November 2017 - Page 2 of 3

A Stunning Day in Warsaw.

Advice from the Warsaw hostel staff put me on the right road to get to see the old city as it is called. In actual fact, a great deal was flattened in World War 2. What is now termed the old city has in fact been totally rebuilt, but in details reproduced from the destroyed buildings. A feat in itself, but one that has you believing that it is actually as old as it is supposed to be. The Poles are very proud that the city has been given a world heritage award. The large plaque is there on the ground for all to see.
Leaving the hostel to get the metro was just a short walk away. Like all the metros I have tried, it was clean, fast and very easy to master, even if the ticket machines spat the dummy on several occasions for me in one day. The trick appeared to be rub the coin on the machine and hey, presto it worked!
The Warsaw metro is simple in that it really only has the two lines, there and back ,so counting the stops made getting off simple.
I got tickets at half price although I had no idea if it was the correct amount, but they do need to encourage tourists so……..!
Getting off at the Arsenal stop initially had me confused, as there are huge roads, large amounts of traffic and pedestrians in all directions. The map the hostel had given me to guide was a good one , but did not have the detail that some of us need. Eventually I discovered the correct road, as always one just needs to go that bit more to find what you are looking for.
I wandered into the old city square, it was certainly an incredible sight with the castle , the old buildings ,the cobbled streets ,school kids everywhere.

Hard to imagine sixty something years ago it was just a pile of rubble.
First to visit the castle, so got the ticket and then started to follow the
arrows to do the castle route. Couple of times I was asked for the ticket, before going downstairs to leave the backpack and coat at the cloakroom.
Coming back up and starting the tour I was asked for the ticket again!! Having to indicate that it was downstairs I was allowed to continue on my way. It was beautifully done with actual paintings of some of the old masters hanging on the wall, on loan from various institutions. All in keeping with the time frame of the period.
Not as opulent as Catherine Palace in St Petersburg it was still very glitzy with mirrors , furnishings and the inevitable gold lacquer on all the carved wall pieces. The living quarters, the chapel and all the rooms that led in a procession from the guards to the kings throne room. It just depended on how important the matter was!
Taking my slow wander through the castle meant it was lunchtime by the time I reached the end of the route. I was delighted to find a Pizza hut very handy to the castle with free wifi! As I always carry the ipad when ever out and about it was definitely Pizza for lunch. Decision easily made as the hostel wifi had been down before breakfast and I really had to have my internet fix! Check the emails, as there is only a narrow time frame to check with home. They are sleeping or I am sleeping!
I hadn’t eaten at the ‘Hut’ for a very long time, just too expensive at home. Here they had a lunch menu for 15 zloty, which I felt was good value for the delicious tomato soup and a cabonara pan pizza and the added bonus of wifi with a good fast connection.
After lunch more wanderings down narrow cobbled streets, so realistically reproduced if I had not read about it I certainly would not have realised they were the same age as myself. So many photo opportunities, one of the more moving many Polish names of soldiers killed in past offensives defending their country, some young men of just sixteen years of age. I sat and listened to some magnificent organ music being played within the chapel that I discovered the plaques. It is the little gems like those that make a trip memorable for me. Buildings are a dime a dozen, so to speak , but it is the people within them that give you the memories.

Wreaths to the fallen Soldiers — Wreaths for the fallen Soldiers

Five Reasons to Travel by Train

I am an avid train traveler, traveling solo is made so much easier. I cannot believe that people choose to fly instead of traveling by train. Obviously, there are times when flying is appropriate, like New Zealand to anywhere! Train travel has many benefits for both solo travel and family travel that you will not get when flying. The story of a friend’s recent flight totally boxed in by a large and inconsiderate traveler who would not put his airline seat in the upright position, despite frequent requests by staff, created what must have been a nightmare trip.

Comfort would have to be the number one reason for preferring train travel and I imagine that would be true for a lot of people and families. Children are not restricted to sitting still for hours on end, and its fun to go walk about on a train with Mum or Dad. The seats generally have good legroom and room to easily get up from the seats. Usually the seats are set in a two by two configuration that allows easy access to and from seats, even for those sitting next to the window. Train seats themselves vary according to the country and class of train travel. From wooden bench seats in developing countries to the luxuriously appointed seats found in first class carriages. Today in some trains, the addition of screens with movies, music and other things, mimic airlines as well.

