Peru and the Ancient Incas
Women of the Uros tribe wear strange multi-layered skirts. One skirt may be knitted, another made of nylon, a third of brocade. The women of the Uros spend their entire lives lying on reeds and painting gourds. They sell the gourds to tourists who come specifically to Lake Titicaca to see the Uros people and their floating islands. In total, there are 32 natural islands and 44 artificial ones on the lake. All of them have been drifting across Lake Titicaca in unknown directions for centuries, along with residents who manage to be born, live their lives, and die without ever leaving their floating "land." The water in the lake is green, the reeds are yellow, the multi-layered skirts on the women selling gourds are red and blue, and the road across Lake Titicaca starts from the pier of the city of Puno.
The actual capital of Peru, Lima, seems even elegant—especially in the center, where pink gardens bloom on Plaza de Armas, carved balconies hang, and water splashes in a large fountain. In reality, it is more complicated—the only safe district of the city is called upscale Miraflores, but even there, one constantly feels the near breath of the desert and a vague unease. The most fantastic place is the sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu, whose true purpose is still debated.
Seychelles and the Coco de Mer
There is much to marvel at in the Seychelles. Next to ordinary coconuts, extraordinary sea coconuts grow here. Your journey begins at Mahé airport with the coconut stamp on your passport, and you will take the original one home with you. The main coconut reserve park is on Praslin Island, the second largest of the 115 Seychelles islands. An adult coconut palm reaches a height of 30 meters, and its leaves are seven meters long. The fruit itself is also no gift—it weighs at least 20 kg. When the coconut ripens, a license sticker is attached to it, and it is sold to tourists for $200 each. Another object of national pride is the giant tortoise. A pen with tortoises is always present near any decent hotel. The main reserve is on Curieuse Island, a half-hour boat ride from Praslin.
However, it is pure indulgence to occupy oneself with coconuts and tortoises when there is sunlight the color of white gold, tides, and sand as white as flour.
Cambodia and the Micro-Model of the Universe
In February, it is not very hot in Cambodia—only 35 degrees Celsius. It is the season of prahok, and the air is filled with the sharp smell of slightly rotten fish. Prahok is a fish paste prepared in a special way, first sun-dried for several weeks, after which it acquires a unique taste, aroma, and becomes an ideal seasoning for boiled rice. Prahok is made in January-February and then stored in large clay pots. The supply usually lasts a year. Not every traveler to Cambodia will dare to try prahok, but everyone will certainly end up in Siem Reap. Tuk-tuks with tourists, curtained with plastic sheets for rain, motorcycles that can hold an entire Cambodian family, and countless bicycles. $25 for a hotel in the city center—with rooms that always have air conditioners, televisions, and fans. It seems Siem Reap lives solely off tourists who come to see the largest Hindu temple in the world.
The temple complex Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century and dedicated to the god Vishnu. It embodies a micro-model of the universe. It is almost impossible to walk around all the temples in one day, so locals take tourists on their motorcycles, and entrance tickets are sold for one, two, or three days at a time.
Dominican Republic and Bright Colors
The Dominican Republic is located in the West Indies and occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. To the north is the Atlantic Ocean, to the south the Caribbean Sea, and to the east the Mona Passage. The Dominican Republic is home to the oldest city in the Americas, Santo Domingo, the highest Caribbean peak, Duarte Peak (3,175 m), and the largest lake in the world that still has crocodiles. Apparently inspired by the latter fact, Dominicans like to call their country "the jaw of a crocodile ready to snap shut on Cuba's tail." And there is also Punta Cana—guidebooks describe it as "a dazzling diamond polished until it turned into paradise." Punta Cana is over 30 km of beautiful sandy beach.
Santo Domingo is the first European city in the Americas. It was founded on August 4, 1496, by Christopher Columbus's brother, Bartholomew. To this day, Santo Domingo preserves the first cathedral, the first hospital, and the oldest paved street in the New World, called Calle de las Damas. The houses, apart from the ancient colonial quarter, are painted in different colors—crimson, blue, green—in this way, the residents hope to scare off evil spirits.
UAE and Shopping Festival
Dubai is a locust city. Not only because everything is sold and everything is bought here, and not because of the exotic view of mirage-like skyscrapers trembling in the sun haze. Simply, the word "Dubai" translates as "locust hatched from a larva." There are many mosques in Dubai, the most interesting being the Jumeirah Mosque, Ibrahim Al-Khalil Mosque, Rashid Hospital Mosque, and the Grand Mosque with its 70-meter minaret next to the Old Market. There are also many markets and bazaars in the city: the trading rows of Karama, Nasser Square, the Old Market or Spice Souk on Old Baladia Street, the covered Deira Market at the corner of Sikkat al-Khayl and Sabkha, and the Murashid Bazaar. The most interesting is the Gold Souk. Half an hour from the center lies the free economic zone of Jebel Ali—a giant Duty Free, a shopaholic's dream. Here, with fantastic discounts, you can buy everything from watches to cars.
