South Africa

Once upon the time, a group of four people decided to explore distant lands of Africa. The mission was clear – taste a lion steak, ride a giraffe and most importantly, bring home some diamonds & gold. At the end, none of the above happened, nevertheless, we had a time of our lives. It all started with a hectic arrival of the crew – Zuzana, Helena and Ondra to O.R. Tambo airport. First destination was Kruger National Park. Our first camping site was called “Gecko Backpackers”, which was located just a few minutes away from the park’s entrance. Following day, the schedule was pretty tight, there was simply too much to see in such a short time. First stop was camp Skukuza, where we settled for a night. As the speed limit in Kruger Park is limited to 40 kmph, to cover even a decent distance takes ages…Most of the time, the actual speed is even bellow 30 kmph as stopping every now and then for sightseeing is inevitable. Highlights of the day was an elephant herd that charged right along our car as well as an angry buffalo stressing at the middle of the

road, marking its territory by peeing all over the road. As we returned to the camp, without knowledge of time restrictions, we were held at the gate & fined for late return. The highlight of the day, and for that matter, of the whole trip, was crew member Ondra, who managed to get so drunk that he got rid of all the clothes and run all over the camp, knocking on nearby caravans and swimming at the local pool. Not getting any attention from the guards and rangers for that matter, was a surprise, yet the following day, we had to seek the ranger anyway to pay the fine for late return last night. With one more day ahead in Kruger Park, even though we hit the road as soon as we could, we did not manage to see as much nor had such an adventure as the day before. As we came back to “Gecko Backpackers”, the seemingly decent storm approached by, but after a while, we were forced to leave the tents and move into the dorm.

The following morning, our next stop was close-by valley called God’s Window. Unfortunately, it was so humid that the mist swallowed all the place up and we were lucky to see a tip of our noses. With the whole day spent on the road and arriving in the Drakensberg Mountains just before midnight, finding a camping site was almost impossible. Decision to sleep in a car was not the most pleasant, yet was the only option. The following morning, a meeting was set with our guide, King Steve, in a small town called Winterton, from where we drove to our next camp, set up our site & went for a hike to the cave with bush people’s paintings. Right after the hike, we went for a horse ride. Well, except of Ondra. I bet he is secretly scared of horses! For the next day, we had planned an all-day hike to the “stable cave”. Overall, it took us briefly 6 hours to get to the cave. As we set the place up, our guide Steve began to cook a meal. He had mistaken one of our bottles, which he assumed was filled with water, but was actually full of vodka, and cook the meal from

it! The meal was really good, yet we did not realize until late evening, when we wanted to have a little bit of booze. That made our night – we could not have stopped laughing, what a story to tell! The very next day, the journey from the edge of Lesotho to the coastal metropolis Durban took us quite a few hours and as we arrived during the dawn, the only thing on our mind was to settle down, have a beer or two and hit the bed (should rather say floor). Driving through beautiful ocean-site highway was quite an experience. With a bit of a struggle, we managed to find a camping site with very pleasant owners, offering us to join them for a braai (South African barbeque). Spending the whole day on the road to arrive to East London in time, we were able to see the “other side” of South Africa.

As the only way further west was through rural “townships” areas, seeing all those slums built in the middle of nowhere with nothing around, yet happy people with children playing around… Those people seemed happy to me. Money is not always everything. While arriving in East London, we realized that it’s named “London” for a reason. During our stay, we did not experience anything else than rain and winds! Trying to leave East London as soon as possible, we managed to hit the road quite early with destination – Port Elizabeth pointed on a map. Once arrived, we enjoyed sandy beaches close by, although we could not swim as the whole area was covered with stones and rocks. As we drove along the coast, we saw a sign – Jeffrey’s Bay, while seeing bright sandy beach with hundreds of people around, we did not hesitate and made it our destination. The experience was truly incredible! Huge waves, clean warm water and beautiful girls all around.

Unfortunately, we could not have stayed longer as we had to hit the road to make it to our final destination - camp near Plettensburg’s Bay on time. As we arrived to the place, we have been told that phosphoring plankton could have been spotted on the beach close-by. As we stormed to the beach, we did not believe what we saw! Fantasy like scenery – we were running around like small kids, every footstep or splash of water made sand light – just wow! We were lucky enough to sees something like this as one see something like this once in a lifetime. As we came back to the camp, a group of young students invited us to join them at the campfire – singing and drinking. What a great day! 

