The journey of the photographer couple Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer across fourteen countries continues! With Kenya, India, Switzerland, Vietnam, South America, Uganda, Korea, China and Singapore behind them, Braschler/Fischer and their child are now heading for Samoa, an independent state of Polynesia.
On the Road with Braschler/Fischer – Part 7
-
19th of May, Apolima-Uta, Samoa The project we are working on brings us to all corners of the world. Samoa in the South Pacific is the most exotic destination but also by far the furthest away. But it is well worth the long journey. The view from our bungalow is spectacular and while everybody in Europe is complaining about the worst spring ever, we enjoy the tropical climate and a spectacular sunset on the other side of the world.
-
22nd of May, Sa'anapu, SamoarnAlthough the hot and humid weather is not really Elias' preferred climate he absolutely loves Samoa. He even gets introduced to the pleasure of taking a swim in the sea here. A rather exclusive pleasure for a European baby. It's one of these moments when we are happy that he won't remember too much from these trips. Probably he won't get another trip to the South Pacific for quite a while.
-
22nd of May, Sa'anapu, SamoarnVirgin Cove Resort was as beautiful as one imagines a resort on a tropical island in the South Pacific. That changed when Cyclone Evan hit Samoa on December 12th 2012. Wind speeds of over 200 km/h destroyed some of the bungalows completely and fell a substantial number of coconut trees.
-
25th of May, Fusi, SamoarnEvan was the worst storm in over two decades. Particularly the south coast was affected badly. There was hardly any house left that didn't suffer any major damage in in the small coastal village of Fusi. Lino and his family lost their house in the storm and are still living in a provisional shack.
-
21st of May, Apolima-Uta, SamoarnToday, the owner of our hotel and Victoria, our assistant, both celebrate their birthday. After a long day of work Victoria is treated to a few drinks, a nice dinner and a birthday cake. To Victoria's misfortune, the hotel staff not only insists that she wears some plastic flowers around her neck the whole evening but she also has to perform some Polynesian dancing together with the hotel director.
-
24th of May, Apolima-Uta, SamoarnLuckily we didn't experience any cyclone in Samoa, but got a taste ourselves of how the conditions can change rapidly in the South Pacific. A tropical depression brought Samoa thunderstorms and a lot of rain for two days. Early on Thursday morning, we just managed to shoot a portrait of a spear fisherman in between two downpours.
-
25th of May, SingaporernThe downside of this trip is the very long journey back home. We depart in the middle of the night from Apia to fly to Auckland. After a 7 hours stopover in New Zealand we are on our way to Singapore where we have to sit (sleep) at the lounge for a few more hours before finally boarding our flight to Zurich at 1.20 am. All in all it takes us 42 hours from our departure in Samoa until we land in Zurich.
-
20th of May, Cross Island Road, SamoarnWe have to drive around a lot on Samoa to find the right locations for our portraits. It is a bit of an adventure to be driving here. Even the major roads as the Cross Island Highway are narrow and it doesn't help that the government has decided recently to change from right side to left side traffic and that every now and then pigs are running over the road.
-
21st of May, Fasito'otai, SamoarnBut Filippo is not only our guide but also one of our models. Cyclone Evan has destroyed some of his taro fields last year. Now things look better again and he rides each day from his village up on a mountain to tend to his fields.
-
21st of May, Fasito'otai, SamoarnFilippo is our translator and guide. He is a native Samoan and used to play for the national rugby team when he was younger. He is 50 now but still extraordinarily fit. His tattoos are an ongoing project. He wants to be covered in traditional Polynesian tattoos from his ankles up to his neck and is about halfway done by now.
POST ID: 21787
Subscribe now for full access to The Eye of Photography! That’s thousands of images and articles, documenting the history of the medium of photography and its evolution during the last decades, through a unique daily journal.
Today's headlines
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
Latest articles of the category "Portfolios"
February 19, 2024
February 14, 2024
February 14, 2024
February 14, 2024
October 27, 2023
October 24, 2023