Places – Quest for More :: Radek Okienczuk

Gran Canaria, a continent in a miniature

Gran Canaria is the third largest of the Canary Islands. Looking at its shape it is the most round one. As a tourist desitnation it is often thought of as a popular place to get away from winter. Especially among people living in the north of Europe. How can you visit such place without becoming…

Ultrarunning around Kuala Lumpur

We take a direct flight from Banda Aceh in Sumatra to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The timing is right. We have a few days to explore the city before Semenyih 100 Ultratrail Marathon series. The local trail running competition has two races of 25km and 50km to choose from. Kuala Lumpur, actually just like most…

Palau Weh, a hidden gem

Here we are, after a few weeks of exploring rough corners of Sumatra, staying in dirty places or sleeping in a tent, finally comes final part to indulge ourselves in little paradise, island called Palau Weh – just off the northern tip of Sumatra. Well… It actually has not started that easy. Firstly, we arrived…

Hiking with Orangutans

Our driver makes a stop to look at the rear wheel axle of the minibus. He moves it lightly and kicks a couple of times. It helps, but only for a few hundred meters. Something is making strange noise during the ride, yet the sound fades during acceleration. The vibrations are getting more intense. It…

Island inside the island and volcanoes

We are about to take a sixteen hour ride on a “new bus“. It is worth adding a several extra thousands of rupees (equivalent of a few dollars) because the “old bus” is said to be breaking down more often. The route is bumpy, wild and unforgettable, most of which we cover at nighttime with…

Surfing with bulls on Sumatra

We are landing in Padang in western Sumatra. The kamikaze driver provides a quick transfer from the airport to Bukittinggi. Three hundred thousand rupees and less than two hours later we’re (safely!) in place. We stop in the slightly forgotten Rajawali Homestay. There is no bedding or running water, but there is ‘still water’ in…

A hot day in Abu Dhabi

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.…

Carpathian Ruthenia – the other side of Bieszczady Mountains

We are located on the border of Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Nowadays Carpathian Ruthenia is a part of Ukraine. However, over the last centuries it has been under the control of neighboring states including Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. Hence the multiculturality and rich history of this place. From today’s perspective, it…

Romania by Yellow Bus

The first hours in Romania are not easy. We are trying to pass through endless kilometers of road works. It’s not just swinging traffic and unexpectedly deep holes. It’s also about speeding kamikaze trucks and poorly marked dangerous sections of the road. Provided we can survive it, everything is gonna be fine. I’m glad that…

Carpathian Ultramarathon 208km in 4 days

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

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

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…

Long way home

The way back from an enjoyable trip often becomes kind of a troublesome issue. There is usually some rush and stress involved. Do we have to already think about what is going to happen upon return. Are things such as cleaning up the house, our work or other duties really that important at the moment?…

Bungee jumping, climbing, canyoning and other attractions in Slovenia

Slovenia is located between the Alps and the Balkans. The visitors can enjoy rock climbing, bungee jumping, rafting, canyoning, ice cold rivers, green forest, mountain scenery and plenty of space. It is more than that. I call it the paradise for activity enthusiasts and the hidden pearl that should be permanently placed on European adventure…

Interesting places in Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Following the Rhine, we arrive at the spectacular Rhine Falls in Neuhausen. It is the largest waterfall in Europe, as measured by the amount of flowing water. In winter the average flow is 250 cubic meters per second while in the summer it can go up to 600 m³ per second. A bit further in…

How to fix a clutch in Freiburg?

Even though the clutch in my bus has broken right outside the city limits of Colmar, I still think it is a charming Alsatian town. Something simply went a bit wrong. I have no idea where to find a car mechanic not to mention the challenging task of describing the problem in French. It is…

Alsace and the Upper Rhine trail

Rhine River originates on the hilly slopes of the Swiss Alps and it gradually grows in strength with every kilometer it passes. Its headwaters set boundaries for the three European countries: France, Switzerland and Germany. Being in the area it is worth to visit all of these. I’m enchanted not by the Swiss scenery, but…

Once upon a time in Paris

If you are crossing France you do not need a map. The capital by some strange sort of coincidence will always be on your way. I still have about two days before my friend’s wedding. The venue is in Beauvais near Paris, so I decide explore that area for the next couple of days. By…

Belgian beer and chocolates

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…

Nature hikes in Luxembourg

If you look at the map of Europe, Luxembourg is hardly noticeable. Roughly forty percent of this half a million nation are immigrants. It seems that Luxembourg is commonly associated with tax evasion, countless financial institutions and so-called headquarters of global corporations. In this tiny country there are registered nearly 150 different banks that hold…

Some things to see in Copenhagen

I happened to be in Copenhagen several times, either passing by or coming for shorter or longer visit. Once I even lived there for some time. I got up in the morning and just like other Danes I cycled into town. This was the most convenient way to meet local people and get to know…

Santiago de Chile & around

Santiago is huge city. How can you start with it? Incidentally I discover that Maja, a friend from collage has lived here for several months already. This is an ideal opportunity to meet her and hear some stories about realities of living in Chile. I think in every capital it is tricky to enjoy the…

Landscapes of Atacama Desert

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

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…

Mandalay by the Ayerarwady river

Mandalay is a flat city. During the day it is hot as a frying pan. Vertical-horizontal arrangement of the city’s streets makes it easy to find your way, so it is quite unlikely to get lost here. This morning I’m meeting Vera. A few days ago we agreed that our roads would join here. As…

Morning train to Hsipaw

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)

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…

Limestone caves around Hpa-an (Myanmar)

It’s another extremely hot morning. You are sweating terribly just from the process of eating breakfast at 7.30. We plan to spend the day on exploring the area around Hpa-an using wrecked but still running relatively strong scooters. These are remote areas characterized by limestone mountains and caves. It’s easy to get lost in the…

Mawlamyine and the Ogre Island

We arrive to Mawlamyine at six in the morning and to our surprise it is not too early for a very early check-in. Courtesy of Breeze Guest House. Without wasting time, we set off on scooters to explore the area around. The everyday life of the town’s inhabitants concentrates around the market, bustling with retailers…

Serbia, Danube and bicycles

Let’s move south. Eurovelo 6 is a bike trail going from the Atlantic coast of France, following for some time Danube river, all the way to the Black Sea. Our goal is to cycle along the Serbian section of the this route, commonly known as EV6. We start from Baja, a Hungarian town nearby the…