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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Dec 29, 2017 10:00 PM Moscow in December
When I was in Moscow for the first time - in the 70-ties I used metro (subway) paying 5 kopeek per ride. Now I pay 55 roubles per ride. For such amount of money years ago it was possible to make 1100 rides, can you believe?
The sky over Moscow was cloudy when I was going to Stary Arbat street, where in the pedestrian zone stands the monument of Bulat Okudzhava - my favourite Russian poet and singer... In the souvenir shops nearby they sell Stalin and Gagarin Tshirts and Red Army hats. I cannot see any Lenin souvenirs - it seems he became less popular.
Near the Kremlin they already opened the big New Year fair... On the Red Square another surprise was waiting for me: half of the square is occupied by the paid attractions like skating ring, mary-go-rounds and the stalls of another fair. See on the picture nicely iluminated GUM shopping center. Somebody advised to be early on the square during the New Year night because police block the entry if they see that too much people want to go in. We will see...
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Dec 28, 2017 10:00 PM Delayed for the flight to Moscow
I wanted to meet New Year on the Red Square. Crazy idea - isn't it?
It is easy... First the bus to Kaliningrad, then domestic flight to Moscow. I did it many times... The bus departed from Gdansk on time - at 6 am.
Where we arrived to the empty border crossing we were waiting long time for the immigration officers to collect our passports. I got a bit nervous... The same on the other side. Then the train was blocking Kaliningrad road. When I arrived to KGD I was lucky just to jump to the departing minibus to the airport (80 rou). Traffic jams... In the airport they are screening your all possession at the gate. Russian security have a flash light phobia - not alloved on the planes - they call it fonarik. Yes, I do carry little fonarik to the dark Moscow... Same at the second security post...
When I reached the gate my flight was already closed! No mercy!
Next available flight was in the evening - waiting I had a chance to talk with the Santa (here: Dyed Moroz) promoting in the airport halls coming winter holidays. I landed in distant Domodedovo airport in Moscow at 9.10 pm.
They have fancy airport express train to the city, but it is expensive so I used the old method: bus 300 to Domodedovskay subway station for 100 roubles. And then subway to my hostel for 55.
Here I am - in Moscow! But I expected a strong frost. It is plus 1 deg now! Joke, Mr Dyed Moroz?!
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Dec 23, 2017 10:00 PM Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year 2018!
One more year is coming to the end. For me - the passionate traveller it was very good year: six interesting voyages were completed. I wish to all my friends happy travelling in 2018.
And have also Merry Chrismas with the ones that you love!
Wojtek
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Dec 20, 2017 10:00 PM Delayed flight... and finally home, sweet home!
LOT flight from Barcelona to Warsaw was delayed by one hour. And this was enough to lost connection to Gdansk.
They rebooked me for the next flight and finally I reached Gdansk in the late evening. Sorry, no snow in my city, but minus 1 centigrade. When I was boarding my first return flight in Florianopolis there were plus 33 centigrades!
OK - one more interesting voyage is completed. Now it is time to rest, to make laundry, to publish new travel reports. And to prepare the plan for the next trip.... :)
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Dec 19, 2017 10:00 PM Flying home for Christmas...
Can you imagine - the hotel reception woke me up at 4 am! Hurry, hurry - the airport shuttle is waiting. They want to save money and pack to one shuttle bus these passengers who depart at 6 am and me - who departs at 8 am. As a result I was in the Casablanca airport already at 5.30 am - very sleepy.
Casablanca... "You must remember this, the kiss was just a kiss and sight was just a sight..." - This lovely song from the old movie is one of my favourites... Bye, Casablanca!
I am flying home for Christmas! I do hope that all three flights one by one will be on time and in the evening I will land in my frosty Gdansk. Just keep the fingers crossed, please! :)
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Dec 18, 2017 10:00 PM Half day Casablanca, half day Rabat...
The reception of Le Zenith push you to take a taxi when you want to go to the distant city center. For the budget traveller there are 2 other ways: bus 9E for 5 dirham from Camelia stop or the long tram (they call it METRO) for 8 dir. from Facultes Terminus. In both cases you should cross carefully the highway. Use maps.google to find details :)
So I took 9E bus for less than a dollar to the palm fringed boulevards of Casa an I walk 30 minutes to see the Casa's main attraction - the Mosque of Hassan II. When I was in Casa for the first time in the 80-ties
there was olny empty place. During my second visit in 2005 the mosque was ready with its highest (210 m) minaret in the world. Today I resfesh memories, but didn't go inside. They open mosque for visits at 9 am, 11 am and 14 pm. I was there at 12.....
