of the Three Sisters and the waterfalls that cascade over the Jamison Valley. In the shadow of this tourist frenzy, the usual marginalization of local aboriginal origins and culture persists.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

History
napier, New Zealand

Back to the 30s – Old-Fashioned Car Tour

In a city rebuilt in Art Deco and with an atmosphere of the "crazy years" and beyond, the adequate means of transportation are the elegant classic automobiles of that era. In Napier, they are everywhere.
Buffaloes, Marajo Island, Brazil, Soure police buffaloes
Islands
Marajó Island, Brazil

The Buffalo Island

A vessel that transported buffaloes from the India it will have sunk at the mouth of the Amazon River. Today, the island of Marajó that hosted them has one of the largest herds in the world and Brazil is no longer without these bovine animals.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Winter White
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
On the Crime and Punishment trail, St. Petersburg, Russia, Vladimirskaya
Literature
Saint Petersburg, Russia

On the Trail of "Crime and Punishment"

In St. Petersburg, we cannot resist investigating the inspiration for the base characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's most famous novel: his own pities and the miseries of certain fellow citizens.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Nature
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Principe Island, São Tomé and Principe
Natural Parks
Príncipe, São Tomé and Principe

Journey to the Noble Retreat of Príncipe Island

150 km of solitude north of the matriarch São Tomé, the island of Príncipe rises from the deep Atlantic against an abrupt and volcanic mountain-covered jungle setting. Long enclosed in its sweeping tropical nature and a contained but moving Luso-colonial past, this small African island still houses more stories to tell than visitors to listen to.
Mural displays Jazz musicians above a New Orleans parking lot.
UNESCO World Heritage
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

To the Rhythm of Orleanian Music

New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and jazz sounds and resonates in its streets. As expected, in such a creative city, jazz set the tone for new styles and irreverent acts. When visiting the Big Easy, we have the privilege of enjoying a little of everything.
Characters
Look-alikes, Actors and Extras

Make-believe stars

They are the protagonists of events or are street entrepreneurs. They embody unavoidable characters, represent social classes or epochs. Even miles from Hollywood, without them, the world would be more dull.
Bather, The Baths, Devil's Bay (The Baths) National Park, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Beaches
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Virgin Gorda's Divine “Caribbaths”

Discovering the Virgin Islands, we disembark on a tropical and seductive seaside dotted with huge granite boulders. The Baths seem straight out of the Seychelles but they are one of the most exuberant marine scenery in the Caribbean.
Christmas scene, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Religion
Shillong, India

A Christmas Selfiestan at an India Christian Stronghold

December arrives. With a largely Christian population, the state of Meghalaya synchronizes its Nativity with that of the West and clashes with the overcrowded Hindu and Muslim subcontinent. Shillong, the capital, shines with faith, happiness, jingle bells and bright lighting. To dazzle Indian holidaymakers from other parts and creeds.
Serra do Mar train, Paraná, airy view
On Rails
Curitiba a Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Down Paraná, on Board the Train Serra do Mar

For more than two centuries, only a winding and narrow road connected Curitiba to the coast. Until, in 1885, a French company opened a 110 km railway. We walked along it to Morretes, the final station for passengers today. 40km from the original coastal terminus of Paranaguá.
Ditching, Alaska Fashion Life, Talkeetna
Society
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Coin return
Daily life
Dawki, India

Dawki, Dawki, Bangladesh on sight

We descended from the high and mountainous lands of Meghalaya to the flats to the south and below. There, the translucent and green stream of the Dawki forms the border between India and Bangladesh. In a damp heat that we haven't felt for a long time, the river also attracts hundreds of Indians and Bangladeshis in a picturesque escape.
Fishing, Cano Negro, Costa Rica
Wildlife
Caño Negro, Costa Rica

A Life of Angling among the Wildlife

One of the most important wetlands in Costa Rica and the world, Caño Negro dazzles for its exuberant ecosystem. Not only. Remote, isolated by rivers, swamps and poor roads, its inhabitants have found in fishing a means on board to strengthen the bonds of their community.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.