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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 05, 2011 07:00 PM Back to Africa!
Thirty five thousands miles from frequent flyer program (plus taxes) cost me a return ticket from Warsaw to Entebbe. And I fly! It was interesting to follow South Sudan' fighting for the independence and their referendum. I think that it is now the good moment to check how the nature looks like and how are the people in this inaccessible for the long time corner of the Black Africa. By the way I would like to see those interesting places in Uganda, like Sipi Falls which I did not see during my first visit in this country. I believe I will manage to do that before the rainy season will come in April.
Please keep your fingers crossed, my friends!
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Mar 01, 2011 07:00 PM Lisbon after years...
Lisbon welcomed me with a lovely sun and the unpleasant driver of the 44 bus who refused to take me with my backpack from the airport to the city. I took the next bus (no 745) and here it was OK. I stay in the well-organized Lisbon YH at Corvo street - just 100 m from the airport bus stop.
I was in Lisbon with my son Chris years ago. Now it is even nicer with its wide avenues, squares, monuments.
I took a long walk to Belem Tower enjoying the views of the river and the high bridge... Sorry to be here only one day. But it is time to fly to the snow...
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Feb 28, 2011 07:00 PM Bye, bye Azores!
The airport in Ponta Delgada - the capital of Azores was named after the Polish pope - John Paul II - that is very nice to me.
It is time to say bye to the cloudy Sao Miguel...
During my stay I visited five of the nine islands. I believe - the five most interesting. I planed to visit six but due to the cancelled flights and bad weather my Pico Island visit was cancelled.
This trip was not so expensive - mostly because the off-season prices of the accommodation. If you plan to come here is the season book the 3 available youth hostels well ahead (Sao Miguel, Terceira and Pico) - their prices are low and the same all over the year.
Today I fly back to the continent: the weather in Lisbon is nicer then here: sunny and 15 deg Celsius. I hope to have lovely break there!
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Feb 27, 2011 07:00 PM By car around the island... A trick..
Sometimes, if your time is limited, local transport rare and many places to see it is worth to rent a car. Here, on the Sao Miguel Island I rented little fiat panda just for 30 euro per day plus insurance if you wish... I was surprised when I got a car: fuel status: empty. They say it is normal - you have to return also empty. But it is the trick. If you wan't left them the excess of the fuel you have to calculate precisely how many kms you will drive and what is the fuel consumption of the car. I did and those tricky guys at the return had even less fuel than at the beginning. :)
Sao Miguel is not large: 300 kms is enough to see most places.
I have been to the viewpoints in the mountains, the hot springs and waterfalls. The Nordeste - easterm part of the island is very picturesque with high cliffs like on Flores...
I was driving whole day, landing at dusk in the youth hostel, mantained by the very hospitable young people. Recommended!
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Feb 26, 2011 07:00 PM Angra do Heroismo - from UNESCO list
I think it is the nicest city of the Azores. It was vich in the past, with many monuments, churches and nice atmosphere... You can walk now the steep streets enjoying the beauty of the old architecture. No tourists at all! The best view of the city is from the terrace of Memoria monument - masonic-like structure up on the slope...
Back in the city you can have a rest in the one of many bars and cafes... Nice gargen in front of the former San Francisco convent is also worth a visit - I enjoyed there many exotic flowers... Once they have nine convents in this small town!
In the afternoon I took the public bus to Praia and onward to the airport on the northern coast of the island. I hope the flight will be on time so I will land in the late afternoon on my last island - Sao Miguel...
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Feb 25, 2011 07:00 PM Hard-core trail on Azores
I think that the highlights of Terceira Island are two nice caves (thanks Jurek for your recommendation) but I recognized that they are open only in the season. It starts on March 26th. Bad luck! If you want them to open off the season just for you it will cost you 50 euro on weekdays and 80 on weekend. I expected that they have other tourists or groups but is seems that I am the only tourist on Terceira! :) It was raining in Angra in the morning but in the afternoon I had some sunshine - I decided to walk along the trail recommended by the people from vulcanology museum on the waterfront of Angra (free and worth to see - they mantain the caves). Unfortunately public bus does not cross the interior of the island - they operate only along the coast, so I was hitchhiking again to get to the Gruta Natales - where the trailhead is located. Hitchhiking is easy!
They call this trail Misterios Negros since the main attraction are the black, dome hills made of volcanic lava and slag.
