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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Apr 27, 2006 02:00 PM First time in North Korea...
(posted from Beijing)
Our train arrived to the Chineese border station Dangdong at 8.30 am. Immigration control was very simple, no customs at all... Then we crossed the river: two carriages from Beijing and two from Moscow. Almost empty - few tourists only. North Korea... Different landscape... Different people... We spent more then two hours at the border station. All our baggage were searched, cameras and money registered in the customs declarations... Metal detectors used... What are they looking for? Then rice fields... Poor villages... Train goes slowly... A lot of soldiers on the station platforms... Every station witha picture of the Great Leader. It took us more then 5 hours to reach Phongyang. Huge station building. Guides waiting for every arriving foreigner. They will take care of us day and night. Passports collected on arrival - you will see them on departure... Why? Transfer to the luxury hotel on the river island - well separated from the rest of the capital... Welcome to North Korea!
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Apr 26, 2006 02:00 PM Gateway to the North Korea
Beijing seems to the main gateway for this desperate people who want to visit North Korea...
Today I got the North Korean visa (thank you Jorge for your advice!) and I got my travel documents for this country.
At 5.30 pm I am departing by train from Beijing to Phongyang. It will be 24-h journey. I am afraid about the border control - I do not know how they will react for the view of my cameras... We will see... I want to bring the pictures and video recordings ... May Day in The capital of N Korea will be the special ocassion! But I am not sure if they will agree to take them ... Good luck, Wojtek!
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Apr 25, 2006 02:00 PM Spring in Beijing - PEKIN
I landed in the morning in Beijing airport. Still weak, but happy that the adventure begun. There are shuttle busses just in front of the arrival hall to the center. Change your money (they pay 7,93 youan for USD, no commission) and buy 16-yuan ticket at the desk outside. Bus no.3 will take you to the main train station. Just opposite to the station I found the youth hostel - huge place where they charge 120 y per huge double room -
it is very convenient location. It is spring already in Beijing...
In the afternoon I went once again (after 19 years to see Tiananmen square) - still well guarded by army. Then Forbidden City still huge and immpressive - entry fee is 60 y already but be prepared: many monuments are covered for restauration before Olympics - also the Temple of Heaven!
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Apr 24, 2006 02:00 PM from Moscow with love...
After two strong doses of antybiotics the temperature felt down and I departed to Warsaw. The flight from Warsaw to Moscow was delayed due to the technical problems more then an hour. Fortunately I had enough of extra time in Moscow to catch my onward flight but there were people booked to Shanghai who missed their connection. Allow enough time for the possible delays in your itineraries, if possible!... In Moscow Sheremetyevo airport we passed again throgh security control. You do not need a visa for transit - no passport control in this case. But after security there is no toilet, just keep in mind to use it before. Boarded for Russian 767 I have been invited by friendly flight attendent to use 2 or 3 seats... Nice people! But if you want to drink the beer you must pay now 90 roubles a can - even on intercontinental flights! Movies are poor but we slept until breakfast - so I do not complain...
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Apr 23, 2006 02:00 PM 38.9 to Bejing...
Since months or even years you collect information. You prepare detailed itinerary. Then you negociate the prices, you make reservations, you organize the visas, you buy your cheap, non-refundable tickets. You pack your backpack - it is easy, you did it so many times... And... the evening before departure you have 38.9 deg of temperature. You are not sneezing or caughing, your doctor say: in must be something internal. But you have no time for detailed examination - you planed to depart tomorrow. I feel so weak, why this backpack is so heavy!? I want to depart anyway!. Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Apr 06, 2006 02:00 PM End of Atlantic Odyssey...
Home, sweet home... I am back in cold Gdansk... I was flying back via Lisbon and Prague... Still sleepy but happy... The Atlantic Odyssey - long and adventurous voyage from Anctarctic waters to the equator is over... Thank you my fellows from the ship - I spent with you wonderful days! I hope you will also keep those moments among your best memories...
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Apr 02, 2006 02:00 PM Sal Island - Cabo Verde
I have been before to Cabo Verde (See my report on GS and extra pictures on my website: http://www.kontynenty.tpi.pl/Cabo1.htm ) so I am visiting this insular country for the second time.
In the morning we landed by zodiacs in micro port - Palmeira on the Sal Island. Minibus took us to the main attraction of the island - old salt production plant located in the volcanic caldera. Some of took a bath in the shallow salt basins. Then we went to the beautiful beach of Santa Maria - at the southern end of the island. This is the main tourist resort of Cape Verde. The beach is really fantastic - with white sand, turquoise water and strong sun - I was swimming about half an hour before return to the ship...
It was last day of 38 days spent on the ship - in the late afternoon wind and swell were strong... It was time to say thank you and good bye to the friendly Russians from the crew. They put my backpack to the zodiac, I also jumped in... It was bumpy and wet sail to the coast - the ocean showed once again its power...
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Apr 01, 2006 02:00 PM Sao Tiago - Cape Verde
Sunday. Streets in the capital of Cabo Verde are almost empty. Market is closed, so the shops. Do not to expect to buy anything or to change your money. Euro is the best currency to change here. They pay 110 local escudos for 1 euro.
The city of Praia lies on the Sao Tiago or Santiago island. We drove by minibus to the north of the island crossing the dry mountains up to 1400 m high. There were a lot of nice views on the route. At the lunchtime we reached coastal town of Tarrafal located on the northwestern coast. There is the beast beach of Sao Tiago towered by huge mountain. There are even palm trees - so rare on Cape Verde. The beach was crowded on Sunday... The return route via the northern coast villages and bays was also very picturesque... We returned to the ship after 9 hours - it was very busy day!
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Mar 31, 2006 02:00 PM The first of April
Good morning dear passengers!
It is 1st of April, sunny morning with the temperature of 24 degrees and we still have a distance of 210 miles to sail to Cape Verde archipelago. But I am sorry to inform you that there is revolution in this little insular state. So due to the safety reasons we will skip Cape Verde on our route and we will sail directly to Canary Islands! - this was the voice from the loudspeakers on the ship...
I visited almost all African countries, the revolutions are common on the Black Continent and we were just awaked listening to this message... Believe or not... Fortunately it was only a joke...
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Mar 29, 2006 02:00 PM 965 nautical miles to Cape Verde
The God of the Seas appeared yesterday on the front deck and after some funny exercises applied to the each newbie allowed us to cross the equator. It happened in the late evening - we had BBQ on the deck, glass of champagne and a lot of fun singing and dancing until the late night.
Today the sky is grey, no sun. We were extremely lucky to have clear sky yesterday during solar eclipse... It is 965 nautical miles from the equator to our next port on Cape Verde. It will take us 3 days at sea to get there...
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