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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Apr 08, 2004 02:00 PM Good Friday on Wallis Island
Yes, on Wednesday our 16-seater arrived to Futuna and I am happy to be closer to the world - on Wallis Island which is much more westernizet then Futuna. Wallis is almost flat and it is like a garden - lush, full of tropical flowers and smiling Polynesians. It has beautiful, turquoise lagoon with many small motus. I will attend Good Friday celebrations here.
Tommorrow - on Saturday I will fly accross the dateline to Samoa via Nadi to spend there the Easter. And then will come the time to try my luck: there is supply boat departing one a month to Tokelau - this is the only way to reach this remote destination hidden on the South Pacific...
I want to try...
Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Apr 05, 2004 02:00 PM No flight today!!! Tomorrow - maybe....
Wonderful Futuna Island has only one airstrip. The only connection to the world (means: to Wallis) is operated by 16-seat twinotter plain - the only one in the Air Calin fleet...
We had heavy rain all night and morning and the airstrip looks now like a pond. No flight today (Yes, I was booked for today!)
So far I do not complain - I got an extra day to visit beautiful churches spread out along the coast and to enjoy taro + fresh fish for lunch and dinner again. Yesterday I visited uninhabited Alofi island - just 2 km away - real South Seas paradise...
The only bank is still closed and I remain without local currency. Maybe tomorrow...
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Apr 03, 2004 02:00 PM The island of two kingdoms - Futuna...
The Pacific! Can you imagine 15-km long tropical island inhabited by friendly Polynesians who are always ready to invite you to visit their fale - traditional oval house with thatched roof and mats on the floor? They all are strong catholics. They smile to everybody... The island is divided into two kingdoms: Alo and Sigave. This is fascinating, montanous Futuna - the part of French Overseas Teritories.... Forget your english!
Bon jour!... Tourism does not exist here. There are two small hotels occupied by French Gvt workers - be prepared to pay at least 85 USD per room. I survived staying c/o Catholics Parish. It gave me opportunity to join colorful celebration of Palm Sunday - under palm trees -The king was also there -wonderful event!
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Mar 28, 2004 02:00 PM On the Norfolk Island - The Pacific
I said good-bye to the wide and huge Australia and landed on the tiny and green Norfolk Island...
Only 1600 people live here... The island is famous of the Norfolk Pines - tall and pistureque trees - now you can find them in many places around the world but here is their origin. Norfolk is a former British prison island - you can find here monuments from this period. But the highlight of the Norfolk is the landscape - rolling hills, colour cliffs, yellow beaches and... serenity.
I have real rest here after busy Australian days.
It is only 24 degrees and windy so they cannot disload the supply ship waiting in the ocean - they have no port so the small boats are sailing to the ship to get the supply. But so far stores are full - so I'll survive...
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Mar 26, 2004 07:00 PM This great Great Ocean Road!
After low cost night flight Perth to Melbourne I rented a car and drove the Great Ocean Road - one of the most picturesque roads in our world.
It took me full day to pass through all these coastal viewpoints, old lighthouses, waterfalls and lush forests. Most of the route goes along the picturesque, high coast and the highlight is the group of the rocks called Twelve Apostols - I reached them just before the sunset. It is very tourist place - one of the symbols of Australia. It is worth to be... It is national park area but they do not charge any entry fee there...
I did almost 500 km up and down on this day on difficult roads. I returned in the dark at 8 pm
- but it was worth the effort!
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Mar 24, 2004 07:00 PM Australian Goldfields...
I visited new and old gold mines in Kalgoorlie - fancy town full of old, ornate buildings from the time of the Gold rush. 8 percent of the world's production of gold still comes from Western Australia. I had a chance to see second open mine in the world - can you imagine the big hole in the ground (3 km by 1,5 and more then 300 m deep? They call it superpit... There is also a kind of live museum where you can pan for gold and go down for the 40-minnutes tour to the old underground mine - well worth 20 AUD charged for the entrance...
There is also another show - the gold pour every day at 11 am - you will have a chance to take a picture with a solid bar of real gold produced on your eyes! What a feeling!
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Mar 22, 2004 07:00 PM Beautiful beaches of Esperance
The plane arrived to Christmas Island but due to the cyclone we landed in Perth with 3-hours delay. I rented a car and drove the night. Fortunatelly there were only 3 kangaroos on my road and they escaped from the road before colision.
Then - already in the daylight I saw the Wave Rock - unusual rock formation located close to Hyden - I did not see antyhing similar in the whole world. At the end of the day I reach Esperance - cosy resort on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Bay of Esperance is full of picturesque rocky islands and has wolderful beaches with powder-like white sand. I was swiming at the sunset in Twighlight Beach - unforgettable experience after 36 degrees of the heat during the day!
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Mar 20, 2004 07:00 PM Yes, they smile to the stranger!
I was driving yesterday 9 hours 4WD car to reach hard-to-get beaches and viewpoints on the Christmas Island. Toyota RAV cost me 65 AUD per 24 hours plus fuel - not bad... Tracks pass through the lush jungle full of mosquitos and... crabs. Landscape is beautiful and the island is not as destroyed by exploitation of phosphates as Nauru...
Today I attended here the service in the catholic church - can you imagine - on the Christmas island they have not a single priest! There were like 25 persons including me...
People on the streets of the only settlement on the island smile to the stranger! Why don't we in our Europe?
It is stormy and rainy today - I hope that the plain tomorrow will arrive anyway and will take me back to Australia...
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Mar 18, 2004 07:00 PM On the Christmas Island...
There are two Christmas Islands on the globe - one on the Pacific, second on the Indian Ocean.
I just landed on the second one. I am very surprised because it has high, rocky cliffs, very few hard to reach beaches and... 60 percent of Chineese in the population... It is not like tropical paradise from our dreams... But still famous for excellent snorkeling and diving, rare birds and jungle landscapes... So far the sea is rough and another tropical cyclene is close to us... Very few tourists... Well - on Sunday I am going to the local church it see if there are any remains of Christmas tradition...
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Mar 14, 2004 07:00 PM Cocos Islands - where are they?
They are on the Indian Ocean... Only twice a week a little 54-seater plane flies from Perth to this little paradise. Yes, I got a seat... Two picturesque atolls - more then 20 islands with coconut palm trees, but only two of them are inhabited... People are smiling. I stay in a Beach Motel - under frangipani tree in blossom but without air conditioning. It is hot and humid but as the reward I have thousands of coconut palms, emerald lagoon, unspoiled nature, beautiful colors of the sea, coral reefs - all of this is waiting for me to explore... All is like a dream, let's dream!...
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