I did it with some effort... The trail is now very muddy and wet. It is also overgrown by bush, so in many places tall people like me have the problem to pass through. In the central part you feel like a Rambo in the dense jungle. There are some nice views of course. But in the winter it is really hard-core path...
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Feb 24, 2011 07:00 PM Terceira on the horizon!
In the afternoon my turbo-prop of SATA airlines landed on Terceira Island. The city Angra do Heroismo is the main attraction of the island - It is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The problem is hov to reach Angra from the airport on a cheap... It is on the other side of the island...
I found the way: they have public buses here. Just in front of the airport there is a unsigned bus stop for Praia Vittoria. You will pay only 83 cents per ride. Then on the hour there are buses from Praia to Angra - this takes almost an hour and you will pay 2,65 eu.
Old Angra is really nice place - cobbled narrow streets, churches, bells calling every hour. It is in mine opinion the nicest city of the Azores. It was worth to carry my heavy backpack uphill to the little, cosy pension "Casa Sao Jose" - rua de Cima de Santa Luzia 15 ph: 96 51 41 309. I got there cosy room with bath and continental breakfast just for 20 euro - but this is off season price :)
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Feb 23, 2011 07:00 PM To Sao Jorge - greetings to Jorge Sanchez!
It was still dark when I was walking from my empty pension to the Terceira airport. No rush! Very few people were there and soon I got the information that the flight will be delayed "due to the late arrival". SATA has my bad opinion - so far they are always late. Terceira airport, where US military base is also located looks like well-equipped so it should work well!
The only advantage I appreciate is free wi-fi internet in all airports. Bring your netbook with you! You can use it waiting for delaled SATA flights!
Clouds were covering Sao Jorge Island when we were flying over this island. Plane landed in Velas after 20 minutes...
It is only like 6 kms from the airport to the town but my local fellow told me that he will call for the free transfer the staff of inexpensive "Residencial Neto". And they arrived! This pension is conveniently located on the main square of the picturesque Velas. 25 euro per room incl. breakfast.
I wanted to go for the trail the same day. Taxi driver (another 25 euro) took me to the trailhead on Serra do Topo (some 43 kms from Velas). Bad luck! It is 700 m above the level of the ocean and there was strong wind, fogg and almost horizontal rain. Sorry - I returned afret 10 minutes of waiting. Next time!
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Feb 22, 2011 07:00 PM After 4 days the plane arrived!
I was lucky today! After 3 days going to the Flores Island airport checking-in and then going back to the hotel I embarked the flight to Faial Island, then the second one - to Terceira. I saw the summit of Mt Pico only from the plane...
Sorry, no connection to may next island - Sao Jorge on the same day so I was forced to look for the cheap accommodation close to the Terceira airport.
Tourist desk was already closed but the guy from the car rental said that there in inexpensive residencial some 1 km away in the Lajes village. OK. I found it - turn right from the terminal building and go straight the main road until you will see "RER" sign.
Full name is "Residencial Ermida dos Remedios" ph.351 295 517 233. It was completly empty. They wanted 45 eu for the room with bath but finally I got off-season price: 25 eu without breakfast. The grocery is only 100 m away. Good place to stay for the early morning flight!
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Feb 21, 2011 07:00 PM Flores - my prison?
It was another windy morning when I was walking for the third time to the Flores Island airport. During check-in the lady at the desk told me that already 120 passengers is waiting on Flores Island for the "evacuation" to the world... At 11.00 am they announced that the next information will be at 11.30. A crowd of the people was waiting in the cafeteria, looking from time to time to the northern horizon. Will it come today?
At 11.30 we got just a message: flight delayed, anext message at 12.00! In the meantime weather changed to the better - a lovely sun was shinning when they informed: flight is cancelled!
It is bad idea to wait in the airport: I know that for some reason they do not fly in the afternoons, even if the weather will improve... I went back to the hotel with a new voucher.
I do not want to lose the time: taxi took me to the trailhead and I was walking soon to the beautiful lake with the waterfalls in the background. Sun was still shining - I have good pictures. Then I was walking to the picturesque calderas: Rasa and Funda - returning at 7.30 pm
Am I the prisoneer of Flores Island? Due to the delayed arrival and four days of waiting here I will miss a chance to visit next island on my trail (Pico) and to climb the highest mountain of Portugal. That's life! Until tomorrow!
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