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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Apr 27, 2017 08:00 PM Through the border to Ukraine
There are buses going from Kosice, Slovakia to Uzhorod, Ukraine. But eurolines go at inconvenient times and cost more so I found local bus of Arriva company depatring at 7.30 am to Michalovce (1.80 euro) and this one was connected with other bus departing from Michalovce tnrough the border to Uzhorod (3,20 eu). It works! But the drivers tend to depart earlier, so be there 15 min ahead!
I was surprised: no congestion at the border! Officers collect the passports and return them 20 minutes later. Welcome to Ukraine! 3 kms further on was already Uzhorod. The city lies on the Uzh river and has the rich history and old architecture worth to see. I was walking from the rail/ bus station half an hour to Voloshina street where nice hostel "Hospoda" is located. Clean room with bathrom next door costs 300 hryvnias (for one dollar they were giving today 26,15 hry).
There is breakfast room with fridge and microvave oven. You can make your tea and coffee but bring the bags with you!
In the afternoon I was climbing cobbled streets to the castle (entry 25 hr). They have interestind exhibitions inside. Below the castle you will see another museum - the skansen of rural architecture (entry 35 hr).
Apart from the collection of the interesting wooden buildings (church is the nicest) I was lucky to see there few local folk groups singing and dancing. It was really geat folk show on the open air. What a day!
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Apr 26, 2017 08:00 PM Kosice - Slovakia
Single room for 13 euro? Yes, I stay here in Hostel Barno, Tolsteho 22. It looks like former student's hostel but it is clean and you have one bathroom for two rooms combined in one unit. Wi-fi connection is excellent, they provide little towel, but you have to bring your soap...
Kosice has very nice old town with St Elisabeth cathedral located in the middle of the main street. In the Hlavna Street you will find tourist info office where charming ladies distribute free maps and provide information. There are many atmospheric side streets to stroll around, churches, museums and gardens. Close to the theatre they built nice fountain with the carrillion playing every hour. There is a good choice if pubs (beer from 1 euro) and restaurants. For the budget traveller bread is more important - 1,20 euro per kilo in the supermarket :)
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Apr 25, 2017 08:00 PM Gdansk to Cracow to Slovakia...
Spring is late this year. Sun was shining but it was only 4 deg Celsius when I was walking in the morning with my backpack to the city bus. Bus 110 goes to the airport. 40 minutes drive - cheap and convenient! Boarding was on time, then during the LOT 1-hour flight they served only little snack and mineral water. Poor service, but the ticket cost me only 86 zlotys!
In Cracow I had 2-hours break. Then from the bus stop located just in front of the arrival little bus of Slovak company Tiger Express took me to Kosice. I bought their ticket on internet - it cost 20 euro... After 2 hours we reached the Polish-Slovak border in Muszynka. No control at all! Then the landscape became more open with many rolling hills and... many traffic radars in passing-by villages. Before 5 pm we reached Kosice - the capital of Eastern Slovakia.
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Apr 24, 2017 08:00 PM New voyage - Transcarpathia
New voyage! I'm flying cheaply to Krakow, and from there I'll take the bus to Eastern Slovakia. There I will stay in unknown city of Košice. But the main goal of this trip is the Ukrainian Transcarpathia - areas near the border with Hungary and Romania... I want to see Kolomyia, former Polish city Stanislawow and again, after years of stroll down the streets of Lviv. I expect to find there nice mountain landscapec and authentic folklore. Let's hope that the weather will be nice... This is not going to be a long trip - I have to be back in time to sow and plant in my Wojtkówka! :)
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Apr 22, 2017 08:00 PM Awarded in Cracow
I have been invited to join the ceremony of opening of the Alley of Great Polish Travellers, Explorers and Conquerors in Cracow - the former capital of Poland. They planted here 30 oak trees - each one dedicated to one outstanding person. 18 travellers of 30 selected already passed away...
I was honored by the nice oak tree (and the nice tableau in front of it). Thank you Cracow for appreciation!
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Apr 19, 2017 08:00 PM Mautitius to China voyage is completed!
