Tajik looks

 

 

A glimpse of Tajikistan - Iskandarkol

More coming soon...

A glimpse of Florence

More to come...

Streets of... New York

Brooklyn bridge as seen from Manhattan, New York, US

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

Kyrgyzstan dreaming

A boy and yurt close to the Chuy river, Kyrgyzstan

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).

Gorée Island, Dakar, Senegal (part 2)

Second part of the Gorée Island series.

Enjoy

The dock

Gorée Island, Dakar, Senegal (part 1)

Goreé Island, with its tragic history and memories that justify it being a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978, is probably the country's favorite and most famous tourist attraction.

One of the most frequently visited sites is the Maison des Esclaves (Slave House), a poignant reminder of Goreé's role as the center of West African slave trade.

Built by the Dutch in 1776, the slave house has been preserved in its original state. Other points of interest include the Church, the picturesque ruins of Fort Nassau, Saint Michel (the Castle) and the Historical Museum in the old Fort Estrees. All the latter being historically noteworthy but aesthetically irrelevant, no picture of them is presented in this post.
For your information, the small swimming beach near the ferry slip has unfortunately been chosen by cats and dogs as sand pit, just in case you were thinking about laying on the beach rather than visiting the village...

Cabo de la vela, Colombia

One hour flight from Bogotà to Medellin.

Eight hours bus from Medellin to Cartagena.

Seven hours bus from Cartagena to Riohacha.

Three hours "colectivo" from Riohacha to Uribia.

Six hours from Uribia through the desert in a pick-up trunk with other 12 people, in dust, sand and rain.

To la Guajira.

To Cabo de la vela.

Streets of... Valle de Leyva, Colombia

Villa de Leyva is one of the finest colonial villages of Colombia, located in a high altitude valley at 2,144 m altitude in the Boyacá Department.

It was declared a National Monument in December 17, 1954 to preserve its architecture, but the valley itself is worth such honor.

Istanbul, a love-hate relationship (part 1)

First of all, allow me to state I am desperately in love with Turkey, and Istanbul in particular.

However, apart from being among the most magnificent and fascinating places I toured on my way back from Central Asia, Istanbul is also the place where I learned one of the toughest lessons of my life.

Streets of... Bogota: La Candelaria

I arrived in Colombia on Friday 11th, to volunteer with a friend of mine's NGO, to practice Spanish, to attend a Summer Course on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and to experience some work period in South America. Gerardo from RGOS was waiting for me at the airport, and he took me to my temporary place in Bogota. This temporary accommodation is a hostel in downtown Bogota, a nice and informal series of flats in a unique compound with all apartments looking to the inner court. Nothing gives you an idea of how europecentric we are, until you realize that the center is not always the best place in town to stay.

La Candelaria is the equivalent to the Old City. The architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings has Spanish Colonial and Baroque styles. It houses several universities, libraries and museums. Unfortunately, is not suggested to wander around after sunset, because of the high rate of micro-criminality.

Apart from that, it's a pleasure to get lost in its streets, and to enjoy early Sunday morning atmosphere.

Weirdities - Bogota

Top 5 weirdities in Bogota:
1) A truck playing "La Lambada" when driving in reverse (a "beep" wasn't enough);
2) A street seller of "steamed dogs" (perros al vapor);
3) The saddest McDonald ever (really, you can only understand power of design when it's missing);
4) The shortest Presidencial Guards ever;
5) The most confusionary museum ever (Botero Museum);

More will follow for sure...

New horizons

I am two days far from leaving Italy to Colombia, where I will spend around three month. I have no specific plan, or maybe it's better to say I have too many.

Hopefully, I will have time to close the "Trip back home" series of photos (Istanbul is still to be uploaded) and to work out some unedited taken in Kyrgyzstan, and the new Colombian series.

More news coming soon...

Hopefully.

The town of fairies: Göreme

I always heard lots of stories about the beauty of Cappadocia. Apparently, this part of Turkey is able to inspire visitors a mystic feeling of worship, stupor and respect. Its bewitching landscape of spectacularly eroded tuff fields, extinct volcanoes, and capped-cones (called "fairy chimneys") made this region in Central Anatolia famous worldwide.

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).