Places – Page 2 – Quest for More :: Radek Okienczuk

Kenyan coast of the Indian Ocean

Finally Indian Ocean We made two thousand kilometers linking Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean on our bicycles a few days before planned arrival. Now we can use some time to cycle around Diani Beach area, bathe, snorkel and watch sunrises over the ocean. Diani Beach coastline One day we visit Raptile Center, a private…

Cubanacan, the island you don’t know

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…

Somewhere in Corsica

Colors of Porto Kitesurfing and cycling. An unplanned trip to the GR20 wearing SPD shoes and sneakers. Wild pigs, while imposing havoc on the roads, their meat has gained notable recognition throughout the island and far beyond it. Nearly twenty kilometers uphill bicycle ride takes us from the sea level up to a thousand meters…

Sipping tereré in Paraguay

Tereré on a hot day Gran Chaco is the second least accessible part of South America (preceded by the Amazon jungle). We pass this giant uninhabited area with a passenger and smuggling bus. The bus is definitely overloaded, there is a crowd in the aisle, lots of bags and boxes with unknown contents cramped all…

Backpacking through southern Peru

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

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…

Notes from Ecuador

The panorama of colorful Las Peńas 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…

Popayan, a white city in Colombia

A girl dancing on a street, Popayan Popayan is a small town perfectly capturing the atmosphere of Colombian province. The mild climate has attracted merchants and sugar cane plantation owners, who settled here looking for a quiet place away from overpopulated and sweltering Cali. The city started to develop in sixteenth century and has maintained…

Snapshots from Colombia

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”,…

Absolute freedom in Vang Vieng

In the Tubing, Vang Vieng, Laos The New Zealand Herald wrote, "If teenagers ruled the world, it might resemble Vang Vieng". I cannot think of a more accurate phrase to put it short. Vang Vieng used to be a calm, picturesque Lao village situated on the Nam Song river. Some distant limestone peaks fade away…

Landmines in Cambodia

In the morning we head towards O’smach, a rarely frequented Thai-Cambodian. Going by foot for an hour and a half we reach the main road. We flag down a tourist bus. There are no seats available, but the driver finds us a sitting area on the floor for a couple of bucks. After an hour…

Guesthouse #10

Hectic Cambodian streets calm down before the sunset I arrange a BMX and anticipating the following morning visit to the Halo Trust headquarters I decide to check up on another place of interest. Nearby a friend of mine runs a hostel called ‘Guesthouse no. 10’. Upon arrival I find myself in the middle of Cambodian…

The last fisherman in Phnom Penh

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…

Ankor Wat and the Khmer Empire

Prah Khan temple, Angkor Wat The history of Cambodia dates back to 2000 years ago. The former Kingdom of Funan grew in power over the years to become the Khmer Empire in the ninth century. Many problems plagued the empire, but still it had been consistently gaining the importance in the region. It is also…

Bangkok and the escape from Bangkok

Busy avenue in central Bangkok It has been a hide-and-seek game, but eventually I won, a giant cockroach in my hotel room is killed. Now I can go out on the street. It is sultry, stuffy and hot. The humid air sticks to my lungs. In the course of my travels this is the most…

A glimpse from Ethiopia

An Ethiopian beauty In the center of Addis Ababa, just off the main street we find a friendly Ethiopian, a happy owner of a timless Renault 4. He give us a ride to the bus station. This old car has a unique charm. Clutch is a manual handle, the gears transmission works vertically and on…

A marketplace in Bujumbura

Meat stall at the market in the capital of Burundi A group of butchers is using machetes to chop bony cuts of beef. An incomprehensible kirundi language chatter is set to background by mixed sounds of bones being crushed and hullabaloo of hyperactive flies. A slightly tense atmosphere rises, then it suddenly intensifies. No one…

Port in Porto

Night panorama of Douro riverbank We park nearby Paços do Concelho, the city council of Porto. Shortly after I befriend a Portuguese woman who appears to be the parking ticket warden, so for that reason parking becomes complimentary. We crawl along Avenida dos Aliados, the main alley leading from the center to the Douro riverside.…

Portuguese Odyssey

Sanctuary on the dark Cabo Espichel The winding mountain path is surrounded by the lush green vegetation of Serra da Arrabida nature park. At dusk we arrive at the terrifying Cabo Espichel. The heavy, wet fog reveals only the outlines of abandoned buildings at the very end of the cape. This is a cultic pilgrimage…

Lisbon

The great explorers set off their romantic travels I admire the dramatic view of sun subtly setting behind the clouds . Sailboats released in the wind, an ocean cruising ship and a few fishing boats cast long shadows on the wrinkled surface of the river. In the foreground there is the monument Padrão dos Descobrimentos…

The land of Alentejo

Windmill in Odeceixe The road north leads through a small fishing town Vale dos Homens. At the fish market we buy several doradas for dinner. This is a peaceful place, people rarely appear on the streets. We meet an old man sitting on a wooden bench in the shade of acacia lazily reading a newspaper.…

Laid-back Andalusia

Sometimes a road turns into the river Andalusia is considered the poorest and the least developed part of Spain. Take a look from another point of view. It is by far the most sunny part of Spain and time is running much slower compared to the other parts of Iberian peninsula. Our adventure begins as…

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…

Bialowieza National Park

Białowieża National Park King of the Białowieża Forest Poland’s journey from west to east takes thirteen hours and is getting longer every year. More cars imply increased traffic, while road surface of inferior quality needs constant repairs. The repairs are carried out in an absurd manner. This involves simultaneously digging up a dozen sections of…

Segovia (Spain)

Segovia Roman aqueduct in Segovia Segovia is a small town located north of Madrid. Like Toledo, fits perfectly for a one day excursion off the capital. The first impression is formed shortly upon the arrival. It is a deserted city. No, that is not. It’s just a siesta time, giving an opportunity to see the…

Gibraltar, a sunny rock filled with monkeys

Intrusive monkeys have no limits Gibraltar is a place of numerous disputes over the centuries. The territory once conquered and ruled by the Berbers in 711 A.D. had been waiting more than seven centuries to get back into the hands of the Spaniards. Not for long because in 1704 during the Spanish Succession War territory…

Cadiz, the Europe’s oldest city

Cadiz, the Europe’s oldest city Low tide at the fortress in Cádiz A bit after six, still cold, however we decide to rest on a beach. Every fifteen minutes more sunlight timidly emerge from behind coastal high-rises. The next comes breakfast. We order churros in a nearby bar. These are disgustingly fat and excessively sweetened…

Toledo (Spain)

Toledo Alcázar de Toledo Toledo is a small town located about an hour south of Madrid. While in the capital, it is also worth to spend some time out on a fresh provincial air around. Toledo is definitely one of the most interesting one-day excursions. Getting off at the bus station I see a rising…

The heart of Spain

In the middle of Spain Rabbit pate topped with walnuts and garlic butter with shrimp Spain is a voluptuous country. Not only because of the local Iberian cuisine. It is also a lack of haste and a slow pace of life. Its culture and casual people with their easy-going outlook on life which does not…

Barcelona, the European theme park

Barcelona, the European theme park A view of Barcelona from Park Guell “A European theme park“, a guy from bike rental shop told me in Madrid. I asked him to describe Barcelona in one sentence. Some say that the capital of Catalonia has nothing to do with the real Spain. One thing is certain. Barcelona…