Snapshots from my last voyages. Year 2024. – Wojciech Dabrowski – Migawki z podróży ostatnich lat. Rok 2024. (Migawki_plen2024.htm)

January 2nd, I set off on another trip to the Persian Gulf region. I have

been there many times, but this region has the advantage that it is as warm

and sunny in January asin summer in Poland . So why not to go, if travel

experience can significantly reduce costs?   I set out.  You

can find the travel map here. The journey

 An elegant ship was waiting for me in the port of Abu Dhabi. But

before I boarded, there was time to walk around the elegant Cornishe, visit

the Heritage Village, and, above all, once again marvel at the architecture

of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Admission to the mosque is free. All you

We sailed out of Abu Dhabi in the evening, and the next morning I woke up at

the shore of the desert island of Si Bani Yas. The sheikh decided to

transform the two-kilometer-long peninsula, located on the shore of the

Arabian Peninsula, into a holiday resort for tourists from cruise ships.

They come here for one day only to enjoy the beaches, playgrounds and water

sports. Unfortunately, the authorities prohibit crossing to the mainland

Codziennie w statkowym teatrze oglądaliśmy występy tancerzy, piosenkarzy,

 Every day in the ship’s theater we watched performances of dancers,

The next night our ship sailed to Khasab, Oman. It is a tiny port

picturesquely situated at the foot of the tawny mountains. Its main

attraction is the old Arab fort, which houses an interesting museum. 

When I was last time here – about 25 years ago, entry to the fort was free.

Now they charge 7 rials. But when I told them about my first visit, they let

me in for free. They appreciated my warm feelings. Omanis are very nice

people – the most nice Arabs I have ever met and they are not ashamed to

Some travelers like to take “postcard” photos, others – like me – meet

locals, ask about their live, joke and laugh. In Khasab, where on the main

street goats roam, I met a group of students of the local secondary school.

They were very proud of their (still imperfect) knowledge of English. They

will tell the teacher that they talked to a “ferenji” – a foreigner from

Bolanda country… I have similar pictures from many distant countries of

Khasab has another attraction: a small smuggler’s port. Small motorboats are

used to pack not only goods in crates and boxes, but also live sheep and

goats. Then the boat sails at full speed to the other side of the Strait of

Hormuz – to the Iranian shore to take other goods from there at a profit.

The practice has been going on for hundreds of years and no government has

been able to control this phenomenon. This is the view you will see from the

We sailed at night to the capital of Oman – Muscat. This time I managed to

see two interesting places here. The first of them is the Grand Mosque

founded by Sheikh Zayed from Abu Dhabi. The building is not white, but it is

The second novelty is the modern opera house, built during the reign of the

previous Sultan Kaboos. The interior is beautiful. Interestingly, Kaboos

himself saw only one performance here. Currently, his nephew rules the

sultanate. But he hasn’t been here even once since taking power four years

Every time I am in Muscat, I visit the old bazaar there. And although there

is an impressive street of goldsmiths and a dozen of souvenir shops, the

bazaar is visited mainly by locals who buy everyday products here. White

dis-visors and Omani “Kumma” hats are flashing. This creates a very exotic

From Muscat, the ship returned to Abu Dhabi, from where three subsequent

flights were to take me to Gdańsk. Unfortunately, the second one had a delay

of 3.5 hours and I didn’t catch the last flight. I had to spend the night at

an empty airport in Copenhagen. That was a nightmare. But every nightmare

ends someday. After catching up on some sleep, I have very fond memories of

this cruise on a cozy ship and interesting conversations with crew members

from the Persian Gulf  I only had three days to do the laundry, take care

of urgent matters and re-pack my backpack.  I was flying off to Africa!

After many years, I intended to visit places I knew again, but my route

The journey began with a flight via Amsterdam and Paris to Mauritius. The

last segment of this route turned out to be unlucky. The flight from Paris

was canceled at the last minute due to a cyclone passing over the island. I

received a voucher for an overnight stay at the airport and the hope that I

would fly out the next day. This happened, although the treatment of

Mauritius offers tourists not only beautiful beaches, but also picturesque,

steep mountains and other landscape attractions. Most of the island’s

inhabitants are Hindus. In the center of Mauritius, on the “holy” lake, they

Renting a car with a driver for a day trip is not expensive here (approx.