In the morning, we decided to see something local, and as quite a few visitors mentioned nearby waterfall, plan was made. Following our departure, next stop was town Knysna with a small Rastafarian community within. Finding Rastafarian village was quite a challenge, yet after a few wrong turns, we managed and sneaked inside the village. Supposedly, the police is not allowed beyond the gate, so local community of circa 40 people have freedom of growing their own marijuana.

As one local resident Paul offered us a small excursion through his gardens, we have seen with our own eyes what the real Rastafarian garden looks like. As there were no camping sites around, we decided to camp at remote site right on the beach. Although, in the morning we have found out that the area was vastly occupied by one variety of poisonous snakes! Next stop - southernmost point of Africa, Cape L’aghulas, was quite far ahead, so after proper breakfast, we hit the road. After an amazing sightseeing, with nightfall coming, we arrived in Cape Town (our final destination).

For our 2-day stay, the “Green Elephant Backpackers” was a place we called home. The very first thing that comes into mind when mentioning Cape Town is the Table Mountain, and we were no exception. Spending the whole day climbing it (well, some of us climbed, some if us took easier way – cable way). The view on the top of the mountain was worth it! On one side, you can see almost all of the Cape Town and on the other, the two oceans merging together. As for last day in Cape Town and of our trip for that matter, our interest was pointed towards the marketplace. As that was the last time to buy some presents. With some time left, we tasted local fish & chips and went to Chapman’s Peak to observe the sunset. One last idea before departure for Pretoria, partyyy… We parked right in the city center & went to Long Drive (street with numberless clubs & pubs). Although when the midnight came, departure was imminent as a long drive was ahead of us. After about 16 hours of drive, we arrived in Pretoria, where we pulled ourselves together and prepared for departure back to Europe…

Zuzana made amazing video of this amazing trip, there it is: South Africa 2015

North America

 This time, I would like to share some travel experiences from the other part of the world – The U.S of A. I managed to see both east and west coast, although it took two whole separate occasions to see it all. East coast trip took place during the summer of 2011 and west coast trip during the summer of 2014. Next columns will try to describe my impressions of the most significant  places I have visited.

New York

 As for most foreigners, the New York City is the place where I set the very first foot on American ground. It is one of the greatest cities I have ever been to.  All the skyscrapers, squares... are as glorious as they seem to be in the films, there is no delusion. I found walking around the Central Park quite relaxing and inspiring. Even though others would disagree, the way the skyscrapers make a background to the park is just amazing. As for most of things, there are 2 sides of the coin. For the city of New York, the bad one would be city subway. The first experience I went through was when I took the subway from JFK airport to uptown Manhattan, where, during just a 30 minute ride, bad-ass looking black guy (these days, so called Afro-American) walked through the train naked (I guess that some drugs were involved). In the meantime, an elderly legless self-proclaimed veteran entertained the passengers by pole-dancing to make some cash for his booze (you would not believe how funny it was!), and as it did not seem to be enough, easy lady was looking for her customers and insulted everyone who rejected her services. Even though it was almost 4 years ago, I still remember as it just happened yesterday. That experience is simply unforgettable!

Niagara Falls

  The Niagara Falls are beautiful wide-spread falls spread between the US-Canadian borders. During my 2-day long trip, I was able to see everything that the tourists site can offer. Seeing the waterfalls from the top is as exciting as from the bottom, yet the best way to feel the power of the water is to take a ferry boat, which goes to the edge of the falls. Waterfalls recently became very popular amongst the tourists, so waiting time is quite long, but it is definitely worth it. Tickets are quite cheap and the journey from NYC is quite fast as a highway is barely busy (back in 2011).