It was unusual route... Great escape from the cold in Europe. Chance to see again few Asian places from the different perspective given by ship. Finally, I was able to see numerous new places in China...
I met on the trail a lot of interesting people...
Now it is atime for big laundry, and for the preparation to the next voyage :)
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Apr 18, 2017 08:00 PM Delayed depature from China
I was on time in the PVG airport. During the boarding of Aeroflot flight they did not check the size and weight of my carry-on pack. They even do not have special rack to do that.
We already fasten beltl when the captain announced that there will be delayed departure due to the excident in the airport. ???
I became little nervous because my short - time connection in Moscow. We were waiting 40 minutes for the permit to start.
During the 9h+ flight to Moscow they served two warm meals, but sorry - the good times are over - no beer, no wine on long distance Aeroflot flights!
Transit in Moscow Sheremetyevo is like a nightmare. Crowd of Chinese (and few Europeans) from our 777 attacked the narrow, one-officer channel to the transit lounge. He was patiently checking documents one by one. When I finally passed through it was the time to run from terminal F to terminal D, to board Warsaw flight. Corridors are narrow and full of people... Yes, the plane was still there. We landed in Warsaw almost on time - then I went to the Ryanair gate for the flight to Gdansk. Got it! It was only 3 deg Celsius when I landed in my city. Spring where are you?
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Apr 17, 2017 08:00 PM Last night in Shanghai
Already at 6.20 I was at the Zhenzhou aiport. Elegant building was almost empty. I did not have my breakfast... Too early... But in every station or airport in China there are distributors of boiling water. Chinese use it to made their noodle soups and green tea. I used it to make big cup of coffee. With some biscuits it was already something!
Two hours later I landed in SHA airport. Subway is the cheapest way to go to the center - it cost 7 juan - like a one dollar and take a bit more then an hour with obligatory train change on the way (same platform).
In the afternoon I had a chance to visit one more imoosing temple - The Jing'an Temple built between high buildings. 50 yuans entry fee.
Huge and gold-plated it was build rather to show the power of China that for the believers..
Weather was sunny so I decided to walk again to the Bund to take a better pisture of the famous skyline of Pudong - the new part of Shanghai built on the other side of the Huangpu river. Panoramic view is imposing - nicest than in Singapore or Hong Kong.
It will be my last night in exotic Shanghai. Tomorrow I will fly home...
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Apr 16, 2017 08:00 PM Kaifeng - China
I stay today in Kaifeng, in the dirty youth hostel near the West Gate.
Hot and strong sun. A lot of pollution in the streets - many locals wear the masks. But I like Kaifeng. Now it has almost half a million inhabitants, in the past it was capital of China for some 200 years.
City walls and gates remained and are nicely restored. You will find here many historic buildings including 55 mhigh Iron Pagoda and atmospheric Chief Minister Temple. Old city area is quiet big, so it is worth to use city buses (1 yuan) to move around. Kaifeng seems to be little off the main Chinese tourist track, so I did not experienced here such herds like in thd other places...
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Apr 15, 2017 08:00 PM Legendary Shaolin
Long distance bus transport in China does not work well. Trafic congestions, road works, not reliable timetable, long delays before you get to/off this dinosaur cities... Better relay on trains... But sometimes you will have no choice - like me today.
No rails to Shaolin... I took a bus from Luoyang (19 yuans) but it took us more then 2 hours to get there. Rainy day. Limited visibility of the surrounding mountains. Bad luck! I decided to get in anyway. No discounts for the foreigners! I paid 100 y entry fee and started a walk along long alley heading to the Main monastery buildings under pine trees. Buddhist monks in the grey costumes checked the ticked again. They do not meditate? Crowd of Chinese tourists with umbrellas and rain coats. Gold-painted statues of Buddha. Then the other buildings and "forest of pagodas" - the cemetery of high-ranking monks.
Shaolin is the birthplace of kung-fu. Yes, there are still academies of this art. But now it is more like popular tourist place (even in the rainy days there are crowds of Chinese... Sorry, it does not make any sense to take one of two cableways up to the mountain...
But I have noe the idea how one more UNESCO site looks like...
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