Cycling through the Congo

Curious children looking through a window in a bar A red gravel road ahead heralds hundreds of kilometers pedaling into the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the next few days I expect to become absolutely detached from the outside world, with no mobile phones, no electricity, no running water and at most a few poorly…

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The footsteps of Kazimierz Nowak

In the years 1931-1936 a Polish explorer Kazimierz Nowak traveled all Africa using only the strength of his muscles as the first person in the world. His achievement unfortunately has never gained the appreciation it deserves. A groups of enthusiasts inspired by the character decided to plan a relay travel in the years 2009-2011 to…

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Burundi, the heart of Africa

A Hutu tribe woman, Burundi A scenic river runs along the valley defining the border with Rwanda. Since the outbreak of civil war and even after the official ceasefire, Burundi has a reputation of a very dangerous country. Just a year ago the capital city of Bujumbura was the only area controlled by the state,…

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One thousand hills on a bike

Mzungu among Rwandan kids Tired of a long journey we are looking for a bottle of cold beer. Searching through the mysterious alleys of Kigali all we find is a warm and tart banana wine. We still have to take a five-hour bus ride to Gisenyi, a town on the western end of Rwanda. It…

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When the temperature drops to minus 40 ºC

The temperature is approaching -40ºC Central Norway is the coldest place in Europe. Contrary to the apparent logic, moving further north you will find yourself within the range of warm Mexican current, which makes Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea never freeze. Therefore the air temperature has also relatively small fluctuation over the year. In Gålå…

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Cross-country craze

Cross-country skis will get you anywhere you want I bet I have traveled much more on cross-country skis than the combined distance covered by car, train, bike and on my feet during nearly a five-month long Norwegian winter. Cross-country skis or langrenn (in Norwegian) is undoubtedly the pride and the national sport here. Locals are…

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Surviving the Norwegian winter

Snowshoe walking I settle down the place where the sun sets at three in the afternoon, merely an hour later it gets completely dark. And so it is until nine in the morning. It’s hard to get used to the long shadows cast already early in the afternoon. The early December’s temperature of minus 20ºC…

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Peniche

Fortaleza de Peniche We are too late! This year’s world surfing championship at the beach of Supertubos ended two days ago. We missed Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton, the world’s top surfers. One of the accidental hitchhikers assured me that last week during the competition there were six meters high giant waves. The atmosphere of…

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Algarve tripping

Surfing time Early in the morning I say goodbye to southern Spain and cross the Portuguese border. My first stop is at the tourist information office. Courteous black girl, probably in the seventh month of pregnancy greets me with Portuguese “Bom dia!” and a smile on her face. I collect detailed information on the Algarve…

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Longboard BCN

Barcelona is a longboarder’s paradise Last time I visited Barcelona I made a mistake and didn’t bring my longboard along. This time I finally got a chance to fix it. Now, my only concern is to park the yellow car in the center. This is not trivial issue, because by definition, you can’t move by…

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Sardinia

A place for snorkeling A night ferry from the Italian port Piombinio takes us to Olbia, a city on the north-eastern Sardinia. Still long before dawn we head towards the Isola de Gabbiani and Porto Pollo. It is getting bright and this is exactly the time and the place for a hearty breakfast and morning…

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A loop around Poland

A loop around Poland Enchanting trails of Bieszczady mountains First, we pick the most interesting places of Poland and then decide to spend around one month to follow the loop inside our country. We do our best to keep a safe distance of a hundred kilometers from the capital, as in order to stay a…

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Feel California Summer

Surfers in Huntington Beach Sometimes all you need is a good place to rest and spend some time with not much of wandering around. California sounds perfect. Now that I found a cheap flights the opportunity at fingertips. There remains only the task to find a good company for such a trip. In fact it…

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X-Games 13th edition

Stylish Lazy Boy On Saturday, August 8 2007 is the X-Games 13 competition. This is the most prestigious extreme sports event in the world. Being able to see the X-Games means for me the same as it would be to watch live the final of the World Cup for football fans. X-Games has an unique…

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Crossing Norwegian forests and lakes

Norwegian lakes are famous for clear water We take a tent, two backpacks, some food and fishing rods. The only necessary things to hole up for a week in Norwegian woods. The plan is to walk from one lake to another. This Scandinavian country is often associated with large amounts of fish, beautiful landscapes, short…

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Elbrus, the Europe’s freeriding Mecca

Panorama of the Caucasus, view from Elbrus North Caucasus. Elbrus and Cheget are the two mountains, which slopes are covered with hundreds of thousands tones of fresh powder every year. Such snow conditions make it a true paradise for snowboarders. The trip itself to this place takes three and a half days. We take the…

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A rollercoaster accelerating to 200 km/h in 3.4 seconds

Six Flags amusement park, New Jersey. Two hour bus drive from New York. The main attraction is Kingda Ka, the recently opened rollercoaster. Application of the same mechanisms as those used to accelerate the fighter jet planes off the aircraft carriers (with limited runway length) succeeded in creating ultra fast and extraordinarily performing rollercoaster. Fully-loaded…

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Snowboarding in the summer

Traditional Austrian attire Snowboarding in the summer? Sure. You just have to find a bunch of guys who would rather take out the dusty snowboard from beneath their bed in the middle of summer rather than lie on the sunny beach.  The idea appeared to happen in mid-July, a period usually not identified with winter…

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Beskid Żywiecki by bike

Half-dried lake, Zywiec The idea of this journey is simple: ride bikes in Polish mountains. Everything else can be done without a plan. Our plan is to follow mountain trails and explore small towns on the  way. The trip is also an opportunity to incorporate a healthy lifestyle, keep up fit and enjoy the beauty…

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