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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 04, 2009 07:00 PM Through the rough sea to Arno Atoll
If you want to see the real life of the Marshalleese you must go to the one of outer atolls... I want to...
They say there are two public boats. One of them should sail on Mon, Wed and Fri to the nearest Arno Atoll. Departure 10 am Pacific Time (it means: at 10, at 11, at 2 pm or not at all...). Cost: 12 USD per person each way.
They say the big public boat is broken, and the small one - XXXX (the name of Australian beer) is chartered by US Navy. So there is no public boat! They find that there is another private boat "Budweiser" (another beer trade mark) ready to go - for 25 USD. No other choice!
It was nice as long as we sailed in the lagoon. Once out - the open Pacific showed his power - our little speedboat was sailing against the wind and the waves. I know higher waves from Antarctica, but this boat was really small and it has no winshield!. We were jumping the waves like a toy. After 10 minutes I was completle wet - sprayed many times by salt water (wear your bathing suit!).
After 5 quarters I landed on a little jetty on Arno... Wet but happy - even from the jetty Arno with palms, white sands and turquoise water looks like a paradise.
I was booked for the only tourist accommodation: RRE bed and breakfast. -They will wait for you! Nobody was waiting... I took a long, 25-min walk to the settlement all wet, carrying my backpack, food etc...
Welcome to the paradise! They charge for this B&B only 25 USD pp. No towels, no soap, but huge, breezy werandah and great view of the lagoon!
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Mar 03, 2009 07:00 PM Lovely tropical beach - just for you!
Last expensivie backpackers accommodation here is "Flame Tree GH". They charge 20 USD per dorm bed and 30 USD per room with a fan.
23000 people lives on tiny Majuro Atoll. The "capital" area of connected by bridges 3 islands Rita-Uliga and Delap is very crowded. What you have to do is to take a public minibus (2 USD) to the end of the Long Island - it is really long - like 55 km - and narrow. At the end of the island - in Laura.
There is pristine, sandy beach fringed by palms. I did not see there any other tourist - you have this beach just for you... Oops! The local family who takes care about the places collect 1 USD fee... They keep the place clean - it is worth to pay!
Back in Majuro. I am still looking for the opportunity to go to the outer atoll - out from the capital. The closest one is Arno Atoll and they say this is the only one with the regular boat connection from Majuro - I'll try!
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Mar 02, 2009 07:00 PM Majuro after years...
The flight from Honolulu to Majuro took me 5 hours... It was tropical rain when we landed on Majuro Atoll where the tiny capital city of the insular Republic of Marshall Islands is located. Friendly islanders were waiting for us with umbrellas in the remote airport. Strong sun appeared 20 minutes later.
I have been here 2 days in the 90-ties. No much changes...
Visa is not required... Hot, humid air. Nice, smiling people - what a change after money-oriented Honolulu!
Just gold worth info on the begining: Air Marshalls flies every 14 days from Majuro to Tarawa - Kiribati - this is probably the only route from Micronesia to Polynesia (you can easy continue from Tarawa to Nadi - Fiji). But oneway ticket is expensive: 331 USD.
I plan to go to the little, remote atolls for a few days...
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Mar 01, 2009 07:00 PM I lost the day!
Monday. We started from Honolulu at 7 am. Then they served a weak breakfast. And then it was already Tuesday! - I crossed dateline on my way from Honolulu to the Marshall Islands. Today is aready tomorrow!
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Feb 28, 2009 07:00 PM Escaping to Honolulu...
Sorry, no northeren lights, also today... But I was awarded by the excellent view of Mt MacKinley - the highest mountain of N. America flying from Fairbanks to Anchorage. No clouds at all!
It is worth to know airline routes around the world. Two years ago I regognized that Air Alaska opened direct route from Anchorage to Honolulu. Today I took it. It was the first time in my life tat I arrived to the destination 1 hour ahead of the schedule. The flight took 5 hours instead of 6.
Snaow and frost in the morning - warm breeze and palm trees in the evening... I kon Honolulu from my previous jouneys - it became very tourist, very expensive and modern. So this will be only stopover on my way to the South Pacific...
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Feb 27, 2009 07:00 PM Icy Alaska...
Billie's Hostel is the only backpacker's accommodation in Fairbanks staying open in the winter. I must say that it has unique atmosphere. It is family place with bunk beds, long table in the common room, country music... It is only 6 of us - winter visitors enjoying heavy snow and spruce trees around. Billie offers free internet, tea and coffee and charges 35 USD per night - it is reasonable price in expensive Alaska.
Fairbanks is a little place but very spread out - distances are large and it is difficult to walk around. There is public bus, but it goes only 10 times per day. Day bus-pass costs 3 USD, but it is hard to use if you want to visit many places. My friend Bill took me by his car to the "downtown" where you will see few public buildings and Immaculate Concepcion church - probably the only old monument.
Then we spent few hours wandering on World Ice Art Championship. On the open air, in the park I saw more then 50 sculptures in ice, some of them 5-6 m high. Snow was falling and it was so frosty that after an hour we escaped to the local cafe for half an hour - to warm up and then to continue walk around exhibition. There are only few places in the world you can see such an art...
