Backpacking in southern Peru
Laguna de Huacachina
Laguna de Huacachina
An altimeter goes crazy just as a seismograph would register an earthquake. Once again something
blows my eardrums and a half-empty bottle of water in my backpack contracts itself. An overnight trip
brings me back from a height of more than three thousand
meters directly to the sea level. Backpacking through southern Peru I happen to meet many
happy and playful kids, all sorts of random people, among them butchers and
coffee sellers dedicated to their work. Small welcoming towns make me stay a
bit longer. All is left behind as I enjoy nature, endless deserts, oases and hidden ruins of ancient civilizations.
I am going to visit Cusco and experience the magic of the world's highest navigable lake Titicaca.
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Amazonas in Peru
A resident of Tingo village
A resident of Tingo village
The crowds go wild, there are fireworks
(but more modest than in other parts of the world) and the loud music is coming from
several different sources. The countdown begins: diez, nueve, ocho, ... tres, dos, uno!
New Year has just reached a Peruvian town of Mancora. We take off our clothes and run into
the warm
Pacific Ocean to enjoy splashing waves and to see the celebrating crowd of tourists from Peru and other parts of the world
ashore.
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Notes from Ecuador
The panorama of colorful Las Peñas and central Guayaquil
The panorama of colorful Las Peñas and central Guayaquil
Traveling through Ecuador I visit some interesting places. Guayaquil
is a vibrant and modern city, which despite its size (its bus terminal could
easily compete with many international airports in Europe) has a few nice spots
captivating with ambience. One of which is Parque Seminario, a
full of iguanas park next to the Basilica in the city center.
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Snapshots of Colombia
A colorful group of street musicians
A colorful group of street musicians
There are some questions at the Venezuelan-Colombian border. "You speak
Polish in your country, right?" - I nodded - "So where did you learn Spanish?" - "By
traveling and reading books".
Questions become less formal, "How do you say "Buenos Dias" in Polish?" - I answer
that "Dzien Dobry", the employee tries to
repeat and then with a smile on his face he stamps my passport saying
"Welcome to Colombia!". Thinking about the flourishing smuggling of
Colombian cocaine and almost free gasoline in Venezuela, one can say
that this border crossing is completely unsecured. It is only thanks to
my good will that I carry out all the border-crossing paperwork.
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The Northern Andes
A resident of the Apartaderos area
A resident of the Apartaderos area
I arrive to Merida, an Andean city of southwestern Venezuela.
Currently there is temporada baja, which means low season. In fact, there
are nearly no tourists at all.
This encourages exploring the area on your own, but still it is very difficult
to try a more demanding hiking trail. To climb most of the peaks around you need
at least a party of few, including someone who knows the route. Merida is a starting point and mid-sized city, a fairly extensive
one because of low housing. Vibrant life is focused
in the area between the streets of Calle 20 and Cale 28.
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Travel stories 