I crossed old medina by foot to get to Casa Port railway station. Round trip ticket to Rabat cost me 74 dirhams - less then 10 USD. And in Rabat - the capital of Morocco I walked again sunny streets after 33 years or so. No changes are visible here - little Kasba Oudaja still has a charm and the guards on the horses still stay at the gate to Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Only on the opposite side of the river - in pirate's Sale there is much more modern buildings...
I returned after dark. Tired but happy - this was another sunny and interesting day. It is much safer here then in Brasil and the people are very helpful, especially if you speak French - this was also good opportunity to refresh my French abilities :)
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Dec 17, 2017 10:00 PM To Casablanca...
Royal Air Maroc offers last expensive one-way air ticket from Brazil to Europe. That's how I travel... But it is not the most reliable carrier!
The flight from Sao Paulo to Casablanca was 1,5 hour delayed.... Dreamliner, but the service was rather rude, the choice of the movies on the individual screens poor... They kept darkness in the cabin untill 11.30 am, very non-professional! We landed in the sunny Casablanca at 12.15 pm. You are arriving by new, modern plane but they do not use bridges to transfer you to the terminal - you go by bus. Security civil agents qualified everybody to be screened or not. Then I took transit yellow path to reach transit desk. Oh my God! I found there a crowd of passengers, mostly black Africans trying to get to the miserable clerks. No regular lines, no police to keep everything in order... People shouting.... "fuck you" and "kill you" were popular in this black crowd... After half an hour I saw the corrupted policeman - coming only to arrange papers for his friend passenger. Well, after an hour I got the decision - theyl send me to thd hotel before Wednesday flight. Then I was again staying 40 min in the line to the immigration and finally went to the upper floor of terminal 1 where "acommodation desk" is located. Another 30 min in the line... Ufff...they put me with the group of fellow passengers to the minibus. After 40 min drive we landed in "Le Zenith" hotel on the outskirts of Casablanca - far from the centre. Good night!
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Dec 16, 2017 10:00 PM Fortaleza Sao Jose
In the 18th century Portuguese built on Santa Catarina and little islets in the strait solid forts to protect their colonial property from Spain. The best preserved is Sao Jose fort in the northwest corner of ghe island.
I took three buses one by one to get there from my place. You pay on gne first hus 3,90 then you change bus for free in firts hub TICEN, then you catch the bus to second hub TISAN, and the third bus 272 takes you to the destination. The fort is located on the rocky cape, with nice beaches on the both sides. There are old cannons, the casern and comandante house next to the powder storage. White chapel was also open. They charge 8 BRL entry fee at the gate.
It took me one hour to see the pace, to read explanations and to take pictures. Then I returned the same way to my pousada - 3 buses, less then 2 hours on the way.
It is lovely sun and 30 deg Celsius but it is time to go back. In the late afternoon I am flying to Sao Paulo and in the night I will cross the Atlantic. I hope everything wil go well...
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Dec 15, 2017 10:00 PM Around Santa Catarina
The island dimensions are 54 km by 18 km so sorry, it is not walkable, especially in the 30 deg Celsius heat... You can reach most places by public buses (3,90 reales per ride including transfers in the hubs) but this require a lot of time, waiting for the connections - not good solution for hurry backpacker. I did it by tour doubledecker. The is the tour company floripabybus who offers such a day tour for 100 reales (80 for senior) -and I think it is reasonable price.
After short Florianopolis overlook we drove to the wild south of the island with great beaches and mountain views. Joaquina Beach bordered by huge boulders was probably the nicest -see the picture. Then we turned north to the big lagoon enjoying the view from the Mirante Mole. Turtles-saving institution was also on schedule...
Then beaches of the north - very fashionable, very narrow and very crowded - I do not recommend them. But top class girls were there :)
On the west coast we stopped in the old San Antonio village to enjoy samples of colonial architecture.
Return at 4.30 pm, then bus to my pousada. Great day on Santa Catarina!
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Dec 14, 2017 10:00 PM A long way to the paradise...
I try to avoid bus travel in the night because it is tiring, doesn't give the view and it is also sometimes dangerous. But there was only one long distance bus per day from Santos to Florianopolis - in the evening. I bought the ticket in advance via internet on the site of Catarinense company. In their window on rodoviaria (bus terminal Santos) they issued proper ticket. 15 min before scheduled departure big white doubledecker arrived. They collected bagage and... I recognized that in this elegant bus I do not have enough space for for my legs..... Uuuuu!!
It was very tiring 13,5 hours journey. We made 2 stops on the road 30 min each....
Many traffic jams on approach to the bridge to Sta Catarina Island. At 11 am I landed in the paradise.
City bus 136 for 3,90 reals took me to Edelweiss Pension. Look what a view I have from the pension... It is time to rest....
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