Featured :: QuestForMore.com Radek Okieńczuk

A hot day in Abu Dhabi

Apr

24

2018

It is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates (Dubai is the first). Our plane has landed in Abu Dhabi early in the morning, just at the crack of dawn. Intuition tells me that, being located somewhere in the desert on the Arabian peninsula, this must be an unusual city. ...

Ironman Triathlon – tips for beginners

Oct

13

2017

The term “Triathlon” takes on a slightly different meaning when accompanied by a catchy keyword “Ironman”. It certainly sounds interesting and mysterious. First time I came across the term was just a few years ago. Then I instantly got into it. I thought that since there are no impossible things, it might be quite an ...

Carpathian Ultramarathon 208km in 4 days

Apr

10

2017

208km, 8954m of vertical gain and 4 days of excellent race adventure KUM is a four-stage mountain race leading from Szczawnica to Wisła in southern Poland. It is easy to guess that new trail running events are often underrated and don’t get all the attention they deserve. It is especially true for the first edition of ...

Exploring levadas in Madeira

Apr

2

2017

This time it’s a family trip. More precisely a surprise trip for my mother’s 60th birthday. She’s always been a fan of Portuguese culture and heritage, hence the idea to go to Madeira. What do you associate Madeira with? For my mother and sister Luisa, this is the “island of everlasting spring” and the cradle ...

Snowboarding in Gudauri, Georgia

Nov

26

2016

We arrived to the Caucasus in quest for fresh powder. Is not just another snowboarding trip, above all it is the opportunity to get to know a new country and an interesting way to spend two weeks with good friends. I’ve already had the pleasure to experience snowboarding on the northern slopes of Caucasus (the ...

Traversée: 61km / 4100m of Swiss adventure

Jun

17

2016

Summer is the best time to pack your own hand-made recreational vehicle with all sorts of sports equipment and set off on an adventure journey through Europe. On one side I do love traveling with no specific plans nor itineraries, however, it is quite useful to have some sort of culmination point, an objective that ...

Belgian beer and chocolates

Jan

24

2016

I came to Belgium in the middle of completely hot summer, out of curiosity. I rarely travel in that part of Europe so it is even more interesting to visit a country commonly associated with beers and chocolates. We drive my yellow bus from the Luxembourg side and arrive to Rochefort, a random town on ...

Among Chilean volcanoes

Jun

16

2015

We are in Cunco, a small village in the region of Araucanía in Chile. As the name rightly suggests, this terrain is populated with araucaria trees. We stock up and head towards Lake Colico. The first car we encounter pulls over to offer us a ride. It’s a giant, heavily overloaded Dodge RAM 2500. Its hood is ...

Landscapes of Atacama Desert

Apr

15

2015

Northern region of Chile is famous for surreal landscapes created by nature. It takes a few long days of driving to reach northern part of the world’s longest country. Finally, together with Dorota and Światek we all arrive to San Pedro de Atacama, a desert town located next to the Bolivian border. It is perfect base ...

Penguins and sea lions

Feb

10

2015

It’s time for some adventures from Chile. The car ride from Santiago towards Atacama offers intense experience with semi-arid landscape. The road north meanders between the ocean on the left and the Andes on the right. The predominant view of bushes and cactus is rarely replaced with some vineyards, olive plantations, or abundant wild plants ...

Morning train to Hsipaw

Dec

9

2014

I have accidentally arrived to Mandalay at 3 am. What can you do at this hour? Probably just try to get away. I grab my backpack and hop on a motorcycle taxi. We rush through the big city’s darkness towards railway station. To my surprise, even at this early hour there is a lot of ...

Where the garlic grows (Kalaw to Inle Lake)

Oct

28

2014

We are going to take a double-decker pickup towards Kalaw. In fact, it is an ordinary pickup, with the difference being that people sit on a roof. Interestingly, local women are not allowed to sit on vehicle’s roof, because it is “not appropriate”. The car keeps overheating, but the situation is under control as long ...

Land crossing into Myanmar

Oct

16

2014

The overland travel to Myanmar, former Burma, had crossed my mind long time ago when visited Southeast Asia for the first time. Even though some of the Burmese land borders began to open already few years ago, the south of the country remained largely isolated from the world until August 2013. Today one can “easily” ...

Kenyan bush, bicycles and elephants

Mar

17

2014

Life ain’t easy in Taita Hills It’s getting hotter. We have lost another 1000 meters of altitude. At the end of the day we are at about 750 meters above sea level. We make a stop ahead of Tsavo West National Park, colloquially known as The Man-eater National Park. As suggested by Richard Trillo, an ...

