Since a few weeks I am in Afghanistan now, so from my place I am having a view of the Hindukush. No snow yet on the distant peaks but during the nights the weather is quite pleasant already. It will take a while for the first snow to fall but it will surely come. I travelled to Herat already, by plane, a two hour flight on a twin-engine Beechcraft but the views were great. The landscape, how could it otherwise be is mostly parched and brown mountains, but hidden in the valleys are the gems, the green emeralds of vegetation, at least were there is some water. Some valleys look like a chain of green emeralds from the air. I wonder how it must be down there in the valleys, but the chance to get there is really slim due to the security situation on the ground. Even Kabul is not really safe these days, it was quite different when I was here 31 years ago. Even then there was a war going on here, but it was a different kind of war, not like it is now. At least during those days one could move around Kabul during daylight hours in most parts of the city, now impossible and only in armored cars now. Going to Kharga lake possible then on Fridays, now unthinkable. The election recount is in full swing, we'll see what the outcome will be. Herat was an oasis in a dessert which it owes to the Hari river that flows through it. Otherwise the same security concerns as elsewhere.  Not many photos as the opportunities have not yet presented itself but I hope they will come. More later when there is more interesting news from here, bye for now.

" Downtown Herat Market place"

"Kandahar Blue" is the favourite colour for the Burqa

from one end of the horizon to the other. Summer is in full swing, with hot and humid days. After a break of a few months, the political situation in the country has also heated up again. In the last week alone three suicide bombings, on the highway from Beirut to Damascus, just before descending into the Bekaa Valley at a checkpoint, outside a restaurant and checkpoint in southern Beirut and the last one in a hotel room in a posh part of the city during a security raid. Whatever or who ever it was, it was just again another useless endeavor to ignite the country, fan the flames and start a firestorm like in the neighboring countries to the east.

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One is watching with great concern the developments in the eastern deserts, far away but yet so close as it's perpetrators are already amongst the population here. The political pundits are in full gear, predicting this and that, blaming right, left, up and down for what is happening, but who knows it might be all in vain. The blame is to be on each individual, because we do not think for ourselves and willingly are influenced by all the demagogues around who are looking only after themselves. The blame is on each individual as we as humans participate ans subscribe to whatever stupid ideas, instead of using the brain we have been given to analyze and then reject these ideas, being able to steep back from the abyss.

The so much hoped for tourists from the Gulf for this summer, have they been replaced by terrorists from the Gulf, as the last bombing in the hotel involved two Saudis. The tourists, if they had planned to come this summer anyway, now again have been told to avoid the country or if already here, to get out as fast as they can. Certainly the hotel incident accelerated this. It is like a plague, returning and returning again, and one is asking where and what is the cure. Otherwise, crisis after crisis, political, electrical, water, refugees, economical, a constant cycle turning ever faster. Which one will spin our of control first is to be seen. The only constant is the endless blue sky, only occasionally broken by some puffy white clouds.

The Fuji x100s has proven to be a good and reliable camera to work with on the street. Images are sharp and crispy, I love the colours it renders. It does give me the feeling of my good old Leica M's of yesteryear. Often I think to reactivate them again, go back to also 'do film', scan and use the digital darkroom. What is missing is the time to do all of this besides my day job. Motives would be endless in the country, especially for the kind of documentary photography I like. I'll get there eventually :-)

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Not yet decided when to finally go on summer vacation. Also it is nice to be out of the office, it is a punishment to come back and look at all the 'stuff' from the weeks on vacation. Thinking of visiting Cyprus again, but it will have to wait until summer ends. Now the high tourist season is ringing in hordes of Europeans descending on the island, nothing what I desire to be part of. I shall wait until all those have departed (“The Departed”) and quieter and also cooler days have taken hold again. In September or october it will be nice to visit the mountains of Trodos and hopefully be able to recharge the batteries in the wonderful “Bellpais' gardens near Kyrenia. Until then there is still time, lot's of more blue sky and potentially dark clouds developing. A hot wind is coming out of the eastern deserts, but hopefully it won't be a storm and early rain will stop the heat and dust. Bye for now.

PS: World cup fever has taken hold of the country, with Brazil being the favorite, closely followed by Germany, Spain and Italy, with the last two, having dropped out, flags disappearing. Never have seen so many German flags in Germany!  

in Lebanon, the weather is getting hot now. The last two months have been busy, I was sick and on leave, so much of whatever is called spring bypassed me. I spend a week in the camp as Duty Officer, maybe that what make me sick.

