A typical road in South Sudan. Only a few miles of tarmacked roads seem to be spotted in Juba itself. The rains had started and within a week this same will be flooded and challenging.
Typical huts, called Tukul.
Common scenery…
I have only spotted this orange weed in one location. No village nearby. I have no idea what it is.
Bits of the Nile and its off springs from some altitude, 3000m about.
A live cow had been dragged from a truck to a nearby army helicopter. I got spotted and had to delete the picture. Luckily the camera didn’t get smashed nor did I. Lucky also the camera is a bit slow in the deleting process so the soldier managed to decipher “deleted” on the back screen and luckily didn’t wait long enough. Unfortunately the good picture with the cow being loaded in the helicopter was deleted…
Slow Mi8 in flight. A good thing about South Sudan, normal passengers never complain about the flights. So flying briefly formation with this Mi8 didn’t raise eyebrows. With tourists, guaranteed I’d have the usual moaner…
The beast, the Mi 26
My hotel was just aligned with the runway path. Here an Antonov 32. Damocles sword aviation style. All those overloaded planes, mostly Russian made. But not only… A little problem could end in tragedy.
By then my colleagues were from Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, and other satellite countries (well you get the picture). I only flew the American made Caravan in the company.
French registered aircraft flying for a national company. The nice painted tail didn’t last, the government had it removed soon after. The painting is too close to the national flag. No competition allowed.
An Ilyushin 76 is taking off.
A great Buffalo. A real big bush plane, like the one below, the Hercules C130.
Over the White Nile. Notice the cigar shaped wreck. It’s not a dug out canoe but a metal one, they are made directly over on the Nile shores by local artisans.
One of the few hills around Juba, the capital.
One early morning, the Nile shines.
Not sure if these plants are endemic or not.
Artistic patterns in any case.
Interesting how the huts have been built in line.
Flooded refugee camp.
A few lucky (relatively speaking) refugee families on higher ground.
An artistic and very localized part of the river.
The White Nile.
The mighty Nile, the White Nile in this area, has overflowed a bit. Notice the black spots which are huts.
A refugee camp. Flooded, it was built on low ground without any approval…
Interesting change of colors for these meeting rivers.
A village harbor just off Juba.
Flying along the Rufiji river and its numerous side rivers and ponds is an amazing experience, well for those you can appreciate. I have spotted artists who had taken fascinating selfies while boarding the airplanes but didn’t shoot anything while in the air…
Buffaloes, about 50, not a bad sighting at all.
Just one little flight, 40 minutes, from Mafia Island to the Selous reserve.
Notice the fisherman village on the edge of the forest.
Here is a sail boat on the Rufiji river.
The Selous in the north is crossed by the Rufiji. This area between Stiegler’s Gorge and Mtemere is quite flat and sandy so the river’s arms and ponds change quite a lot when the rains show up. Here are 2 ponds which were dry and quite colorless 2 weeks ago.
Lazy Lagoon opposite Zanzibar. Our company owns a camp on the tip. Lovely place obviously that I plan to visit soon.
Some views around Pemba island.
A common scenery along the ocean, young men jump off the pier in style.
They jump from this kind of wall, where the water is a bit deeper.
Things change in Zanzibar, less women are veiled than let’s say 10 years ago. Amongst the ones who are veiled, they’re often fond of bright colors, or sometimes I have witnessed women temporarily discarding the veil as soon as they were away from home (or from for 4 ugly Bin Laden lookalikes after security checks at airport, she was my only passenger and quite hot looking suddenly). Young couples are westernised and seem more relaxed in public.
The beach is still male territory though…with one notable exception that evening. This is a forst time for me to spot a girl in Stonetown in a swimming attire. Nobody seemed to mind. Maybe she is a pioneer.
Colors and make up, small rebellious signs?
Another rarity were these 2 black tourists. An extremely rare sighting. The local romeaos had been quick to spot them and hang around.
Yes I know I love these posts about a stunning spot shot in so many minutes, whether it is the lake Natron or lake Eyasi or today the Selous. But the diversity in such areas is so phenomenal that I love the exercise.
These pictures were shot between Sumbazi and Mtemere along the Rufiji river on one flight.
Before landing at Mtemere.
The same buffaloes on the right hand side, the clouds can move fast.
