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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 20, 2019 10:00 PM Ko Samui - one more beautiful island
Koh Samui has no port so our ship is anchoring in the sea and they are taking us ashore in the little motorboats. The crew on the ship is badly organized, the cruise director should be immediately fired. No announcements, passengers are going up and down 10 decks. Finally I landed on the shore in the little Nakhon settlement around 10 am. My Russian friends were waiting for me in the rented minibus who took us around the island..
The circle road is 52 kms long. We visited one by one 3 different temples, a viewpoint on the coast. But the highlight for me was Waterfall 2 waterfall (yes, such a strange name). It is hidden up on the hill slope in the lush jungle. Car will take you to the little park half of the way and than you must to climb step path some 20 min. It is better to have here good hiking shoes... The view at the end of the path is great - the waterfall or the cascade is around 100 m high!
On the way back we stopped for an hour on the one of many beaches....
Great day and one more island to my collection... :)
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Feb 19, 2019 10:00 PM We are sailing to Thailand...
For sure it will not be my favourite ship! It is not easy to navigate around - not enough markers in the labitynth of the corridors. The crew is rather rude and the amount of offered food is limited. Regarding the music in the evenings - they do not have a real band and the artists play to the playback...
The pool on the open deck is very small. The cooks had at the poolside the presentation of fruit carvings.
But I already found here new friends - the Russians from Moscow. We are planning to go together for the tour.
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Feb 18, 2019 10:00 PM Boarding the ship in Singapore
Once you landed in Singapore it is easy to get to the cruise ship dock. Take the free shuttle bus to station MRT near terminal 2, buy the ticket to Marina South Pier for 2,60 Sin dollars an go - is is the kind of thd subway. You have to change twice: Tanah Merah and Raffles Place on the same platform. Then you have to walk by covered sidewalk to the terminal.
For the first time ever I got the upgrade on the ship - I have a cabin on ghe lowest deck, but with a full - size window! The Captain send me (I am the frequent passenger of this line) the bottle of champagne and basket of fruits...
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Feb 17, 2019 10:00 PM Bye, bye hot Australia!
It was 8 am when I was already driving through the morning traffic jams to the Sydney airport. My white toyota corolla was returned there to Hertz without any damages after some 1600 kms drive. The average fuel consumption (due to the proper driving technique :) ) was only 4,9 l/100 km. I checked in for the Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur - I was lucky - they for some reason did not check the weight of my backpack - they do it and the offical allowance of carry-on is only 7 kg! Let's fly back to Asia!
Later in the evening:
After 8,5 hours flight I safely landed in Kuala Lumpur - the capital of Malaysia and the main hub for Air Asia low cost airline. I stay in a cheap hotel. Tomorrow I will fly onward to Singapore...
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Feb 16, 2019 10:00 PM Canberra, the capital... Where are hitchhikers?
The longest driving on all Australian route is scheduled for today - arund 500 kms in tge strong sun and heat. The road is empty. Can you imagine that during 5 days of driving through NSW I saw only 2 hitchhikers? Yes, I gave them a lift! Because I also hitchhike... But in general hitch is not popularcin Australia - drivers do not stop, so the travellers do not try... Miserable...
I have been to Canberra during my first voyage to Australia in 1986. 33 years... But the capital remain almost the same with the Parliament in the centre, between two lakes. I found the way to the Red Hill to see the panoramic view... Not easy to drive in the capital - red lights every 200 m, roadworks - they build the tram line.
Then I was driving picturesque Illawara Hwy with the nice views. Traffic congestion in the evening - crowd of the cars are retirning from weekend. I spent thd night in Engadine, close to Sydney invited by the Couchsurfer. Thank you Pam and Neal for your hospitality - this was the only positive couch staying in Australia! I reached their place at 7 pm, tired, but happy...
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Feb 15, 2019 10:00 PM Around Mt Kosciuszko - Tumbarumba - Wagga Wagga
It was a long day... I started at 8.30 am heading to Mt Kosciuszko National Park. At the park gate they charge 17 AUD per car, but I declared that I do not stop in the park and I gor free transit pass ( valid for 2 hours, but nobody care). The famous Alpine Way climbes up around the Mt Kosciuszko giving you great, open views up to the pass called Dead Horse... So why I am going around the highest mountain of Australia?.
I have been here in 1986 hiking to the summit from Charlotte Pass and continuing to Thredbo. Then, traveling by bus to/from the trailheads I did not have a chance to see the Mt Kosciuszko from the other side. That's what I do now...
