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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 08, 2011 07:00 PM Escaping with a crowd...
I was in Uganda 6 years ago. It changed. The ride on boda-boda (motorcycle taxi considered to be unsafe) cost already 2000 UGX. (For 1 USD they pay here 2370 UGX). My prioryty was to put my application in the South Sudan "embassy". Done!
Then I went to the Kampala Backpackers at Rubaga with a hope that I will find a group for the National Parks excursion. Sorry... I found just few travelers there and they are not interested. On the Rubaga Hill I saw nice Catholic Cathedral...
Matatu (public microbus took me back to the city. The are where the public transport have a hub (taxi and bus park) is still overcrowded and very polluted. I saw there police cars and a shouting crowd. You know about unrest in Libya. But who knows about unrest in Uganda after the last elections. Soon I the only mzungu=white man found myself in the running crowd - the police cars were just after... I survived. But that's how it looks like here... But it is still exciting to me to be here.
Anyway - tomorrow I plan to take the intercity bus to the east - to the Mt Elgon area - the paradise for nature lovers...
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Mar 07, 2011 07:00 PM Flying to Uganda...
Best wishes to all ladies on the International Women's Day!
It was sunrise time in Warsaw when I took a flight to Brussels and onward to Entebbe in Uganda. The big Airbus 330 of Brussels Airlines had only limited number of passengers (like 25% of the capacity) so I trave in the comfort. Except poor meals and "Children size" beer can served during the flight. Iafter some 10 hours in the sky it was already dark when I landed in Entebbe airport. Welcome to the Black Africa! Warm air, smells, voices, music... Different world!
The "visa on arrival formalities took me just 3 minutes: you have to present arrival card, 50 USD and they will give you the stamp for 60 days!
At night it is safer to take a taxi to the distant (40 kms) Kampala. Ask people at the plane about sharing the car - it cost 25 USD - not a bad deal. Almost at midnight I landed in the "Tourist Hotel" - not a cheapest one but budget and conveniently located in the center of the capital of Uganda...
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Mar 06, 2011 07:00 PM Seven hours on the rails
Due to the works on the main Gdansk - Warsaw railway track I was forced to go to Warsaw around - Via Torun. I took me almost 7 hours.
Sunny but frosty day...
It is good to have friends - they were waiting for me on the Warsaw Central station. I spent a night in their hospitable house... Thanks Asia and Jurek!
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Mar 05, 2011 07:00 PM Back to Africa!
Thirty five thousands miles from frequent flyer program (plus taxes) cost me a return ticket from Warsaw to Entebbe. And I fly! It was interesting to follow South Sudan' fighting for the independence and their referendum. I think that it is now the good moment to check how the nature looks like and how are the people in this inaccessible for the long time corner of the Black Africa. By the way I would like to see those interesting places in Uganda, like Sipi Falls which I did not see during my first visit in this country. I believe I will manage to do that before the rainy season will come in April.
Please keep your fingers crossed, my friends!
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Mar 01, 2011 07:00 PM Lisbon after years...
Lisbon welcomed me with a lovely sun and the unpleasant driver of the 44 bus who refused to take me with my backpack from the airport to the city. I took the next bus (no 745) and here it was OK. I stay in the well-organized Lisbon YH at Corvo street - just 100 m from the airport bus stop.
I was in Lisbon with my son Chris years ago. Now it is even nicer with its wide avenues, squares, monuments.
I took a long walk to Belem Tower enjoying the views of the river and the high bridge... Sorry to be here only one day. But it is time to fly to the snow...
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Feb 28, 2011 07:00 PM Bye, bye Azores!
The airport in Ponta Delgada - the capital of Azores was named after the Polish pope - John Paul II - that is very nice to me.
It is time to say bye to the cloudy Sao Miguel...
During my stay I visited five of the nine islands. I believe - the five most interesting. I planed to visit six but due to the cancelled flights and bad weather my Pico Island visit was cancelled.
