4,000 kilometers separate Beijing from Lhassa; 4,000 kilometers on board the train nicknamed “The Dragon”. This train holds many records: 2,647 bridges, 11 tunnels one of which is the world’s highest at 4,999 meters, pressurized cars equipped with anti-UV windows. Emmanuelle Han will have to deal with altitude sickness but in return she will encounter some very exceptional people.
Sicily. A land of travelers where opposing influences meld in unexpected ways. With Emmanuelle Han, we discover the Mediterranean’s biggest island while travelling to the rhythm of the rails. Messina, Palermo, Catania... During her voyage, Emmanuelle will meet Sicilians who have chosen to live without the Mafia, to throw off their yoke. She’ll discover what this choice implies.
And what if to see the real Cuba, one had to ride this train which clanks along at 50 km/h over the 835 kilometers of the Santiago-Havana line? In Cuba, the train is the best way to mix with the masses, people that tourists only glimpse through the windows of their air-conditioned tour buses without ever meeting them, without ever hearing their stories. This ride takes us deep into the heart of a country much more difficult to penetrate than it seems and thus avoid out-dated cliches. Emmanuelle Han embarks aboard the mythic “Tren Frances” and lets herself be led from one end to the other along this legendary line, “the Pearl of the Caribbean”.
Emmanuelle Han chose to travel across Argentina aboard El Gran Capitan, an illustrious train dear to the heart and soul of every Argentine. In this land of contrasts, this mythic train constructed by English pioneers in the 19th century carries passengers more than 1,000 kilometers… in 33 hours. This iron monster snakes its way around the bends of the Sierras, the vast Pampas and town and villages with their gently fading colors. A ride on El Gran Capitan reveals all of Argentina’s complexities. We discover this promised land and its descendants as well as their multifaceted identities. A voyage to the borders of a country and its people, a journey along the frontier lands of Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.
A land of sunshine and history, Turkey lies at the crossroads of three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. A circumstance which gave birth to a rich and surprising culture. The Vangolu Ekspressi carries Emmanuelle Han on a trip of over 1,300 kilometers, from Istanbul to the Iranian border, gateway to the Orient. In the heart of these very remote lands, this train shows us a kaleidoscope of landscapes, ways of life and cultures.
A land of superlatives, Australia is the world’s largest island, the flattest and most arid territory on the planet. Its geographic isolation and its extreme climate have fashioned an uncommon topography where barren stretches of land no longer scare anyone. Thus this railroad, built in the heart of the Nullabor Plain - 200,000 km2 of semi-arid calcareous earth with barely a tree in sight. It takes three days to cross the 4 352 kilometers which separate Sydney from Perth; three days during which Emmanuelle Han will meet with singular characters, between madness, modernity and the outback spirit.
In India, it is said that it’s best to remain close to the sacred rivers so as not to become impure. That’s why Emmanuelle Han has chosen to embark upon the mythic railroad line the North East Express which runs across the valleys of Brahmaputra and the Ganges. By following this spiritual path from Guwahati to Delhi, and passing through the holy citiy of Agra, an unexpected facet of the country is revealed. India is a rapidly developing country, the middle class being its economic as well as cultural motor. The North East Express covers 1,880 kilometers in 22 hours - an opportunity to get closer to this new class of Indians, a class that’s slightly schizophrenic and the symbol of a country in full mutation.
Travelling over the 700 kilometers between Gemas, in the Southern part of the country, all the way to the North and the Thai border, Emmanuelle Han has gone in search of those marvelous mirrors of contrast and complexity in Malaysian society: its women. Aboard the Langkawi Ekspres, Emmanuelle Han unveils a mosaic of unforgettable portraits. Cigar-smokers, taggers and cobra hunters, they are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. At the heart of the dilemma of what it is to be Malaysian identity, these women try to impose their own vision of the future.
From Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, the train of Reunification carries Emmanuelle Han on a 1,726 kilometer voyage. She discovers a country as modern as it is rural -oscillating between the desire for openness and an attachment to traditions. Today, 50% of the population is younger than 25 years old and didn't live through the tragic events of their country’s history. As Hanoi, the country’s capital, celebrates its Millennial Anniversary, what are the concerns of a society where young people represent such a large proportion of the population ?
If ever a train deserved its name, it’s the “Train of Life”. Without it, 100 000 people on this remote inland region of Eastern Madagascar would be completely cut off from the world. Emmanuelle Han climbs on board this clinking-clanking convoy from Fianarantsoa to Manakara travelling 163 kilometers along its 67 bridges and 48 tunnels. Welcome to this local version of a TGV, a Train of Great Vibrations… No reservations necessary and overbooking guaranteed! From high plateaus to the shores of the Indian Ocean via grandiose landscapes, each stop is an occasion to visit these isolated villages and discover a local economy held together by a thundering thread of steel that’s 75 years old.
Ride the rails with Emmanuelle Han in aboard a train that links country’s imperial cities. Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fez, she’ll meet the descendants of Morocco’s great dynasties, in search of the secrets of the Moroccan art of living Whether perfumers, furniture makers or the founders of orphanages, they share the desire to preserve the savoir faire and values passed on from generation to generation. A voyage through captivating settings at the heart of a country in constant evolution
Emmanuelle travels on the Alfa Pendular, the Pendolino high-speed tilting train. Over her journey she will meet people who have chosen to give meaning to their lives by doing things for others.