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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 14, 2006 07:00 PM Ready for T-5 train...
I am back in Guilin-China. At the railway station I got my ticket for the tnternational T-5 train Beijing-Hanoi. There are soft sleeper cars only - they charge hefty 527 yuan. But I got it! Depart will be in the afternoon. There is another - less expensive option to get to Vietnam: 10.30 pm sleeper bus to the border for 250 yuan and then on the other side you have to look for the other bus to Hanoi. But I have bad experience with chineese sleeper buses: they are for the people who are up to 150 cm tall and not so wide. I am 182 cm, so for me a night I such a bus is like a hell... Thank you!
On my first evening in Guilin on the main street between rail and bus stations I was bothered by the local ladies. "Beautiful, beautiful!"- they know some english words. "F... - 200 yuan!"-they offered. And when I politely said: Shieshie! Thank you! the price for "F..." dropped dramatically to 100 yuan.
100 yuan is just 12,50 USD. The price for the party with "beautiful" chineese ladies is not so high! I saw the same ladies on the main street today... They did not repeat their offer - probably because I had a huge bacpack on me. I did not see any presence of People's Police there...
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Jan 09, 2006 07:00 PM China - along the Pearl River
It is good to have a friend in the far-away country! We met four months ago in the high mountains of Pakistan, where we taravelled together bumpy and dusty roads of the Hindukush...
It was almost midnight when my delayed Nortwest flight landed in new Guangzhou airport. She - the charming Chineese lady - was waiting for me patiently in the arrival hall. I was really happy to see her again!
In the morning she guided me to the busy downtown of 3.5-million Guangzhou (former Canton). I hoped to see there some high buildings - I saw much more then I expected. China serprises me... They run a lot a construction work and soon in Canton there will be more new skyscrapers then on the Manhattan. We had my favourite dumplings - baodzy - for lunch... Then we visited Chan Clan village, three main temples and imposing stone cathedral - the tourist highligts of Canton. On the river there is Shamian Island - former colonial enclave with narrow, shaddy streets ant some old, fancy buildings. At the dusk it is worth to be on the promenade on the riverside of Pearl River - lights, iluminated boats pasing by, wonderful music - just enchanting moment... It was great day - thank you my friend! Tomorrow I am heading to Guilin...
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Jan 09, 2006 07:00 PM Along the Pearl River
It is good to have a friend in the far-away country! We met four months ago in the high mountains of Pakistan, where we taravelled together bumpy and dusty roads of the Hindukush...
It was almost midnight when my delayed Nortwest flight landed in new Guangzhou airport. She - the charming Chineese lady - was waiting for me patiently in the arrival hall. I was really happy to see her again!
In the morning she guided me to the busy downtown of 3.5-million Guangzhou (former Canton). I hoped to see there some high buildings - I saw much more then I expected. China serprises me... They run a lot a construction work and soon in Canton there will be more new skyscrapers then on the Manhattan. We had my favourite dumplings - baodzy - for lunch... Then we visited Chan Clan village, three main temples and imposing stone cathedral - the tourist highligts of Canton. On the river there is Shamian Island - former colonial enclave with narrow, shaddy streets ant some old, fancy buildings. At the dusk it is worth to be on the promenade on the riverside of Pearl River - lights, iluminated boats pasing by, wonderful music - just enchanting moment... It was great day - thank you my friend! Tomorrow I am heading to Guilin...
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Jan 09, 2006 07:00 PM China - along the Pearl River
It is good to have a friend in the far-away country! We met four months ago in the high mountains of Pakistan, where we taravelled together bumpy and dusty roads of the Hindukush...
It was almost midnight when my delayed Nortwest flight landed in new Guangzhou airport. She - the charming Chineese lady - was waiting for me patiently in the arrival hall. I was really happy to see her again!
In the morning she guided me to the busy downtown of 3.5-million Guangzhou (former Canton). I hoped to see there some high buildings - I saw much more then I expected. China serprises me... They run a lot a construction work and soon in Canton there will be more new skyscrapers then on the Manhattan. We had my favourite dumplings - baodzy - for lunch... Then we visited Chan Clan village, three main temples and imposing stone cathedral - the tourist highligts of Canton. On the river there is Shamian Island - former colonial enclave with narrow, shaddy streets ant some old, fancy buildings. At the dusk it is worth to be on the promenade on the riverside of Pearl River - lights, illuminated boats pasing by, wonderful music - just enchanting moment... It was great day - thank you my friend! Tomorrow I am heading to Guilin...
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Jan 09, 2006 07:00 PM China - along the Pearl River
It is good to have a friend in the far-away country! We met four months ago in the high mountains of Pakistan, where we taravelled together bumpy and dusty roads of the Hindukush...
