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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
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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Nov 16, 2011 07:00 PM We are already in the tropics!
It seems that we crossed today the Tropic of Cancer, so we are in the tropical zone now. There is a lot to expept sunbatthing on our ship. In the dining room I met the pianist who plays and sings every night at our Schooner Bar. I like his music so during the meal we were talking abouth the music and about Australia (he said he is from Australia). Finally I said that I am from Poland.
What? From Gdansk, Poland! You know, I am also Polish origin, I have the home in Cracow! ...and we started to speak Polish of course.
Yes, some people from my country try to hide their roots. An artist plaing here nicely violin during the evening show introduced herself: born in Poland, but British passport and my house is in Miami.
I am not ashamed to be from Poland. And I do hope that Poland is not ashamed of me...
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Nov 15, 2011 07:00 PM Show on the ice! Why not?
I did not expect that we will have such a large group of Puertoricans aboard! For them it is great chance for the inexpensive vacations. They took one-way fligt to Europe and now
they are coming back directly home by the sea. Spanish is the second language aboard. Most of them are very simple people.
There are polite (but sometimes noisy) Germans. Educated, but it is hard to say that they are friendly. And there are also French - locked in their French-speaking colony. They probably still think that whole the world should learn their beautiful and elegant language... :)
I like most the Americans - they are easy-going, open and - just like me - happy to meet and talk with other interesting people - !
Our ship a has a skating arena. The passengers can use it from time to time. But the main reason is to perform the show on ice. International team of 10 skaters is giving very impressive spectacle. With lights, music and costumes. I had really great time! One of the skaters is from Poland!
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Nov 14, 2011 07:00 PM Full sun in the middle of Atlantic Ocean
The guys who mantain our ship have a lot of those sophiticated toys, but sometimes they do not know how to operate them properly: On the internal TV they have a program showing some details of our position, ship's time etc... When I switched on TV around 6 am they were announcing that the sunrise at the the position was already at 3 am!
When I went out to the deck from my inside cabin it was still dark! Go back to the school dear crew members!
It is getting warmer. We are sailing on the course of 258 deg - south-west-west. so every day we are closer to the equator. Today was first day with the fully clear sky. Seems that all
passengers went to the open decks. Me too! For swimming in the pools and sunbathing. They offer unlimited icecream, but if you want softdrinks you have to pay extra.
I prefere cold milk - it is healthy and included! :)
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