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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 04, 2010 07:00 PM Friday market in Saint Denis de la Reunion
It is Friday. Every Friday they close for the traffic one of the avenues close to St Francois Blv and in the morning it converts to the marche, with many stalls under the palm treelower prices than in the shops...
I saw there plenty of tropical flowers and fruits, they sell also spices like vanilla or nutmeg. Octopus and color fish is also present but I cannot understand why here, in the middle of the ocean it is so expensive - the price is 10 to 15 euro per kilo.
For the lunch it is nice to be in the nicest garden of Saint Denis: Jardin d`Etat - it is not a big place but well maintained with exotic trees, lotus flowers in the ponds and pretty Creoles wondering around. Reunion is multiracial society; you will see Europeans, Africans, Hindi, even Chinese. They live peacefuly on one island, do not fight and work toogether for their prosperity. The level of the life is higher here then on the other islands around Africa.
It is still sunny, but getting windy today. Tomorrow in the afternoon I will board the ship and depart from Reunion... I hope that the ocean won`t be rough... :))
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Nov 03, 2010 07:00 PM Rent a wreck? No wrecks for today...
I wanted to rent a cheap car and drive around the island. There are agencies who advertize that they have small cars for as low as 19 euro per day. My friend Rick called two agencies yesterday, but unfortunetely they did not have their wrecks available for the next two days. I decided to change the plan and to use the public transport to go to Cilaos Circus. There are three deep and closed volcanic valleys. They are very unique places and France apply to UNESCO to put them on the World Heritage list.
I went to one of this valleys. Public transport on Reunion is subsidized so the cost of such a journey is low: I took the bus to St Luis /2 hours, 4,20 euro/ and then next bus to Cilaos town /1,5 h 1,30 euro/. Thousand of switchbacks on the way, tunnels, bridges, wonderful panoramas... Great day...
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Nov 02, 2010 07:00 PM St Denis de la Reunion
I have to learn French again... Few people on the street speak English on Reunion. Today I was wondering all day around the capital of Reunion. City bus cost 1.30 euro - it is worth to take it if you have a long distance to walk - it is very hot and humid here. St Denis changed a lot since my last visit. They make a long pedestrian zone on Leclerc Street... They restored many old colonial buildings. Little market near the Chinese temple is worth to visit - the current price for the pineapple is just 1 euro. In the tourist information office on rue de Paris /near Leclerc/ they offer free internet an maps. I am looking for the opportunity to make an excursion around the island...
For those of you who don`t have friends in Reunion: there is minibus going from the airport to the centre of Saint Denis every 1 -2 hours. They charge 4 euro each way. Deparure point in Saint Denis is Gare Routiere on the coast.
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Nov 01, 2010 07:00 PM La Reunion - France in the tropics
The view from our B777 aproaching the island was great. It is worth to take the seat at the right window to see the coast and the green mountains rising over 2000 m. In the airport there are no border formalities: you are coming from France to France on the other side of the equator.
I know from my short previous stay - some 15 years ago - that the island is very expensive. Fortunately I was lucky to find here friends from Servas - the world organization of the open doors. The band in the orange shirts was plaing in the terminal hall on arrival.
Richard - another world traveller met me and took me to their house up on the hill. There is a great view of the city of St Denis from their balcony. Sylvia - his wife and kids were waiting at home. It is nice to talk with the people who also travel a lot. to discuss about the places like Lake Malawi or Vancouver Island...
It is sunny, hot and humid here - I have to adjust to the new climate and time zone. And to the French keyboard...
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Oct 31, 2010 07:00 PM Bring your sandwiches to the plane :))
The sun was rising when I embarked LOT flight to Warsaw. In the internet advance purchase it can cost only 70 zlotys - like 25 USD.
Then, in the early afternoon I had Air France flight to Paris CDG expecting excellent lunch. Forget it! "La cuisine francaise" they
served now is a glas of juice and "le petit sandwich". I know that on the low cost airlines they do not serve the food. But this was
Air France!
In Paris I was forced to change the airport: Charles de Gaulle to Orly. They have direct buses airport to airport and the ticket cost 19 euro. But it is worth to know that
if you fly all over the way with Air France on the same reservation they provide a free transfer voucher for the bus - just go to the "Air France Customer
Service desk in the arrival hall. The buses depart from exit no 3. Orly airport is much smaller and cramped then CDG. Sorry, no free
WIFI internet, like in Warsaw. At 9 pm we started for the 11-hours flight to Reunion.
