Sep 24, 2009 12:00 AMTwo thirds of the Tri-city: Sopot and Gdynia
In the morning we left Jastrzebia Gora for Gdynia by bus. We had to change the buses in Wladyslawowo but there was almost no waiting time, fortunately. Gdynia Glowna railways station features left-luggage office, so we left our suitcase there and caught a commuter train to Sopot. All three Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot are connected by SKM, a commuter train with frequent services (every 8 minutes or so). From Gdynia to Sopot the ticket is only 1.95 zloties (discounted) and the ride takes 15 minutes. In Sopot we had a very nice stroll in the town as well as on the pier (molo - in Polish). There is a small admission fee that varies depending on the day of the week, with more expensive tickets during weekends. There's a nice view from the pier on the seafront of Sopot. You can also see Gdansk and Gdynia from there - it's not very far. There's also a pleasant and reasonably priced restaurant on the left side (looking from the sea side) of the pier. On the right-hand side there's an associated cafe. We popped in for a cup of coffee. The view from the upper level is very enjoyable.
On Plac Zdrojowy (just in front of the pier) there are many ice-cream parlours where you can also have a very tasty waffle with fresh fruit.
In the afternoon we went to Gdynia to see the seaside. There's a harbour where a military ship ORP Blyskawica (the Lightning) is anchored. Otherwise there's not much to see. When compared to Gdansk the rest of the Tri-city has little to offer.
At 5 p.m. we left by train to Warsaw. Now I'm on the train and we will reach the capital just before 11 p.m.
Sep 23, 2009 12:00 AMChilly seaside
It was rainy in the morning. The temperature wasn't very inviting for beach-lovers either. So we decided to go to the town of Hel located at the tip of the peninsula bearing the same name. We got there by from Wladyslawowo by train (70 minutes, 9 zloties - discounted). To Wladyslawowo we got by public bus (15 minutes, 3.5 zloties - no students discount). Apart from buses there are also private minibuses plying the route. Off-season there is rougly one service per hour.
The train route from Wladyslawow to Hel is very picturesque. In some places the rail track goes as close to the shore as several meters. The peninsula is also very thin and in some places we could see the sea on both sides of it. There are also forests along the way.
Hel itself is a nice place to have a walk around. There's a very nice vista opening from the tip of the peninsula located around 30-minute walk from the train station. During warmer months you can sunbathe on the beach there and enjoy the waters of the Baltic Sea. Along the way there are many military facilities with good descriptions in Polish, German and English. The town is packed with restaurants where you can enjoy freshly fried local fish. Expect to pay from 30 to 60 zloties for the meal depending on the weight of the fish.
I can definitely recommend halibut, very tender and tasty fish. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the place where I had it, but you can find this fish in many restaurants around. Also in Hel there are free hot-spots, so you can make use of your laptop or PDA.
In late afternoon we went back to Jastrzebia Gora to enjoy an evening stroll on the beach as well as romantic sunset.
Although it was chilly for the whole day and we even cought some rain drops, it was a very pleasurable day.
Sep 22, 2009 12:00 AMSunny Gdansk
The summer is coming to an end so my girlfriend and me decided to go for a short break to the seaside. We left Warsaw by train before 7 a.m. to reach Gdansk after slightly more than 5 hours. It pays to buy tickets in advance, thanks to it we paid only 29 zloties (US $10) o/w per person. The standard fare is around 110 zloty. Although it's an intercity train the trip was more than 5 hours due to poor condition of tral track. Nevertheless the journey was comfortable.
In the afternoon we did sightseeing in Gdansk. We wanted to see the most important sights - many of them located along Dluga street as well as Dlugi Targ. Unfortunately Artus court, whose interior is said to be stunning, was closed on the day we wanted to visit. The most exhaustive activity, requiring lots of stamina, was climing 408 steps to catch the view from St Mary's Church's tower. We also saw the crane at located at the waterfront and admired the architecture of old Gdansk. There are so many masterpiece houses along the main drags of the Main Town. A stroll there is very pleasurable.
There are also many restaurants and eateries along Dluga and Dlugi Targ streets. We chose Kuchnia Rosyjska serving excellent traditional Russian fare at very reasonable prices.
In the evening we took a train to Gdynia (30 minutes, 4 zloties - discounted) to change for a bus to Jastrzebia Gora there. This tiny and sleepy village is said to be a bustling sea resort during July and August. Now it is deserted with most guesthouses closed. Yesterday we booked a room there at Atena guesthouse but on our arrival it turned out to be closed and the landlords didn't pick up the phone. Without any difficulty we found a decent double room in Neptun guesthouse. The room is ensuite and costs 80 zloties per day.
There is quick free wireless internet access available in the 'centre' of the village.
Sep 05, 2009 12:00 AMFlying sports hall
Yes, this is what Ilyushin 96 looks like inside. Very huge, spacious but that's it. Nothing else. No inflight entertainment (at all during more than 9-hour flight), stinky toilets and don't even expect the crew member to smile. They will definitely not. This is Aeroflot, old Soviet airline. But it also has its second face. From Moscow to Warsaw I flew onboard state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200. It probably entered service this year. Very modern, clean and the staff was friendly and helpful.
