A week in Cuba

Cuba is the emblem of the struggle between cultural identity and personal freedom. Can individual choice be submitted to restrictions to preserve national identity and local culture? Should multiculturalism be restricted to a defilé of tourists to allow money to pour down the veins of a country dependent on its own stereotype?

Some of these pictures have been taken by Laurette. Credits below

Murals in La Habana - by Laurette

By this river

Taken during the Carnival Regata in the Rio Caguan, Putumayo (Colombia).

Weirdities - Moment of bliss

Taken in San Augustin, Huila, Colombia.

A day in paradise - Lake Van, Turkey

Notwithstanding having risked to be jailed for smuggling on my way from Iran to Turkey, I finally reached Van. I managed to reach it safe and free, I mean.

Cigarettes smuggling in Anatolia

The plan was simple and cost-effective. I was supposed to buy the ticket for a daily bus line connecting Urumié (Iran), with Van (Turkey).

Iranian Sanda and Wushu League

While in Tehran, I went with Reza to attend the Sanda and Wushu League. Reza is a retired Sanda fighter, now playing as referee and member of the Jurì during official competitions. He invited me to join him in the Sanda and Wushu League, which is played every Sunday. I was introduced as Special Italian Guest - Reza loves to create brand new gloriously fake identities for me according to the situation - and I gained to move freely around the pitches to take pictures, and three kisses on the cheeks plus a sudden kiss on the lips as special bonus for special guests.

Kyrgyz odisseys - On the road... again!?

I just came back from Chong-Kemin. On the way to the town our driver stubbornly refused to hear our suggestion on the itinerary, just to get lost in the middle of nowhere.

When we finally got to convince him that we were very close to leaving the country rather than reaching the Community Based Tourism we were looking for, he noticed we were running out of
fuel. We had to drive 25 minutes back to find a petrol pump.

It took us 5 hours to settle in our Yurta, that was 150 km far away from Bishkek.