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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Tobago, the essence of the Caribbean
Grocery store in Plymouth, Tobago
Grocery store in Plymouth, Tobago
Arrival to Tobago proved to be fairly simple. At
first, I did not believe that my luggage would so easily find its way along an
intricate route.
I
grab my backpack shortly after leaving the plane. The immigration officer asks, "Do you have a return ticket?", my straightforward answer
- "Sure I have",
brings a reply, "Welcome to Tobago". I admire the countries in which the relationship
between a man and an official is trust-based. The time is 4:30 pm. I note there
is a regular party right outside the airport. People dance, drink White Oak rum and cold Carib
beer. Nicely dressed Toboggan girls are
talking on the phone, arranging themselves hair and shaking their bodies to the
rhythm of music.
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Back from the far north
Kavringtinden (1289m), Lyngen Alps
Kavringtinden (1289m), Lyngsalpene
This is another adventure with the yellow bus. The bus has already reached the
tip of Portugal, it survived the Norwegian winter at -40°C and this time it
reached a few hundred kilometers north of
the Arctic Circle. I spend a few days with friends in
Tromsø and enjoying the charms of the city, known as "Paris of the North",
I expect arrival of Mati, my travel companion. We are going to drive almost 4,000 kilometers. I suppose
we are well prepared for the trip. We have all the necessary equipment and
supplies to stay a few weeks in conditions
prevailing in the far north.
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Hunting unexploded ordnance
UXO Lao team in field work
UXO Lao team in field work
Empty streets of Phonsavan resemble an abandoned arid town somewhere
in the Middle East. Burning sun penetrates mysterious alleys. The vivid blue sky with
occasional little clouds sets an interesting contrast with sandstone architecture.
The silence is disturbed by 4x4 off-road cars, rickshaws and motorcyclists. I
rent a motorbike to visit the Plain of Jars Site 1. Even this tourist object
has not been entirely cleared of UXO or unexploded ordnance. These are
the consequences of American bombings in the 70's. I will try to trace some of
the past warfare remains.
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Lao motorcycle diaries
While the four guys came up to the fence, the fifth one hid behind a tree
While the four guys came up to the fence, the fifth one hid behind a tree
Bolaven Plateau is an area located at an altitude of 1000-1350 meters in southern Laos. The region
is famous for its picturesque waterfalls. Making your way to the waterfalls you
will pass little scattered villages inhabited by ethnic minority tribes. We pack
our luggage to bare minimum, which is a shared towel, toothpaste, a spare T-shirt
and a sleeping bag. The goal is to explore the Bolaven Plateau on our Japanese-made
moped, an indestructible Suzuki 110cc. This little bike will soon undergo a
harsh endurance test on steep and difficult dirt roads.
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Southern Cambodia
A curious but still timid girl, southern Cambodia
A curious but still timid girl, southern Cambodia
Cambodian 'four hours' equals roughly 'seven regular hours' and it is the amount
of time to reach Kampot by bus. We discover another pleasant city,
whose once slow life bustles on when you visit a marketplace. The local market
is divided into sections making some sort of a logic. In one corner
I see stands with twenty sewing machines and exhausted tailors still involved in
sewing dresses and trousers to order. Just nearby are further stands with fresh
fish, pork brains, live ducks, geese and already slaughtered but still plumaged chickens. On Friday evening just before dark
the place slows down and a moment later
- becomes nearly deserted. All is left are the evening food stands with some unsold food
in massive pots. So are scavenging rats.
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The last fisherman in Phnom Penh
A break at work
A break at work
Phnom Penh is probably
the only capital in the world with no official public transport. It has some
further consequences. Nearly every second guy chooses to be a tuk-tuk
rickshaw driver.
Indeed walking down the street, it is hard to ignore enthusiastic shouts coming
from all over
"tuk-tuk cheap cheap for you my friend " or "special price for you my friend".
Shortly after we reach the district at Boeng Kak Lake filled with backpackers, hippies
and all sorts of lost travelers. I'm in the middle of the Cambodia's capital to find
the last fisherman on the lake which is about to disappear.
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Travel stories
