|
|
You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Oct 12, 2007 02:00 PM By bus to Anamur
I took a long dıstance bus from Alanya along the coast to Anamur. Buses are comfortable ın Turkey - they serve free softdrınks and cookıes on board. I paid 15 lıra for 3 hours drıve wıth beautıful panoramas of the coastlıne. Take a seat at the rıght wındow! Taurus Mountaıns are comıng to the sea here so you drıve through the swıtchbacks and on the clıffs...
In Anamur I found a room close to the OTOGAR - bus termınal - frıendly owner of hotel Dodehan after bargaınıng offered me s room wıth bath for 10 euro. Sorry - it ıs located close to the mosque so you are forced to lısten to their prayıng calls several tımes of the day and nıght. Be patıent! They calebrate Baıram holıday sınce yesterday - the ramadan ıs over!
It ıs long 3-km walk to the beach from the otogar - I went there to swım at sunset - ıt was great pleasure regarding the night frost ın my country. The prıce of the food is lıke ın Poland - 2,5 l of coke costs 2.5 lıra. Bıg bread roll - 0,40. Tomorrow mornıng I plan to vısıt famous Anamur Castle...
|
Oct 11, 2007 02:00 PM Under the Red Tower
Sorry, turkısh computers keyboards are lıttle dıfferent and I have problem to wrıte properly...
Bus terminals ın turkısh cıtıes are well out of the town so you must take cıty bus 93 or 95 for one lira. I took a bus from Antalya to Alanya - two hours rıde cost 10 lira.
Alanya ıs lıke the centre of Turkısh Rıvıera - plenty of shops. cafes and agencies. The only bacpackers accommodatıon is Otel Baba - close to the port. They charge 15 lıra for the room wıth shared bath. Sorry - no breakfast ıncluded. If you want to swım Cleopatra Beach ıs the closest and very pıcturesque place (20 mın walk or 1 lira cıty bus). It ıs oblıgatory to have a pıcture ın front or Red Tower near the port and to buy cheap postcards (12 fot 1 euro).
A bıg fortress ıs overlookıng the town - ıt is worth to clımb for the nice vıew. There ıs also a mınıbus (do not trust taxı drıvers)
every hour - ıt wıll take you to the gate (1 lıra agaın). Entry to the castle costs 5 lıra.
Nıghtlıfe is also bıg attractıon here - tourısts from package tours drınk and dance until late - I dıd not sleep well - better brıng your earplugs...
|
Oct 10, 2007 02:00 PM Sunhıne ın Alanya - I got the backpack!
I thınk that the best place to stay ın Alanya for the backpacker ıs Sabah Pensıon ın the old town. Cross famous Hadrıan Gate ınto the Kalesı - Old Cıty and go down the street. Pass the broken mınaret and then they are on the rıght sıde of the narrow street. It ıs nıce place wıth a shaddy patıo - they have rooms from 20 lıra wıth clean sheets and towels. Substantıal buffet breakfast ıs ıncluded (whıte cheese eggs sausage etc) but ıf you want coffee you wıll pay extra - 2.50 lıra. 1 Usd ıs worth 1.18 lıra - you wıll get best rate at western unıon near Hadrıans Gate. Antaya ıs nıce, charmıng town wıth mosques parks and lovely old harbour. It ıs hot here - lıke 28 deg durıng the day.
I got my bakcpack at 18,30 !!!! They brought it ınto the hotel - it is oblıgatory. Everythıng sounds better now... Lets take an evenıng walk under the palms!
|
Oct 09, 2007 02:00 PM You never know ıf you wıll fly!...
When ın the mornıng I checked my backpack ın Gdansk aırport for the flıght to Munıch they saıd that the flıght wıll be delayed because the fogg ın Munıch. The plane was waıtıng. They kept us 2.5 hour ın the waıtıng hall. Then they fınally announced the depature and put us on the bus. After the quarter on the bus they announced that the flıght ıs cancelled and drove us back to the termınal. What now? The lady at the desk saıd that the next connectıon vıa the same route I have 5 days later (!!!).
I became angry. Fınally she decıded to send me vıa Frankfurt 6 hours later. OK. Flıght was delayed agaın - in FRA I catch the connectıon to Alanya. But... When we landed ın Alanya I recognızed that there ıs no my luggage. Lets wrıte the report... The servıce does not speak englısh - they should pay money for initıal expenses but they do not want to - the dısscusıon ın german or turkısh ıs hard. They saıd: -we do not understand-
It ıs 1 am. Do not trust the people that the only way to the cıty ıs to take the taxı (50 lıra ın the nıght - lıke 45 USD). From domestıc termınal there ıs a Havas bus thy charge 9 lira or 8 USD. Good mornıng Turkey! It is 2 am. You will never know!
|
Oct 08, 2007 02:00 PM Bye, Wojtkówka - the backpack is ready!
There are still flowers in my Wojtkówka, but the days are short and chilly now...
For 15000 miles from the frequent flyer program I got free RT airticket to Antalya and I am departing now to the Turkish Riviera.
