Podroz w liczbach / The journey in numbers

The journey starts and ends in Wroclaw, Poland. All distances and travel times are close approximations.

Podroz zaczyna sie i konczy we Wroclawiu w Polsce. Wszystkie odleglosci oraz czas porozy sa podane w przyblizeniu.

Wroclaw to Warsaw by bus -                                        376 km (6 hrs.)

Warsaw to Madrid, Spain by plane -                             2 280 km (3 hrs.)

Madrid to Buenos Aires, Argentina by plane -               10 008 km (13 hrs.)

Buenos Aires (A) to Cordoba (B) by bus -                      644 km (9 hrs.)

Cordoba to Capilla del Monte (C) by bus -                     80 km (3 hrs.)

Capilla del Monte to Tunuyan (D) by bus -                     643km (9 hrs.)

Tunuyan to Mendoza (E) by bus -                                 93 km (3,5 hrs.)

Mendoza to Villa General Belgrano (F) by bus -              640 km (9 hrs.)

Villa general Belgrano to El Bolson (G) by bus -              1 520 km (21 hrs.)

El Bolson to the Chilean border crossing and back, walking - 54 km (2 days)

El Bolson back to Villa General Belgrano by bus -            1 520 km (21 hrs.)

Villa General Belgrano back to Cordoba by bus -             90 km (3,5 hrs.)

Cordoba to Puerto Iguazu (H) by bus -                          1 600 km (23 hrs.)

Puerto Iguazu to Curitiba, Brazil (I) by bus -                  650 km (9 hrs.)

Curitiba to Paranagua (J) by train -                               50 km (4 hrs.) and a 1 hour bus ride to port

Paranagua to Ilha do Mel "Honey Island" by boat -          25 km (3 hr.)

Ilha do Mel back to Puerto del Sol by boat -                   10 km (1 hr.)

Puerto del Sol back to Curitiba by bus -                         120 km (2 hrs.)

Curitiba to Sau Paulo (off the map) by bus -                  405 km (6,5 hrs.)

Sau Paulo to Recife, Brazil by plane -                             2 087 km (2,5 hrs.)

Recife to Frankfurt, Germany by plane -                        7 700 km (10 hrs.)

Frankfurt to Wroclaw by bus -                                       725 km (11 hrs.)

Total distance travelled on land in South America -         8 144 km (128.5 hrs.)

Suma odleglosci przebytych na ladzie w Ameryce Poludniowej

Total distance with flights from start to end -                31 320 km (174 hrs.)

Suma odleglosci lacznie z lotami

Circumference of the Earth around the equator -             40 075 km :)  

Dlugosc rownika

*tlumaczenia

by plane - samolotem

by bus - autokarem

by boat - lodzia

walking - pieszo

Patagonia

Below are a few photos from my favourite bus journey through the northern part of Patagonia - a journey which made me realize the vast space in Argentina. Long roads with only few hills or not even that, from time to time a house or a farm appeared and with that view a great sensation of loneliness. Unforgettable views.

Ponizej zdjecia z mojej ulubionej podrozy autokarem przez polnocna czesc Patagonii - podrozy, ktora uswiadomila nam ogrom przestrzeni w Argentynie. Dlugie drogi, na horyzoncie tylko suche wzgorza lub nawet nie, od czasu do czasu pojawial sie dom lub farma i widok taki napawal nas uczuciem osamotnienia. Niezapomniane widoki.

 

MELECA

One last thing we need to mention about our week of magic on Ilha do Mel in Brazil was our introduction to "Meleca". A drink sent down by the gods through the hands of a grey bearded man who has spent the last twenty odd years serving this divine nectar at his bar. We were blessed with this introduction thanks to our meeting with Luiz, whom we met at the train station in Curitiba en route to the island. We were in the hands of a good man who happened to share a Polish family name with that of Karolina's, this is not a coincidence, of that I am sure. Legend has it, according to a most reliable source, Luiz, who has seen the shores of Ilha do Mel before. The grey bearded man, who I like to call "the dude", went to the island after the death of a famous rock musician from Brazil, Raul Seixas, and opened this bar, "Toca do Raul", in his honour. Apparently, the dude, was most upset at the death of Raul and saw no other path in life other than the one he now walks on Honey island. Blessed are we that this is so, for the drink that he serves can only be described as heaven in a shot glass. A unique experience, for we are told that it is served no where else on the planet! A mixture of vodka, honey and a secret blend of various herbs, served chilled.

Good times were had with our newly acquainted friends, Luiz, Gabriel, Felipe and Mariana.

Musimy dodac jeszcze jedna, ostatnia juz historie z naszego pobytu na magiczej wyspie Ilha do Mel w Brazylii, a mianowicie nasze spotkanie z Melaca. Drink, ktory poznalismy dzieki naszemu spotkaniu z Luizem, ktory nas wtajemniczyl. Bez niego pewnie nigdy nie znalezlibysmy pewnego urytego wsrod palm baru, gdzie sedziwy brodacz z dluga siwa broda serwuje ow nektar. Legenda glosi, ze czlowik ten, przez Luke'a zwany "the dude" przybyla na wyspe po smierci znanego brazylijskiego muzyka rockowego, Raula Seixasa, i ku jego czci otworzyl tu bar "Toca do Raul". The dude byl jego wiernym fanem i nie wyobrazal sobie innej zyciowej drogi od tej, ktora podaza od 20stu lat na Miodowej Wyspie. Bar jest bardzo maly, ale jakze klimatyczny, najwieksza jego atrakcja jest drink Melaca - wymyslony i produkowany przez the dude. Melaca jest mieszanka wodki z miodem i specjalnie wyselekcjowanymi ziolami, ktore stanowia sekret jej smaku, serwowana schlodzona. Wyjatkowe doswiadczenie, ktorego nie mozna zaznac nigdzie indziej na ziemi. A wszystko to odbylo sie w doborobym towarzystwie, co widac na zdjeciach. Niezapomniany wieczor, wizyta w Toca do Raul byla tylko jego poczatkiem, pozniej udalismy sie na dyskoteke i poznalismy smak brazylijskiego funku. Ale to juz inna historia.