This trip was not so expensive - mostly because the off-season prices of the accommodation. If you plan to come here is the season book the 3 available youth hostels well ahead (Sao Miguel, Terceira and Pico) - their prices are low and the same all over the year.
Today I fly back to the continent: the weather in Lisbon is nicer then here: sunny and 15 deg Celsius. I hope to have lovely break there!
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Feb 27, 2011 07:00 PM By car around the island... A trick..
Sometimes, if your time is limited, local transport rare and many places to see it is worth to rent a car. Here, on the Sao Miguel Island I rented little fiat panda just for 30 euro per day plus insurance if you wish... I was surprised when I got a car: fuel status: empty. They say it is normal - you have to return also empty. But it is the trick. If you wan't left them the excess of the fuel you have to calculate precisely how many kms you will drive and what is the fuel consumption of the car. I did and those tricky guys at the return had even less fuel than at the beginning. :)
Sao Miguel is not large: 300 kms is enough to see most places.
I have been to the viewpoints in the mountains, the hot springs and waterfalls. The Nordeste - easterm part of the island is very picturesque with high cliffs like on Flores...
I was driving whole day, landing at dusk in the youth hostel, mantained by the very hospitable young people. Recommended!
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Feb 26, 2011 07:00 PM Angra do Heroismo - from UNESCO list
I think it is the nicest city of the Azores. It was vich in the past, with many monuments, churches and nice atmosphere... You can walk now the steep streets enjoying the beauty of the old architecture. No tourists at all! The best view of the city is from the terrace of Memoria monument - masonic-like structure up on the slope...
Back in the city you can have a rest in the one of many bars and cafes... Nice gargen in front of the former San Francisco convent is also worth a visit - I enjoyed there many exotic flowers... Once they have nine convents in this small town!
In the afternoon I took the public bus to Praia and onward to the airport on the northern coast of the island. I hope the flight will be on time so I will land in the late afternoon on my last island - Sao Miguel...
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Feb 25, 2011 07:00 PM Hard-core trail on Azores
I think that the highlights of Terceira Island are two nice caves (thanks Jurek for your recommendation) but I recognized that they are open only in the season. It starts on March 26th. Bad luck! If you want them to open off the season just for you it will cost you 50 euro on weekdays and 80 on weekend. I expected that they have other tourists or groups but is seems that I am the only tourist on Terceira! :) It was raining in Angra in the morning but in the afternoon I had some sunshine - I decided to walk along the trail recommended by the people from vulcanology museum on the waterfront of Angra (free and worth to see - they mantain the caves). Unfortunately public bus does not cross the interior of the island - they operate only along the coast, so I was hitchhiking again to get to the Gruta Natales - where the trailhead is located. Hitchhiking is easy!
They call this trail Misterios Negros since the main attraction are the black, dome hills made of volcanic lava and slag.
I did it with some effort... The trail is now very muddy and wet. It is also overgrown by bush, so in many places tall people like me have the problem to pass through. In the central part you feel like a Rambo in the dense jungle. There are some nice views of course. But in the winter it is really hard-core path...
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Feb 24, 2011 07:00 PM Terceira on the horizon!
In the afternoon my turbo-prop of SATA airlines landed on Terceira Island. The city Angra do Heroismo is the main attraction of the island - It is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The problem is hov to reach Angra from the airport on a cheap... It is on the other side of the island...
I found the way: they have public buses here. Just in front of the airport there is a unsigned bus stop for Praia Vittoria. You will pay only 83 cents per ride. Then on the hour there are buses from Praia to Angra - this takes almost an hour and you will pay 2,65 eu.
Old Angra is really nice place - cobbled narrow streets, churches, bells calling every hour. It is in mine opinion the nicest city of the Azores. It was worth to carry my heavy backpack uphill to the little, cosy pension "Casa Sao Jose" - rua de Cima de Santa Luzia 15 ph: 96 51 41 309. I got there cosy room with bath and continental breakfast just for 20 euro - but this is off season price :)
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