We need more dams! The call for more and higher levees always gets louder after major flood events. Affected countries demand that their houses, facilities and fields should be better protected against future floods. This desire for better protection is understandable and legit, especially in extreme cases like in 2002 and 2013 when entire villages became flooded and many ... more

Diving into the eternal darkness, just like Captain Nemo in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea". Observing living creatures, hardly known to mankind! Until recently this was a dream only to be fulfilled worldwide by a few people only. But finally, as of now, this dream can come true for almost anybody. For a reasonable price also non scientists can embark on a diving adventure ... more

One recognizes him already from afar. A little dot, slowly growing bigger and bigger. The closer he comes, the louder he gets. Drums, guitars, native american songs. His moped follows the sinuous trail of the snake, his left arm stretched out to feel the wind. He briefly closes his eyes. He says he is over 60 years of age and his brown, raw skin proves it. His sorrows drew lines in his face. Still he always lead a good life ... more

The ice layer on the Bothnian sea is lightened up by strong floodlights. The bow of the swedish icebreaker Ymer pushes forward through the ice. The ice breaks under moans and groans. The ice floes scratch and grind along the outside of the ship before they are pushed under the icelayer or are crushed by the ship’s propellers. The Ymer trembles, is pushed from side to side, ... more

ASAblanca photographer Michele Pauty visited the only horse slaughterer left in Austria and documented the daily routine at this family run company.Leopold Gumprecht junior greets me already in the yard. He now runs the family business, founded by his great-grandfather in 1926. The Gumprecht horse-butcher’s is the only specialized butcher shop left that raises, slaughters and handles strictly horse meat. ... more

The dispute in Western Sahara is one of the longest running and most disregarded conflicts in the world. Known as 'Africa's last colony' Western Sahara, was divided between Morocco and Mauritania by the Spanish when they withdrew in 1976. At the same time the Western Saharan independence movement, the Polisario Front, declared creation ... more

With the premiere of "Boulevard Tango", dancer Cecilia Figaredo celebrated her debut as a director in June 2012. The show consists of four dance performances divided in suites (sequences), especially created by the choreographers Laura Roatta and Alejandro Cervera. Each of the suites is about a different type of tango and its imagery as there are ... more

With thrilling images and simple words, ASAblanca photographer Serena de Sanctis is able to convey stories of people's lives that touch your heart. This is such a story. It is about Colombian Hernan Montoya who found a new life and passion in Barcelona after leaving his homeland.  His name is Hernan Montoya. He is Colombian. Everybody calls him Manzano "Apple" because ... more

Monte (mount) Lussari in the north east of Italy is not only a pilgrimage village and ski resort in the middle of untouched mountains, it is also a unique crossroads of cultures. A place inviting to be explored and to linger –with a fine meal, moonlight and stunning views. Comfortably the gondola hovers up the mountain. With every passed pole another ... more

Laurent Delaporte, of Emmanville near Rouen has always made cider with his grandfather's wooden press since he was a boy. He uses special apples from his father's small farm and also from some land he owns nearby. Making cider this way is very labour intensive. Most people use a hydraulic press that is brought from village to village, squeezing the juice out of the apples ... more

Inland navigation is probably the most practical way to travel in Bangladesh, a land of river deltas that becomes severely flooded during the monsoon. Land travel is almost impossible in some parts. Eight metre floods have been known to arise, washing everything away: houses, roads, rickshaws and cars. Boats become the only practical method of transport ... more

Most people have heard of the Good Samaritans. Their fame stems from the Biblical parable told by Jesus to his disciples. In this parable, a Samaritan saves a robbed traveler. Since then the Samaritan people became a symbol of kindness, self-devotion, and unselfishness to all Christians. However only few people really know who these Samaritans are. ASAblanca photographer Edward Kaprov headed to Samaria to find out. ... more

The streets leading to Shalom High Places Pre-School (a private school) are unpaved and lined with poorly constructed buildings in the Eastlands section of Nairobi, Kenya. The pre-school is housed on the ground floor of a three-story apartment building. It has no lights and consists of three small classrooms: a baby class (2-3 year olds), nursery (4 year olds) and pre-unit (5-6 year olds). Every morning 70 students attend classes where they are taught, according to teacher ... more

