Pasageri

Going to Delta is a pain in the ass. It's long, as it takes a day to get there. But, if you have a time, it can be a nice long trip from Bucharest through empty lands and the Danube. From what's called the gate town of the Delta, Tulcea, there is a ferry going to Sulina or other parts of Delta. Like I've written, Delta is like a bunch of islands. There is only a couple ferries a day (or once every other day depending on where you go), and if you miss it, you are stuck. Going to Sulina, the main town in the Delta, is relatively faster because they have "Rapid" ferries, which get you to the destination in one hour and half. But, it's twice more expensive than the regular one called Pasageri. It runs slow and, to Sulina, it takes about four hours and half. For many villagers, it's the only transportation to the outside of their villages. I took Pasageri on my way back and enjoy photographing them. It's slow, but pretty relaxing, and very photogenic. I regret that i didn't take this before.

Again Delta

I was again a lazy blogger for a few weeks. I was shooting some NATO stuff, but it was very boring, and no hardcore protest happened due to the government's tight security. Right after the dissapointing and boring NATO Summit, I headed back to the Delta and stayed there for a few days... Because of my second job, I had to come back a bit earlier, but I probably made some more photos from there. I will upload them once I picked the selects.

Delta

I went to the Denabe Delta area to look for some story ideas. Over there, the main industry is fishing, but the fishermen are pretty poor and struggling with increasing taxes and heavier restriction in fishing. i will probably go back there, but the area is actually like islands as you need to take a ferry to move one town to another, and the transportation is pretty tricky.





The town area is a multi-ethnic place. There are Romanians, Russian dissendants called Lipovan, Ukranians, Turks, Greeks and so on. The pictures are from Greek community's celebration before the easter.

New Site

Finallly, I put some photos from Romania and Kosovo on my website: www.ikuruphoto.com
I guess i need to edit it down. But, I'm putting loose edits on the web to see get some opinions...
Also, i shot this photo in my neighborhood again. I think things are getting easier as my romanian gets better.

Look Back

It's been a month since Kosovo's declaration of independence. I left Kosovo about a week ago, and i've been busy with catching up with non-photo work and archiving... I learned a lot in Kosovo and made some mistakes. So, next time, I'd do better.
After the independence declaration, and the Serbians' protest reached the peak around the burning of the U.S. embassy. The next day in Mitrovica, the protest was intense and almost turned into a tear gass situation. Then, I spent the next several days travelling to Mitrovica to see if something happens during the protest which calmed down day by day after all. We also thought something may happen today because it's a month from the independence. Something actually happened, but as of now, no one has any idea how it turns out. Yes, it's an endless speculation, and you need to quit someday unless you have a lot of money to afford it.
In my last week in Kosovo, I travelled to small Serbian towns Strpce and Brezovica, where a protest also takes place each despite that there is no media. Over there situations are worse, little electricity and transportation - they can't go to the nearby Albanian towns, of course. Only bus to Mitrovica leaves once a day in the morning at 5:00 a.m. They have a refugee camp, where people live since 1999 or 2004. But, people in the camp were tired of journalists because little has changed since 1999. Also, time and money - and my patience in a way - run out. Anyway, it's hard to do everything without a lot knowledge and experience. Next time, I have a better idea what to do. Also, if something happens there again, I'd be more prepared than the last time.

Anniversary of the death of Kosovo Albanian legendary Adem Jashari in Precaz, Kosovo on March 7, 2008.


Like one in Strpce, protests continue in each Serbian community in Kosovo.

back to bucuresti

I came back to bucuresti sunday morning. I've made some attempts to work on projects, but the costs were a bit too hihgh, and I figured it's time to give up and leave. My last two weeks in Kosovo was a rather bitter experience, yet I learned a lot. Kosovo was an interesting place, and there are full of political issues, obviously. But, it's been also covered tons, and that makes work both easier and hader for new comers like me... I'll write and post a few more photos later.