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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 26, 2011 07:00 PM How to camp in the paradise :)
Do you dream about living just 20 m from the tropical beach?
You can do it here... Take 2-dollars ferry to Culebra Island. Pack your bacpack and your tent to Will's van - he will take you to Flamenco Beach for 3 dollars.
Then they have there the choice of 6 or 7 campsites under the trees just 20 m from the sand. Every site has a table and big water tank. Shower and toilets are shared.
Put you tent and enjoy the tropics!
In the morning the warden is coming to collect 20 USD fee (per site per day). The eatery/ softdrinks are 100 m away at the parking place.
Mosquitoes are present in the paradise so do not forget to bring the net and repellent! :)
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Nov 25, 2011 07:00 PM Island of Culebra
I am back on Culebra Island enjoying the sun, friendly Spanish-speaking people and beautiful beaches. The island is hilly so if you want to discover it walking it is quite an effort regarding the heat of 30 deg. Celsius and more. But the walk gives you a chance to stop at any place, to take more pictures.
From time to time I am hitchhiking - local people are not afraid to take the stranger into the car... Jeep rental is of cource possible, but it costs minimum 50 USD per day plus the fuel.
On one end of the island I went to the distant Zoni Beach. Very small and almost empty, but with the best background - view of Culebrita and other little cays is great!
Do not be confused by the name of the nearest Playa Larga - it was sweaty walk on gravel road, but not worth: playa larga is not large - just little piece of sand and boat jetty.
On the other end of Culebra you will find isolated and accessible only by walk or boat little Carlos Rosario Beach. It is 20 min walk from Flamenco Park. Carlos Rosario is for the people who want to escape the crowd. But the best, cleanest and most popular is Flamenco!
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Nov 24, 2011 07:00 PM Tropical Vieques Island
Today I decided to go for the full day to the second island in the group: Vieques. For many years Vieques was ocuppied by American Navy - they were training bombing there. They say that navy went out only in 2001. Now Vieques is famous for its tropical beaches.
To get there from Culebra where I live you have to take first ferry to Fajardo on the mainland Puerto Rico (2.25 USD) and then another ferry to Isabella Segunda on Vieques (2 USD). That's what I did!
Lighthouse is welcoming visitors on arrival to Isabella II - named after the Spanish queen. Shared taxis are waiting to take you to the other side of the island (3 USD), where you will find second settlement on this island - Esperanza. It is nicer and has the lovely shore promenade called Malecon. Also on this side of the island you will find best beaches: they have both Spanish and American names. I visited few of them just to compare and to enjoy different landscapes: Sun Beach, Half Moon Beach, Red Beach and Blue Beach. Since I do not like crowded places I liked most Half Moon Beach (Media Luna - what a romantic name!) I hope to show you heir pictures soon... How to move beetween these beaches? I was walking and hitchhiking - it works! Of course you can rent a jeep - but it will cost min. 50 USD.
Sailing in the afternoon back to Culebra I expected 3 hours waiting foe the ferry connection in Fajardo. Ha,ha! Previous Culebra ferry was delayed more then one hour so I just changed the boat...
Good to me, but do not rely on these ferries!
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Nov 23, 2011 07:00 PM Spanish Virgin Islands
Yesterday it was already evening when I reached Fajardo on the eastern end of Puerto Rico. I returned the car and jumped with all my sfuff on the ferry heading to the island of Culebra. The ferry is still dirty cheap: 2,25 USD for 1,5 hour trip.
There are British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands but Spanish Virgin Islands?... Culebra and Vieques were really Spanish until the Spanish - American war... Now they are administrated by Puerto Rico... People still speak Spanish here, sometimes only Spanish...
Both islands are very little in comparison with Puerto Rico. But (it is a secret for many travellers) they have some best beaches in the whole Caribbean.
I booked my last expensive room on Culebra via internet. Kokomo Hotel has few of them. But they are noisy since it is located just opposite to the ferry landing. No luxury, room no 4 is recommended as a best - with the bath in the next corridor...
After some 8 hours of driving I took a shower and went to the bed.
The bar downstais was noisy till the midnight...
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Nov 22, 2011 07:00 PM The most beautiful waterfall of Puerto Rico
In the morning we were walking around the colonial town of Ponce. Att Museum is definitely worth to visit (entry 6,42 USD). They have great collection of the old masters including El Greco, Velazquez, Murillo but also Flemish and English painters - it is definitely worth to see...
Then we started to climb the lush-green mountains of central Puerto Rico again. Salto Dona Juana - waterfall just on the roadside was nice but the highlight of the day was the Canyon of San Cristobal near Barranquitas. What brought me there? Not a canyon itself but the Neblina waterfall, which is in the canyon. Information was poor. No siggns - you hahe to ask the people many times. Most of them do not speak English... Finally we found the teenagers ready to show us the way to the canyon. It is tricky: the beginning of the path is on the private property. You have to open the gate to get through. Then there is a muddy path through the wet grass and steep descent in the tropical forest. Easy to slide down! You will hear the thumbling water but you cannnot see the fall. I expected the viewpoint. Nothing like that! You must go down to the river and then go onward on the wet, slippery stones. Teke your hiking boots!