Goat in the Masai village

Mar

11

2014

Kenyan side of Mt. Kilimanjaro We are heading towards Kilimanjaro along the road C102. Police officers at the roadside station ensure us that we are unlikely to come across dangerous animals at this time of a year. On the way we pass scattered tiny villages with inhabitants taking care of their cattle. It’s nearly the ...

The Great Rift Valley

Mar

4

2014

Headmaster and his desktop The newly built paved road stretches up and down and up and down and all over again for another 40 kilometers from town of Narok. At some point we turn into a narrow unpaved track. We stock up with roasted corn, mangoes and bananas at one of local markets. Up and ...

Masai Mara, animals without borders

Feb

23

2014

The Africa I always wanted to see A pink glow appears on the horizon at 6:30 in the morning. Some people living in recently visited villages assured us that if we keep cycling south at some point we would meet a lot of wild animals. We listen in disbelief, but they keep saying, yes, yes, ...

Kenyan Plantations

Feb

19

2014

Lone tree between tea Among Sugar Cane Our dirty and dusty road crosses through giant sugar cane plantations. Car traffic is minimal until late in the afternoon when tractors loaded with sugar cane pop up. Workers are bringing the hard day’s work harvest to one of a few sugar cane factories in the area. We ...

Biking at the source of the Nile in Uganda

Feb

12

2014

Biking at the source of the Nile in Uganda Cycling in Mabira Forest Reserve The outbound road from Kampala seems to be fairly enjoyable. The initial 65 km stretch takes to Mabira Forest Reserve. Sometime on the way I remember to buy antimalarial pills. In no particular village a pharmacist offers me 20 small green ...

The east side of Cuba

Sep

19

2013

We arrive to Santiago de Cuba. The surroundings look as if destroyed by a hurricane. Actually (and sadly) this is the case. Uprooted trees and broken rooftops form the suburb landscape of this second largest city on the island. To prevent cholera outbreak, there is triple chlorine disinfection carried out in front of each premises. ...

Weird things going on Cuba

Aug

4

2013

Classic old-timer One of the most popular dishes in Cuba is pan con hamburguesa, which in other words, is kind of a hamburger. The preparation process involves making it ready first and then heating the entire thing in the toaster, in a way that the meat always stays cold, almost as if it was taken ...

Cuba, how is it possible?

Jul

28

2013

We arrive to town of Hershey on our bikes. Here we get to know Ula, a Polish woman who has lived over 30 years in Cuba. What brings her here? Back in the seventies there were many Cuban students in Poland. Usually those students, on contrary to the regulations of their studies, happened to socialize ...

Cubanacan, the island you don’t know

Jul

18

2013

I exchange two hundred euros for peso cubano and I get two hefty handful of money, probably weighing about one kilo. In my mind there is a thought: Am I able to spend it during the next month? The two different currencies in circulation in Cuba is just one of countless, sometimes absurd, surprises waiting for ...

Red wine, the best beef and yerba mate

Mar

13

2013

Colorful Buenos Aires Every time I recall Argentina in my mind, I remember all warm and genuine people I met here. It brings back a lot of colorful and intense memories. It is a country where every single day begins with a few servings of yerba mate and in the morning it is impossible to ...

Work in hell

Dec

29

2012

Sixteen-year-old miner in Potosí, Bolivia I have seen hell nearly five kilometers above the sea level. Working conditions and safety of Bolivian miners in Cerro de Potosí make it one of those places on our planet where loss of health is a direct consequence of commencing work. This is not an air-conditioned room, but 40 ...

The surreal world

Nov

19

2012

A bus in the Bolivian wilderness I see an endless white space ahead, which unites with the blue sky, far at a distant horizon. After a while I find myself having forgotten that I am still on the same planet. In fact, I am in the middle of a giant salty desert. Delving into the ...

The magic of Huayna Potosi (6088m)

Oct

15

2012

Dreams come true Observing vast waters of Lake Titicaca, on that day the air seemed to be much clearer. I walked to the hotel terrace on the Isla del Sol, where I spent the last night and I looked ahead. Far away, almost on the horizon I saw the snow-capped peaks of Cordillera Real. Initially, ...

The Death Road

Sep

19

2012

World’s most dangerous road Camino de la Muerte ("The Death Road") is a notorious transportation route in the of Yungas region, going from La Paz (Bolivia’s capital) to the town of Coroico. This 61-kilometer long stretch initially rises up to La Cumbre pass at a height of about 4650 meters above sea level, then it ...

Backpacking through southern Peru

Jul

19

2012

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 ...

Amazonas in Peru

Feb

17

2012

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 ...