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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Nov 18, 2022 12:00 AM Emperor penguins are waiting!
Yesterday our little ship entered Weddell Sea. Today in the morning the sea was shining and the wind was calm enough to fly by helicopter to the emperor penguins colony on Snow Hill. What a day! We landed on the snow field and then walked to the colony. aroud a thousand of fancy penguins were waiting there. Some of them were walking slowly to the distant sea for the food. I am so happy - the dream came true!
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Nov 17, 2022 12:00 AM Adelie Penguins on Devil Island
We survived two-days stormy passage through Drake Strait and today we landed with our zodiacs on Devil Island.
I took us about half an hour of walk to get to the other side of the island to the big colony of the Adelie penguins. They are nesting on the slope - thousands of them! I took some good pictures...
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Nov 14, 2022 12:00 AM End of the world...
Locals proudly say that Tierra del Fuego is the end of the world. If you don't agree Ushuaia is the southernmost town in the world... In the morning I went with my backpack to the town. Ushuaia changed a lot since my last visit - it is more elegant, cleaner and bigger... Believe or not - it seems that it is my fifth visit to "the end of the world" In the little port I see from the distance little, navy-blue ship. It is "Ortelius". I will be embarking at 2 pm and then the big adventure will start. Yes, there is satelite internet on the ship, but it is very expensive and not reliable in the Antarctic. So, do not be surprised if the next message will appear here only on November 24th. Please keep your fingers crossed for the good weather in the stormy Drake Passage and for the favorable ice condition in the Weddel Sea. I hope that emperor penguins are already waiting there for me! :)
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Nov 13, 2022 12:00 AM Stopover Buenos Aires
My favela was still sleeping when I was going in the sun and 27 deg Celsius to the Sao Paulo GRU airport. All on time! But beware those Brazilians... Terminals 2 and 3 are one by one in one building. Imagine me, when I entered the building and I didn't see my flight on the long departure list. Cancelled?! No, what they invented is that in terminal 2 only flights departing from this terminal are on display. If you want to see the rest - go 50 m away to terminal 3... But who knows?
On the 2.5-hours GOL int'l flight they served small sandwich and glass of coke... We landed in Buenos on time. It is warm but no sun here! How many times I have been to Buenos? Seven? Jorge Newbery AEP airport is just in the centre of the city - from the waiting hall I see the high buildings of downtown. My flight to USHUAIA should be "en horario" - very soon!
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Nov 12, 2022 12:00 AM Sao Paulo in Brazil...
Three different songs from three loudspeakers. Noise. Shouts. Motocykles.... I live in dirty favela close to the airport. Sao Paulo is the biggest town in Brazil. I stay in the poor quarter close to Sao Paulo airport, trying to adjust to the new time zone and to the new environment... First and the most important: my onward travel. In the night when I arrived it wS not possible to check-in online and to get the boarding passes for the flights to Argentina. In the morning I found my shortest way to the airport (2 kms walk to the station Aeropuerto and then free shuttle bus to terminals). Once there I was asking at the airline desks for boarding passes. And I was lucky to got them! Hurrrah! My English and smiles help! Then I went to the supermarket to buy some food. Half kilo od bread costs here 7 reais (1USD is worth 5,30 BRL) One kilo of bananas - 6,50. A one litre bottle of cachaca national booze - from 20 reais. Tomorrow morning I will be flying south!
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Nov 11, 2022 12:00 AM The night in the favela
We landed after 7 hours in Sao Paulo airport on time. The lady from booking.com should wait me at H exit. Forget it! Nobody was there... What should I do?. My phone doesn't work in Brazil!
They speak here rather Portugeeese than English. Friendly guy speaking Spanish called her and she came - after 2 hours. Darkness. Where am I? In the Brazilian favela? What I need is to sleep, sleep..
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Nov 10, 2022 12:00 AM California blue...
