Tag Archives: places
Desierto de Atacama
Chile is a curious country. Arguably more prosperous than its neighbours, the spaghetti-shaped land is occasionally referred to as the Switzerland of South America. But at the same time it’s a deeply troubled country, and I’m not talking about sexy communist revolutionary wannabes like Camila Vallejo. The thorough searches after we crossed the long patch of no man’s land surrounded by minefields, and arrived at the border, reminded us of the Iron Curtain, and times when freedom was scarce in Eastern Europe. Augusto Pinochet and his coup d’état had turned Chile into a dictatorship for almost twenty years, and it feels like the country still didn’t quite wake up from the decades of brutal repression – the people of Chile are nowhere near as natural, and much more guarded than in Bolivia, or even Peru.
Regardless, it’s a beautiful country with picturesque landscapes, good services, and delicious wine. It made for a great final part of our journey, and good transition back into civilisation. :-) Once again, I’m sharing excerpts from our favourite Alžbeta Lengyelová’s diary.
…find more of “Desierto de Atacama” inside
La Ciudad Imperial de Cusco
Cusco is a high city squeezing in an Andean valley at 3400 meters above the sea, and the Mekka of Peruvian tourism with around two million visitors every year. Its air is heavy with smog that comes from all the ancient cars that never heard of emission standards and are kept running probably by faith alone. Serving as a great base for trips around the Sacred Valley, it has become an immensely popular destination and experienced explosive growth – tripling its population over the past 20 years. Before the colonisation it served as capital of the Inca empire, and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. When Francisco Pizarro arrived in Cusco, he renamed it the “Very noble and great city of Cuzco”. As is the case with most invaders, they destroyed many of the original temples and palaces, using the foundations and material to build churches and colonial houses.
I will share parts of Alžbeta Lengyelová’s diary from the trip with you. It is in Slovak, so many apologies if you can’t appreciate it.
…find more of “La Ciudad Imperial de Cusco” inside
The Promised Land
New York, New York…
My Own Boston Tea Party
…or how Boston’s light got captured on my sensors. :-)
It started the first night after landing over the pond. TD Garden was packed with hardcore fans, junk food, expensive beer, sassy cheerleaders, Boston Bruins who hammered Tampa Bay Lightning 8:1, and us.
…find more of “My Own Boston Tea Party” inside
