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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 24, 2018 10:00 PM Something new - Crystal Cathedral
Sunny daay in California. There are many attraction to see around Los Angeles. The problem is that distances are big, so traver by car is the only solution. I have been to LA many times but Zbyszek found for me one more unknown place - he drove me to the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, Organge County near Los Angeles.
It took us like 40 minutes by the freeways empty on Sunday to get to this interesting place. Yes, it is worth to see. It is modern church, but the architecture is unusual. Glass dominates in the construction. Bell tower is just fantastic. I did not see in the world similar church.
The main church building is under renovation, but will be opened at the end of this year.
There is nice park around with sculptures and twelve fountains symbolizing 12 apostles. I was impressed! - see the picture...
It is my last day in California, in the evening I am flying to Oslo and onward to Gdansk...
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Mar 23, 2018 10:00 PM California- not so blue in the morning...
Yes, this was a challenge. Shame on you, Greyhound... Long distance buses in Mexico are more comfortable and cheaper then your vehicles! In the 80-ties I was traveliing with Greyhound coast to coast and... sorry, I cannot see changes for better... They have new buses with bigger windows now, and the wi-fi internet, who works only when the bus is in the town areas. But that's all new. Our first vehicle was a junk - the drivers stopped few times to close manually front doors... The bus was full... The society in the bus... The culture... Oh, my God!
OK. After 25 hours on the road at sunrise time we reached Indio, California. I saw again snow-topped moutains and a lot of wind farms producing electric power. Grey sky... Than a maze of highways and - at 9.20 am Pacific Time I finally saw in the distance the skyscrapers of the Los Angeles downtown. The Greyhound LA station is not imposing. But after 28 hours trip I was happy to disembark and to say goodbye to Greyhound. The sun appeared and few minutes later I saw friendly face of Zbyszek. It is so nice to see him after years. The grand bus journey - more then 5000 kms from Cancun is completed. Let's have a rest!
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Mar 22, 2018 10:00 PM 28 hours on the bus - seems to be a challenge!
In 1981 I was travelling for the first time across the USA by Greyhound buses. Every second night was spend on the bus to save my dollars for visiting new places. But it never was 28 hours in one piece... Today I started such a long trip because my cheap return flight to Poland will depart on Sunday from Los Angeles. The bus has wi-fi so I am sending this message from the bus. We started from San Antonio early in the morning - in the dark. Want you know where I am at the moment? Open the page www.bustracker.greyhound.com and insert schedule 1419.
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Mar 21, 2018 10:00 PM Pilgrimage to four missions...
I am in San Antonio, Texas. I have been here already in 1981 for the short time so I know what is Alamo where they are bringing almost every school child. The national sanctuary - little building of the former mission is now hidden between the skyscrapers of the downtown and looks even smaller then years ago. Entry is free, but photography in the church forbidden and you have to take your hat off.
Few visitors know that Alamo (formally: mission of San Antonio de Vallera) was just one of five built on the Spanish trail through Texas. Going south along San Antonio River you can see four other historic missions - well restored. They are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Entry is free...
That's what I did today. From Alamo I was walking mission to mission:
Conception, San Jose, San Juan and Espada enjoying the beauty of the old architecture and serenity of the river. They built along the river excellent path, used also by bikers. It is 10,5 mile long - like 17 kms.
In the last, Espada mission I met charming lady-ranger (it is National Park). Carmelita was very surprised that I walked such a distance - Americans do nit do that... I received congratulations and returned happy by last city bus 5.20 pm paying as a senior 0,65$. What a day for just less then one dollar ! :)
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Mar 20, 2018 10:00 PM The devil took me to Laredo... :)
Do you remember this popular Baccara Duo song? This morning I took the metro linea 2 (yes, there is subway in Monterrey) to get to the final station Sendero, where Greyhound bus terminal is located. The ride cost me 4,50 pesos. They in the cloudy morning we were driving to Nuevo Laredo with some views of the mountains and pastures. In Mexican border town I changed the bus - it took me through the bridge on Rio Grande river to the US immigration post. Everything was OK - they screened my bag and collected 6 dollars entry fee! So I am back in the USA, in Texas. Waiting for the next bus I had a chance to take a walk around central, old quarter of Laredo. It is not a big town...
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Mar 19, 2018 10:00 PM 500 km to Monterrey...
Today I travel with a different bus company - Grupo Senda. I hope that we will arrive to the destination on schedule. The bus is more comfortable, we have individual screens, and - from time to time - even internet connection! After 2 hours of driving the landscape around became more dry - with plenty of bush on the gentle hills.
Arrival to Monterrey is very spectacular as the road goes down - along the beautiful mountain range.
