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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 16, 2016 09:00 PM Puerto Montt. Back on the track!
The Brasilian sun was raising when they took us from the hotel back to the Sao Paulo airport. Then it was 4 hours flight to Santiago de Chile with nice views of the snowy Andes. Immigration is working well and quick but when you alredy have a stamp in the possport you must fill the fito declaration and go with your luggage to the customs when they are screening all stuff including your jacket. Yes, I have food: chocoletes, bread and cookies. OK, go... Uff! (I had much more!)
My fourth flight Santiago - Puerto Montt took me only 2 hours. They served only snack but if you ask they will bring you Cristal beer :)
The landscape was more and more green with snow-covered volcanos on the east side.
Nice, cozy airport. They offer bus transfer to the bus station in the city for 2500 CLP or airport to door service for 5000. Lovely, strong sun.
Puerto Montt changed a lot since my second visit: now they have huge artizanal bazaar and much more traffic. Only two white volcanos on the horizon are still the same. I am back on my track! It is good when planning to add one day for adjustment an the beginning of the voyage.
That's what I did. My stay in Puerto will be 1 day shorter, but I will be on schedule...
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Nov 15, 2016 09:00 PM Broken computer means broken plane...
It is 1 am in the night. I stay in the long line in Milano airport. Bad luck!
The second flight should depart at 8.40 in the evening. It was brand new Airbus 350. We were already on the runway. Then captain announced that we have computer problem and super-plane accommodating 400 people must go back to the gate. At the gate they said they must reset computer. It took an hour. We were taxing again tothe runway. And second time we experienced the same! Broken computer in brand new Airbus 350! They are giving now hotel vouchers to 400 people.... What will be next? Who knows?
On the next morning the other A350 landed to took us to Sao Paulo. The brokem one was still on the airport parking when were starting...
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Nov 14, 2016 09:00 PM Four flights one by one...
It was still dark when I was going with my backpack to the bus stop. Taxi to the airport from my place cost around 40 zlotys, but if you go by bus with one connection it will cost the senior less then 2 zl...
It is a long way to Patagonia! First flight of low-cost Ryanair took me to Bergamo - with the nice views of Alps on the way. In Bergamo to move to Malpensa airport you can take infrequent direct bus for 18 euro or -to go initially to Milano Centrale station - this bus costs just 5 eu and to take Milano Centrale - Malpensa bus for 8 eu. For me this was a chance to see again the central Milan and to save some money..
There is also train from Centrale to Malpensa but is goes also 50 min and the cost is higher - 13 eu. Once in Malpensa airport there is still the reason to walk to the railway platform - on the way there is a hall with the stage. On the stage they present fantastic 3-D projection about Milan and some "live" music too. Worth to see if you have the time!
In the evening I have my second 12,5-hours flight to Sao Paulo, then third to Santiago and then the fourth to Puerto Montt. I hope I will be still alive at the end of such a voyage... :)
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Nov 13, 2016 09:00 PM I pack my backpack again!
New, far-away voyage! Days in Poland are getting colder and shorter and shorter - so it is time to fly to the other hemisphere! In Patagonia I was already twice, but I visited mainly the East - the Argentinean part. This time, I set out to Chile. Patagonia Chilena is famous for bad roads, a maze of islands, rarely visited fabulous fjords and glaciers - it's much bigger challenge for the traveler. To many interesting places you can get only by water. Due to irregular transport and I'm not sure if I succeed... It will be therefore once again a great adventure, improvisation, wiping a new trail. I begin the journey in Puerto Montt and famous for its wooden churches the island of Chiloe (they even found their way to the list of World Heritage of UNESCO). Then I will follow the road south via the famous Carretera del Sur - to the place where it (as a gravel road) finally ends in the hamlet of Villa O'Higgins. The only option to follow further south is the passage through the Andes range to the Argentine side of the main mountain ridge - to the bottom of the famous summit of Fitz Roy - and to wander further south - re-crossing the border - to Chile, where I would like to visit once again the National Park Torres del Paine. All of these combinations require the perfect refinement of the various possible options. I devoted to the analysis many hours, but what will be the effect of this will work I will see only on the road. The plan there has still a lot of unknowns, starting with the weather, which can not be predicted...
Look at the map on the left column - for the first time it is so stretched down! Chile stretches from north to south by more than 4000 kilometers. A section, which I intend to defeat by land and sea is 1300 km in a straight line in each direction ...
