Articles and Photo reports |
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A few of our photo articles and exclusive "reportages" (for each of these topics, more pictures are available). Contact us.
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Along the Kerala coast, huge lagoons and narrow canals spread inland, and are called the "Backwaters". Remote and spared, this region harvest a lush vegetation. It is inhabited by families of fishermen, small traders, but also by ranchers and farmers who work on the land among the water canals. Discover their daily lives, far from modern India, an island of life in the depths of Keralese land...
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Far from the images usually showned of India, the South offers a completely different scene. Here, the walls are painted with crosses and biblical proverbs, altars abound on streets corners and representations of flashing Jesus hang on public buses mirrors... This region is Christian, and they loudly claim their faith! Take a trip down Christian India, far away from the country's Hindu majority. |
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Mythical and mystical city, Kathmandu continues to draw the dreaming travellers of the whole world with its history and unique aura. As religious rituals pace its life, some districts still look and feel like small villages out of time. If Nepal's capital seems to have preserved some of its traditions, despite everything, it undergoes an increasing Indian influence rapidly growing. |
If Buddhism is not mainly practiced today by the Nepalese, this religion remains closely related to the culture of this small kingdom which saw Buddha's birth. True symbols of the importance that Nepalese attach to this worship, the temples of Bodhnath and Swayambhunath, located in the Nepalese capital, still draws large crowds of inhabitants.
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On our first trip in Nepal, the royal family was assassinated and the country sank in a civil war where the Maoists ended up extending their influence beyond the mountains. Today, they changed a lot: members of the government and parading in the cities, they are everywhere. Long gone are the guerilla rebels armed with old guns, as their pro-Communist party is a powerful one today.
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While spring's heat spreads over the country, snow and cold persist in the mountains of Langtang. An occasion to meet these Nepalese, all of Tibetan origin, who settled in this high valley. Several days before the tourist season, these inhabitants are impatient and prepare the long-awaited arrival of spring, hoping that it will bring many hikers to their villages.
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It is in Nepal, among the peaks of the Himalayas, that the majestic Annapurna range dominates a famous alpine route. This magnificent path, stretching around the five Annapurna summits, has become a true legend for trekking lovers. Our trip goes back to five years. It was our first experience in the Nepalese mountains, but especially the beginning of a deep love for the Himalayan cultures...
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Announcing spring's monsoon, the colorful festival of Holi, is the most popular and exuberant Hindu festival of Kathmandu. On this occasion, hundreds of young people invade the streets to happily throw colored water on each other, as well as paint their faces. Women, as for them, wear their more beautiful saris to follow the religious procession and make their religious offerings. |
Mao Zedong undoubtedly remains one of the most controversial characters of the XXth century and of China's history. Cofounder of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China which he proclaimed on October 1, 1949 and directed until his death in 1976, Mao set up a true totalitarian country based on the worship of the personality of his leader.
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Muslim, Turkish-speaking, the Uyghur people is one of the fifty six nationalities officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. Inhabitants of Xinjiang, the largest province but also the least populated of the country, the Uyghurs have been claiming their independence for a long time, with the risk of paying the ultimate price. Portraits of a Minority still too often ignored. |
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It is in the province of Shaanxi, nearly a hundred kilometers from Xi'an, that the sacred Hua Shan mountains dominate the area. As a famous taoist pilgrimage, these vertiginous granite peaks attract each year thousands of visitors who come to seek luck and happiness for their future life. Follow these new Chinese tourists in their search for "adventure"… |
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Every Sunday in Kashgar is held one of the largest and most famous market of Central Asia. As an old important stop on the Silk road, the city of Kashgar still sees flowing in a huge crowd of tradesmen and merchants from all over. They all come to this Animal and cattle market, sometimes from afar, to perpetuate the commercial tradition of this notorious place. |
China, like emergent countries which closed their territory a long time from Westerners, still completely prohibits many areas, unknown to a majority of Chinese. Curiously, tiny forbidden enclaves also exist, which are, on the contrary, visible by many people - even by foreign tourists… A visit into forbidden China.