 

Orlando

  Even though Orlando is quite small city, it is world famous because of it's theme parks – Sea Worlds, Disney Land parks, Universal Studios, etc.. As I experienced all that Orlando can offer: Disney Land, Sea World & Universal Studios, I must say that I enjoyed the Universal Studios most of all, yet it's my subjective impression and as I am not a big fan of speedy roller coasters, many people may think otherwise. Also beware, the entry fees are not cheap. In 2011, single park entry cost was just about $100 for a day! If you are theme park enthusiast, Orlando is the place to go. There is not much to do other than that.

 

Miami

  Unlike Orlando, Miami is situated right on the seaside. Basically, Miami is one big party place. Beach with the bars on the other side, what else would party people wish for? Ever shining neon lights everywhere won’t let you forget where you are. Although, the timing of the visit is quite essential. As I visited Miami during September, (which is considered among one of the worst months to visit due to the hurricane season) I was lucky enough to escape huge hurricane that left JFK airport closed for the first time in the history. Yet the same hurricane turned most of the Florida beaches into piles of dirt, mud and seaweed, so you can imagine... Not exactly a victory.

Virgin Islands - St. Thomas

 The experience of the fairy Caribbean island began with a flight, which already set the mood into euphoria. Seeing that colour symphony of sea and the islands bellow made me feel like I was dreaming. St. Thomas seems like the paradise on Earth. It has got the most beautiful beaches I have seen so far. The island is quite small, yet not small enough to be able to walk around. The only transportation available is via cabs.I was lucky enough to make a friend among the natives, which gave me an opportunity to get a ride with them. There is one curiosity I have to mention. As everything is imported from the mainland, prices differ, a LOT! Somehow, the taxes on alcoholic products are so low, that I was able to buy a liter of Caribbean rum cheaper than a liter of milk... Nothing better than having corn flakes with rum for a breakfast.

Key West

 

 The last island from famous Florida Keys, Key West simply stands out as the number one. Driving there seemed to be like driving through the sea. It is the southernmost point of the continental US and is distant only 90 miles from the Cuba shores. After all, Ernest Hemingway used to live there and might found some inspiration for his work there. Key west is quite small, so walking around the whole island did not take long time. Also, experiencing the thunderstorm was quite an experience. Soaked to the bone with the lightnings all around , but I actually enjoyed it!

 

Washington D.C.

 From my first impression, Washington seemed to be one big museum with relics on every corner. Despite it is the capital city, there was generally no traffic and you could count pedestrians with fingers on one hand. Most of the monuments are dedicated to the notable former presidents (Washington, Lincoln, etc.), but also for the memory of those, who gave their life during Vietnam War & World War 2. Washington’s museums are advertised as free to enter, yet in order to see a little bit more than just a basics, you have to pay a fee to enter, which, at the end of the day, ends up pretty costly – which was quite a disappointment, notably when visiting the NASA museum. As for me, the most beautiful “relic“ of all was the capitol.

Las Vegas

 I do not think that there is anyone who have never heard about  Las Vegas. It is the place, where it all began. It is not just a casino & entertainment hub, but also leisure paradise. Roller coasters, water worlds, even world’s major conventions (whether it is sports, IT or fashion) taking place in the never sleeping city. Heck, you can even visit the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower in there! Accommodation is extremely cheap as that is the most efficient way to get the fresh cash cows. Flight tickets are also extremely cheap, so while in US, you should not miss a visit. But be warned, temptation increases it’s influence in Vegas and I know what I am talking about...

Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is probably the most attractive and most visited nature site in the whole United States. It is so for a reason. Such a majestic view does not come by every day. For some reason, the nature preserved the canyon for billion of years and Colorado river milled it’s way all the way down to the present state. You can see that billions of years of work in just one view. The place became so popular, that there are buses running all around the place all day long.

Bryce Canyon National Park

 Once you have been to the Bryce National Park, you may as well say that you have been to the fairy tail. The place gets it‘s magic from intense colored slopes combined with emerald blue sky. Bryce is quite small to compare with the other national parks, so my one-day visit was quite enough to see most of its beauty.

 

 Zion National Park

 It is amazing, how diverse the parks are, even though they are only tens of miles apart. Zion is no exception. When the time to decide, which trail to take came, the choice was simple. To the top to see the valley. And it was worth it!