I found my hostel without any problem (Soyforaneo - not recommended, overpriced) The sun was still shining - it was last hour to go to the bright city center to take some pictures. There is a long square with high trees, fountains, and elegant buildings - see palacio de gobierno on the picture. They have also nice cathedral and theatre. But the visitor should appreciate also the unusual background - the mountains rising on the horizon. One of them - Cerro de la Silla could be most spectacular...
Do you know that it is my last evening in Mexico?
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Mar 18, 2018 10:00 PM Fiesta & long way to Tampico
Yesterday in the hot evening I returned to Plaza de Armas of Veracruz to enjoy the Mexican folklore. Three different groups were performing music and dancing on the stage under the palms. Colors, rythms and beauty of local senoritas. Unforgetable!
Today I travel again by ADO bus. The road to Tampico is not a highway. Narrow, bumpy but very picturesque with many hills, rivers and small settlements. We have two drivers, but they are not so nice. they do not hurry. They can stop the bus full of passengers and they go shopping. Mexico!
As a result we reached Tampico with a big delay - after 10,5 hours drive...
The entry to the city is very impressive - trough the high bridge, with a nice view of the city and the river. I left my pack in the friendy Vithez hotel - just 400 m from terminal and took colectivo taxi to Plaza de Armas. It costs only 9 pesos pp.
I was surprised, how nice is old Tampico in the evening. There are two plazas: Armas and Libertad nearby and both were nicely iluminated. On Liberdad I found many nice balconies (see picture). Looks like New Orleans - don't you think?
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Mar 17, 2018 10:00 PM Santo Cristo de Buen Viaje
Hot and hazy morning in Vera Cruz... From my Maria Isabel hotel I have only 4 cuadras (blocks) to the nice and green Parque Zamora. At the far end of the Parque I saw the little white church, not mentioned in my guidebook. Coming closer I recognized the big statue in front of the church - it is John Paul II - our pope and the saint! Sunday church service was conducted inside the church with many people staing outside. They told me that it is the oldest church in Veracruz - Santo Cristo de Buen Viaje. Chist of the Happy Travelling. So for the first time I - the traveller - had a chance to visit traveller's church...
But the solid bronze plaque from the pope's monument was stolen. Veracruz has opinion not to be the safest city. They have nice coastal promenade - the Malecon and little main square - Zocalo with the white cathedral and elagant Palacio Municipal. Around Zocalo you will see long portales - arcades housing cafes and restaurants... Lighthouse in the nice building is not open for visits but you can take a boat tour around the harbor for 100 pesos or city tour on junk doubledecker for 40. Nice city, but be careful!
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Mar 16, 2018 10:00 PM By bus to Veracruz
In the morning, when the traffic in Villahermosa is not heavy 10 minutes is enough to get by foot from my Balboa Hotel to the ADO bus terminal.
The bus to Veracruz was already waiting, but they always wait till the last minute to pack you up...
It was a long, 8,5 hours journey. I had a front seat to enjoy the landscapes: fields of sugar cane, pineapple plantations, meadows with cows escaping hot sun to the shade of the trees. With only 3 stops on the way we reached the city of Veracruz at 5 pm. Equpped with the map (print it at home, no tourist info in the huge terminal) I started a 2 kms walk to my Hotel Maria Isabel Plaza. Sounds like a place for the aristocrats... :) No, no, no... This old institution is located in the middle of the bazar area. But the staff - Jose and Paco were very nice to me. Jose speaks good English and responses e-mails! Clean a/c room (I do not use it) costs 11 USD per night... Before sunset I had enough time to make a shopping in the supermarket located just around the corner. Let's have the rest in Veracruz!
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Mar 15, 2018 10:00 PM The Olmec's heads
Enchanted by the Mayan piramids and temples few travellers remember, that long before the cililization of Maya the culture of Olmec was here.
Strange remains of this culture was discovered in the village of La Venta.
La Venta is far from the big cities so Mexicans decided to bring the main objects to Villahermosa and to settle them in the open-air museum.
Today in the morning I was walking around 3 kms to Parque La Venta.
It is lush tropical garden on the lakeside. They combined there little zoo with the exhibition of the Olmec Art. Entry fee for the foreigners is 44 pesos.
In the zoo you can go into the huge aviary to see colorful birds. But for me the ancient stone palisades, altars and statues were most interesting. Well marked path leads you to the labelled objects. The well-known from the pictures "Head of the warrior" is the best preserved and everybody wants to have here and everybody wants to have here the souvenir picture - me too! As you can see - the head is more then 2 m high... Hard to believe that it was carved 700-400 years before Christ.
In the park I met the students of English faculty and they were interviewing me (this was their homework). It was pleasant and nice with the first and second group, but later due to the same questions became boring...
It was heavy 35 deg at 1pm when I was returning back to the hotel.
Great day, but it is time for loundry now!
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