Bye, bye sunny Polynesia! My departure from Papeete on low-cost FrenchBee airline was not so pleasant. I was not able to get my boarding pass online. That's because for USA I have regular visa, not ESTA. They do not offer boarding pass in such a case. I was forced to go to check-in. They forced me to weight my backpack - it had 14 kg (allowance is 12). I promised to put on me warm clothes and charming lady gave me the boarding. But I did not expected that before immigration control another devil stands with the weight on the hook. She was calling the boss: there is a guy with 2 kg excess! Sh.... Rich French were watching my problem... They sent all your stuff payinng extra for checked luggage! Nobody offered help. Finally she said let me go with my pack on the back...
The plane was almost full. But miraculously the seat next to me remained empty. What a comfort! 8 hours later at sunset time I saw the blue ocean and the coast of California... Next flight on midnight!
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Nov 09, 2022 12:00 AM Last day on Polynesia...
It is time to pack my backpack again. Tomorrow early in the morning I have my return flight to San Francisco. I decided to relocate myself to spend the last polynesian night close to the airport. After breakfast the friendly owners of Fare Rea Rea gave me a lift to Opuhinano house in Pamatai, whete I stayed before my expedition. The lady here offered me ripe papaya from her garden.
It was 32 deg Celsius today but I decided to take a walk to the public, white sand beach located west of the airport and Intercontinental Hotel. It was 5 kms walk each way to the Parlk Vairai, where the beach is located. I must tell you it is nothing special. There are many yachts anchoring in little bay and you cant rent a kayak to sail. The water is shallow. But you must be there to know that... I am getting reaady to the big jump to South America...
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Nov 08, 2022 12:00 AM Day on Moorea
The closest Society Islands island, visible from Tahoti is Moorea. Some travellers say that it is even more beautiful then Tahiti and comparable to the famous Bora Bora.
I have been to Moorea twice - but it was many years ago so I decided to go there today again.
The transport to Moorea os easy: two competing ferry lines sail there every two hours. They offer 50% discounts fot seniors so I paid for the ticket 1180 CFP (10 USD) each way. The ride took us 40 minutes. It is worth to be on a open upper deck on approach to Vaiare port in Morea since the views of the lagoom and shatp mountains are breathtaking.
Morea has a ring road along the coast (some 60 kms). In the theory two buses going opposite directions should meet each ferry. They charge 300 francs. But I did not see them there! Local driver gave me the the lift (make sure in advance how much money he expects!)
Going to the north it is absolutely must to stop on the roadside viepoint overlooking Sofitel hotel - the view is incredible! I was walking onward is the heat to the picturesque Cook' s Bay. Then French divers gave me the lift to the second, also nice bay Opunohu. Unfortunately weather changed from sunny to cloudy. Even with with some light rain. After taking pictures I started my walk back to the distant (22 kms) ferry dock. After 4 kms a car stopped just near me and young driver offered me the lift. What a solidarity, hard to believe! My guardian angel was Duncan from Luisiana, USA. Interesting traveller, hiking here the green mountains. Thanks a lot, Duncan! I was on time at the dock for the return ferry. Tahiti was on the horizon under the umbrella of cumulus clouds. What a day!
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Nov 07, 2022 12:00 AM Waterfalls of Tahiti
You know that I am great fan of the waterfalls. There are waterfals on Tahiti, so how can I miss them? Probably the easiest access is to the 3 falls in Fa’aurumai Valley. To get there you have to board in Papeete the public bus going east to Taravao (it will cost you 300 francs payable to the driver) Ask the diver to drop you at "cascades" stop. There is a sign showing the way to the valley (right) Take the narrow asphalted road uphill - you will see waterfall in the distance. After about 1 km walk you will reach car parking. There is a map of the falls on display. The entry is free. You have to cross the bridge and just after there is a fork of the trail. Right trail (easy) after 5 min will take you to the bottom of the highest Cascade VAIMAHUTA.
This waterfall is single drop and around 100 m high. Great pictures here! Back to the fork I took later the left trail - this 15 minutes more demanding climb through the lish, tropical forest. Somewhere in the middle you will cross new suspension bridge. And eventually the trail will led you to the observation point. Both waterfalls HAAMAREMARE RAHI and HAAMAREMARE ITI) are visible from one point. Nice! Once you will be back on the main road it is worth to see local blowhole just 100 m away at the tunel entrance. Not so impressive if you saw the blowholes of Samoa, but somethin intresting too...
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