{"id":151262,"date":"2026-01-12T09:01:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T08:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/?p=151262"},"modified":"2026-01-07T10:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:20:11","slug":"two-journeys-two-worlds-one-passion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/en\/two-journeys-two-worlds-one-passion\/","title":{"rendered":"Two journeys, two worlds, one passion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arturo Botey tells how Peru and China surprised him after 50 years of discovering new horizons<\/h3>\n
\"Viajes

Arturo Botey poses in front of the Forbidden City, a historic complex that left him with an indelible memory of his time in Beijing. Photos: A. B.<\/p><\/div>\n

Arturo Botey, a 73-year-old retired paediatrician, has spent almost his entire life travelling the world. \u201cTravelling is one of my great passions, a weakness of mine,\u201d he admits. He had always travelled independently, following his own path and never joining organised tours. Until one day, while out for a walk, something made him stop: a poster for the Per\u00fa Fascinante<\/em> trip in the window of the GRAND azulmarino<\/strong> Travel Store. \u201cI saw that it included Machu Picchu and that it wasn\u2019t a huge trip with 50 or 60 people,\u201d he recalls. That format -small groups, an itinerary designed to truly experience the country, and an accompanying guide from Spain- made him rethink his way of travelling. And after two trips with them, he says it has been \u201can absolute success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soul of Peru<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Andean country was a destination he had \u201calways wanted to visit\u201d, and in 2024 he experienced it with the intensity of someone finally fulfilling a dream. \u201cIt was everything I\u2019d expected and more,\u201d he says. He was captivated by the energy of Lima, the history of Cusco, and the luminous elegance of Arequipa, where he had one of the most memorable moments of the trip: \u201cit\u2019s amazing to stroll through the Santa Catalina Monastery,\u201d with its colourful beauty and almost unreal atmosphere. And, of course, the arrival at Machu Picchu, which he describes without hesitation as an \u201cimpressive and unique\u201d place, its centuries-old ruins steeped in mysticism.<\/p>\n\n\t\t