USD 100), especially if this cost can be divided among several people. There

is no need for fuel or vehicle insurance, and you don’t need to know how to

get to isolated places. Driving through the southern part of the island, I –

a great lover of waterfalls – was pleased to see the Chamarel waterfall once

The car allowed us to reach a tea plantation, a rum distillery and the rim

of the crater of an extinct volcano. However, it seems to me that the most

beautiful view was from the southwestern coast of the island of the

legendary Le Morne mountain, from which rebellious slaves once threw

 After a few days, a ship appeared in the capital of the island and we

were to sail to the southern tip of Africa. It was an old, but cozy unit

with an international crew. Unfortunately, embarking 2,500 passengers on the

remote quay of the port of Saint Louis, in the heat and chaos, left me with

the worst memories. The crew had absolutely no control over the situation.

The very next morning we woke up on Reunion Island. This is French territory

and French order. In other ports it was possible to leave the port using a

ship’s card. Here, it is not known why the passport was required. I have

already been to Reunion three times. It is a mountainous island where the

We were informed that the road to the capital was destroyed by the cyclone.

We were left with two options: a paid 5 euro shuttle bus to the nearest town

of Le Port or a more expensive (20 euro) bus to the beach. I went to Le

Port. Meet local people and observe their daily lives. Many local women

The biggest surprise, however, was a colorful Hindu temple next to a large

shopping center. Unfortunately, it was closed that day. I could only

From Reunion we sailed to Madagascar. Right at the beginning, the landing in

the port of Antsiranana was canceled (apparently due to the state of the sea).

It happens… The second port did not disappoint us: Nosy Be, where we

landed using large motorboats – the so-called tenders. From the first hours

 Nosy Be has many colonial-era buildings and a busy market place, but I

first took a yellow tuk-tuk to the lemurs. Just outside the city, Lemuria

Park was established – a kind of reserve where lemurs and giant tortoises

live in the wild. Getting there along the muddy road is a separate adventure,

 I saw several different species of lemurs in this park. They were

acting very funny. In addition to them, visitors can see crocodiles,

chameleons and tropical birds. The guide also leads to a perfume factory

The market in Nosy Be sells vanilla pods, bunches of cinnamon bark and other

exotic spices. It’s very colorful on the main street of the city… It’s

worth knowing that in exchange offices, euros and dollars with low

After saying goodbye to Madagascar, we had one whole day at sea. I had the

opportunity to meet our nice Captain Asen from Bulgaria and use my voucher

for an interesting Japanese restaurant (such privileges are available to

The first South African port we called at was Richard’s Bay. It started

interesting, because for the first time in the history of my sailing, a

helicopter delivered the pilot on board the ship. Richard’s Bay is an ugly

port where ships are loading African coal. The coal dust is everywhere.

Fortunately, I bought a trip to a Zulu village here. It was a very good

The Zulus cultivate their old traditions – we could learn many of them

during our stay in the village. There was handicraft production, singing and

From Richard’s Bay we sailed to Port Elizabeth – a pretty town with a strong

Victorian imprint. There are many monuments from that era in the city.

Prominent among them are the old library and the town hall shown in the

photo below. Students of “tourism” are guided around the city for free. You

Queen Victoria looks at the town hall from a high pedestal. Our volunteer

guide ordered us to put our phones and cameras in our bags when we turned

towards Fort Frederick. It’s sad, but attacks do happen outside the very

center… It’s better not to venture into the peripheral streets! The fort

is small, but its walls offer a wide view of the port. Our ship is the last

A completely different, much smaller port is Mossel Bay. Only small fishing

vessels can fit inside the port here, so again tenders took us from the ship

to the port. Mossel Bay has the character of a summer resort – a stylish

In Mossel Bay, a beautiful tourist walkway has been built leading along the

seaside rocks to the lighthouse on Cape St Blaize. I walked along this

sidewalk for almost an hour to find out that the lighthouse is located on a

hill, where nature has created a large cave, open to the ocean, below the

The lighthouse itself is open to visitors, but at the entrance you have to

pay 100 rand (approx. 5 euros). Although in exchange you get one drink of

From the cave under the lighthouse, the tourist trail leads along the

seaside cliffs towards the next cape. The views from the path are very

impressive. The only thing is that you need to have solid footwear, because

Unfortunately, we sailed past the Cape of Good Hope at night. The morning

found us in the legendary city of Cape Town. It was an experience for me,

because the last time I was here was in 2005 – at the end of the epic

trans-African journey Ceuta – Cape.

Without regrets and in an atmosphere of total chaos, I said goodbye to the

ship that brought me from Mauritius. After leaving my luggage at the hotel,

I walked to the Waterfront – an old port district where you can feel the

Cape Town’s landscape is dominated by Table Mountain, over a kilometer high.