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The famous road of Karakorum mountains connects Kashgar to the north of Pakistan. It is to traverse a portion of this mythical road that we traveled by bus from Kashgar to the town of Tashkurgan, a few kilometers from the Pakistani border. Account of a bus ride that took way more time and strength than supposed to… |
Each year, the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage gathers hundreds of thousands of pilgrims that come from every part of India in order to reach the holy cave of Shiva. Sadhus and Hindus from all aspects of society will meet and pray all along those Yatra days. On foot or on horseback, the pilgrims, also called Yatrists, will walk on the Himalayan paths during four horrendous days during which they will have to draw within the best of them.
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In the Indian Kashmir mountains, the Amarnath Yatra is a hindu pilgrimage organized in Shiva's honor. Six young working adults from Delhi decided to attempt that new adventure between friends, far from the traditional image of the Hindu pilgrim. Enthusiasts even if a bit anxious, these young pilgrims represent the rising indian middle-class which still has to discover its own culture and territory. |
Each year, at the end of winter, young inexperienced workers come from Bihar to rebuild North India's isolated roads in order to reopen them to circulation - an economic and strategic interest. The working conditions of these young men are deplorable (cold weather, altitude, toxic gases, carcinogenic products) but represent their single means of escaping Bihar's misery, the poorest state of India.
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At the extreme north of Ladakh spreads out the high Nubra Valley. Strategic because of its proximity to the Chinese border, but isolated by the high altitude cols that must be crossed to reach the valley, this region and its villagers are subjected to particularly harsh living conditions. Forgotten by India's administration, it is by a lovely sunny day that these men and women decided to stand up and call the government to account… |
Most sacred river of India, the Ganga would have the power to exonerate the sins. Millions of Hindus daily meet there to do their ablutions, prayers and offerings. Today victim of an important pollution, the Ganga causes very vivid concerns among pilgrims and the Indian government which is trying, in vain, to preserve this national heritage.
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Emblematic faces of India and its traditions, the Sadhus left everything to live their faith and devote themselves to the spiritual and mystical search of the Moksha, the illumination. From all ages and every casts, these holy men travel through their country from sacred places to pilgrimages. Living the ancient traditions of India, the Sadhus are worshiped and respected almost as Gods. |
Truly one of the most representative image of Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is, in the island, a genuine institution. Nestled in a huge volcanic lava field, these blue-turquoise, milky and smoky waters, are a place of relaxation and well-being. But what is behind this set-up ?
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It is through the Oraefi desert, one of the most emblematical region of Iceland's landscapes and wild nature, that we chose to do our first trek. Between volcanoes and lava fields, deserts and glaciers, back to an exceptional trek... |
After the arrival of the first Vikings, it is in the Xth century that Iceland chose to become a Christian nation. Nowadays, the churches are thus everywhere present on its territory, even in the most secluded areas. Very early built with wood, these small churches were rapidly confronted to the increasing deforestation of the island. It is to solve this problem that floated wood, found on beaches, was then used, an inexhaustible supply on this island beaten by gail winds and huge storms.
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Iceland is a small country that is subject to particularly harsh weather conditions. On this island where fishing is of primeval importance, the icelanders understood very early on the necessity of building a protective system that would allow them to reduce the dangers of the sea. Iceland's coasts are thus equipped with an impressive network of lighthouses and storm shelters, insuring the men's security while battling the North Atlantic ocean's fury. |
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Through the watercolor sketchbook of a traveler crossing the Moroccan Sahara, follow the caravaneers's slow transhumance. From the caravanserai, which will be their starting point, to the much dreaded dunes of the "South Desert", as well as the painful journey through the first mountain ranges, called Jebels. Come on a thousand-year-old trip. Watercolors by Jean-Pierre Petit. |
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Very different from the alpine peaks of the Moroccan Atlas, the Jebel Sirwa is a small mountain range still too often ignored. Carved by an intense volcanic activity, these mountains have an impressive diversity of landscapes. It is especially the area where live the Aït Ouaouzguites, Berber shepherds who move to alpine pastures each summer, and whose way of life is today in jeopardy. |
Tanguy&Violette © 2005-2009. These photographs and texts are protected by Copyright laws. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - lesdeuxvoyageurs.com
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