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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Oct 06, 2021 08:00 PM Little, relaxing journey starts tomorrow!
After the hardships and stresses of traveling through the hot Kurdistan (see below), I deserve some relaxation. I found a cheap and interesting cruise on board a large, white ship. I am leaving tomorrow: by plane via Warsaw to Ljubljana, from there by Flix bus to the Italian port of Trieste, where the cruise will begin. Due to the pandemic, I have not been sailing the seas for almost two years, so I am really looking forward to new seascapes and meeting interesting people. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, please! Daily "hot" reports written in English about where I am and what happened, as always, can be found in my travel log.
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Oct 03, 2021 08:00 PM I got the travel award!!
Yesterday I was in Gdynia enjoying the last day of the National Travel Festival "Kolosy". At the festival, I presented a report from the Kingdom of Tonga in the Pacific.
I was also awarded: for many years of popularizing budget traveling around the world, the jury awarded me with the "Eternally Young" award for the senior travellers.
It will be used for my next year's expedition to Antarctica, during which I hope to see the imperial penguins.
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Sep 26, 2021 08:00 PM Flying home...
It was early morning when I said goodbye to my cozy "Turunc" hotel in Antalya. It is nice and inexpensive place to stay, but they do not have the lift. Inexpensive rooms are on the 5th floor so I had an good excercise to climb up. :)
Tramway took me to terminal 1 of Antalya airport. Be prepared fo two security controls! Then in the departure hall the pianist was playing some of my favourite melodies. The 1l bottle of rum in the duty free shops cost 14 euro. We boarded new 737 of LOT airlines on time. There were nice views of the Mediterranean coast after take-off. (see picture). Wow! LOT is serving free water and some snacks even on the charter flights! After 3 hours I landed is the sunny (but much cooler) Gdansk. Home, sweet home! This was another fantastic voyage, offering great landscapes and meetings with a nice people. I already think about next departure... :)
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Sep 24, 2021 08:00 PM Ancient Perge
Tourists from the beach hotels in Antalya usually do not know that just 18 kms from the city they can find the ruins of the Roman city. To get there jump on the "tramway" heading to EXPO and get of on Aksu station. You have to have at least 4,10 lira on your Antalya Card for single ride. Once in Aksu you have to walk uphill around 2 kms to get to the Perge entrance. The ticket costs 60 lira in cash, no discounts. There is huge amphitheatre on one side of the road and stadium, agora and other ruins on the other side.
I spent there more than two hours. An interesting half-day tour for less than 10 dollars!
The sky is blue in Antallya and lovely, strong sun shines every day. But for me it is the time to think about the return flight....
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Sep 23, 2021 08:00 PM Pamukkale in Hierapolis
I have been in Turkey several times but always far from this world-class tourist attraction. There is nothing in the world like Pamukkale white water terraces. What to compare? Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Some places in Yellowstone? It is quite far from Antalya - more than 200 kms each way through the picturesque mountains so I decided to take the organized full day door-to-door tour. It cost me 45 euro, with lunch and entrance fee included. White terraces of Pamukkale are on the terrain occupied by the ancient town of Hierapolis, so on one ticket (normally 120 TL) you have two attractions. Amphitheatre is definitely worth to see, but to reach its upper tribunes you have to walk uphill some 10 minutes. If you do not want to hike there is minibus for 1 euro.
Cleopatra pool is an interesting place with broken column in the water. Photography is free, but if you want to swim between the columns you gave yo pay extra. Then you will be pushed to take of the off the shoes and you can wade in the warm water down: terrace to terrace. It is not slippery this calcium hydro carbonate.
Great place, but for me too much people! It was worth to be there anyway....
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Sep 22, 2021 08:00 PM Goodbye, lovely Kurdistan!
I was waiting more than an hour on the bus station in Slemani. The minibus was still not full. Finally I started to worry if I willbe on time in the airport in Erbil. Thanks God the driver decided to start 3- hours journey. The views were great. In the middle of the route we stopped at the roadhouse. When I was complaining to the driver, he said thatKurds are not too religious, but we have on board also Arabs and they must have some time to perform their salalt (mid-day pray).