It was a great day - thanks a lot, Bill!
It is evening now and so far aurora borealis did not appear. And nobody can guarantee that it will appear tomorrow or the next night - the weather is very changeable here.
Just a bad luck... Maybe next time...
Tomorrow I want to fly south - to the warmer region of the world.
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Feb 26, 2009 07:00 PM 14 hours in the air...
Arequipa to Lima flight was on time... Then I was waiting for the connection to Houston, Texas. It was much cooler there... Then another flight to Seattle, Washington with a great views of snowy mountains.
In Seattle I had to wait few hours in the airport. Well ahead I send a message to the most-active Seattle member of Globosapiens, asking if he want to meet me there - he even did not responsed (it is well-known problem of "dead souls" in GS).
It was sunset when we started from Seattle to Fairbanks, Alaska. On Alaska Airlines they serve for free only soft-drinks and little pack of chips... They do not have for free even a music program on board...
It was 9 pm when, after 14 hours in the air and few less in the airports I landed on Alaska...
Brrrr... Dark, snow around, minus 20 deg Celsius... I put on me all my warm clothes one by one. From the first moment I was watching the sky, looking for Northern Lights. Sorry, nothing like this, it is cloudy... Maybe tomorrow...
I was really happy to see in the arrival hall my GS friend. Thank you Bill! - there are still people you can really rely on! Bill took me in his car to the town - we found in the darkness the only Fairbank's hostel. It is time to rest...
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Feb 25, 2009 07:00 PM What will happen if....
Arequipa - second city in Peru has a lot of colonial monuments - there are ornate churches and Plaza de Armas - in my opinion one of the most beautiful city markets in the world. No wonder that UNESCO put old city of Arequipa om the list of World Heritage. Now the city is even nicer then 25 years ago, when I was here for the first time, but it lost some of folklore - it is hard to see donkeys in the streets. Instead here are hordes of yellow taxis.
I spend the morning walking around the old town, taking pictures and enjoying colonial atmosphere...
Do you remember that my flight from Lima was delayed 3 hours due to the bad weather - it was flight 109. In the evening I have a flight back to Lima and onward - with two other connections to the distant Fairbanks on frozen Alaska.
By excident I fly to Lima on the same plane - it will be flight 108. I wonder what will happen if this flight will have again big delay or will be cancelled due to the changeable weather!!
I will miss all my hardly invented connections! To get to LIma by bus you need 14 hours!
But I am optimistic. On LAN flights they serve free beer so I will have one for sure. Tomorrow I will see what serve for free US airlines on domestic flights :)) Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Feb 24, 2009 07:00 PM Colca - world´s deepest canyon?
Why I am here, suffering from soroche? I want to see one of the world´s deepest canyons! It is almost 3200 m deep - can you imagine?
I was so proud to find on the Plaza in Chivay the plaque announcing that it was Polish Expedition, who passed the canyon for the first time in the history - in 1981... I know personally few members of this team...
We were lucky: when we started from Chivay at 6.30 am sun appeared over the snowy mountains! We paid 35 soles entry fee and took a road heading to the rim of the canyon. I did not see any local transport on this road so the decisssion "join the tour" was right. On the way to the famous viewpoint "Cruz del Condor" there are 4 little pueblos with nice colonial churches to see. Local ladies in the traditional embroided clothing and hats sells ponchos, woolen hats and other local products. But they are not as nasty as some women in Africa.
Cruz del Condor is a great place: 1200 m above the river gives exciting panorama of the canyon and the mountains. Sorry - no flying condors today - but I was still happy: this is unusual place. Great day, but it was raining again on the return way to Arequipa. It is rainy season now - some backpackers from the hostel decided to take a trek down to the canyon (7 hours first day, 4 hours second day) - I do not envy them - the walk in the rain does not make me happy...
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Feb 23, 2009 07:00 PM To the Peruvian Andes
Hospedaje Home Sweet Home, where I spent last night has great backpackers atmosphere but was noisy last night - I did not sleep well. Arequipa is very tourist place. You will find here many hostels and every hostel offers inexpensive tours... I decided to take such a tour to the Colca Canyon - it will save me a lot of time and also - some money.
Two day tour with one overnight and breakfast included costs only 25 USD. They took me in the morning from the hostel. Our minibus went out of the town and started to climb mountain road to Puno. Arequipa lies on the level 2200 m above the sea, but we were still climbing up. Great views on the way. Desert at the beginning, then, further up green pastures with lamas and alpacas. I saw also vicunias.
After 2 hours drive paved road ends and we continue on hole-by-hole gravel road. Rain comes, then snow! After another 1.5 hour on this bumpy trail asphalt appeared again and we reached in the snow the highest point of the road - 4800 m above sea. Nobody went out of the bus. Do you know what is soroche? - that's how they call here altitude sickness. We got it too. Our guide distributed coca leaves to chew them - it helps! It was still raining when we went down to the village of Chiway. Here we will spend the night before going to the canyon.
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