Behind the Scenes
La Grande Mosqée de Touba
You will be rewarded soon, for the single minaret of the mosque is enough reason to travel 4 hours in a car meant for only half as many people it currently held. Dried sweat sticks to your face and body as a child cries in the seat in front of you, yet you still utter to yourself, “its all worth it…its all worth it” The sept de place eventually stops and just as you attempt to get your bearings, you are met with merchants attempting to sell everything from goats to microwaves. The chaotic nature of Senégalese bus stops are things of legend. Finally dodging the many salesmen, you see it. Through the settling dust kicked up by a nearby sept de place leaving, you see it, erected in the middle of the city in all its glory, a single minaret stretching to the heavens.
Senégal: Home away from Home
Colorful streets, bustling fish markets, and a people who’s hospitality is endless. This is Senégal, the western most country in Africa. I think it was here that I felt the most at home. From the call to prayer blaring over the intercom from nearby mosques, to catching fish and drinking Touba Coffee as the sunsets with locals, Senégal was my home away from home.
Discovering World Religions
The chiming of bells, echo through the sanctums of the Boudhanath stupa. A soothing hum is strung, plucked from the very mouth of an ancient deity. Mimicked and replicated by those who hope to grasp some of the wisdom and peace that embodies him. Religion is a powerful and beautiful thing that has spread across the world. It opens your eyes and gives you a taste to something so powerful to so many.
Children of the World
This was an experience that really touched my heart… In the midst of photographing Dome of the Rock masjid, I was interrupted by a slight tug on my shirt. I looked down and theres this little Palestinian girl looking up at me. She pointed to my camera and in the sweetest of voices asked if I she could have her picture taken. Without hesitation I quickly told her to give me her best pose but just as I was about to take the picture eight more children ran up, all asking to be a model behind the lens.
Journey to the Summit
The sun faintly begins to appear upon the horizon, sneaking through the jagged crevices of the Himalaya. It’s rays creating a stark contrast between the sun’s warm orange hue and the whiteness of the snow capped peaks that pierce through the sky. What was at first masked by darkness, becomes lit with wonder.
The Himba Tribe
The dust finally begins to settle from your 4×4 as you reach the small city of Opuwo. You’re really off the beaten path now, as your eyes are caught by the small quaintness of the northern Namibian city. You drive slowly, taking it all in when your eyes are caught by the dark orange hue of painted clay on a woman’s body. She’s completely nude as she holds her child in her hand. Her hair plastered with the same clay painted all over her skin. She is wearing anklets of a particular fashion and jewelry that looks as if a blacksmith hand forged it in a shop from the medieval ages. You have found them, you have found the Himba people.