Sunzal, San Salvador, Tazumal, La Libertad, El Amatillo
I had armed guards with me at all times, even when buying an ice cream. The guards didn’t want to be treated for an ice cream, because when they share an ice cream with you – they cannot fight off attacks.
Guatemala City, La Mesilla, Huehuetenango, Panajachel, Reserva Los Tarrales, Quetzaltenango, Atitlan, Antigua, Volcano Pacaya, Las Chinamas, Finca Santa Isabel
The sound of liquid lava is like that of breaking glass. On May 27, 2010 – 3 month later – the Pacaya volcano erupted, followed in several tremors.
Mexico City, Nogales, Hermosillo, Copper Canyon, Creel, Cerocahui, Mazatlan, Jalisco, Guadalajara, Tequila, Mexiko City, Teotihuacan, Puebla, Popocatepetl, Oaxaca, Juchitan de Zaragoza, Huatulco, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Palenque, Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas de Corzo, La Mesilla
Mexico being in the news for no good things is actually a very interesting, cultural rich and welcoming country. They are the nicest people!
West Coast: San Francisco, East Los Angeles
Hanging out with a Low Rider gang in East L.A. was special. I never felt so safe.
Nubra Valley, Sumur, Hunder, Changthang Province, Dha, Beema, Tso Moriri
Sleeping in a tent, at 4,800 meters above sea level, at minus temperatures can be very romantic. Above the brightest stars, so near.
Nairobi, German Embassy, Mathara Slum, Kibera Slum, Slum Hospital Kibera
Meeting the street photographers of Nairobi. Samson, one of them, showing his work, his collection kept inside a shoe box.
Beijing, Historical Hutong, Behai Park, German Embassy, Hefei
After the Olympics, China had changed. It was so much easier to travel and film now – but much harder to breathe.
Gran Canaria
Filled with German and British package tour tourists, but beside that, wonderful nature to be discovered.
Bamako, Segou, San, Mopti, Niger, San, Timbuktu, Essakane, Djenne, Dogon Country, Douentza, Festival au desert
Mali looks like a dry loaf of bread. People have cold hands and sweat at the same time.
Lilongwe, Karonga, Kasungu, Mzuzu, Malawi Lake
Malawi is a surprising African country. Malawi’s population is energetic, brave and people enjoy life.
Amsterdam
Christmas in Amsterdam – precious.
Gomera
It is very difficult to find decent lunch in Spain around 1pm. Beautiful countryside, breathtaking road trips to the hills.
Sikkim, Spiti, Lahaul, Kinnaur, Kalpa, Donkhar, Thanadhar, Darjeeling, Shimla, Gangtok
If it smells intensely like cat, it is a snow leopard. I am not keen to see rare animals, which can potentially attack me.
Krakow
Wintertime in Poland, foggy cobblestone streets.
Paro, Phuntsholing, Bagdogra, Punakha, Mongar, Lhuntshe, Bumthang, Trashingang, Trongsa
In 2006 the only country on earth where tourists have to pay a daily entrance fee.
Jaipur, Udaipur, Jain Temple, Delhi
Cows between people, mixed with mobile street stalls, cars and beggars. Rajasthan is India in its essence.
Kashmir: Srinagar, Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Khimber, Dara, Palang
I was revisiting the old houseboats a colleague of mine photographed 20 years ago for a STERN reportage. The police in Kashmir thought I am a spy. I got into trouble. And the big earthquake didn’t help the situation either.
Changthang, Tso Moriri, Tso Khar, Karzok, Alchi, Lamayuru, Hemis, Spituk, Shey, Thikse, Leh Gompa
People know days and seasons, but they do not know hours, minutes or seconds. And they have never seen shoe laces – I made people stop and touch my shoes. They only wear felt boots, no laces there.
Windhoek, Otjiwarongo, Usakos, Tsumeb, Swakopmund, Etosha Pan, Walvis Bay
Etosha Pan feels like a drive through an endless zoo. The Namib Desert is threateningly easy accessible and dangerous – and breathtaking beautiful.
Peking
China had become my third home, away from home. China changed over the last 10 years. The traditional Beijing Hutongs have almost completely disappeared, ring roads were added and the air is even more unbearable.
East Coast Australia: Coolangatta, Fraser Island, Bundaberg, Brisbane
Getting stuck in the sands of Fraser Island with a bad car, seeing sharks cruise close to the beach and green bees fly. Australia has the best Ginger Ale, the most poisonous animals and the nicest coasts. It is just a bit boring.
Manhattan
Tankman, building the watertowers of Manhattan.They stand at the crest of the New York skyline like rustic, weathered sentinels. Their design has changed little in more than a century, and though they resemble a relic from a forgotten time, wooden water tanks remain a fixture of the cityscape.
Budapest, Tot
Budapest has the nicest café houses and a laid back atmosphere, lots of small mom and pop stores with local specialties, boot makers on every corner.