I went to Germany and used the occasion to purchase, yes, another camera. This time, after reading a lot about it, the Fuji X100s was the target, in black, like my old film Leica's which I miss using. I tried to use the M6 with Film and it works like a charm, but the difficulty starts with buying film these days. I managed to get a couple of rolls of Fuji film but then the next problem is to get it processed and printed and, oh well, scanned. My scanners have given up service in the meantime and I can't really think of buying a new one. So, the x100s it was , with the 34mm F2 lens, which was what I used most on my Leica, the 35 and the 50mm. What can I say about it? It looks good, is cute and certainly reminds me of the Leica's a lot, but I have to get used to it, which I eventually will over time. Will it make me give up my other interchangeable lens cameras like the OMD and K5? No it won't since I still like Wildlife photography, even if I have not engaged in it for some time now. The 'Wildlife' in Lebanon is of a different nature, you might have your own impression and thoughts about it. No, it is nothing of the way I found in Africa or even in Pakistan.

"The old guard and the new kid"

"Wildlife Photos"

Germany was dedicated to attending to house and garden and a few visits of friends and family which are also always nice. The sickness caught me off balance, needing me to go to the hospital for a few days, but they fixed me up well. I actually like the hospital, not only did they fixed me, but the view and the food was good too. The food was certainly better then the one served in our mess-hall. Another thing I like was that they had a rocking-chair in the room, so while resting I could gently sway and look at the Beirut port and watch the ships sailing in and out. Truly watching from the shade my friends.!!

Lebanon is trying to elect a president, but no luck yet. Fighting has been raging in the east of the country, in the Bekkaa valley close to the border with Syria, hopefully it is not coming closer. The folks from the south are active as well, lot's of overflight by Jets, and the ain't from the Lebanese Air Force.

"The last frost in Germany, frozen Tulip"

"Spring in Germany - early morning light"

I am trying to organize and archive all my photos, something I admit I am not very good at, but which I will have to master if not to loose total control. I like more to plan my next photography adventures, i.e. travels, then sorting and viewing the results. As mentioned before, I am contemplating of going, eventually to Japan. I have too, since it is my desire to do so for a long time. When and how, is what I am working on now. Ten years ago I was very focused on Africa, but that has been replaced with my love for everything Asian. I am (here is the old sermon again) looking forward to retire from what I do now, in order to fully engage with photography and also maintaining this website and writing more stories. It will come, but honestly, I can't wait anymore but will have to. I will write more about my experience with the x100s once I take more serious photos with it and be able to put it to a full test. I am quite certain it shall serve my photojournalistic desires well. Otherwise nothing new from any travels or from here in Lebanon, waiting now for the first real hot days. What beats me most is when the high humidity sets in, that's the killer. Until next time, bye for now.  

no, not 'Them”, but the storks have arrived. I saw the first this morning circling over Tyre, looking kind of lost, flying erratically, circling and searching for a place to land due to the wind and dust in the air. Difficult to find a place to land in this highly urbanized landscape. It were two big flocks, separate but close to each other that came up the coast from the south. The are earlier this year, four weeks ahead of from when I saw them last year. Maybe they have been misguided by the unusual weather patterns, sensing and believing that spring is around the corner to the north, hence deciding to leave their places in Africa. Who knows, along with many humans, they may have also decided to flee chaos and mayhem that is reigning in many places on the African continent, places like South Sudan, Central Africa and the Congo and the western coasts and savannahs of the continent. If they left early to fly to Europe to find safer pastures there, they should be careful, as right now the outlook does not seem to be good. They better avoid the lands of Ukraine and surroundings as chaos and mayhem is reigning there as well. The political weather forecast seems to be storm, dark thunderhead clouds on the horizon, but no long term weather forecast is still possible. Anyway, wherever they go, or rather fly, I wish them a safe journey and best of luck!!

'Storks over Tyre'

The weather-forecast for the 'coasts' here says rain/storm for the next week. I hope it is correct, as plenty precipitation is needed urgently. This winter we have so far only received about half of the normal rain fall. Newspapers are already writing about the looming water crisis if no significant further rains are received during the spring. The water crisis will be added to the 'electric crisis', the 'political crisis', the 'Syrian crisis' and whatever else could come up. Resilient as people are here, they manage somehow and anyway hope is still always there that somehow, something, someway will be able to be fixed or the abyss averted.

