Faces of Mexico (Michoacán)
The Pirogue
2009-09-12
Eight strangers, six days on a small pirogue in the Niger river. Downstream from Segou to Lac Debo in the Niger Delta. How that came to be cannot be explained in three sentences. About two weeks ago, I was at a restaurant with my boss Eva and her family. Her friend Werner and his … Continue Reading ››How to Take a Train in Russia
I was talking to my dance teacher the other day about the cost of travelling in Central Asia, and mentioned that trains are usually used by the locals instead of airplanes. It takes longer to travel by train, but it's more comfortable and cheaper, and you feel less like a tourist. On the other hand, … Continue Reading ››
As someone’s dream floats by…
2012-01-20
Varanasi... I will return to these stairs one day, where the burning souls rise to the heavens. The bodies are washed in the Ganges, then wrapped in white sheets and set on fire. As the flames eat their way from the legs to the head, a big cloud of smoke emerges. The bystanders observe … Continue Reading ››White Nights
2011-06-23
I knew almost nothing about Estonia before I went to Tallinn. I wasn't sure if it was part of the Soviet Union. It was. I didn't know Medieval Europe stretched out that far to the east. It did. I didn't think the Estonian language sounded like Finnish. It does. I was in Tallinn for a conference. I … Continue Reading ››
Stalin’s Scary Seven Sisters
2011-07-01
Stalin's Seven Sisters are intimidating wedding cakes. Stalin's Seven Sisters are not tall, fat ladies with moustaches that can crack a watermelon in their armpit. They are buildings. Tall, intimidating buildings that look like wedding cakes, scattered all around Moscow. I stand at the foot of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is a … Continue Reading ››The other city that never sleeps
2011-05-20
It's about three in the morning and yet again the car alarm has been set off. It is a serenade of alternating police and emergency sirens and rhythmic honking. It is the fourth time since I went to bed a few hours ago. A couple of minutes later, the neighbor shows mercy by … Continue Reading ››Opiums of the People
2011-04-23
Whatever happened to traditional values? Are we too rich to have faith in God? Has religion become a source of shame? But why? I was having a coffee with an Algerian colleague of mine the other day. We were discussing the conservative lifestyle in the Arab world and the pressure imposed by society to … Continue Reading ››Pardon, I’m French
2011-01-08
I've been living in France for two years now. Seduced by the cultural diversity, the French accent and the savoir vivre, I fell to the charm of Paris. It is one of the few cities I know, where you can find people from all over the world. Africans, Asians, Arabs and Americans. You hear … Continue Reading ››New York, New York
2010-08-14
The toilet water flooded the bathroom, the hotel room and the hall. That is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of New York. But I'll try my best not to be so negative when I tell you about the Big Apple. I didn't exactly fall in love with … Continue Reading ››