Rwanda
Just a few pics from a visit to the Presidential Palace 20 years and 1 month to the day after he was killed. His plane was shot down and, by total randomness, actually crashed into his own yard and his body was found by his python pit. That sparked the genocide in which 800,000 people were slaughtered in 100 days. Its a beautiful country side and known as ‘the land of 1000 hills’.
I wasn’t in the mood to photograph much and decided against pics of Murambi – the school building where 50,000 people were killed and the French soldiers set up a volleyball court on a grave of 8500 people to show there was nothing going on (President Mitterand of France essentially funded, trained, supplied the genocide, limited the UN from doing anything, and gave refuge to the people who carried out the genocide – he should be remembered as a war criminal and a disgusting human being). They have bodies hacked to bits (including babies) preserved with lime for viewing to really hammer the point home.
OK I’ve just deleted another paragraph – its too much to write for fb – the takeaway is that this wasn’t simply ‘some africans behaving like savages’ – this was a French funded atrocity in which the head of the UN was mates with the dictator who was killed hence why the UN wasn’t in a hurry to help the Tutsi getting slaughtered. The french were landing weaponry in Congo to supply the genociders while at the same time telling the UN there shouldn’t be any intervention.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet the General of the UN forces at the time and wish I had this amount of background knowledge before doing so. He was a hero being used as a pawn and he isn’t shy about telling it like it is.
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Mozambique
This was one heck of a road trip – 500km then 700km out with no map or gps. I was too scared to carry a camera walking around or take pics of people. It wasn’t as bad as I thought and some fascinating history and architecture there.
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Kenya - Maasai Mara
An exciting weekend adventure which involved flying to the Mara in a puddle jumper plane and visiting a village.
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Congo Republic
I bought a book on Amazon called ‘The Gentlemen of Bakongo’ which was about guys in Congo Brazzaville who dressed like dandys. Basically after WW2 a number of guys came back to Congo with the latest French fashion. The trend to dress this way became ‘Sape’ meaning Society for Elegent Men.
I wanted to track these guys down myself. The suburb Bacongo had some civil unrest a few weeks before I went and 30 people were killed. Then I found out that the weekend is the best time to find them and I was there on a Thursday. Luckily.. I met Onella at a UN conference and she knew a guy who knew a guy who was one. So.. they came over the my hotel for a chat. I said I wanted to photograph them the next morning before I flew out. I said OK lets do 9am and finish at 10 then I can go to the airpot for a noon flight. Of course they turned up at 10am so it was an insane morning of rushing to check in then driving around Brazaville for some cool backgrounds.
These guys were really cool to put on a show at short notice. I am putting together a care package for them. If anyone has designer gear they don’t use anymore let me know. I’m sending ties and pocket squares. I donated my suit to them when I was there already.
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Vietnam
Didn’t take a lot of pics but had a great time. Lots of museums and friendly people.
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Myanmar
The wonder that is. Great time to be there, late 2011. Just before Hillary Clinton. People started putting up posters of Aung San Suu Kyi as they figured it wouldn’t be a bloodbath before such a visit. NY times took 2 weeks to report this. I’ve done Bagan, Inle Lake, Napali beach, Golden Rock then some extra Bagan photos at end. Golden Rock was spectacular hence the number of pics. As a place to visit I loved that flights were all 7am so everyday got a flight, spent day and night then on to next place. Saw all this in 5 days.
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Laos
This place was great. Luang Prubang – quietest Asian ‘city’ I’ve been. Unrivaled sunsets on the river. Vientienne has the ‘Bhudda Park’ which is totally bizarre.
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Cambodia
Interesting visit, some tragic history, however – how can one not love dawn and sunset at Ankor Wat. That said Bodhi temple by far my favorite with the faces in stone. Early days of photography.
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India - Varanasi
An overcast day on one of the most sacred and spectacular waterfronts in the world.
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Sri Lanka
Fabulous place to visit. Ancient cities, tea, temples and everyone waves back when you wave to them.
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