I was up there, but lack of time and changing weather prevented me from

hiking from one end of the “table” to the other. This time the weather was

perfect and it worked! Above the downtown skyscrapers, you can see the left

culmination of the mountain – this is Maclear’s Beacon, this is the actual

peak of the Mountain – that’s where I got, and then turned back to the upper

This is what the table top looks like – look at the photo below. Devil’s

Peak rises in the left part of the photo – it is slightly lower than Table

Mountain. On the opposite side of the “table”, an extension of the range is

t is very impressive to look down at the beaches from the western end of the

mountain – it is certainly a more interesting view than the downtown area,

which is usually covered with a cloud of smog. This landscape is simply

From Table Mountain you can see Robben Island in the distance – the island

where Nelson Mandela and other black anti-apartheid activists were

imprisoned. A ferry runs from the Waterfront to the island every two hours.

For a return ticket to the island, including a tour by bus, you have to pay

Renting a car allowed me to go to the Cape of Good Hope for the third time.

Admire the landscapes in good weather and find the place where in 2005 I

took this important photo of the route of my epic journey through Africa.

And today this place looked like the photo below. On the left column is the

The next day I set off by car to the interior. I wanted to show my traveling

companion African animals living in the wild. You had to drive almost 200

kilometers through beautiful landscapes to reach the Aquila reserve. There

we boarded an off-road safari bus and drove through the bush for several

There was only one lion the king (like a real king!), but he had as many as

We went by car straight from the reserve to the airport. This time the

flights were not canceled or delayed and we returned safely to Poland after

You can find the “hot” messages from the

visiting many ports and islands. There were also some that I had never been

on before… The beginning of the journey was unique: I flew from Paris to

Guadeloupe not alone, but together with my son Adam and grandsons Piotr

and Aleksander. So this was the expedition of the four Dąbrowskis. In

Guadeloupe, we rented a car and went to explore the island together. The

For my companions, it was their first encounter with a pristine tropical

jungle filled with lianas and tree ferns. Following a well-maintained trail,

we reached the second Carbet waterfall (photo above). Then, admiring the

wonderful panoramas of the coastal mountains and blue bays, we went to the

north of the island – to the colorful, typical Caribbean town of Deshaies. A

few kilometers away, in the Pearl Bay, there is the most beautiful beach in

The next morning, a large passenger ship – MSC Seaside – appeared in the

port of Pointe-a-Pitre, and we were quickly boarded. You can see it well in

It was a large, new cruise ship carrying over 6,000 passengers. There were

swimming pools, waterslides and other attractions on the open decks. It took

several hours to explore it and remember the way to our cabin. Before

we sailed away from the upper deck, we took beautiful photos of the capital

Every evening, revues, plays, and performances by bands and singers were

organized in the ship’s large theater. There were meetings with fellows and sports

The first port of call after leaving Pointe-a-Pitre was Castries on the

island of Saint Lucia. While my son and his grandchildren sailed on a

catamaran to the famous Pitons and the well-known Marigot Bay (in the photo

below), I wandered the streets of Castries, visiting places I knew from

I visited, among others, the market in Castries, where they sell not only

exotic vegetables and fruits, but also souvenirs and spices, for example

bark from cinnamon trees and inconspicuous-looking sticks that improve the

The very next morning we were in Barbados, where I photographed my boys next

to the national flag of this country. Have any of their colleagues been to

The most beautiful building in Bridgetown – the capital of the country – is

undoubtedly the stylish parliament building left by the British. There is a

clock on the tower that strikes the hours like Big Ben in London. Whenever I

visit this port, I admire the frangipani trees blooming around the

In the evening of that day, during the official presentation, which took

place in a very modern atrium, I had the opportunity to meet our captain.

Corrado Iaconis. He turned out to be a very nice and direct person. He

congratulated me on my travel achievements. According to my calculations,

this was my 38th captain. Recently this list has been expanding very quickly…

From Barbados we sailed to Saint Vincent. It is one of the poorest countries

in the Caribbean, but it is very beautifully situated. The capital –

Kingstown lies deep in a bay enclosed by a mountainous peninsula (photo

above). I decided to go there on foot. At the culmination of this peninsula,

Fort Charlotte was built in colonial times, which I once again intended to

climb for a beautiful view. But even earlier, I showed my grandchildren the

city and the botanical garden where not only flowers grow, but also the

breadfruit tree – a descendant of the one brought here from Tahiti by the

In Kingstown, there is a well-hidden place on a dry creek where you can get

free internet access. I found them, and the whole expedition was able to

avail themselves of this essential service; pick up your mail and send the

And then, alone, in the heat of up to 35 degrees, I set off to the mountains

By climbing up to the locked gate of Fort Charlotte, I was able to take a

panoramic photo of Saint Vincent with our ship docking in the small port. On the left in the photo you

can see the construction of a new port quay – soon the port will also

accommodate a second ship.

