From Hong Kong back to Berlin - Through five countries

Hong Kong - Two cultures, one breath

A melting pot of British heritage and Chinese present – like two worlds breathing in the same skin, full of passion. Hong Kong shimmers between skyscrapers and soup kitchens, between malls and street markets where time seems to have stood still. It's fascination in skyline, tradition, and order. Football fields between high-rises, outstanding coffee thanks to the old café culture of the 1950s and ’60s.A huge, energy-filled city that still manages to surprise with moments of calm – a mix that's hard to find.Hong Kong is truly special. I left the city reluctantly, with a touch of envy for those who get to live there.

India – Only one honest man

India was a challenge – one that was too much for me this time. New Delhi greeted me with noise, density, and endless smog. My lungs and my psyche went on immediate strike. Cars, people, motorcycles, and tuk-tuks merged into one tight, chaotic movement. A travel route through the Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur. The Taj Mahal: breathtaking. Jaipur: the pink city, an explosion of color. Overwhelming. Not just because of the poverty, the constant haggling, the pushiness. I felt like an abandoned dog. In all the noise and dust, there was only this one moment at a roadside stop – an old man selling me a drink, and I thought: Only one honest man. Despite everything, I can’t deny that this is where I took my best photos.

Oman - The woman I didn’t photograph

Oman is white and sand. Houses, mosques, marble – everything glowed in this quiet, gentle color, as if someone had used snow instead of stone. Muscat brought peace again. After India, I was sick and could finally breathe there. The Grand Mosque – majestic, gleaming, built of light. The opera house – a work of art. I drove into the desert, looked out over the sand dunes into the infinite distance. The driver stopped at a Bedouin hut, one of those typical roadside selling spots. On the carpets sat the Bedouin grandmother – dressed all in black, wearing a face mask that deeply moved me. It reminded me of the black profile of a bird. I stared at her secretly, fascinated. My driver didn’t dare translate that I wanted to ask her for a photo. Beautiful Oman.

Dubai – No prints in this city

Dubai is an artificial city. Fascinating, yes – but what do you do when you, as a living human, arrive in a place that seems cast in glass? I was traveling as an architecture photographer, in search of special buildings. And then: too many. Too much shape, too much height, too much shine. The skyline is impressive – especially from Dubai Creek Harbour. That’s where my skyline pictures were taken. But no architectural shots, because I never really connected with the city.

Dubai is safe, clean, orderly. Everything is huge. A megacity with the Burj Khalifa, surrounded by a forest of steel. Amidst all this mega, 90% of the people living here are from foreign countries – expats. Also a mega number. Considering that most of the wealth is held by just 10% of the population, who actually come from the Emirates. Megacity, mega future – and I was mega out of there.

Jordan – the silence of the desert

I'm not just a world traveler – I'm also a little collector of world wonders. I've seen the Pyramids, the Colosseum … and now: Petra, the rock city. Beautiful and impressive, yes. But also frustrating, with almost more souvenir stalls than stone, an unwalkable path to the Monastery, and an absurd descent. The entrance fee? Way too expensive. I was annoyed.Then came my short tour through the Wadi Rum desert – once crossed by Lawrence of Arabia. I just wanted the desert for myself. At a quiet spot, I got out and walked straight into the desert. No one around. Vastness. No sound. No birdsong. Just silence. Really loud silence.I turned around – nothing, no one, nowhere in sight. Just me. Eventually, the jeep came after me and picked me up again.The Jordanian desert is different. Magical. Absolute clarity in my thoughts. My quietest, deepest experience of the year.