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Oct 30, 2010 02:00 PM New, fascinating expedition!
Maybe it is hard to believe, but only 8 days from my return from China I am departing for the new, fascinating expedition to the islands on the Indian Ocean.
I was qualified for the expedition aboard French ship "Marion Dufresne" to the islands of French Subantartica! They appreciated my achievements in traveling and journalism...
The ship is sailing from the French Island of Reunion. Fortunately I saved enough miles on the Air France frequent flyer program to get a free ticket from Poland to Reunion.
Before and after the expedition I will seize the opportunity and spend also few days on the tropical islands of Reunion and Mauritius (I have been there long time ago) and to visit unknow to me Rodrigues. The success of the expedition depends a lot on the weather. Seasick is unknown to me, but we will need a calm sea for landings. So, please: keep your fingers crossed!
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Oct 22, 2010 02:00 PM Sunny Gdansk on the horizon!
I took China Southern domestic flight to Shenzhen. In the airport arrival hall you will find many agencies offering transport to the Hong Kong airport. Sorry - no ferries today due to the typhoon... I paid 180 yuans for the bus + microbus transfer. Departures are every 15 minutes!
There are border formalities on the China - Hong Kong border, but it goes quite fast. It took me 2 hours to get HKG airport.
BA fligt to London was on time. 12,5 hours in the sky and 7 hours time difference... Then BA flight to Warsaw, and change to LOT Polish Airlines for the fourth flight to Gdansk...
It was sunny afternoon when I landed in my home town with the baggage of new experiences, thousands of pictures and hours of video recording. The great expedition to the East is over... Don't you think I should plan the next one? :))
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Oct 21, 2010 02:00 PM By bus, by plane, by ship - on a budget...
Sanya, Hainan Island, China. Hot (32 deg) sunny and humid.
It is worth to know, that Hong Kong is quite expensive for the transit passengers. Flights are expensive and apt taxes too... So I decided not to fly from Hainan to HKG airport but to Shenzhen - just accross the border and to continue by bus or ship to the new HKG airport for my night flight to London. This should be the cheaper alternative for the budget traveller... So it is time to pack again my backpack and to walk to the city bus no.8.
It will take me to the airport just for 5 yuans. The taxi from the hotel area to the airport area costs 60 yuans. The savings will give me a chance to travel further and to see more... Let's go!
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Oct 20, 2010 02:00 PM Chinese tourist traps...
In Sanya, Hainan you will see more advertising in Russian, then in English. A lot of Russian vacationers are coming here. I did not expect that it will be easier to communicate here in Russian than in English. If the shopkeeper speaks foreign language, it is Russian.
I took a regular tourist bus to the tourist attractions west of Sanya. For 6 yuans they took me from Dadonghai where the hotels and hostels are, to Taniya - some 20 kms west of the town. There is scenic park with a interesting rock formations on the beach. If you saw The Baths on Virgin Gorda it is like that (plus a thousand of Chinese tourists...). They charge 65 juan entry fee and I think it is worth if you love the nature...
Another 15 kms west by the same blue bus there is Nanshan Cultural Centre: recently built Buddhist temple with a staue of the Goddess of Mercy on the little island connected to the mainland by the short causeway. They want to pay you here 150 yuan. I think it is overpriced tourist trap...
Fruit sellers are giving the price not for the kilo but for the pound - this could be for you another surprise. The beer in the street shop cost 4-5 yuans, but the same in the beach restaurant - hefty 25 yuans... It is better to avoid such a tourist places - they are milking tourists as much as possible...
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Oct 19, 2010 02:00 PM Hainan - enjoying The South Seas...
Tropical typhoon Megi is closer and closer. You can see it here:
http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/tc_pos.htm
I am lucky - it is turning to the north now.
The big voyage is coming to the end. I plan to fly home on Friday. I do hope that they will not cancel flights due to the typhoon.
But so far here, in the south of the Hainan island I enjoy the hot (32 deg) and sunny weather swiming in the warm sea.
People call Hainan Island "The Hawaii of China". In Sanya, where I am the scecery is really similar - white beach with green hills in the background. Many high hotel and apartament buildings along the beach. Palm trees, the voice of the waves. In the evening they play western music in many beach restaurants, there are lanterns, laser lights over the bay - nice atmosphere. Like in Honolulu (but much cheaper). Last evening a charming local lady on the beach promenade asked me if I want a massage - only 400 yuans - like 60 USD... Well - as you know I am the budget traveler and and the response was: No thank you!
But maybe I should bargain a little bit and try? :))
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