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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Dec 26, 2006 07:00 PM Sailing to Cook Island...
Do you know that there is another Christmas Island on the Indian Ocean?
I have been there before - see my private web page for the pictures...
The Christmas Island on the Pacific where I am at the moment was discovered and named by famous cpt James Cook in the Christmas Eve of 1777... He landed on the little islet at the entrance to the lagoon. Now there is the reserve of the sea birds... If you want to go there pay first 10 AUD (this is the currency of Kiribati) at the wildlife office in London. Then rent a motorboat (70 AUD after bargaining) and sail to the Cook Island where cpt Cook landed.
It is worth! There are terns and frigate birds - thousands of them! They are so courious by your presence that they are coming almost to your hands...
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Dec 25, 2006 07:00 PM Dancing in the heat...
36 deg. Celsius -Second day of my Christmas on Christmas Island...
Dancing competition in the maneapa - the orgy of the colors, rythms, dynamic singing. Not for the tourists - I am the only tourist or the traveller -if you wish - in the maneapa... Last time I saw such event in Papua New Guinea - but it was not such spontaneous and full of natural joy like here. It took here 4.5 hours non-stop. London in the white and red colors won the competition. Bravo!
For lunch - boiled breadfruit with seme beef from the can... I always prefere the fish but it seems that they do not fish during the Christmas celebrations. Another great day under the palm trees!
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Dec 24, 2006 07:00 PM Choirs of the South Pacific...
This was the day of the singing competition between four settlements located on the Christmas Island: London, Tabakea, Banana and Poland...
Yes, there is settlement named Poland on the far end of the atoll. It was probably named by the chief engineer from the copra boat visiting Christmas Island at the beninning of XX century... I visited Poland before Chrismas - the people there know almost nothing about Poland in Europe...
But at the competition they were singing very nice... During Christmas meeting every village wear different colors: Poland wear withie and blue, Banana white and green, London: white and red - the colors of the Polish flag - I found this very, very nice...
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Dec 23, 2006 07:00 PM Christmas Eve on Christmas Island
It was wonderful evening! Very, very hot!
Everybody in Tabakea was waiting for the mignight mass.
It took place in the huge, traditional maneapa - meeting place
without the walls.
There were a lot of folklore during the celebration - the bible, bread and the wine were coming in the procession of the locals in traditional costumes made of flowers and palm leaves. What a choir singing! And when at midnight I heared magnificent "Gloria" performed by this modest, barefoot people on the remote Pacific island I said to myself: I'll never forget this Chrismas Day on the Christmas Island...
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Dec 21, 2006 07:00 PM Merry Christmas from Christmas Island!
It will be my first Chistmas Day away from home...
But what a place, and what a lovely people around!
They are preparing for Christmas special song and dances, there will be competition between the four settlements
located on the atoll. I expect to have wonderful time.
Sorry - no christmas tree... It is very hot and humid here - not like in Europe...
Anyway - Merry and Joyful Christmas to all my Friends from Christmas Island on the Pacific!
Wojtek
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Dec 20, 2006 07:00 PM Poland in the middle of the Pacific!
Believe or not - one of the four settlements on the Christmas Island is named: POLAND. So this was my priority to see the place and to meet the people living there. The problem is that Poland lies far away from London, where I stay...
-It is on the other side of the lagoon - more then then 2,5 hours driving from London to Poland.
Yes, my friendly host - the priest took me there. I saw the tiny houses under the palms, the school and the St Stanislaus church, the copra sheed. I meet friendly people from Poland in the Pacific - the live from the copra. There is a lot of coconut palms around...
I took a lot of pictures - the people are not shy, but it is not easy to comunicate with them - only few people speak English.
I will see them again at Christmas Day...
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Dec 19, 2006 07:00 PM My dream came true
There are no lights on the runway of Christmas Island airport - daylight landings only! It was 6 am whem I saw for the first time this inusual place - remote island of Kiritimati - how the local call Chistmas Island. Palms, palms and the ocean around... One plane per week only...
We landed soon. There were only 8 passengers leaving 737, including locals.
On the tiny barrack of the terminal I saw "Welcome to Christmas Is" - yes, my dream come true! Here I am!
Formalities took me 4 minutes. Officers are smiling...
If front of the "terminal" just few barefoot people. -Mauri!
Do you have reservation? No I do not want to pay for the
room in the only expensive hotel "Capitan Cook".
One of the friendly guys took me by his junk car 17 km - to the main settlement of London - I found there inexpensive room without a/c or fan at the catholic parish. But it is airy and what a view of the lagoon!
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Dec 18, 2006 07:00 PM Hurrah!! I have my visa!
I was tired after all-night flight when we landed on Fiji. But I had very important task to solve: to get visa to the insular country of Kiribati. I tried to contact them since 3 months with bad luck. Now it is the important day. On 7.30 am I departed by bus from Nadi to the capital city - Suva. It took 5 hours to get there. I found Kiribati High Commission - 36 Mc Gregor Road. They apologized that they did not responsed my faxes and e-mails... I got my important visa in 40 minutes!!! I have my visa to the Chistmas Island!
Then I took again 5-hours bus ride to Nadi.
Before midnight deadly tired I boarded once-a-week flight to Christmas Island. Yes, my dream is coming true!
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Dec 17, 2006 07:00 PM How to loose one full day...
I lost this day - during the nigth we crossed international date line. When we landed on Fiji in was 6 am - but already on Tuesday, 19th December.
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Dec 16, 2006 07:00 PM Around Oahu Island...
Welcome back to Honolulu! It was 9.30 am when I was walking with my backpack on my back from the ship ashore. My onward flight was at midnight...
I have been to Honolulu already 3 times so I decided to go around the island of Oahu. There are Dole pineapple plantations to see on the way to the North Shore. The Horth Shore of Oahu is rarely visited, so you feel like in countryside. There are famous surf beaches with waves 3-4 m high - great views to see and to photograph...
Before midnight I boarded Air Pacific flight to Nadi - Fiji. Nice service and I got long-leg seat at emergency exit. I recommend Fiji Gold beer - served free. Long life Air Pacific! Seven hours flight ahead!
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