Andrei Zviagintsev

Today I'm taking pictures of food for the menu.

Exactly 2 years ago I flew away from home and haven't been back since. I remember the snowfall at the airport, my doubts before getting my boarding pass - "Maybe I shouldn't?", how a wheel was torn off my suitcase on the way, how I couldn't call a taxi at night, how I was looking for a SIM card with this suitcase on one wheel, how I saw the Caspian Sea from the hotel window for the first time... All this seemed so complicated, incomprehensible, and dangerous in places. And now two years have passed, but it feels like five.

A woman behind the glass with a kind smile is doing something magical with a dress on a mannequin in her studio, a man on the river bank is slowly weaving boats, apparently for sale, and the owner of a cafe is cheerfully playing with a dog waiting for the first customers, somewhere in the background there is calm music, and I am just strolling here after breakfast. Morning in Tam Coc.

This morning we met with Ola, took some photos, which I will show you soon. And last time we saw each other was on Phangan in Thailand. In general, it is interesting - you travel, meet someone, make new acquaintances, friends, then your paths diverge, and after a while you can meet in another city, country or even on another continent.

In Asia, I have moments when it seems like I've been there before. It's like a feeling when you just woke up, you don't remember what the dream was about, but the mood is still there. A fleeting deja vu. And here it's the same. One of the most peaceful and pleasant places I've been to is the "Temple on the Island"

I myself find it hard to believe that phones have learned to take photos like this. Amazing!

Street, gates, tables, a bike, and inside the houses kids are watching cartoons. This is the vibe of local cafes.
Greens, rice noodles, hot sauce with apples and carrots, something like our lula kebab. Local lunch for locals - very delicious!

My first day in a new city. Ninh Binh, Vietnam, 3.12.24

You need to set yourself a reminder:
Don't forget to just live! I know it sounds pompous, but personally, I really often forget and fly somewhere without stopping..

By the way, to be honest, I wanted to leave here today, but I was too lazy. It's probably for the best.