The best time to travel to Dubai is winter, because from January 24 to February 24, the traditional shopping festival is held here.
Malaysia and the island of Borneo
Three states immediately consider the island of Borneo as their own: Indonesia owns its vast southern part, the world's richest sultanate Brunei owns a tiny patch of land in the northwest, and Malaysia owns two northern states of the island - Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah is also called 'the land below the wind' for its very convenient location below the typhoon zone. It is wildly popular with tourists. First, because of the islands scattered in close proximity to the coast. Also, people go to Sabah for Mount Kinabalu, the highest in Southeast Asia. The route to the mountain begins far below, in the jungles, screaming and shouting in all voices, then everything falls silent and the scenery changes: instead of lush tropical vegetation, the traveler is surrounded by a terrifying prehistoric forest. The forest is very humid, and suspension bridges are stretched where necessary and where not.
Indonesia and the island of Bali
Borobudur Temple on the island of Java is called the Temple of a Thousand Buddhas, but it would be more correct to call it the Temple on the Mountain, especially since there are not a thousand Buddhas in Borobudur, but a little over five hundred. But this does not prevent Borobudur from remaining the largest Buddhist temple in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The island of Java itself is a real anthill with a population of 120 million. There are also volcanoes on Java, and something is constantly boiling and erupting in their craters. Observing active volcanoes is one of the most popular attractions on the island, and around the Krakatoa volcano, which erupted so violently in 1883 that it even broke away from Java, you can sail by boat and also visit the Ujung Kulon National Reserve.
The island of Bali is separated from the island of Java by a narrow strait. They say about Bali that it is the most romantic place on earth. It is hard to doubt this when you see the countless lovers in white flower garlands drinking daiquiris on the beaches. There are also many surfers in Bali.
India and the purification rite
"India lies almost at the very edge of the earth's disk and is separated from this edge by uninhabited and unexplored deserts, for to the east of it no animals or birds live. To the north and west, India borders a country where bald people live" (Old Man Hottabych). In India, there are also the northern beaches of Goa and mysterious Kerala, where fishing boats drift, and in front of every temple there is a silver-plated Lenin. There are the slums of Calcutta and the bazaars in Delhi, and the city of Auroville, immersed in eternal peace, and the city of Ujjain, where once every dozen years you can take a bath in the waters of the sacred river Shipra.
The wonderful bath takes place on the first full moon of April and is called 'Kumbh Mela'. It is believed that bathing in the Shipra during this festival cleanses all sins. It is best to dive into the Shipra with the first rays of the sun, and from the evening crowds of pilgrims take places on the embankment of the sacred river. Some pilgrims come to the embankment with bundles and even suitcases containing urns with the ashes of deceased relatives, in order to scatter them over the Shipra during the Kumbh Mela. Having entered the water up to the waist, one must whisper the main Hindu mantra Gayatri, and then plunge headfirst into the water. The more times you plunge, the better, but at least three times.
Philippines and excellent diving
Where the Philippines are located is not immediately clear. On the north side, the Philippines border Taiwan, on the south - with Malaysia and Indonesia, on the east they are washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and on the west - by the South China Sea. But the main thing is not even that, but that there are more than 7,000 islands in this area, and many of them are not only uninhabited, but also completely nameless. It is a long flight to the Philippines - first five hours to Qatar, then eight to Singapore, then another four to Manila. Manila is, in fact, the same puzzle as the country of which it is the capital: not one city, but 17 satellite cities, completely unlike each other. Opposite Fort Santiago stands the Manila Cathedral, built in the Romanesque style from Philippine unbaked brick.
However, the main thing in the Philippines is not architecture, but nature. Sea water, clear to the point of dizziness. And diving... just the shallow reefs cover an area of 39 thousand square meters.
Thailand and nature reserves
About 65% of the country's area is occupied by jungles and nature parks, but in addition to nature, Thailand is interesting for its historical monuments. The starting point for walks around Bangkok is Khao San Road. Here you can spend the night, make a call, try local food, get a guidebook, a travel companion, a cheap plane ticket and a visa to any of the neighboring countries. In Bangkok, you must see the Grand Royal Palace, the Vimanmek Museum (the largest building in the world entirely made of golden teak), the ceremonial swing Lak Muang (two huge teak pillars with a carved crossbar). The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Temple of the Golden Buddha (where a 5.5-ton solid gold statue of Buddha is located) and another four hundred wonderful temples, and then go down to the pier along the oldest street in the city called New Street and rent a boat.
All major historical monuments of Thailand are concentrated in the central, northern, and northeastern parts of the country. It is here that the ancient capitals of the Siamese states are located - Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, and even further north - Chiang Mai. Old temples in Ayutthaya are interspersed with recently built ones. Many of them can be viewed from a boat, leaving your bicycle on the shore. Sukhothai is located a little further north: here it is best to rent a bicycle and leisurely ride around, admiring the ancient stupas reflected in the lakes.