The Air Seychelles DHC-6 Twin Otter propeller-driven airplane makes a loop over a small  coral reef encircled island. Vigorously vibrating, the machine lands on the narrow grass airstrip. The sea at the end of the strip approaches speedily as seen through the pilots’ window who immediately starts power-braking. Just as one starts ... more

The Tlingit is one of the most powerful and complex hunter gatherer societies of the West Coast of Canada and the south east of Alaska. Their culture went almost extinct, their people forced to assimilate and convert to christianity. Today, their culture is being revived through arts - dancing, carving, and weaving. A powerful story of survival and resilience - the coming back of the old ways ... more

At country estate “Tenuta la Borriana” in Carmignano you cannot only buy the best olive oil directly from the yard, you can also pick the fruit here yourself. Participating in the Raccolta (olive harvest) in autumnal Tuscany is an unforgettable experience with long term effect. A steep gravel road leads us along the - this time of year - bright yellow colored vineyards onto a rounded hilltop featuring an old stone farm ... more

On a whim, one midsummer morning I flew to Miami, rented a car, and drove south to find my keys. Truth be told, I wanted to finally genuinely understand the enduring allure of the Florida Keys.  I’ve never been a Florida guy, you see.  I love deserts, mountains, and wilderness above all, and apart from the Everglades, Florida offers none of these attractions. But I’ve long had my reasons for being ... more

Be adventurous and get away from the hordes of tourists who crowd the plateau to see this natural wonder from a completely different perspective. How many of us first approached the Grand Canyon from rim level, took a long sweeping look and then despaired over how to depict the beauty spirit and scale of this geologic wonder in a photograph from that spot? The obvious solution, of course, is to strap on the boots and head down ... more

When you were nine years old the world was a simple place. Summer was a blessed interlude of play, friends and…trips, if you were lucky. Imagine when summer began your Dad asked, “Would you like to fly to Florida for a Disney cruise, sail to their private island, and sharpen your pirate skills?” Are you joking me? Then imagine you’re the lucky Dad ... more

It's not just a pit stop for prayers on the way to “paradise”. For decades, travelers en route to India's fabled Kashmir valley have regarded Jammu as more of a pilgrimage destination, its countless Hindu temples offering a last chance for quiet contemplation before the real holiday begins. Built over scenic, rolling hills on both sides of the Tawi River, the city of Jammu seems content with its rather austere reputation. In fact, the usual itinerary ... more

“This is really not a whale tour!” NPS Ranger Linda Lieberman says, smiling infectiously, as the thrilled passengers on the Baranoff Wind keep spying new species of  cetaceans.  Numerous playful humpbacks, a cruising pod of orca, and a breaching minke whale spice our day cruise into Glacier Bay, a well known yet lesser visited jewel among Alaska’s array of National Parks. Today’s cruise seems an embarrassment of wildlife riches, ... more

La Toma, Colombia (in the Suárez municipality of north Cauca) is a predominately Afro-Colombian community of approximately 1,400 families. Following in the tradition of their enslaved ancestors who settled in the area in 1637, the vast majority of its citizens earn a living through small-scale gold mining. However the very resource (gold) that makes life possible now threatens their existence. Outside business interests ... more

The Naadam Festival usually occurring in July or August over a 3 day period is the biggest festival of the year in Mongolia. It highlights the greatest athletes in horse racing, archery and wrestling. Young riders aged 5 to 13 race through the open steppe over distances reaching 30 km, wearing colourful clothes and headgear. The winning horses are much prized. Archers wearing traditional silk costumes ... more

Regarded as Tokyo’s biggest and grandest religious festival, the Sanja Matsuri is an annual spectacle of teeming crowds and fervent displays of devotion. It looks somewhat like a glorified wooden box, with its lacquered sides bedecked with gilded adornments of all shapes and sizes. Viewed up close, however, it is obviously an object of reverence: tiny torii gates guard its four flanks, announcing the sacred space within. Thick gold-threaded ropes loop around its edges, and on its bottom lies a crossword of poles. An ornate depiction of a Hou-ou ... more