I still don't know why this aircraft was operated on SVO-WAW flight. Normally this route is served by Airbus 319, an aircraft with half the capacity as there are not many passengers. This time was not an exception, the aircraft was almost empty with ca. 240 seats and only 60 or so passengers onboard. I landed safely in Warsaw airport with 20 minutes delay due to heavy air traffic at SVO. Warsaw was cold (15 deg centigrade) and rainy.
This was a very enjoyable journey and my travelmate Talat again proved to be great company. Hope for another trip together.
Sep 04, 2009 12:00 AMLast fittings
In the morning I first went to the Snake Farm. It's easily accessible by Skytrain. The farm's main aim is to produce antivenin from different species of poisonous snake. Milking is on show at 11 a.m. Unfortunately I couldn't see it - I had an appointment with a tailor scheduled at that time. This was to be the final fitting but it turned out some further corrections had to be made and finally I picked up my suit and shirts in the afternoon. Before I visited the Snake Farm again to attend a snake show in which various species of poisonous (including the most poisonous king cobra) and non-poisonous snakes were presented. In the evening I left for the airport. It's easy to get there by public transport. There are several buses departing from different points in the city. The fare is 30 something baht and the trip to the public transport hub takes 60-90 minutes depending on traffic. From the hub I took a free shuttle bus to the airport (10 minutes). From there I was picked up to an airport hotel called Convenient Resort. It's located 10 mins ride from the airport. Return pickup was included in my booking made via agoda.com. The night there cost 15 euros only (breakfast excl.). The room was spacious and clean. A very nice option if you have a morning flight.
Sep 03, 2009 12:00 AMAyuthaya - once royal, still magic
Ayuthaya is not far from the capital - you can go there either by train or by bus. Train journey took us two hours and cost only 15 baht (3rd class ordinary train).
Although not in the best shape and looted from gold and other precious staff, Ayuthaya's temples still look magnificent. We first visited Wat Phra Si Sanphet. It's quite well preserved. To get there we took a tuk-tuk for 50 baht. It's quite far from the train station. Admission to each temple is 50 baht, you can also buy a combined ticket for all 6 temples and pay 220 baht then.
Having visited the compounds of this most popular temple we had a walk in Ayuthaya historical park and also visited Wat Phra Mahathat temple. From there it's only a short walk to the bus station. An air-conditioned bus to Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal takes almost 2 hrs and costs 50 baht. From there is a pleasant 20 minute walk to skytrain Mochit station from where we got to central Bangkok.
In the evening we visited the tailor for a fitting. The suits and shirts should be ready by tomorrow noon. I ordered another 4 shirts.
Sep 02, 2009 12:00 AMBack to Bangkok
Yesterday we bought a combined transfer ticket to Surat Thani airport (it was 500 baht). We left our hotel at 8 a.m. to catch the 10 a.m. boat to Don Sak (boats leave every hour on the hour during daytime). We had a short lunch stopover in Surat Thani and then we left for airport. It's only 1-hour flight to BKK. We arrived there at 5 p.m. Now we're staying in Pratunam area in Pranee Building. A basic but clean and air-con room with hot-water shower is only 450 baht there.
Sep 01, 2009 12:00 AMA deserved lazy day
For the first time during this trip I did nothing. I spent the whole day on the beach sunbathing and reading one of Ryszard Kapuscinski (Polish journalist and traveller) books. The weather wasn't very good it even rained a bit, but it was a pleasant day.
Aug 31, 2009 12:00 AMAng Thong National Marine Park
Today we visited this beautiful national park made up of ca. 40 islands. There's an excellent view point from which you can see almost the whole park. It's a strenuous climb 240 m above sea level, the last 10 minutes of which is climbing sheer rock but it's definitely worth the effort. This we did in the afternoon.
In the morning we visited emerald lagoon - a lake inside one of the islands. The view was again breathtaking. To the park we get by a slow boat. All the tour was organized by a travel operator and we bought a ticket from a very reliable (and most probably the cheapest travel agent on Chaweng Beach) - Save Way Travel. The owner name is Sakda.
Aug 30, 2009 12:00 AMFinally on Koh Samui
We reached Koh Samui island by flying first to Surat Thani with Air Asia (very cheap flights and good service) and then taking a bus and boat to Koh Samui (you can buy a combined bus+boat ticket at the airport for 350 baht). Express bus from Kao San to BKK airport costs 150 baht.
We arrived at Chaweng beach before 7 p.m. Accommodation here is relatively expensive. For a nice twin room (A/C, hot water, cable TV) we pay 800 baht. The name of the place is Relax Resort. The beach is very close and the staff friendly. We also booked a trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park for tomorrow. The cheapest option was 1000 baht (including entrance fee, hotel pickup and catering on the boat, without kayaking).
