OUR TRAVELS
Photos of sightseeing enthusiasts
A TRIP ROUTE
IT IS WORTH SEEING
The modest museum in Arequipa houses the best-preserved mummy in the world. A young girl named Juanita was accidentally found in 1995 near the summit of Mount Ampato at an altitude of 6310 m. Research by scientists has established that Juanita was sacrificed by Inca priests in the mid-15th century, most likely to appease the anger of the gods in during prolonged drought. The wonderful clothes she was dressed in and the rich furnishings of the tomb indicate that she may have come from a noble family from Cusco. The voluntary death of a teenage girl who sacrifices her young life for the good of the community is difficult to understand for people living in the modern, dehumanized world.
INTERESTING STORIES
Far-away Peru is in an unusual way connected with the castle in Nidzica, located in the territory of Polish Spisz. It was here after World War II that a kipu was found, which was supposed to indicate the place where the Inca treasure was hidden, intended to finance the uprising against the Spaniards. The story began in the 18th century, when Sebastian Berzeviczy, a polonized Hungarian nobleman, left for Cusco. There he met an Indian from the aristocratic Inca family, and the fruit of their love was Umina's daughter. The idyll was interrupted by the outbreak of the uprising against the Spaniards and the tragic death of its leader Tupac Amaru II. Umina, as the wife of one of the Inca dignitaries, had to flee the country. However, she was stabbed to death in Niedzica, and Sebastian, wanting to save his grandson Antoni, gave him up to be brought up by the Benesz family, thus hiding his true lineage.
IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Few people know that the 19th century Polish road and railway engineer Ernest Malinowski contributed to the development and modernization of Peru. The Pole designed and supervised the paving of streets and squares in Arequipa. He was the creator of the Pisco-Ica railway project and the 277 km long railway from Chimbote to Huaraz. During the armed conflict with Spain in 1866, Ernest Malinowski, as the chief engineer in the port of Callao near Lima, took part in its defense, fighting on the ramparts of the Santa Rosa Fort. However, his greatest achievement was the design and supervision of works on the construction of the Trans-Andean railway, which, running through over a hundred tunnels and bridges and rising to an altitude of almost 5000 m above sea level, was a phenomenon of the then technology.
INTERESTING FACTS
The Peruvian artist Marcos Zapata, who lived in the 18th century, was the most outstanding representative of Escuela Cusquena, i.e. the Cusco School. Its task was to educate artists to create religious images used to convert the local population to Catholicism. Painters who created their works for the needs of the conquistadors willingly introduced local fauna and flora as well as elements of Andean culture into the composition. One of Marcos Zapata's most remarkable paintings is the Last Supper, depicting Christ and his disciples eating a roasted guinea pig and drinking chicha (corn beer) from Inca goblets.
WORTH RECOMMENDING
The action of a large part of the movie Quantum of Solace takes place in Bolivia and its capital La Paz. This is another episode of the James Bond series with Daniel Craig in the lead role. James Bond discovers that the organization he fought in the previous movie, Casino Royal, is more dangerous than he thought. The trail leads to cynical businessman Dominic Greene, who wants to take control of Bolivian drinking water supplies. After a series of failures, the brave agent of the British MI6 manages to prevent a coup in Bolivia and eliminate all the villains.
Peru, Bolivia - La Paz
May 2014
The trip to Peru and Bolivia was my first trip to South America. This fact alone aroused great emotions, but also raised considerable fears. In addition, the journey was to take place with changes in Prague and Madrid, which on the one hand allowed for getting to know attractive cities, and on the other unnecessarily prolonged the already long enough journey from Poland to Peru.
Any worries about whether I would be able to do it alone without knowing Spanish evaporated like camphor as soon as I left Lima and went on an adventure. The indigenous people are very friendly but a bit shy and are reluctant to take photos. So far, I have associated Peru with Machu Picchu, but there is much more to see in this beautiful country. I saw picturesque cities with colonial architecture and pre-Inca pyramids, I admired one of the deepest canyons, the highest navigable lake in the world and the beautiful coast of the Pacific Ocean.PERU
Lima
When I looked out the window welcoming the morning, I almost broke down. The entire sky over Lima was shrouded in gray clouds. The owner of the hotel comforted me that this is the beauty of the capital of Peru, over which the sun only shines a few months a year. Lima is a huge behemoth, and getting to the most attractive places is quite a challenge. I really liked the colonial architecture of the old town, but I was most impressed by Huaca Pucllana, a huge pyramid of dried bricks in the Miraflores district.
Paracas National Park
Thanks to a lucky coincidence, while visiting the Paracas National Reserve, I had the opportunity to admire both the area of the peninsula and the Ballestas archipelago, jokingly called the Galapagos for the poor. There are certainly many reasons for this, which in no way detracts from the beauty of this place where the desert collides with the ocean. The enormous geoglyph of El Candelabro made an amazing impression on me , while the Ballestas Islands themselves I remembered as one big noise made by tens of thousands of birds and the stench emanating from their guano.