I'm going to come back on December 20th - on time to buy a beautiful Christmas tree. Because there's nothing like Christmas in Poland! I ask my friends to keep the fingers crossed - it can make that the sea will be calm, and ferries and ships will not be delayed, that battered buses do not get flat tires on the gravel roads of Patagonia, that the cloud does not obstruct the views of great glaciers, and my condition will overcoming consecutive kilometers of mountain trails.
If I will have the access to the free internet, a short messages from the road you will find as always in my travel log.
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Nov 12, 2016 09:00 PM Snowy Rzeszów
First snow appeared in Rzeszow today. This is last day of the traveller's meeting - we still have a time for the exchange of information. I am as usual very busy. Not only to share my the travel info with the others, but also to to collect the knowledge about the areas I want to go in the future. What do you think about Northern Caucasus and San Blas Islands? In the afternoon we will say goodbye, wishing each other happy travelling and all the best till the next 33rd annual meeting in November 2017.
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Nov 11, 2016 09:00 PM Annual Meeting of Polish Globetrotters
I am again in Rzeszów - in the Southern Poland attending 32nd Annual Meeting of Polish Globetrotters.
We are watching slide shows and video presentations from all over the world - from Greenland to Australia. It is also a chance to meet my old friends - Polish globetrotters. They also travel far and wide so usually I meet them only once during each calendar year. Great people! Many of them publish articles, giving lacteres like me and even have their programs on the regional TV channels. Exemplum - Lisowski family from Cracow - on the picture. So far the most impressive show was from the remote areas of Kyrgyzstan - great views of the mountain lakes and rivers. But the shows go on till tomorrow and maybe there will be even something better...
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Nov 07, 2016 09:00 PM Taking people around the world...
In some places in Poland I have large groups of friends and fans. One of them is little but atmospheric town of Lubin. Local hiking club invites me every year (since 7 years - I believe!) to listen about my recent travelling. I just returned from such a meeting. I was giving there slide-show about my 12th round-the-world voyage. The cinema hall was full and my pictures, projected on the huge cinema screen were very impressive. I was talking 1,5 hour and after there were still questions to answer...
I was also promoting my book. It was not only satisfaction and pleasure but also a chance to earn some funds for my next voyage :)
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Oct 19, 2016 06:00 PM Flying home...
Streets of Heraklion were empty, when I was walking to the airport. After 6 am you can use the city bus no.1.
The gate was not open yet. Ground staff was going to buy for themselves big cups morning coffee :) But we started anyway on time to Athens. They offered a glass of juice and little cake on this 35 min flight. I Athens I had only a quarter to go gate to gate - not easy task, because transit passengers must still go through the security control. Done!
On second airbus of Aegean Airlines we got even hot breakfast! Then we landed in the cold and cloudy Warsaw (8 deg Celsius only!) I had enough time to go to the new gate because I landed in the new time zone - I gain an hour.
Welcome to Gdansk! Interesting Mediteranean voyage is over - now it is time to make a big laundry, ...and to plan the next trip...
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Oct 18, 2016 06:00 PM Windy Heraklion
It was raining for the first time during this journey when I was going by bus from Chania to Heraklion. I is a long trip - more then 3 hours, and the ticket cost 15 euro. Controllers are boarding the bus twice - on the route, so make sure you have your ticket handy in the pocket. In Heraklion I found my Evans Hotel on the side of Ikariou street going to the airport. It is important, because my flight is departing early, buses are not operating before 6 am so I will walk 2 kms distance to the terminal.
Then it was the time to take a walk to the huge city walls and to visit the flag monuments of the capital of Crete.
Cathedral church of St Minas has rich decoration inside and is well worth to see. Just nearby in the ancient church of St Catherine now there is a gallery of icons. Lions (Morosini) fountain lies in the middle of old city promenade surrounded by restaurants and cafes. From the Venetian times in Heraklion survived old Loggia (now city hall). I finished my walk at the old port where nowadays you will see little fishing boats and yachts docking in front of the old fortress - very picturesque place!
Sadly it is my last day in Greece...
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Oct 17, 2016 06:00 PM Chania, Crete
I like Chania, especially the colorful old town area where the chain of little restaurants is encompassing the old port. This place has tipical Mediterranean climate. People are sitting for hours at the tables and doing nothing.... :) On the western side of the old town I found a little hill which offers panoramic view of the roofs and towers of old Chania. There are interesting churches and minarets in the area of the narrow streets. One of the temples - Saint Nicos has both - a church tower with the clock and also the minaret. I stay here in the run-down, but inexpensive Hotel Tina conveniently located half way from the bus station to the old town. Internet is miserable, hot water - from time to time, mosquitoes are present... Not recommended!. But today I am going back to Heraklion...
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