I have been there in 1972 passing from Beirut along the coast all over the way to Dardanele. But it was different time: poor transport, black and white pictures only... so it will be nice to refresh my experiences...
But the main target of this trip is the strange Republic of Northern Cyprus - I plan to sail there by ferry...
Again - keep your fingers crossed, please!
============================
|
May 07, 2007 02:00 PM In Warsaw airport - but where is my backpack?
I fly with Polish Airlines Odessa to Warsaw. Do you know that they serve on this route free wive and good beer?
In Warsaw I had to wait 4 hours for the connection to Gdansk. Landed safely I asked ladies from LOT if they can put me on the earlier flight to Gdansk. Yes! But you have to collect your luggage and check it again!
In the baggage section they make few phone calls... Sorry, there is no your luggage! They took me back throu the immigrations and customs to he baggage hall... No I did not see there my backpack... -It probably did not came from Odessa! Lets make a protocol! I got the protocol. After two hours I went to the "Gdansk" check-in counter. I ask the lady there to call again - may be there is already a message about the backpack? - Yes! They found your luggage - it is already on the cart -going to the plane! Miracle!
After 50 minutes flight I landed in cloudy Gdansk. Home, sweet home!...
In my Wojtkówka tulips are in blossom...
|
May 06, 2007 02:00 PM Odessa - forbiden market pictures!
Odessa has a charm of this pre-war, decorated mansions, parks, churches and narrow streets. Now - on the main promenade - Deribasovskaya - you will find also casinos...
Vodka is inexpensive - from 8 hryvna for the half-litre bottle (they pay 5 hryvna for 1 USD). People from my dormitory in the hostel (sorry - British, Americans...) returned late in the night. In the morning in the room there was unpleasant smell of the alcohol... Do they look here for the new travel experiences? I took a walk to the main market at the end of Preobrazhenskaya Street. Marketts are live and funny worldwide... I took some pictures. The old but charming vendor warned me in Russiaan: -Do you know that it is forbiden to take pictures at the market? The police will come and catch you! Why? Nobody knows... But I had the same problem on the market in the market in the capital of Moldova: the policeman stoped me to take pics on the bazaar. Old soviet behaviours? Just be careful!
|
May 05, 2007 02:00 PM Whole day on the junk bus to Odessa...
Entering Moldova from the Transdniestria you won't get an entry stamp of Moldova in your passport since they do not recognize this demarcation line a their border. You have to go to go to the police registration office in Chisinau (near University) with the pasport of your host to get registration paper. It takes 10 minutes and doesn't generate any cost...
Returning back from Moldova to Odessa I decided to make the loop to avoid corrupted Transdniestria on my route.
You must go south and cross the border at Palyanka - directly to Ukraine. There are buses from Chisinau at 8.40 am 12 and 12.40 pm going via this route and the ticket costs 68 leu.
The midday bus is originating in Soroca (8 am dep) - that's what I used, spending whole day on the crowded, not ventilated bus. It is picking people even in the little villages - because the driver does not isue the ticket - making private profit... The road police in black umiforms also makes profit on the driver: during the controls he is puting banknotes into the papers. That's is Moldova...
They kept us more then an hour at the border - few locals were taken off the bus... I reached Odessa at 6 pm. It is cloudy here. But what I need is just to have a shower and good rest...
|
May 04, 2007 02:00 PM Soroca fortress in Moldova
It will take you 3 to 4 hours on the bumpy road to get from Chisinau to Soroca - little town on the Dniestr River where the most picturesque castle of Moldova is located.
Just near the bus station you will find new, cosy private hotel where they offer huge room with bath and TV for 300 leu - it is worth the price...
The Soroca town is little bit run - down... But the fortress from 16th century is interesting. Officially you have to pay 10 leu entry fee but they do not care too much. The view of the Dniestr River from the high walls is great, but you won't find there place selling souvenirs or postcards...
Eateries are also hard to find. Hungry like a tiger I found finally pizzeria (35 leu for middle size pizza and 10 for tasty soup. I met there nice local youths - one of them - Christine was speaking good english. We took a long walk to the view point "The candle of remembrance" at the entry to the town. It is the huge spire with a chapel in the basement... Another nice view of the river and the forest... Thank you Christine!
|
May 03, 2007 02:00 PM Confusing Moldova...
One of the greatest tourist attractions close to the capital of Moldova are the biggest wine cellars in Europe - Cricova. Since you will not find tourist info office in the capital you have to ask the people: bus no.2 is going to Cricova but it doesn't depart from the central bus stations but from the street 3 blocks away. I found the place, paid 3 leu for the ticket and after 30 min landed in Cricova. You have to about 1 km go uphill to reach Vinzavod. When I entered the building the guards informed me that tourist facilities in Cricova are closed for renovation till 1st of July. No entry, no degustations. So I went back to Chisinau. The reliable tourist info is important isn't it?
I the afternoon I took another minibus to the wine cellars in Cojusna. This place was open. The wine tour with guide cost 80 leu, or 240 leu with degustation. Not far from Cojusna I visited Monastery of Capriana. It is still under restoration but the upper church is ready and worth the pictures...
|
Page:
255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265
|
|
|
