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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 12, 2013 08:00 PM New Year - New voyage around Americas
It is snowing again in Gdansk and me...
I am departing for the next voyage - the first one in the year 2013 - to the warm countries of course.
As you can see on the map it will start with the flight
via Frankfurt to the tropical island of Tobago in the Caribbean. I have been to Trinidad, but Tobago is still unknown to me.
Then I will go onward to Jamaica to see the South and West of the island.
Next I plan to rent a car in Las Vegas, Nevada and drive through the US national parks. The known ones - to see them in winter and the unknown ones. The car will be returned in Long Beach where I will board the ship sailing south - to the end of America.
Chilean fiords (for me - the main point of interest) will be en route. I hope also to see again Cape Horn before turning north to Puerto Madryn and Buenos Aires. From Buenos I plan to fly in March back to Europe using Miles& More award ticket. There was not such a route in the history of my traveling.
So please keep your fingers crossed dear friends! :)
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Dec 31, 2012 08:00 PM New Year, new plans...
Happy New Year dear Friends!
In the New Year's Eve evening I was listening to the fantastic concert in the Gdansk Philharmonic Hall. They were playing best Strauss walzes and pieces from the operettas of Lehar... The duet from "Merry Widow" "Love unspoken, faith unbroken" wax excellent... Delicious!
It is walking distance from our Philharmony to the "Zejman" Club where sailors and travelers meet. I manage to be there just before midnight to celebrate the arrival of the New Year with my friends.
New Year means new plans... New voyages...
My friend Dorota flies soon to Australia, Pawel to the Caribbean. I have new plans too...
Happy travelling in 2013!
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Dec 23, 2012 08:00 PM Merry Christmas Dear Friends!
What a day! Our 2,5-m high Christmas tree, bright and full of colors stays already in our sitting room. Apart from the different ornaments red and yellow apples from my Wojtkówka are also on it.
At the twilight time I am expecting my sister, children and grandchildren to come and to celebrate the Christmas Eve - the most important family event during the year.
Merry and Peaceful Christmas also to you, dear Friends worldwide!
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Dec 21, 2012 08:00 PM I will be home for Christmas!
Our situation in Sana airport was tragic! Immigration officers din not want to disscuss with me any more... I asked them to contact by phone their colleague in Socotra, who was responsible for this fatal stamp.
No! It is not their bussines!
Well... I found the telephone number to the travel agency in Socotra. Somebody was so nice to meke the call from his mobile phone. Is there anybody in the agency in the middle of the night?
Yes, there was somebody! Thy sleep in their offices...
They promised help, but what is such a declaration worth? The plane was already waiting...
-We took your baggage out from the plane! - they said.
New people appeared around... Calling. Running. Taking passports. We were waiting three hours in the high stress...
Finally in the last minute the same stupid immigration manager put the stamps on our visas and we were free to run to the waiting plane... Ufff!
I will be home for Christmas!
It was snowy around and minus 9 deg Celsius when I landed in my Gdansk...
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Dec 20, 2012 08:00 PM Sana airport: you will not fly out of Yemen!!
It is time to fly home.... For 2.30 am flight we arrived to the Sana airport early: at 11 pm. The check-in was already open and we went soon to the passport control.
Something wrong? They took our passports to the magager. It it not easy to speak with the officials if they do not know even basic English!... Sudani passenger helped to translate questions: how did you arrive to Yemen? Socotra? Here should be an immigration stamp! Where is the stamp? Without this stamp you will not go out of Yemen!
My God! Are we guilty that Yemeni official did not put the stamp in our passports? He put there only visa sticker and wrote something in Arabic - who knows what and why? I tried to convince other immigration officers - no result. -You have to go to the Immigration Office in Sana and explain everything. Then they maybe will put the stamp and then you can fly off! But now is the night, tomorrow if Friday - the holiday day so the office will be open the day after tomorrow!
I was desperate: we have non-refundable tickets, it is Christmas period - flights are fully-booked and they want me to wait here 2 days till the office will be open...
I was looking in the departure hall for somebody speaking English to ask for help... Royal Jordanian station manager was helpfull and patient and went with me back to the immigrations - but the answer was the same: they will not fly!
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Dec 19, 2012 08:00 PM Sana - Yemen. Peaceful already!
Yemenia cancelled Thursday flight so we were forced to leave lively Socotra a day earlier. Yemenia charged for the ticket but did not inform me about cancellation - be prepared for such a cases!
Fortunately we got a place on Felix Airways flight flight Socotra -Sana.
Sana - one of the most interesting orient cities is already peaceful. I stay in the athmospheric "Arabia Felix" hotel in the old town. Only 4 tourists stay in the hotel! People are afraid to come here...
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Dec 18, 2012 08:00 PM Socotra. Back from the wilderness...
We are back from the wilderness in Hadibou - the little capital of Socotra.
We have again the shower, electric power to charge batteries.
Socotra is beautiful. But with limited facilities and hard to travel. I am happy... More soon...
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Dec 12, 2012 08:00 PM Socotra, the beautiful... and primitive...
The flight was delayed and we landed yesterday on Socotra just before sunset.
Great chain of mountains overlooks the north coast.
Internet (very slow) only in the capital of the island.
Power - only fom private genetators.
We slept in the tents 20 m from the beach under mosquito nets... No power or internet in the province where we go now...
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Dec 11, 2012 08:00 PM I fly to Socotra today...
This is not true what they write in the guidebooks - there is public bus 88 going from Sharjah City to SHJ airport and it costs only 5 dirhams. The stop is on Rolla Sq opposite "Shark" hotel.
I fly from here to Socotra with Felix Airlines - new Yemen's operator. I hope that everything will be well.
But I do not know about the internet on Socotra - so do not be surprised if there will not be messages from me. Who knows? :)
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Dec 10, 2012 08:00 PM Emirates: four, five, six...
Allaaaaaah akbar! - it is still dark, 5.15 am when the strong voice from the nearby mosque give us a wake up call...
Today we drove along the coast - first to the nearby Emirate of Ajman to visit the old fort and then to the next Umm al - Quwain Emirate - the smallest and the poorest of 7 emirates. It is poor (you can see it), but have excellent museum in the fort where the local ruler was living till 1960-ties. Umm is located on the little peninsula
and you can still see part of the wall with towers protecting the old Umm.
Then we went to Ras-al-Khaima Emirate - the sixthe one. After 16 years I saw there more skycrapers then before, but they closed the old dhow shipyard... Domage! I remember it was picturesque!
We returned via the desert road - it was only 1,5 hours drive - the roads are excellent here. With 120 kms per hour speed limit. But local drivers are sometimes crazy! Take care!
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