 

 

 

  

 

 

Yosemite National Park

 If someone asked me what is my most favorite place, I would not have to think for long. Yosemite simply got me. Park’s waterfalls, ever curious squirrels and the majestic mountains Half Dome and El Capitan are, among the other things, the reason why. These two mountains are so monumental they can be seen from any part of the park. They are the true guardians of the park. One thing I must recommend is swimming in ice cold waterfall lakes. Even though swimming is prohibited, no one enforces the rule, so there is nothing better than to jump into that ice cold water during these hot days, except for those with weak heart.

San Francisco

 

 San Francisco is simply “one of a kind“ city. Just streets themselves are like nowhere in the world - going 2 blocks uphill and then downhill, like a staircase. Sometimes referred as the city of art, beautiful paintings can be seen on almost every wall. Unfortunately, that also lures a lot of homeless people and strange existences, which ruins the otherwise beautiful impression. Once in San Francisco, seeing the sunset over Golden Gate Bridge is a must. I guarantee that it is something you will never forget.

Los Angeles

 L.A. is the New York of the west coast. I would describe Los Angeles as a highway maze. Nowhere I have been so far, have I seen highway over the highway, which is already over another highway. Yes, 3 levels of highway! How crazy is that? Other than that, there is nothing much to see, except famous “Walk Of Fame“ and the Hollywood sign, where you can visit the Griffith Observatory, which is actually  more interesting than Hollywood sign itself. Some knowledge of Spanish language is quite useful as the majority of the city speaks just broken English. Damn Mexicans! To give Los Angles a chance, there are very beautiful beaches located just north and south as well.  Living in L.A. might be a different story, but as a tourist, I would avoid it.

Turkey (All Around)

 After energy recharge after my trip around south – west Anatolia,  my next trip around the rest of the Turkey might have started. This time, I was accompanied by my friend Patrycja. We made approximately 5500 km while meeting almost every religious majority & ethnicity in the country. Out of 20 nights we spent during our trip, we had to use the tent only 2 times. For the rest of cases, we were invited to stay at our drivers' or friends' houses.


 Our first destination was Cappadocia – Goreme. Amazing area around ancient volcano, with lots of sand-like hills, which were made out of lava and with help from wind & snow, formed into current state, which ancient civilizations used and made into houses and temples. There, we found a cave, which we used as our hotel for a night and built a tent next to it. What an amazing experience! We explored the area in 2-day time (which is actually not enough if you want to visit all significant landmarks), taking our leave and heading to our next target, Trabzon, which was a bit further away, so instead of hitch-hiking, we took a coach, arriving to Trabzon early morning, where we had a pickup from our host.


 Not wasting a single minute, we headed for our target - Sumela monastery, which was quite apart from town itself. Although we made it to Maçka (a little town under the mountains, where is Sumela monastery situated) by hitchhiking, from there, we had to take a dolmuş, which took us up the hill, but still not even close - we had to climb for about 30 minutes to reach the monastery. The tour of monastery itself took less then 30 minutes, but was definitely worth it! Such an amazing structure built on the peak of the mountains - just wow! Leaving Trabzon behind, our next was stop Fındıklı, where our friend Muzaffer welcomed us & took us straight to Batum (Georgia) - alcohol, tobacco & casino paradise, where we refiled our supplies. Also, Muzaffer showed us the tea factory he is working at & gave us a big bag of it! Then, Muzaffers' family prepared for us such an amazing dinner with traditional fish & raki. Unfortunately, we could not afford to stay at one place for a long, so leaving such a lovely people behind, we had to move and carry on with our journey.

 As we left Fındıklı, a taxi stopped and took us to the main highway without any charge, from where we had a lift straight to Erzurum, what a great luck! Our driver introduced us to his friend, who own one of the oldest historical coffee shop in Erzurum (also under UNESCO) & gave us a tour around the place. At the end of the day, he provided each of us with free hotel apartment - as a compliment. As we hardly absorbed, how generous can people be, we went to sleep with a great feeling, that these people are not only in a fairy tales...