A pond and the river, the water colors don’t match.
This rainy season was not excessive, far from it. The water level has gone down, and some water puddles are momentarily visible on sand banks which have been submerged for a few weeks.
Some trees survive the floods every year, other don’t. Those white dead trees are quite common along the river.
Shot with Leica M8, 28mm
Not the usual face for a monk…
Good idea to hop here M’am, let’s start with new shoes!!
I’ve never been a “fashionisto” but man do I get confused these years…
Belgian colors in daily life
Shot on Leica M8
14th July, national day, military personnel in full regalia were around.
Penelope on a whole wall to cover up restoration, what a brilliant idea.
Art is not only to be fund in galleries sometimes.
French elegance…
In Brussels to be precise.
Everybody has heard of the famous Manneken Pis, right?
Shot on Leica M8.
High heels on cobble stones…
Bicycle cop on foot.
National Day in France, there was a military show at the “Invalides”. Kids were having a blast, they were allowed to climb in various vehicles, talk to armed forces professionals.
Well not only kids had a good time… This man is a “Spahi”, from a unit fitted for the desert, hence the sable cape. It refers to the times when the vehicles were horses or camels. The cape would hide a lot then.
A “Chasseur Alpin”, an alpine unit.
“Les Invalides” built by Napoleon to welcome the wounded soldiers.
A pilot must be multi tasked. Talking to a crowd is not my favorite part of the job.
In Brussels with my new second hand camera, a Leica M8
Some things don’t change. Japanese people still love their portraits.
Shopping in Paris…not a myth.
Bad day for the van owner…
Las Vegas style for this wedding photoshoot.
It took me 3 or 4 sightings to realize what Penelope was talking about. When the star is eclipsing the product…
Shot with my Leica M8, 28mm
By accident, we ran into the Tour de France arrival in Paris. I’ll do a few posts just on that theme: there were plenty of funny people around. I suspect a cyclist or were American.
Interesting match of colors between the theater wall and the people's clothes.
A model and an assistant on a photoshoot.
The Beer Temple, catchy name or what?
Weapons, weapons, weapons….everywhere soldiers and civilians are armed.
Some gift from the US army?
That mama in blue was giving orders to these soldiers. She must have been a wife of one the 941 generals in South Sudan. Yes 941! That’s more than all the US forces combined. For a country of 12 millions (and decreasing), that’s quite a feat. 941 generals, that’s the cost for a lame president who is struggling to get respect and stay in power: pay and bombard them with decorations and honors. I wonder how many have been properly attending a real military school…
One of the 941…
My cargo one day: one ton of biscuits.
Those funny ladies are regularly seen, clutching that kind of cross like if it a life saver.
My lunch one day, onions and fried locusts doused with a Coke, or a fake one, I’m not sure. It tasted normal but I’m not an expert.
Henna work indicates a married woman.
That selfie fashion is scary, people seem to spend more time on this trend than visiting the monument or just enjoying the sceneries.
I see this way of carrying a burden in Africa usually
This piece of art is a tube entrance.
I like the sex part mixed with a vintage painting.
Shot with a Leica M8. My latest acquisition by then last year. Love it. Now my latest is a Fujifilm X100s.
Listen Lady, there a few things in life to enjoy fully and not to be disturbed by anything else. Having sex, listening to Pink Floyd, eating Belgian food…! So drop that bloody thing and eat.
ZZ Top fan!
In detail! Terrible fashion, no?
“Dentelles” that is lace.
Shot on Leica M8, usually a 28mm lens, sometimes a 50mm.
These guys sell trinkets neat the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre usually. I wonder what the driver is thinking…
the famous baguette!
Indiana Jones was lost in Brussels. He looks like the tourists I used to see in Tanzania.
Notre-Dame and the Esmeralda of the day. It seems very fashionable for Japanese couples to get a wedding photo session done in Paris.
This girl is in dire need of sun!
Security threat was on a low level, great.
34C one day, harsh sun.
At the Beaubourg eyesore.
Shot with a Leica M8
The Grand Place in Brussels. Some stunning buildings to say the least.
What a mix of patterns.
Shot with a Leica M8.
Let’s have a thought for those who are trapped in Middle Age countries or surrounded by homophobic lunatics.
Selfie moron…
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