He put me on the taxi on the outskirts of Erbil and I arrived to the airport on time. Surprise! They started procedures with covid checks. -Where is you covid test result? -I have been in this airport 2 weeks ago and nobody asked me for covid test, vaccination certificate was enough! -No, Erbil airport requires the test! No discussion! Fortunately there was quick solution: they called labs technician and he performed "real time test" asking for 30 USD (45000 dinars) and and giving receipt for 39500). So you can see how it works! After 2 hours flight I landed in Antalya, Turkey. How nice! The temperature was 28 deg Celsius instead of 38 in Kurdistan...
I took a tramway from terminal 1 to my cheap Turunc hotel (they charge your card for 4,10 lira fare). Before check-in in my Turunc Hotel I bought flat breads (3 lira each. Welcome tback o Turkey!
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Sep 21, 2021 08:00 PM What I found in the bazaar...
Suleimaniya is more westernised than Erbil. Along the main Salim street you will see high, fancy hotels. There are also more ladies in the European dressing. I had enough time to walk around the centre, visit Azadi Park with the modest Love Monument., talk with many locals. Local bazaar is very crowded and noisy. Smells in some areas not so nice, but is very authentic. I found there the quarter where they sell Kurdish traditional costumes. I had there a chance to try the headdressing of the Kurds. It consists of two parts: little round hat to put on the top of your head and the cloth - to be wrapped around the hat. Look at the picture - I and the sellers from nearby shops we had a lot of fun... What a nice souvenir from Kurdistan. It is necessaryto to bargain, but you can buy both parts for just 10 - 12 dollars :)
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Sep 20, 2021 08:00 PM By bus to Al - Suleimajiya
Receptionist from the hotel helped me to stop and to negotiate taxi ride to the bus station (3000 - two dollars). The minibus (they don't have big buses) was waiting there. Departure time? When it will be full!
No tickets. The driver just collected 10000 IQD from everybody. Fortunanely there was English-speaking Ali aboard. He took care of me. I got front seat for photography and we departed at 10 am.
Nice mountain and desert landscape on the route. Half way to the destination we stopped in chaikhana for the meal. Ali hosted me. There is artificial lake on the route, but sorry - it is nof visible from the road.
We rached Slemani (locals use this nickname) after 3 hours. The bus stotion is again on the outskirts of the town - taxi to the hotel cost me less than 3 dollars. I found Al - Suleimaniya more westernized than Erbil. It has interesting bazaar and long main street with many new, high buildings. A lot of people is crawling the streets around the bazaar. I have been invited to drink a tea with the locals - Kurds are very hospitable! They serve the tea on the streets - see the picture!
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Sep 19, 2021 08:00 PM Akre - the most picturesque township of Kurdistan?
The road from Amadiya to Dohuk is very picturesque, passing many green pine forests. I stopped in Sarsang to ask about possibility to drive up to the former summer house of Saddam Hussain located on the slope above the village. No way! The police occupy the house and they say you have to bring special kitab (paper) from Baghdad to dive up.
Then I enjoyed the views of Duhok - the third city in Kurdistan. Especially nice panorama opens from the Mustafa Barzani Park - where the monument of this Kurdish patriot stands.
Finally I drove to the little town of Akre, located in the little valleys between the mountains. The location is excellent. The city should be painted by the artists. I believe that Akre should be the most picturesque town in Kurdistan...
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Sep 18, 2021 08:00 PM North - to the Turkish border
There are many checking points on the roads in Kurdistan. Before the young soldiers newer asked for my ID. Go, go, go... Today we (I and Ali) we were driving through the real outback where apart from soldiers I saw little tanks. On the one of many posts they asked to show document. I hope for the last time....
Wo used mountain roads first to reach village Barzan - the birthplace of Mustafa Barzani - well known leader of Kurds. There i a lot of green in this region (not so common in the rest of the country) there are wide rivers and nice panoramic views. Roads are all paved but rather narrow. At 4 pm we reached legendary Amedija (Amedi, Amadi) - the settlement established on the flat mountain by the Asyrians. Many civilizations passed through later...Old city gate built of stone is the main landmark here. Some city walls are also wort h to see. There is old mosque recognized by the high minaret. Because there is no hostel in Amadija the backpackers are welcome to sleep for free in the mosque. What a hospitality! They say it is only 10 kms from here to the Turkish border....
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