One night the pool area at my camp got bright lit by a film crew. When i arrived, a girl was dancing in front of camera team with loud music in background. Filming for a music video, a nice guy explained me. But there was not only music and dancing but also filming for some funny comedy movie. A big mama and a gentleman were acting around the place and making lots of fun. Later on i heard i stumbled into quite famous stars here.
Many young women are keen of getting nice pictures of themselves. And photo shootings are always fun anyway. So was it with Linda too, as we met for a coffee at South Beach. A hazy day at beach but just right for a few shots.
A crowded ferry sets hundreds of people over to the southern beaches of Daressalam. At Kigamboni i found a little paradise to camp and got stocked for more than two weeks. Every morning i watched early sun pushing trough the clouds and chased them away, made my coffee with the friendly words of the staff, did some laundry or small repairs before taking my book to the hammock at the beach.
There’s always been people to talk with too. As i met energetic Radhia, who told me about life here and all the many ideas and projects she has in life. Or two young volunteers just finished their time on a project in Rwanda and were on search for a perfect beach before heading back to Europe. I offered to drive south to more remote and unspoiled beaches …and we found was we were looking for: A lonely, white sanded beach with crystal clear water.
„Please take a photo of me“ she asked me, showing her cellphone towards me. I was chilling and reading under the shade of the beach bar. „It’s not gonna work with your cellphone cam“, i explained her, „it can’t handle the bright backlight and you would appear only pitch black on the pic.“ „Try it anyway“ she insisted. I took a pic for her, but showed her my Nikon and offered her a short, spontaneous photo shooting. She got so excited and started to pose like a pro, but see yourself:
Being a tour guide for my parents was a completely new thing. It brought me a whole bunch of experiences and challenges too. At the start i did a selfie with my crappy cellphone at train station for remembering reason and posted it on Instagram. I repeated it at airport. Somehow i liked it and went on picturing my parents in this selfie style throughout our trip in Namibia. It became a collection of selfies of our journey.
Dusty road under our feet leads us up to Livingstonia, a missionary station. Despite the remote place, that town is grown to a remarkable size. People greeting us along the streets, shop owner ask for our needs and a friendly man shows us the church. Not far from the church is the university. It’s holiday time and looks almost bit ghostly with its deserted halls and shattered glass windows. A young sit alone in a classroom, learning for exams, he explains. Back on the main street, children waving us, playing in the dust. Adults are sitting in front of shops, playing with marbles, working on houses or doing their laundry in nearby river. We’re stunned about the weights the people use to carry on their heads, or the work they do by making bricks. Time passing by so quick by observing the daily life here.
Eine staubige Strasse unter unseren Füssen führt uns hoch nach Livingstonia, ein alter Missionsort. Diese abgelegener Ort entwickelte sich zu einer erstaunlich grossen Stadt. Ein Museum, das Krankenhaus und die grosse Kirche zeugen noch stark von der Vergangenheit als Missionsstation. Daneben gibt’s hier aber nun auch eine technische Hochschule und eine Universität. Die hallen und Klassenräume sind leer und wirken durch offene Türen und eingeschlagenen Scheiben verlassen. Es sind Schulferien, wird uns erklärt. In einem der Räume treffen wir einen Studenten an, der hier in der Ruhe für ein Examen lernt. Mehr Leben finden wir zurück auf der Strasse, wo Kinder spielen oder Erwachsene ihrer Arbeit nachgehen. Wir werden freundlich gegrüsst. Hie und da wird uns erklärt woher der Mais kommt, wie die Ladenbesitzer zu ihren Güter kommen oder wie die Lehmziegel gemacht werden. Ein historischer Ort, in dem das heutige Leben so nah zu beobachten ist.
Lake Malawi. There’s hardly a better place for a first stop in Africa, I was thinking, and brought my travelmate from international airport direct to the shore of this huge lake. For the next days we enjoyed the sound of waves on the beaches, the mild winter sun of Africa and the hospitality of local people. We travelled slowly along the coast, passed small towns, visited different beaches. Fishermen showed how they repair their nets, food sellers offered strange meals, monkeys watching out for food. Along the road are rubber plantations, truck accidents and boys leading cattle to grassy places. Found a spot to stay overnight, we looked out to the lake, seen the phenomena of thousands of insects gathering over the lake what looks like big smoke, before sunset painted wonderful colours on the sky. It’s Africa at its fullest.
Der Malawi See. Es gibt wohl kaum einen besseren Ort, um gemütlich in Afrika anzukommen. Ich holte meine Reisefreundin vom Flughafen ab und brachte sie direkt zum Strand. In den nächsten Tagen horchten wir dem Flüstern der Wellen, sonnten in der milden Wintersonne Afrikas und genossen die Gastfreundschaft der Bevölkerung. Dann reisten wir langsam dem See entlang, kamen an kleinen, quirligen Orten vorbei und besuchten verschiedene Strände. Fischer zeigten uns wie sie ihre Netze reparieren, Marktleute offerierten uns seltsame Snacks und Affen hielten für Fressen Ausschau. Entlang der Strassen waren Kautschuk-Plantagen, Lastwagenunfälle und Junge, die Kühe auf grünere Wiesen brachten. Zum Übernachten fanden wir Plätze mit Sicht auf den See, beobachteten Insektenschwärme, die sich wie riesige Rauchschwaden über der Wasseroberfläche sammelten, bevor der Sonnenuntergang seine herrlichen Farbe an den Himmel malte. Afrika zeigt uns all seine Seiten.
A fully day drove me guide Ritesh around and showed me the south of Maritius as its best. From the big temple area to wild forest, from gorges and waterfalls to beaches. With stops at rum distillery, a colorful place called „7 colored earth“ and to visit huge turtles, discover coffee beans at bushes, walking over natural bridge or seeing pyramids in sugarcane fields.
Einen vollen Tag fuhr mich mein Hotelbesitzer und Reiseführer Ritesh im Süden Mauritius herum. Angefangen bei der grossen Tempelanlage um einen See, durch urtümlichen Wald hin zu Wasserfällen, Schluchten bis zu den Stränden. Einige Stops an einer Rumfabrik, an einen Ort den sie „siebenfarbige Erde“ nennen, Besuch bei den riesigen Landschildkröten, entdecken von Kaffeebüsche mit Bohnen dran, über eine Naturbrücke am Meer gehen und Pyramiden in den Zuckerrohrfelder bestaunen.
rene bauer photography 