For many centuries already Siena’s districts line up against each other; for victory, glory and for the Virgin Mary. Life, heart and passion; the Palio is precious to the people of Siena. They absolutely adore it. The Palio di Siena is an institution, a legend. It’s a world of its own. The famous horse race has hardly changed over the ages, with the exception of adjustments ... more

Every year, thousands of devotees from all over the country flock to a Buddhist temple in Nakhon Chaisi to receive sacred tattoos. The talismans are believed to protect them against everything from bullets to car crashes and evil spirits. A blood-curdling scream shatters the calm of Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple situated an hour’s drive west of Bangkok ... more

The victim has no name. However a team of scientists under the guidance of Professor Francesco Mallegni of the university of Pisa, have given him a face. They know the diseases he suffered from and even what he ate before he died. Thanks to meticulous investigation and modern criminalist research, after 2000 years the sailor releases the secrets of his life as well as those of how he died. Bit by bit. ... more

Some of the olive trees here are so old, Leonardo himself must have passed them already. They seam the road up to the house where he was born in Anchiano a bit outside of Vinci, the little town in the Tuscan hills that became part of his name. Today every child knows him: Leonardo da Vinci. Not to mention this is a good place to take a rest. It's lunchtime and a sultry, early summer ... more

Energy pioneers - In the Austrian province of Styria, citizens recently have taken the generation of electricity into their own hands. A sustainable, innovative and award-winning project. A visit to the Civilian Photovoltaics Installation near the town of Mureck shows, how visions can be turned into reality. In total 320 people from the Mureck ... more

With actors, authors, royalty and rock stars on its century-old guest list, Rangoon’s venerable Strand hotel has stood the test of time—through good days and bad. In the late 1890s, after a string of hotel hits that included the Raffles in Singapore and the E&O in Penang, Armenian brothers, Arshak and Martin Sarkies, began scouting the region for new projects. ... more

The sun is already setting as Eret, a baby Hawksbill tries to reach the Indian Ocean. Together with hundreds of his kind he makes his way through the soft sand of Bird Island’s beach on the Seychelles. Only two days before have Eret and his siblings have hatched. Under normal circumstances baby sea turtles are spending the first couple of days ... more

Just held by the sling of a hoist, an angel-like female figure made of pure white marble, levitates in mid air. Thus dangling, this masterpiece awaits the journey to its final destination. Its creator, Dutch sculptor Eppe de Haan, gently caresses the silk like surface of the naked torso one last time in farewell. ... more

Experiencing central Italy's historic trails from the saddle: pure culture and pristine wilderness. Riding for days without seeing any human being but the fellow riders. Only now and then you may head for one of the idyllic villages that seem to grow naturally on the mountain slopes, like an oases in the desert. Just drifting on horseback, entirely in the ... more

Impressive black beauties walking on two legs. It has been ages since man evolved into walking on two legs, but on the isle of Minorca one seems to witness the same evolution happening to the horse - man´s best companion for ages now. With their heavy robust muscular neck and light slim build of the rest of it´s body it seems rather awkward ... more

We are at about an hour and a half drive south of Calgary in the little township of Claresholm. There you take a sharp right turn and follow the dirt road for another half an hour. That’s where you’ll find the Lucasia Ranch, home to the Lucas family. Wayne and Judy Lucas run the ranch which is in operation since 1881 ... more

Frances Mayes (“Under the Tuscan Sun”) on chances in life, the art of growing old and her newest book "Every day in Tuscany". Approximately 20 years ago the American author and her now husband Ed bought „Bramasole“, an old Tuscan villa near the Etruscan city of Cortona. It was love at first sight. Frances wrote down the adventures of ... more

On horseback and fully dressed in the ancient warriors tunic, Said Huneidi, a razor-sharp sword in hand, storms towards a man standing one hundred yards away. Less than 2 seconds later the sword falls into the mans head… in this case a water melon, but back in the old days someone would have lost his skull before realizing what was happening ... more