Nazca Plateau
When I read the books of Erich von Daniken as a teenager, the drawings from Nazca fired my boyish imagination. However, as it usually happens, our ideas most often lose in contact with reality. The Nazca geoglyphs are primarily poorly visible from the air, in the context of which one of the theories about their role as an alien landing site is at least questionable. However, I found out for myself why all guides recommend refraining from eating breakfast before flying a light plane.
Arequipa
Arequipa, inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, is one of those cities that will remain in your memory for a long time. However, what caught my attention the most was not the beautiful Plaza de Armas with a monumental two-tower cathedral or the Sanata Catalina monastery resembling the city, but a tiny museum located in one of the side streets. His most important exhibit is Juanita. The way the famous ice girl mummy and the accompanying artifacts are displayed made me feel the atmosphere of the events that took place over 500 years ago.
Colca Canyon
Condors, the world's largest flying birds, can be observed in their natural habitat in the Colca Canyon and that was also the purpose of my trip. The birds with an almost three-meter wingspan majestically gliding over the canyon looked amazing, but photographing these giants in flight turned out to be a very difficult task. However, the Colca Canyon itself, despite being one of the largest on the continent, did not make such an impression on me as I expected.
Lake Titicaca
At 3,800 meters above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the highest lake of this size in the world. The blue waters of the lake, reflecting the mountain peaks, are simply enchanting with their beauty, and the picturesque views are best admired from Tequile Island. However, the floating islands of Uros made of totora reeds made the biggest impression on me. Despite the fact that the appearance of the village, the clothes of the inhabitants and their behavior were adapted to the expectations of tourists, they cannot be denied their beauty and originality. This is how their ancestors lived here.
Sun Road
The route from Puno to Cusco, romantically known as the Way of the Sun, undoubtedly lives up to its name. During the trip on a luxury bus, I could not complain about the lack of beautiful views. The biggest attraction was the ride through the Andean La Raya Pass, located at 4335 meters above sea level. The San Pedro de Andahuaylillas Church, described in the guides as the Sixtine Chapel of America, seemed to me overrated. Beautiful baroque frescoes, intricately painted beams on the ceiling and paintings from the Cusco School make a great impression, but are far from the original.
Cusco
Picturesque Cusco with Spanish churches and squares, full of wooden balconies over narrow cobbled streets and charming alleys is included in the Unesco list and fully deserves it. During my almost three-day stay in the city, the former capital of the Inca Empire simply charmed me. In Cusco, the old meets the new harmoniously at every turn, and Catholic churches and buildings growing out of Inca foundations are nothing unusual. However, what I remember most is breakfast in a small hotel overlooking the majestic Plaza de Armas.
Ollantaytambo
Tiny Ollantaytambo is the last stop for tourists heading to Machu Picchu. The guides describe it as a city that was still alive during the Inca era. However, the biggest attraction of this place is the stone fortress of Araqam Ayllu. Located on a rocky slope, the defensive structure to which wide terraces lead, impresses with precisely fitted rock blocks arranged without the use of mortar.
Machu Picchu
The Lost Inca City of Machu Picchu was the icing on the cake of my trip to Peru. I must admit that everything I read about this magical place before was true. When in the early morning my eyes saw the ruins of Machu Picchu shrouded in shadow, I was simply speechless with delight. The surrounding silence completed the impression of mystery and uniqueness. Then the rays of the sun flashed over the neighboring peaks and everything around exploded with a riot of colors.
BOLIVIA
La Paz
Being so close to the border, I knew I couldn't deny myself visiting La Paz. Located in the Andes at an altitude of almost 4000 meters, this huge agglomeration breaks many records. It is the highest capital of the world, here is also the highest located cycling track and a football stadium. The city made an amazing impression on me, and the view from Mirador Kili Kili was breathtaking. A visit to the Witches' Market and the Coca Museum was equally attractive, but walking around the city you could see at every step that Bolivia is a poor country.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague
Prague was the first stage of my trip to Peru. I had the opportunity to see the city eleven years ago, during our first trip to the Czech Republic. This is probably why, when I went for a walk in the old town early in the morning, I felt like in my hometown of Krakow. The streets, empty at this time, let you soak up the atmosphere, admire the views and take photos. I've always liked the capital of the Czech Republic, but now it seemed even more beautiful to me. However, time passed quickly and it was time to move on.
SPAIN
Madrid
The next city on my pilgrimage to Peru was Madrid. I spent a total of one day in the capital of Spain, so far too little to even roughly get to know all the attractions. I must admit that I did not like the city. It overwhelmed with the enormity of monumental architecture, giving the impression of being inaccessible. On the other hand, my most pleasant memories are visiting the Prado Museum. The opportunity to admire the masterpieces of Bosch, Memling, Titian, Rubens, Velazquez or Goya was a great experience for me.
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