Time involving travel affects us all, which is one of the reasons flying is popular, is the perception that it is fast. However, how many people stand back from their flight and ponder the following questions. How long must I be at the airport before my flight? Where will I park my car? Can I persuade a family member to drop me at the airport? How far do I have to travel to get to the airport? How long to go through security? These all involve manipulating time available in a stressful day. So often trains are available in the centre of a city, and are easily reached by public transport for not only departure, but also arrival in the centre of the destination city. The “Ghan” train station in Australia was unfortunately outside of Darwin and we did require transport into the city. Certainly, in Europe it is a city-to-city ride. If you have been wise in the choice of hotels, they are also conveniently reached from train stations.

Baggage is fast becoming an issue with airlines, whether it is number of suitcases or the weight of them. The airlines reduce fares then add on bag fees dependent on the number of bags you are carrying. Cabin luggage is restricted, and those passengers with children are very limited to what they can take aboard. Train travel allows bags, although weight can be a problem if porters are handling them, but parents have the luxury of being able to take child necessities into the carriage. Times are changing in that security is considerably tighter today even at train stations, but not as high tech as airline travel.

Make savings on train travel because you can tailor your trip to your needs. Fares on trains are stable in nature and you do not have to waste time comparing a dozen train firms to get the best price. Searching and booking ahead of your travel dates can net some very good deals in train fares. There are low season choices as well like the airlines. You must consider the costs of parking and traveling to an airport as well as time spent there. The inevitable coffee and food costs are astronomical at airports. The unseen savings are the conservation of the environment, as trains are more energy efficient than the airlines.

Last but by no means least; in fact, I think watching scenery from a train is one of life’s little pleasures. You get the thrill of seeing foreign countries, and a peek into the homes and lives of their inhabitants as you flash by on a train. Achieving speeds of up to 300 kmph on some of the European trains makes for fast trips. You see nothing of the people and places from 35,000 feet in the air. In my opinion, a missed opportunity in appreciating what the world has to offer.
The top website for travelling by train is www.seat61.com
Trans Siberian stop

Adriatic Coast Cruise

Lonely island Small church — Lonely island, Small church

Bato had mentioned in passing a boat that went up the Adriatic coast for the day, so I decided to do it. I am not keen on boats, particularly seagoing small ones. The young couple decided to go on the trip as well. It was good value I thought €10 for the day trip, stopping off at different places to pick up and drop off people as well as stopping in a couple of places for an hour, the main stop for three hours, Budva.

The day was the usual sunny warm day with a good breeze off the sea, lots of white horses, we managed to find the boat. Bato had to go as he couldn’t park the car. Pointed us in the general direction and a few minutes later it was found. Due to leave at 8.30 it left at nearly 8.45 but hey it’s Montenegro! There weren’t that many people getting on at the main jetty, but we soon discovered why, the boat started picking up folks from the next bay by running the boat up on the pebbles and a ladder that hung on an angle. Interesting to watch and listen to it scrape the bottom of the boat. We continued on out and around the rocks and cliffs of the various bays picking up people .

The boat was rocking quite violently and scaring me, the spray coming back into the cabin made people laugh, some actually got quite wet! The captain obviously very capable as you could see him trying to minimise the boat movement. There was a lad of about ten that couldn’t handle the movement and he was seasick several times over the whole trip. He would come right at the stops, but back on the boat the illness overtook him.
The crew put the bumpers alongside the boat to protect it from the jetty where it remained tied up for an hour while we all wandered around the small resort. Toilet and coffee stops no doubt and for me a wifi fix with an espresso coffee to keep up the caffeine levels .

