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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Oct 12, 2003 02:00 PM Anamur - far from the crowd
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...
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Mar 20, 2003 07:00 PM Trek in the Mandara Mountains
Still in the Northern Cameroon we went to the famous area of Rhumsiki - famous of the landscape and beautiful unspoiled villages. With our guides Daud and Napoleon we walked up to 15 km per day enjoying stone towers and pinnacles, sleeping in the coutyards of local people and tasting local food /I found millet beer the best/.
Daud and Napoleon are worth to recommend - they speak even some english. Our donkey carried all the way the supply
of the mineral water - buy at least 4 ltr per day - it is very hot and dry. Mandara Mts are at the border of Nigeria - very far from Douala but it is worth to come so far - it is real, colorful Cameroon and you will find people very friendly...
Plan to spend 15000 CFA per day of trek - all included and bring good hiking boots!
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Feb 20, 2001 07:00 PM India - Enchanting Kerala
I am in Cochin (or Kochi). It is very hot and humid... Indian ladies from Kerala are very pretty... That's nice... But there is a lot of stinking garbage on the streets - it is bad and sad... It is still country of the big contrasts...
In the morning I was walking around the Fort Cochin, visiting old churches and the palace once presented by Portugeese to the local raja.
Kerala state has a lot of backwaters - rivers and channels. Local tourist office offers inexpensive tour to the backwaters. It will cost much more then 350 rupees if you will decide to go there on your own and to rent a boat... There were only 9 people on this tour - they took us by minibus to the distant village - little boat was waiting there and we sail through the narrow channels enjoying the scenery, watching the countrylife. The local guide was pointing many exotic terees and plants. Then in the village there explained how they made the solid strings from coconut fibre and the mats from the leaves of pandanus palm... Very interesting and the people are just lovely...
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Jan 20, 2001 07:00 PM 16 hours on the bus...
The private tourist enterpreneurs in Vietnam are very well organized - they will send you from hands to hands... Tourist bus companies invented "open ticket". Since most of the tourist attractions are located along the 2000-km road linking Hanoi and Saigon they offer just for 22 USD bus ticket who allow you to make as many stops as you want on this route. It is really good deal but keep in mind theat you will be forced to travel with this one company all over the way... They offer free pick up from the hotel but at the destination they will deliver you to the hotel of their choice...
I boarded the bus in Hanoi at 7.30 pm. Yes, I got a seat but there were not enough space for my knees... Can you imagine such a position during 16 hours? They also take into the bus more people then there were seats - all locals - they were sitting just on the floor...
At the destination they offer me their hotel (6 USD single room with bath). It was not so fancy but I was so tired that I accepted their offer...
Hue is the former capital of Vietnam - in the middle of the town there os old, huge citadel - they charge 55000 for entry. Perfume River is crossing the city... Enough... Good night!
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Jan 20, 2001 07:00 PM 16 hours on the bus to Hue...
The private tourist enterpreneurs in Vietnam are very well organized - they will send you from hands to hands... Tourist bus companies invented "open ticket". Since most of the tourist attractions are located along the 2000-km road linking Hanoi and Saigon they offer just for 22 USD bus ticket who allow you to make as many stops as you want on this route. It is really good deal but keep in mind that you will be forced to travel with this selected company all over the way... They offer free pick up from the hotel but at the destination they will deliver you to the hotel of their choice...
I boarded the bus in Hanoi at 7.30 pm. Yes, I got a seat but there were not enough space for my knees... Can you imagine such a position during 16 hours? They also take into the bus more people then there were seats - all locals - they were sitting just on the floor...
At the destination they offered me their hotel (6 USD single room with bath). It was not so fancy but I was so tired that I accepted their offer...
Hue is the former capital of Vietnam - in the middle of the town there os old, huge citadel - they charge 55000 for entry. Perfume River is crossing the city... Enough... Good night!
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Jan 20, 2001 07:00 PM 16 hours on the bus to Hue...
The private tourist enterpreneurs in Vietnam are very well organized - they will send you from hands to hands... Tourist bus companies invented "open ticket". Since most of the tourist attractions are located along the 2000-km road linking Hanoi and Saigon they offer just for 22 USD bus ticket who allow you to make as many stops as you want on this route. It is really good deal but keep in mind that you will be forced to travel with this selected company all over the way... They offer free pick up from the hotel but at the destination they will deliver you to the hotel of their choice...
I boarded the bus in Hanoi at 7.30 pm. Yes, I got a seat but there were not enough space for my knees... Can you imagine such a position during 16 hours? They also take into the bus more people then there were seats - all locals - they were sitting just on the floor...
At the destination they offered me their hotel (6 USD single room with bath). It was not so fancy but I was so tired that I accepted their offer...
Hue is the former capital of Vietnam - in the middle of the town there os old, huge citadel - they charge 55000 for entry. Perfume River is crossing the city... Enough... Good night!
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Jan 01, 1970 12:00 AM Tashkurgan Military zone - no internet for foreigners
Tashkurgan town is a convenient stopover on the way to the famous Karakoram Highway. Here you have a chance to drink your last beer before entering Moslem country and to speak with the local ladies. Two hotels offer basic acommodation - the room with hot bath cost 100 yuan. Hospitable Tadjik people live here - i had an opportunity to visit their tyipical house. I found also the only internet cafe. Sorry - no access for the foreigners - this is special military zone - close to the border to Tadjikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan...
Tomorrow morning I want to take the only bus and to cross the famous Khunjerab Pass to Pakistan
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Jan 01, 1970 12:00 AM Christmas Island - my dream come true!
There are no lights on the runway on Christmas Island. Daylight landings only.... It was 6 am when I saw for the first time this legendary atoll (they say - the biggest atoll in the world!). Palms, palms and the empty ocean around! We landed near the little barrack of the terminal... WELCOME TO CHRISTMAS IS.!
We were walking to the immigrations desk - only 8 passengers - including locals!
The formalities took me just 4 minutes...
Smiling people waiting in front of the "teriminal"...
Where to stay? You have no reservation? No, I cannot spent money for the only, expensive hotel...
Friendly local guy took me to his junk car...
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Jan 01, 1970 12:00 AM Ready for T-5 train...
I am back in Guilin-China. At the raiway station I got my ticket for the tnternational T-5 train Beijing-Hanoi. 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 01, 1970 12:00 AM My Son - ruins of Champa Kingdom
In Hoi An I stay in the Sea Star hotel - now - in the low season they charge only 8 USD for clean, airy single room with bath...
Hoi An in the base for the excursions to the ruins of My Son - the religious center during the period of Champa Kingdom (from 4th century AD - they compare this culture with Angkor Wat and Borobodur).
The half day excursion by bus will cost you just 2 USD plus 60000 dongs entry fee.
I will tell you the true: it is interesting place but do not expect another Angkor Wat or Borobodur. The scale is much smaller...
All buildings - mostly temples, covered partly by tropical vegetation - are located in the radius of 500 m... The first two groups (B & C) are he most impressive...
But it is still most important archeological site in Vietnam. It is also on the UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List.
I was happy to read in the museum that my countryman Kazimierz Kwiatkowski - Kazik conducted there the excavation works in the period of many years... The second surprise was that that the grateful Vietnameese just built his monument on the main tourist street in Hoi An - it will be officially open on Jan 31st... That's nice that they appreciate the man from other country...
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