First Contact

Nothing ever goes the way you want it.
In fact, the way it eventually goes is almost always better.
It usually takes some time to see this though.

I spent the last 5 days in Ulaan Bataar searching for shamans and I was getting frustrated by the lack of progress. Contacts didn’t answer the phone, ceremonies that were supposed to take place got postponed, doors that should be open, closed.

Then I remembered my early travels when obstacles like that never used to bother me. I welcomed them instead for the disguised opportunities they invariably proved to be. And so I decided to slow down, to savour what was coming my way and yo, behold, first contact was made. A shaman near the biggest monastery here in Ulaan Bataar pointed me in the right direction and where before it was hard to even identify the pieces of the puzzle now I felt they were falling into place.

Just before leaving I asked the shaman what she saw, looking at me. “ You have the ability to cure people” she said.

My rational self takes all with a fairly large grain of salt but I am considering building an ovoo in my apartment.

Then I wont have to leave to travel.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

S(e)oul Station

I like stations. Train, subway, bus. Airports as well, although I sometimes wonder why they are not called airstations. Are we not able to think that big?
I like them because they are the essence of transit. Of being neither here nor there. Notwithstanding their name, there is nothing stationary about them.
I have been in transit in a lot of stations and they each attract me for their own reasons. The old Moscow stations with their fabulous murals, Paris because it was my first Metro experience, Tokyo because of its size – rush hour sees the population of a medium sized country on the move, New York has Grand Central.

Earlier this week I found myself in Korea photographing some shamanistic rituals in the port town of Incheon. I stayed in Seoul and took the subway to reach my destination. One station along the route always brought a smile to my face. Not because of its decoration, its design or other visual treat. No, my affinity to this station was entirely auditory.

Seoul Station. Who wouldn’t want to go there?



Many people don’t like the transit experience, they’d rather be home, failing to understand that being home is being in transit on a different level.



On the other hand the two elderly gentlemen in the final photo seem to get it: life is transitory on every level, you may as well pass through it with some Soul.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

P.S. Sometimes reality needs a little help to get in the right mood.

Speak Up!

There are times when you start doubting the ability of your own words to convey the true meaning of what you are actually feeling. We all know how paralyzing it is to be misunderstood, misheard, misread, misquoted and misrepresented.
It is like having stepped straight into “Lost in Translation”
Yet quite often we ourselves commit the same offense and fail to truly hear and see what is being communicated.

Another film I remember seeing is Leaving Las Vegas with Nicholas Cage, one of my favorite movies. There is a scene when he is going to check in into a motel. Intoxicated as he is he looks at the sign of the place called ‘The Whole Year Inn’ but he reads it as ‘The Hole You’re In’

Visiting the Wat Bang Phra tattoo festival this Saturday I realized that before we get down the hole we'd better all do one thing:

Scream!

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

To Cut Or Not To Cut

For those who know me my fear of the barber is a well-known fact.
In many religions parting with one’s hair is a sign of devotion, showing a willingness to make a fresh start, leaving the old self behind, a symbolic re-birth.
Like the girl in the photo, taken earlier this month at the Thaipusam Festival at the Batu Caves in Malaysia.

If only it were that simple, even I might be tempted.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

Which Way?

The new year is well under way and I haven’t made a posting yet.
I have been looking for the right direction.
The world around us is full of advice: left, not left, right, not right, up or down, forward or back. It can get confusing when everybody who is not in your shoes seems to know the best way for you to be heading towards.
Until you realize the only truth worth knowing
The best way is your way.

And so the new year has finally started.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

What’s the Hurry?

Strolling the sidewalks of Hongkong and immersing oneself in the maelstrom of pedestrians is a challenge to even the most skilled urban walkers.
Street photographers definitely belong into this category. Not only do they need to expertly navigate the throng of lunch hour humanity, their eyes have to constantly scout for the unusual.
And so I found myself recently on a sunny afternoon in Tsim Sha Tsui when suddenly a blurry white vision broke my line of sight.
Now it is not unusual in a fast paced city like Hongkong to see people rushing to make a meeting and speeding for an appointment but when I realized the nature of the ”business” at hand I couldn’t help but think that time should really be no issue.

After all who wouldn’t want to savor the last remaining minutes of freedom?

To judge by their footwear, the young, soon to be married, couple certainly had a different idea.



Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2008

What's in a color?

You get what you see… or do you?




The books I have been working on as a publisher this year are out and will hopefully soon be available in a store near you.
Hands, Doors and Catch are only the first 3 titles of the Asia Unique series.
You can find more info on the website: www.visionary-world.com

The name of the imprint, under which the books are published is Red Banana.

Because not all is as it seems.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2008