 Waking up a bit early to arrive in time, our next goal was Mount Ararat & city of Van. As we approached the city of Doğubayazıt, where is Ararat situated, we were bit of shocked, how different this place is. As soon as we dropped off from the truck, a bunch of kids run straight at us, asking us for money. While we successfully resisted them, one really old woman, looking like a witch, was shouting on us in Persian language - most likely asking for money, chased us, until we reached a petrol station, where she finally found another target. We managed to take some beautiful photos, and as soon as we were ready, we carried on with our journey to the city of Van.


 Upon arrival, our friend Hakan & Çağlar picked us up and took us to their favorite restaurant, where I ordered a plate filled with 5 different kind of kebabs, yammy! Next morning, we were invited for the famous Van breakfast with so many ingredients, including the best cheese I have had in my whole stay in Turkey, again, yammy! After having such a wonderful breakfast, we went to see the lakeside and Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross - Akhtamar, which is situated on the small island. Countryside there is just breathtaking! Nature is so pure without any mark of pollution. By the way, I would like to mention that Van as the largest lake in Turkey, has so high salinity, that during even the coldest winters, when temperature drops down to -30°C, does not freeze and water seems to be like an oil - that's even more than the Dead Sea.

 Moving on, our next stop, Mardin, was quite far away, so again, we had to be a bit in hurry. Fortunately, everything went right and we reached Mardin before sunset. Our friends' friend - Sedat, picked us up and took us to his hometown, which is actually partly in Turkey, and partly in Syria - Nusaybin. To be honest, there is nothing special about the place, except the feeling that you are literally few steps from Syria, and temperature, which could get during the day over 50°C. Mardin, in the other hand, as one of the cities called cradle of the civilization is one of the most beautiful ancient cities you can visit.

 From Mardin, we had quite a short way to the Şanlıurfa. Similar to Mardin by the history (both cities are situated in the area of the two rivers - Euphrates & Tigris), we had a tour around the city with one local, which provided us with the information about the history, and at the end of the they, one Kurdish family invited us for a dinner and sleepover. It was such an experience to see family living together in one house, with only few rooms and almost no furniture (just one small TV), and yet, with no need of anything. Why can't everyone be like them?

 With the idea of visiting one of the most beautiful historical sites in Turkey, Nemrut Dağı, we traveled to the city of Adıyaman, where we were told, that unfortunately there are no other tourist to go, so the price would reach really high quit, which we could not afford. So, with our dreams in ruins, we left Adıyaman and our next city of interest was Gaziantep, where our friend Misia worked as an volunteer for the school. We had some great night adventures in the city (including the story of weed-dealer search, which was, actually, successful!), and again, in the morning was the time to move on, so we set course for Hatay.

 As in the nightmare of every hitchhiker, we were stuck in the middle of nowhere deep in the night, but with a luck, we caught car heading straight to Antakya, where our friend, Hasan, kept waiting for us. Antakya is really special place, as the three of the most influential religions are meeting in one place (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).You can see Jewish synagogue, christian church and Muslim mosque next to each other. Beside that, Antakya is really beautiful city with a rich history (including march of Caesars' army through the Titus tunnel), and with close-by area with the tree, which, by biblical text, Moses planted by sticking a stick into the ground.

 With not much time left due to date of my flight, we had to pass Adana and go straight to Mersin, where we spent quite a lot of time, including camping by the seaside. The following day we spent on the road, reaching our last destination - Side. Side has been the most important city in the region throughout the history way before Antalya was even founded. That is the reason, why is it so rich with the historical sites including ancient theater, temple, hospital & the other monuments. Our host family had a business with the animals, so for a day, we had a pet monkey... and even tough it was really fun to play with it, it is animal which you should not try to tame. As the last day of our journey, we decided to spend it on the beach, by swimming, sunbathing, and you know... generally by doing nothing.

 As the time came, we set course for Antalya, from where we caught a bus to Bursa - which meant the only thing...the end of our incredible journey & return to the real life. As for me, leaving Turkey for good and starting another chapter of my life. I would like to thank everyone who took a part in our journey, especially to Patrycja - my travel mate, to Muzaffer - from Fındıklı, Hakan & Çağlar from Van, Sedat from Nusaybin, Yakup & Yusuf from Şanlıurfa, Misia from Italy =), Hasan from Antakya, The Gelikçi family from Mersin, and most of all, to Evren - who made this trip possible! Thank you Evren.