Finally I saw it - Neblina Fall is maybe 80 to 90 meters high and is more impressive than any other waterfall of Puerto Rico! The climb up was very sweaty! My socks and trousers require laundry! But the fall is worth it! :)
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Nov 21, 2011 07:00 PM Puerto Rico by car
Intercity transport on the island is weak here so the best idea is to rent a car and go... You can rent a compact car for 26 USD/day but take care about hidden costs: insurance, one-way rental, taxes. Only best agencies like AVIS will show them when you book via internet.
I started with my companion from San Juan early in the morning. We went to the mountains to enjoy the landscapes of the lush green interior covered by the thick forest. Roads are good here, but in the mountains they are narrow. Nature is graet: fern trees, palms, breadfruit... In the stalls on the roadside you can buy bananas (10 for 1 USD) or nice papaya for 2 USD...
We visited little and charming colonial city of San German... and after some 10 hours we arrived to Ponce - second large city of Puerto Rico with rich historic output.
Petrol is cheaper here then in Europe: 87 cents per litre.
I am sweaty and tired but happy after such an interesting day.
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Nov 20, 2011 07:00 PM Bacardi Rum Factory
Bacardi family established their rum business at the beginning in Cuba. After revolution they fled to Puerto Rico. The plant is located across the bay from San Juan and the ferry costs only 50 cents each way. On the other side of the bay you must use a shared taxi (3 USD pp) to get to the factory. But the tour is free, and well organized. They do not take you to see the production, but everything is on exhibition and they offer the film in the auditorium about the history of Bacardi rum and production process. They also teach how to prepare basic coctails. At the end of the tour you can taste for free two coctails of your choice.
It is Monday. On Mondays they allowed to visit THe Fortaleza Palace - since many years the residence of the governer of Puerto Rico. I took the chance to be there. It was little dissappointing because the guide will take you to the courtyard, tower and to the gardens but not to the official rooms. And at the beginning of the tour they encourage you to put 3 USD to the donation box. Donations in the government institution?
OK. Tomorrow I plan to rent a car and to drive for 2 days with my companion to the south of Puerto Rico. The roads are windy there so please keep your fingers crossed! :)
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Nov 19, 2011 07:00 PM Disembarked in San Juan
Puerto Rico - the end of my sailing. I have been here already twice, but Old Jan Juan - the capital of the island has so special atmosphere that it is worth to come back here again. Most of the passenger ships dock just in the center of the old city. Sorry - we were not so lucky and docked at Panamericano Pier on the other side of the bay. It is far from the public transport so I was forced to share the taxi (7 USD per person) to get to the old town.
In the narrow and still cobbled Fortaleza St I found little hostel booked via internet. They charge 36 USD for the single with fan and shared bath. I have the ironwork balcony and access to the little kitchen. The most important is that they have wi-fi internet included, so I can write you what is going on. (I carry the netbook on this voyage)
The nearest (and probably only one) supermarket is on the Plaza de Armas - some 400 m away. I was walking again narrow streets and little plazas where locals sit in the shade. There are two fortresses: El Morro and San Cristobal. Entry was free in the past but now they charge 3 USD for the entrance... Showers in the afternoon. Bring your earplugs: the location of the hostel is great but street is noisy!
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Nov 18, 2011 07:00 PM Land on the horizon! It is St Thomas...
We are in America and in the USA, because Saint Thomas is a part of US Virgin Islands. Immigration officers came in the morning to the ship to check if we are allowed to land on the USA territory. The line to the immigrationms deck was more then 1000 people long. Can you imagine passengers staying in the hot corridors on the
whole deck 4 and 5? Some of them were waiting more then 2 hours to get the stamp. Ironically all of us we pay the special taxex added to the price of the ticket to cover the cost of this service. They sent only 5 officers and the officers were not in a hurry... It took hours. I was just lucky to come early and to be served on time for my local ship to St John. But many passengers did not.
I have been to St Thomas before so I decided to spent a day on the island of St John, which lies next to St Thomas. It is also US possession and it is connected with St Thomas by small boats and
car ferries. One wey ticket from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay cost 12 USD. 45 minutes sailing gives a chance to enjoy the views of the coast and other, little island.
People on St John (almost all of them are black descendends of Afican slaves) are nice and friendly. It was very hot (30 deg Celsius) and humid when I was walking around.
The island is beautiful, with many pristine beaches (Trunk Bay is probably the nicest) but it is quite expensive: a can of coke costs 1,5 USD, loaf of bread 4 USD and shared taxi ti the beach 6 USD.
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Nov 17, 2011 07:00 PM Hot, hot, hot!
Always at the sunrise time I try to run and walk a little bit on the open deck. Today I slept too long.
When I get there the sun was already up in the sky and I recognized that it is already hot, very hot.
No wind! Some fellows were already lying on the lounges covered by sticky sunscrean... They want to be black before they will fly back to the cold on the day after tomorrow. Only two days left!
We sailed already 3600 nautical miles... How many kilometers it is? 5700 ? It willbe more then 4000 nm when we will reach the destination.
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