The cliffs and the deep blue of the sea were magnificent, The rock stratas changing from one bay to the next. There were many building works going on , one had literally had the cliff removed behind it and was already about five stories high. Given the number of people at the towns and small bays there is a real need for increasing the number of beds. A small church sitting at the very top of a rock in a bay had you asking why? The road you could see on the mountain sides behind all the towns , connecting Bar with Dubrovnik and towns further along the coast.
Wish I’d been aware of the connections, as Zagreb right the way through to Bar and the train on to Belgrade would have been magnificent. Whether there was a bus service, another matter.
The last stop for the day was the town of Budva. An adults playground if ever there was! From the boats of the rich and famous to pedal boats for fun! The first stop for me was the old town, Altstadt Budva, had me walking through the small cobbled streets , look outs, churches. Many of the streets had small boutique style shops using the space available. They were very cute, as well as the usual cafe’s and restaurants the place reeked of charm!!
The beach front covered with people in various stages of undress, there really are people that should not wear bikinis! Just back from the bodies were loads of bars, all with plenty of shade, tables and chairs, back again and along both sides of the road, more like a pedestrian mall really as no one bothered where they walked were the souvenir shops, ice cream sellers.
You even had to pay for a cone before you.got the ice cream. There were considerable choices in the ice cream flavours, then it was the question do you want one ball or two!! There were massage professionals plying their trade mostly along the beach front.
The sheer numbers of people on the beach, including many children, it was probably school holidays amazing!
The three hours flew by punctuated with stops for a cold coke every so often. Come 3 pm and the boat was on its way again for the return trip along the Adriatic coast to Bar.
The hour stop on the return was at a small bay complete with restaurant and …. squat toilets for which one had to pay the princely sum of .50 euro. Total rip off. They should be banned particularly in an almost modern country. The music these countries seem to , play is dated from the Bee Gees first appearance! I don’t mind a bit , its almost like a time warp! But decent toilets have been around for a long time there is no excuse.
Getting off the boat here was from the bow, and down a ladder and into the water and pebbles. The stones weren’t as big as some on other of the beaches, but you still sank in them. I had taken my sandals off to avoid them getting wet. So left them off for the walk up to the restaurant and toilets. The sand was extremely hot , so I walked quickly between umbrellas for the shade and some cool sand!
Polishing off a chicken fillet burger saw dinner taken care of, and indeed, was very tasty. Time for a paddle in the water before climbing aboard again for the trip home. A pleasant walk home with the young couple from the hotel, as we could walk to the beach easily from the hotel. We all agreed that it was a serendipitous trip, thoroughly enjoying the day!

Cambodian Floating Village

After seeing the remainder of the Cambodian temples, we carried on to see the floating village at Kampong Phluk. After driving all that way, it was some 25 km from Siem Reap ,then having a ticket seller want $30 for a two hour boat trip left me feeling annoyed but did anyway. Really didn’t want to say to the driver forget it!!!

It was not an auspicious start, going from bad to worse down a horrendously dusty, potholed and uneven road for what seemed like an eternity, actually more like 4-5 kms. I found it interesting seeing the rice paddies either side , and the farmers dragging pumped water out of the canal into their crops.
As well as the farmers there were others. who appeared to be net fishing and catching small fish, which were then cooked over makeshift fires or burners.

When we eventually reached the boats and there were a great many. there were buses, tuk tuks, motor bikes, vehicles of every description parked everywhere.
My driver dropped me off to get the boat I was allocated, leaving me to walk the plank to step on to one boat and then on to the next. The men pointed out the cabin with plastic seats and told me to go there. Going through the door way I promptly fell, the step was not really a step . I was not impressed. The boss gave me two life jackets which he placed as cushions to give more comfort on the seats.

Having sat down they started to turn the boat around amidst other boats coming and going. The boats are powered by a very primitive system with a propeller stuck out the back of the boat. I would say at least the driver of this boat tried to keep it on an even keel despite the wash created by others going much faster.
Certainly the village was interesting, even having their own police station and school, the children were out playing games on what little dirt there was beneath the building on stilts.

A small child of about 3 stuck its butt over the edge of a boat and proceeded to use the lake as a toilet. I did notice human waste during the trip just floating in the water. Not a particularly healthy body of water, especially for kids playing in it. The lake is supposed to be the largest fresh water lake in Asia, personally I wouldn’t touch it with a boat pole?
They tried suggesting I should go on a boat trip through the mangroves no doubt for another tourist type price. Further on it was suggested I might like a cold drink also at an inflated price I must have been the worst customer all,day. They have to learn you cannot milk a cow when everything is gone!!! The rip off price they charge for what is a short ride in a less than safe environment is nothing short of a scam in my opinion.
People do need to learn not to kill the tourist market as the country desperately needs the money tourists bring in.

Having done the rounds of the Cambodian village we headed back, passing many boats on the way to the village with visitors.
We get back to where the boat goes and the is an even larger one blocking the way, so the driver just pushes it out the way, no wonder the boats all look in poor condition. Having tied the boat up I managed to get off with the help of my driver , not an easy task.

Back in the tuk tuk we start off only to be stopped by a traffic jam, bus and truck having a problem, by this time there is a queue of vehicles. eventually with help the truck was able to back and allow room for the bus to pass. Janne had given me a mask to wear as the dust was atrocious being kicked up by speeding buses .
The fine red dust, clinging to everything,from the leaves of the trees to houses and vehicles covered with the stuff. Must have been disheartening to be a house proud person.