Once the Alpine Way turned north, the road became narrow, windy and there is practically only one viewpoint before you will reach Village Khancoban. But the western side view is still great and completely different. Then I was driving through the hilly, pasture countryside to Tumbarumba. What a lovely name of the little township with some old, stilish houses!
And again it was still more tham 100 kms to Wagga Wagga - the farthest point of my self-driven tour. The Aboriginal name means Many Crows, and sounds very nice...
WW is the biggest city inland NSW state. It has a nice, compact centre with couple of churches on the hill (St Andrew is probably the nicest) an elegant civic centre downon the riverside. Few kms east on the Sturt Highway you can seemilitary planes in the RAAF museum. Hot, hot, hot... Tomorrow I will rive back to Sydney - it is 455 kms....
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Feb 14, 2019 10:00 PM To the Snowy Mountains...
Eden, where I spent the night is already close to the border of the Victoria State. But today I turned to the north - heading to the Snowy Mountains. First to Bega, than the road is climbing in the hundreds of zig-zags to the level of 1000 m. All in eucalyptus forest... Then it is descending a bit to the pastures,, crossing the Great Water Divide on the level 1110 m. No trees here! I made a break in the little town of Cooma - just to grab the map in the tourist office.
Then - heading to Jindabyne I passed the meadows with a big stone boulders - see the picture. Imagine, the only today I saw on the road and roadside at least 11 dead kangaroos. No, I didn't hit them - they usualy cross the roads early in the morning or night.
Jindabyne on the huge artifical lake is well known tourist center of the Sony Mountains.
Tomorrow I plan to cross the mountains to Wagga Wagga.
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Feb 13, 2019 10:00 PM I will spend the night in the Garden of Eden!
Strong sun from the morning. Today I was driving the NSW coast from Ulladulla through the Great Pacific Drive, stopping in the lookouts. Some of them - like Bourrawarra require up to one hour hike to be on the fantastic lookout. There were many picturesque lagoons, river estuaries with the banks connected by the opening bridges... But first of all - many hours of driving through the high eucalyptus forests. UP and downhill - with the average speed 90 kms per hour! Imagine that I reached Eden (sounds like a paradise) only at 5 pm. On the outskirts of the town there is Garden of Edwn caravan park, where I will spend the night. The award is deserved - I expect beautiful dreams. By the way - it will be St Valentine's night so my best wishes of true love to all ladies who will read these words :)
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Feb 12, 2019 10:00 PM White Toyota to Ulladulla
At 9 am I said goodbye to Norwegian Jewel in Sydney cruise ship terminal. 10 min later I had a chance to connect to free internet in the old Customs House - right opposite the ferry docks. On the streets you will not find free wi-fi! Then I was walking to the William St 65. They were waiting for me in the Hertz office! The car is ready - we will give you upgrade! White, brand new toyota, automatic... I do not care about luxury cars... They are bigger and not easy to park, and the fuel consumption is also higher. But what should I do? No, I do not want full insurance - the rental cost became 100 percent higher in such a case.
I asked the clerk about access to Princess Highway. -Easy, left, left, right 1 block and left again and there will be the sign showing didection to the airport.... I did it, but there was no sign to the airport - only M1 highway. How can I, the stranger know about M1, Mr Idiot? You go this way every day since years and You think there is a sign... I had no choice and soon I found myself in the North Sydney. Than back... I will pay for double crossing the tunnel and commission fee.
The rest of the day was fantastic. Once out of the monster city I went to coastat Royal National Park with fantastic view points, high on the cliffs. Than I visited Nan Tien - the biggest Buddhist temple on the Southern Hemisphere. Then I was driving to 7 Mile Beach... Uhhh...
The evening found me in the little town of Ulladulla. There is something like a poetry of geo names. Ulladulla sounds very nice, don't you think?
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Feb 10, 2019 10:00 PM Memories of Auckland
Our departure from Auckland in the middle of tha day, in the full sun was very spectacular - see the pictures in my gallery.
Today we have day at see - it is sunny but windy and the sea is choppy.
I have a chance to meet two great atists from the Ukraine. Nastya and Sergey perform on the ship's shows a mixture of the gymnastics and baller. I like their production very much. -Ukraine should be proud of you! - I congratulate them...
The a/c on the ship is too good - I am already sneezing...
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