It was almost midnight when my delayed Nortwest flight landed in new Guangzhou airport. She - the charming Chineese lady - was waiting for me patiently in the arrival hall. I was really happy to see her again!
In the morning she guided me to the busy downtown of 3.5-million Guangzhou (former Canton). I hoped to see there some high buildings - I saw much more then I expected. China serprises me... They run a lot a construction work and soon in Canton there will be more new skyscrapers then on the Manhattan. We had my favourite dumplings - baodzy - for lunch... Then we visited Chan Clan village, three main temples and imposing stone cathedral - the tourist highligts of Canton. On the river there is Shamian Island - former colonial enclave with narrow, shaddy streets ant some old, fancy buildings. At the dusk it is worth to be on the promenade on the riverside of Pearl River - lights, iluminated boats pasing by, wonderful music - just enchanting moment... It was great day - thank you my friend! Tomorrow I am heading to Guilin...
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Dec 16, 2005 07:00 PM White snow in Gdansk... welcome home!
From the heat of Madagascar to the winter in Poland in one day! It was white around when I landed in Gdansk... Snow - what a pleasant view! Another interesting voyage is completed... Very interesting and (for me) - relaxing after other difficult voyages of 2005! Now it will be the time for relax, developing pictures (I did 15 rolls of slides and about a thousand low-resolution digital pics) but first of all - for enjoying Christmas time with the family and friends... Merry Christmas to all of you and Happy Travelling in 2006!
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Dec 15, 2005 07:00 PM Mt Kilimanjaro from the air....
Time to come back home for Christmas... But first - how to get to Antananarivo airport? Taxi from the center (old Renault 4 - real experience) will cost you 20 000 ariary - like 10 USD.
But I used other way: taxi from the hotel to northern taxi-brousse station (they call it "gare nord") for 2500 ariary and then crowded minibus to Ivato for 400 ariary - there is plenty of them and each one is passing the airport! Allow a lot of time for the airport check-in in TNR! - they are nice but they work veeeeery slow!
I boarded the plain - half empty - they announced 3-hours flight to Nairobi. The meal was poor but served with good Mauritian beer... After 2,5 hours on the left side of the plain I saw the beautifuly exposed summit of Mt Kilimanjaro - after 29 years! It was in 1976 when I - a young dreamer - was climbing the summit up to Uhuru Peak. Memories, memories... Nairobi to Amsterdam took me 8,5 hours... then Amsterdam to Warsaw - 2 hours...
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Dec 14, 2005 07:00 PM It is me - VAZAHA !
In the different parts of the world they called me: gringo, farang, muzungu... Here, in Madagascar I am vazaha. When I am wandering along narrow streets of Tana barefoot children shout: -Vazaha! Vazaha! They have a fun... I have too! After almost 3 weeks in Madagascar I can tell you that it is one of the most pleasant countries to travel... It is also paradise for the photographer - people rarely do not want to be photographed, they easily return your smiles... To get from the main street of Antananarivo to my hotel "Chez Francis" I must climb long public stairs. Along the stairs there are plenty of stalls - you can buy there everything: live chickens, second-hand clothes, radios, tomatoes, rice and shoes... Just stay every 20 steps and take one photo - what a gallery you will get!
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Dec 13, 2005 07:00 PM Antananarivo in the sun...
There must be cold and rainy where you are... Or even snowy! My Friend Jorge is reporting from Yakutia: minus 40 degrees! Congratulations Jorge! I am still enjoyinng strong sun of Madagascar. Central part of the capital city lies in the valley. Stay on the main street and look up the eastern slopes... On the one of the buldings there is writen: Chez Francis - that's where I live. It is little, quite hotel with a great view of Tana... They charge 26 000 ariary per room with hot shower and the balcony. It is worth to recommend! Tana is located on the level about 1200 m above the sea but it is still malaria zone... I took once a week my lariam pill and use my private mosquito net - I think it is even more efficient... Today I visited the ruins of Rova - the royal palace destroyed by the fire 10 years ago. They charge 5000 ariary for entry to the ruins and to the other palace located nearby, where you can see regalia survived from the fire... Worth to see!
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Dec 12, 2005 07:00 PM Bye bye Morondava on the ocean...
In the heat of the tropics I am already dreaming about white Christmas in Poland... Soon, soon...
Did I tell you that the rhum is extremely cheap in Madagascar? Even cheaper then in Guyana! The bottle of better brand cost around 2000 ariary per 0.5 l . It means that it has the value of two bottles of coca-cola - 0.5 l each!! But do not drink much - in the tropical heat you will get drunk very soon!! I decided to take today domestic flight from Morondava to the capital city of Antanararivo...
Bye-bye palms of Morondava! It was the time for the glass of rhum and sweet little Chocolate...
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