Category: Photo

How do you approach a stranger on the streets? How do you ask to take a photograph without speaking the language? What seem to be barriers at first make it easier in the end. You just ask. Its easier to speak a few words, but it works just as well without. You show the camera. They gesture to go ahead. There’s only a single exposure. Nobody can see it, because its an analog camera and there’s nothing to talk about, since we don’t share a common language. A handshake. No words needed.

Можно (мozhno) is russian for “may I?”

The transsiberian railway follows the lakeshore of Baikal in the south, but to get to the Island of Olkhon, you need to get into a car, and drive for a few hours until the paved road ends, then cross over with a ferry. You’ll find yourself in a wild place, where a lack of infrastructure is meeting ever increasing numbers of tourists. And with the right guide, you’ll get an introduction to shamanism and how to behave in place where going to the wrong place might anger the spirits.

A five hour train ride is kind of long and not exactly a lot of fun. But what about one that last 50? It’s over faster than you would imagine and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Living on a train for multiple days, meeting people and leaving the dining cart asking “Same time tomorrow?” Is unlike any other kind of travel. It never gets boring. And suddenly, a 30 minute stop in a town you’ve never heard of is a highlight in your day. With a little luck you might even score some smoked fish and a beer. That july, we spent 10 nights in trains.

The longest train-ride in the world. The most unique “tv-program” you’ll ever watch. Little villages. Endless taiga. Cities you have never heard of. Sunshine, rain, and sunsets that will blow your mind. You’re off the grid, only online while going through a town. Your phantasy will have to answer most of your questions. What about this enormous array of sattelite dishes? Is that a prison camp? Will I see a bear if I just keep staring at the forrest for another hour?

The transsiberian railway starts in Moscow. Capital of russia and one of the biggest Cities in the world. A bustling metropolis. As you go further east cities get smaller. The skyscrapers disappear and after a while the historical buildings become fewer, the brutalist blocks more. And all the way from west to east, there’s millions of people, living millions of lives.