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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jun 07, 2008 02:00 PM Goose Bay - Labrador
Goose Bay where we landed in the morning is one of few townships on Labrador. Only 7500 people live here. During Second War Americans built here the airbase and a settlement for the saff. Americans departed in the 70's, the settlement still exists. Just let you know: the dock where "Bond" in arriving is located far away from the town. It is 4 km fron the dock to the base and the another 7 km or so to the Happy Valley where most tourist facilities are. Negociate with somebody on a ferry to give you the lift to the town (that's what I did). Otherwise (it is to far to walk) you will pay for hefty taxi ride.
I stay in Davis Bed and Breakfast - they charge 60 CAD for twin room with bath and continental breakfast. The have electric heating so it is OK.
30 km from Happy Valley is located the little settlement of North West River - it is historical place with a museums and buildings from the perion of Hudson Bay Company - well worth to visit. No local transport - the best idea is to hitch or to rent a car (expensive again: 68 dollars per day!). Enjoy! You are in remote Labrador!
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Jun 06, 2008 02:00 PM Sunny day in Cartwright
Before sailing to Labrador "Sir Robert Bond" has 6-hours stopover in the little settlement of Cartwright. You can go ashore and to enjoy the silent life of this remote place...
There are gravel streets, two little churches and a new school. Sorry, no access to the internet... It is green already but there are still big fields of snow - on the level of the sea.
It is worth to climb the Base Hill overlooking Cartright and the bay for the beautiful view of the fiord-like bay and the little islands. It took me less then 1.5 hours to reach the summit where radio antennas are located.
More passengers embarked "Bond" here. In the evening we sailed back to the open ocean. Tomorrow I'll see Labrador!
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Jun 05, 2008 02:00 PM Aboard "Bond" through the Iceberg's Alley
Yes, it is Bond. But not 007! "Sir Robert Bond" is a big ferry bult to sail through the ice areas... The ticket for 45- hours trip from Lewisporte to Goose Bay on Labrador cost about 150 CAD (Canada is very expensive) and you have a choice of chair, dormitory bed or the cabin.
We departed at 12.30 pm. The wather was sunny but due low temperature and strong wind I used gloves on the deck. There were nice landscapes of the bay and after two hours I saw the first iceberg.
Icebergs are sailing from Greenland along the Canadian cosast down to New Foundland. In the books they call this route "the Icebergs Alley" Soon we saw more of them sailing between rocky islands.
There were only 50 passengers or so on board. They offer onboard simple meals in the cafeteria, so if you want to pay 6 dollars for the hamburger you can go there. I took a good supply of food from the land, an the nice lady in the bar allow me to use boiled water from her pot. It is (by the way) old Polish custom to distribute boiled water to the budget travellers for free. Bon apetit! Tomorrow we will have first stop in the little settlement of Cartwright...
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Jun 04, 2008 02:00 PM New Foundland... one bus per day!
I stay in the cosy Downtown Hostel in Young Street paying 25 CAD per bed - Canada is expensive! St John's - the capital of NF/Labrador prowince has picturesque location in the long and narrow bay. Early in the morning I took a walk around the downtown with some victorian achchitecture and then it was already time to go to the bus departing to Lewisporte. There in only one bus per day along Tans Canada Highway! They charge 50 CAD per ticket and 7 dollars fuel surcharge (surprise!) for 5 hours/ 350 km trip. Canada is expensive! On the route I enjoyed nice landscapes of lakes, forests and marine coast... Few settlements only. Lewisporte is a little township with not much to do. But it is departure point for the famous Labrador ferry. Tomorrow will be the first departure in the 2008 season (there are summer sailings only due to the ice) and I plan to embark this ferry/icebreaker to sail to the north. It is much colder here. On the open sea it will be even colder!
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Jun 03, 2008 02:00 PM Stopover in Frankfurt...
If you use cheapest airlines flying from poin to poin you have to buy sepatare tickets and sometinmes wait few hour for the connection. I took a flight Gdansk to Frankfurt where I had 5 hours waiting for the low-cost Condor flight to Halifax/Canada.
It was a good chance to see Frankfurt after years...
There is storage room in Frankfurt airport for your luggage
at the arrival terminals and they charge like 3,50 euro for 7 hours. Then you have a train to downtown - it cost 3,60 euro each way. After 15 minutes I landed at Hauptwache station.