Hong Kong
Filming inside the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Very rich and very poor Chinese people are gambling their money away.
Utah: Bonneville Salt Flats
Filming old men with fast cars. Motorcar racing has taken place at the salt flats since 1914. Racing takes place at part of the Bonneville Salt Flats known as the Bonneville Speedway.
Paris
Winter in Paris.
San Francisco
Berkeley, Muesli and hippie town. Going everywhere with a car. Hiking in the mountains. Too scared to get on a flight to NYC, after Sep 11th. The terrorist attack on the WTC had changed everything for me.
Tokyo, Kyoto, Oze
After Sep 11th – in Kyoto the world was as peaceful and beautiful as always. I was stuck in Japan. Not being able to get a flight back home to New York.
Drive across the Himalayas from Kathmandu to Lhasa
At a truck stop, on a small black and white TV screen I saw the World Trade Center in Manhattan collapse. I thought it was a bad joke.
Kathmandu, Pokara, Fewa Lake, Sagarkot, Pashna, Nagarkot, Putan, Baktapur
Kathmandu got taken over by young, busy tourists and lazy cows.
Peking, Chengdu, Chongching, Kunming, Lijiang, Guilin, Mt Emai, Yaoshan, Dali, Leshan, Baoshen, Dazu
China is a huge and very diverse country. There is not “one” China, but one time zone, to enhance national unity.
Hong Kong
After a long journey through mainland China a treat.
Lhasa, Nam Tso, Drive from Kathmandu: Zhangmu, Nyalam Pass, Lalung Pass, Tingri, Shigatse, Tashilunpo Monastery, Gyantse, Phalkor Monastery, Karola Pass, Khumbum Stupa, Yamdrok Tso Lake,Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Norbulinka Palace, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery
The trip and stay in Tibet was during 9/11. The “War on Terror” started, heavy military vehicles drove close to the Afghan border. I was stuck in Tibet.
Havana, St. Lucia, Guanabo, Matanzas, Vinalae, La Palma, Cigar Factory, Malecon, Trip to the Beach, Matanzas
The US didn’t let me fly from New York directly to the “enemy” in 2000. I had to fly first to Canada and then to Havana.
New Orleans
Café du Monde Beignets: Bliss.
Johannesburg, Lapalala Wilderness
Rhinos everywhere, such curious and fast animals. They have a specialty: Rhinos poop all on the same spot – creating big stinky, well-organized mountains of manure.
Gabarone, Maun, Okavango Delta
The only way to travel through the Okavango River Delta is on horse back. Days of wilderness, living in a tent – with the threat of lions and hyenas.
Hopkins, Ambergis Key, San Ignazio, Blue Cave, Punta Gorda, Dangriga, Belmopan, San Antonio
The Chicleros, the bubble-gum harvesters, took me through the jungle to collect rubber from the trees. The horses ate oranges.
Tikal
Stairs to heaven and no one there. The place was almost completely empty when I visited!
London
Piccadilly Circus, buses, Hyde Park, pretty grass, snobbish people, horses, rain, feeling not British.
Caracas, Merida, Condor Valley, Puerto Columbia, Pico Bolivar, Macuto Beach
Condors cut through the air. They make sounds like moving swords.
Ulan Bator, Dalanzadgad, Gobi Desert, Nomads, Chojin Lama Temple, Bogdkhan Monastary, Gandan Monastary, Zuunmod Manzshir Temple, Countryside Nadam, Ger, Bayanzag, Yolym Am Valley, Bactrian Camels, Morzag Sanddunes/Gobi, Terelj
Mongolia is the country of my childhood dreams. No fences, horses, wide landscapes, constant wind and you can see as far as your eyes can.
Trans-Siberian Railways: Beijing – Ulan Baatar
I didn’t want to get out of the train in Ulan Bataar. The nicest train ride ever. Having your own Samovar is a good thing.
Beijing, Hutongs, Simatai Great Wall
We were filming without permission in Beijing and I remember that I rolled myself under a parking car to not get caught by the police.
New York City, Coney Island
This is where the NYC working class has fun. Best Russian food in Brighton Beach – and a Gypsy fortune teller.
Tokyo, Great Metropolitan Region
Japan became another home away from home. A nice antidote to my life in Manhattan – people are polite and considerate.
Beijing: Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Hutongs Beijing, Great Wall, Badaling, Simatai, Behai Park, Ritan Park, Tianzhe, Ming Tomb, Confuzius Temple, Chinese Circus, Drum Tower, Tientan
Buying an original Chinese bicycle for the 8-week production period was a smart idea. This magic China Bike, the brand was called “Flying Pidgeon”.
Long Island
Filming amateur rocketeers. They shoot their self-build rockets into the sky, very close to JFK airport. Every time I am approaching JFK airport I have to think of them.
