Iskandarkol - Tajikistan

 

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

A smile from Duekué, Ivory Coast

These days I have a terrific need for a bright, pure smile.

Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia (Part 2)

Continues from here.

Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia (Part 1)

It took me at least 20 hours (maybe a bit more) to get from Cabo de la vela to Santa Cruz de Mompox, in the Bolivar Department of Colombia.

To arrive in this little colonial-style village - declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1995 - at the junction between Magdalena and Cauca rivers I had to travel two days no-stop, to change 7 times of vehicle, and to use 4 different means of transport (colectivo, taxi, motocycle and raft).

Turning points, crossroads and checkpoints

Rarely things go as they should, but sometimes it happens just like that.

It could occur to you to be - at a certain point of your life - in a nice city, waiting to start a new job in an exotic country, and enjoying a high-level training. In that moment, you'll probably realize how much your new employer is investing in you, and feel an uncanny mix of satisfaction and anxiety.

In that glorious moment between bingo-winner elation and overexpectation awe, you have the warm and comforting feeling that in this world there's a place for you. You realize, you can actually start focusing on your present, and loosen up your frantic planning.

Maybe for the first time since years, this world looks like a pleasant place to enjoy life.