"Rodent life on "Rue Hamra"

Being back at work is hard after a nice break away from it. Going to Beirut tomorrow, it has been a while. Let's see what, if anything, has changed in Hamra. Wonder if the rat is still living there. Wildlife of Rue Hamra. Locking for more photos for my project of 'Rue Hamra' and of course having my coffee and croissant in the usual coffee shop on the corner, letting life pass by, watching from the shade. Ever so often a good photo opportunity just comes along. Sometimes it can be used, sometimes it can not. But then I think that every missed photo opportunity makes me more aware and let's me look out for other ones. Like life, it's often about the missed opportunities. Bye.

Happy New Year to all.

We are through the first two months nearly and I have not published anything. I have been in and out of the country, to Germany and South-East Asia also.

Well events in the country very tense, more bombings, the last one on Wednesday when I returned from a photo venue in South East Asia. While approaching Beirut airport and looking out of the window I saw some black smoke rising from near the Golf Course which is close to the Iranian Embassy the old UNIFIL house and the Kuwait Embassy. My thoughts at first were that this are a lot of tires burning, wondering why and so early in the morning (09:25 Leb time). Then I thought, mmhh maybe another bomb like before and as soon after landing I had switched on my phone, there it was the message of another bombing in southern Beirut. The airport was muted, all hush hush, everyone talking to each other, the immigration officials informing the arriving Lebanese passengers that a bomb had exploded. Fast forward a few days, and another bomb has exploded, this time in the north of the country. The weather has been abnormal as well this year, here and in Germany. Here we hardly had any rain, in Germany no snow at all at home. Very unusual. Many changes at work, it only can get better. My visit to South-East Asia just confirmed that I need to complete my working live and disappear into the 'jungle'. Well sort of, I want more time for my photography.

We will have to see what happens next, anything interesting developing or happening, I will comment on it here. For now so long my friends and check out the link to the South-East Asia page above, to 'The flying fish of the Sulu Sea'. Thats all for now, bye.

Stray dog in the old city of Tyre enjoying his relative good life.

my friend.....

Well certainly 2013 is drawing to the end, here in the country it is closing with a bang, the sound of an explosion that has shaken the city. So again, one or the other group has proven that they are capable of sending someone and his companions on a long journey. Again what a useless act but small minds won't understand. We had storm 'Alexa' coming and going, bringing long awaited rains and snow in the higher elevations. It of course brought more hardship to the thousands and thousands of refugees in the Bekaa valley and the north of the country, who, because of politics are not allowed to be sheltered in housing, except tents. So much for solidarity with your brethren.

Christmas was a kind of non-event this year, despite the decorations and everything, no feeling at all.

Due to the situation in the country, only little travel is possible. Going up to Marjayoun was interesting, it is quite nice up there and would be very worth exploring if it was only at all possible. Mount Hermon has already a deep snow cover, thanks to 'Alexa', but considering the other years it has rained to little.

Must say it appears that 2013 really passed fast, also it is of course just a perception as time always passes at the same speed, obviously. If the next four years and five months could pass at the same speed, that would be great, as sooner I can leave this place as better it is.

The year was marked by two important events, the time on the Golan in Syria and the nearly two months at home. With regard to photography, I think all of the images taken were nothing special, nothing terrible either, just average. I changed to the Olympus system, it has it's positive aspects, like size, weight and portability as well as quality, but I am not sure it is what I am looking for either. Still searching for the Holy Grail with regard to the perfect camera and image. Maybe it does not exist or my expectations are much to high. If it wasn't so insane expensive, I would go for the digital Leica M system, but the question I am asking myself again and again, is it justifiable? But then, justifiable to whom, except to myself. Ideas about projects, books have come and gone, some I wrote down others disappeared in the brain fog so frequently. Overall I do wish I could or would dedicate more time to photography. With a job it is difficult, at least for me to do so and focus on the job completely and on photography. Maybe I should take the 'Job' less seriously:)

So what 2014 will bring? Personally I hope all will continue as I do not see any improvement coming. Politically for the country and the region, well, it could be a decisive year. Like the weather currently, the signs are indicating a storm is brewing somewhere, dark clouds on the horizon. What is unknown is the exact path and strength. So wherever you are, may 2014 be happy and be peaceful for you and your families.

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL YEAR 2014!!!