It was a nice walk along the oldest part of Franfurt.
Late in the afternoon I took a flight to Halifax. On arrival there is strict control regarding the food, so do not bring it from Europe. Then the third flight of Air Canada took me to St John's. It was dark when I landed: tired after busy day and 4,5 hours of time difference... Welcome to Canada!
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Jun 02, 2008 02:00 PM I am flying west tomorrow...
Yes, it will be new voyage... I always spend summer in Poland enjoying flowers and birds in my Wojtkówka but there are regions where the summer is practicaly the only season suitable for the visit. The great Polish-Canadian globetrotter - Remi Mielcarek recommended to me "The Icebergs Alley" - I want to see it and - by the way - also some landscapes of New Foundland and The Labrador. It will be also a good chance to find the remote French territory of St Pierre and Miquelon.
It is expensive region in comparison to Asia or Africa so it will not be a long voyage - I want to be back in Poland soon to enjoy our summer...
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Mar 11, 2008 07:00 PM Spring flowers in Wojtkowka...
I landed in Gdansk airport on time. It was cold evening... One more exciting voyage is completed! The output: 13 hours of video recording, 25 rolls of slides, more then 2000 digital pictures... Huge work awaits me now...
Often and often I think about my first book. So far travels had the priority, maybe it is the time to write about?... My friends encourage me since the long time...
I have been already in my Wojtkowka. It survived the winter, and everything is OK. There are already first, spring flowers. I hope the spring will come soon... It is time to put first seeds into the ground. Wojtkowka awaits you in the summer dear Friends!
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Mar 10, 2008 07:00 PM Arrivederci Roma!
On my way home I have a stopover in Rome. It was rainy when I was landing in the evening, but the morning awarded me by sunny weather. I took a long walk to the places I did see... 34 years ago. Not many changes: Rome is still charming and in March the tourist crowd is not so heavy... It is huge city so if you want to jump to the specific place subway is a good idea: the single 75-minutes ticket valid also for the transfer to the bus cost 1 euro, or if you want a one day pass it will cost you 4 euro...
I took new pictures of the old fountains, St Peter's, Colloseo.
In the aternoon I went by shuttle bus from Termini Station (6 euro) to the Ciampino Airport for my low-cost flight to Gdansk.
Arrivederci Roma!
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Mar 09, 2008 07:00 PM Flying hours and hours...
I made a choice of Qatar airlines because they offer competitive internet prices and allow you to make open jaw: to fly to Indonesia and to return from Philippines.
Our Airbus 330 was full departing just after midnight from Cebu. It is long - 10 hours flight to Doha/Qatar. They serve 2 meals - with beer and wine...
I landed in Doha at sunrise. Now it is 7 hours to wait for the onward flight to Rome. Then I will fly another 5 or 6 hours to Fumicino.
Go with your boarding pass to the transfer desk on 2nd floor - they will issue vouchers for the substantial meals in the cafeteria! I found also "silent room" to rest after a night on a plane. On the 2nd floor of the terminal there are two free internet stands - but the time of usage is limited automaticaly to 10 minutes. That's what I use...
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Mar 08, 2008 07:00 PM Chocolate Hills are green!
This is one of the best known tourist landmarks in the Philippines. In the central part of Bohol Island you will find more then 1200 little conical hills - hard to see in the other place...
It is 50 km from the capital of the island - Tagbillaran where I stay at Everglory Lodge - close to the jetty paying 500 peso for the fan room. Sure - you ca go there by taxi, but much cheaper is to get there by local junk bus heading to Carmen. After 2,5 hours you will disembark the bus before village Carmen. Then it is 15 min walk uphill or 20-peso motoptaxi ride.
From the top of the hill you will see the great panorama - 40 or more conical hills 40-120 m high. All of them are coral rock uplifts. Nice view - but they are not brown like a chocolate, but green! Maybe in the other months they change colors.
Sorry, today is my last day in The Philippines. The voyage to the paradise islands is coming to the end - so is my money. In the evening I will take the ferry back to Cebu and there will be midnight flight back to Europe. Do not forget to keep some pesos (550) for the intl airport tax - it is never included in the ticket price!
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