From Saint Vincent we sailed to Granada. It’s a very nice island. Its

capital, St Georges, has a picturesque inner harbor called Carenage. In the

background – on the second hill from the left there is the Fort Frederick

However, before I set off, I went to the old port, where today only fishing

and tourist ships dock. Hidden behind the church visible on the hill is a

They are clearly visible in the photo I took after reaching Fort Frederick.

Little Grenada, called the Spice Island, is now investing in tourism,

renovating historic houses and buildings destroyed by the hurricane. They

are also rebuilding Fort St George, located on the left side of the

Fort Frederick itself is also worth seeing. It once defended the city

against the French, but it was also the scene of battles in present times.

There are benches on the upper terrace from which you can contemplate the

From Granada our ship sailed straight to Martinique. This is one of my

favorite Caribbean islands. Much nicer than Guadeloupe, more neat and better

organized. Unfortunately, there was no place for us at the quay in the city

center and we moored in the commercial port, but with a view of Fort St.

Fort-de-France is a nice, well-kept city. It has a compact and well-kept old

town. Next to the cathedral, there is a colorful market where they sell

In my opinion, the most beautiful building in Fort-de-France is not the

cathedral, but the former town hall, surrounded by travelers’ trees and

Wedding ceremonies also take place in the building. I happened upon such a

ceremony and, of course, I did not fail to express my best wishes to the

The next day, our ship returned to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe (below a

The time had come to part with my grandchildren, who had to urgently return

to school after their winter holidays spent in the tropics. The same day in

the evening they flew to Paris, and I was going to wait in a rented room

near the port for the next ship that was to take me to other Caribbean

islands and then across the Atlantic to Europe. However, this part of the

journey deserves a separate, more extensive report. You can find it soon here:

During the long cruise I had time to meet my 39th captain. It was the

Italian Andrea Buzzi (in the photo on the left). What did I like most about

this ship? The decor of a self-service restaurant with globes at each larger

Guadeloupe, Tobago, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Martinique, Tortola,

Sint Maarten, Antigua… After four weeks of sailing, “Fortuna” took me to

the Italian port of Savona. There I walked from the port to the railway station

along a well-known route, and after a few hours I reached the Milan airport

by train. From here, on the same day, I flew via Lisbon to Sao Paulo in

From the large Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo, the bus took me to the port

of Santos, famous for coffee exports. Here another ship was waiting for me

(in the photo above, which took me first along the Brazilian coast

and then across the Atlantic to Europe. It was a large cruise ship, carrying

a maximum of over 6,000 passengers. But only half of the cabins were used on

this long transatlantic voyage. Before sailingout we had this view of Santos from the highest,

My cabin was on deck 8, and the buffet restaurant where I most often ate –

seven decks up – on deck 15 and also at the other end of the ship… Such long

marches are good for your health 🙂 The ship was almost new, with many modern technical solutions, shiny glass and nickel, had a lot of space. But

I chose this ship and this cruise because its route led through three

Brazilian ports, or actually two islands and one peninsula, which I had not

known before. They are located a short distance from Rio de Janeiro.

Ilhabela,  “Beautiful Island”, was the first to appear on our route.

There are no piers for cruise ships on all three “new” islands. Passengers

are transported to land and back in covered motorboats, professionally known as

Ilhabela – a green, mountainous island offers visitors beautiful beaches and

waterfalls. The local cooperative offers trips which are much cheaper than those

sold on the ship.   I joined this half-day jeep tour for $25.  We drove along

the coastal road along the beaches. Admiring the landscapes and finally

making a half-hour stop for a swim at Curral beach – supposedly the most

Ilhabela is an island of waterfalls. Apparently there are as many as 360 of

them here. Some are easier to reach, others require to use a trail through the

green mountains. One of them, Toca Waterfall, is located quite close to the

historic capital of the island called Vila. Our collective jeep took me here.

On this peripheral island, what surprised me was a kind of an art gallery 

located under the palm trees, on the sea shore at the exit from the city to

the south. The collection includes stainless steel sculptures made by a

local artist, depicting scenes from the Stations of the Cross. I haven’t

Back in Vila, I had a hard time finding free internet. Finally, the young

owner of the souvenir shop gave me the password to her network. It was with

regret that we said goodbye to this beautiful and interesting island in the

The next morning I woke up on the shore of a completely different island. It

is called Ilha Grande – the Big Island, but paradoxically it is not that

big at all, and is less populated and less developed than the others. It is

mountainous and wilder – maybe that’s why it has the status of a State Park.

When the ship’s passengers get off the tender at the small pier, no one

offers them safari bus or jeep trips, because there are no roads on this

island or they are in poor condition. Instead, locals offer trips on fast

motorboats to the beaches, grottos and bays around all the island’s perimeter.

When I saw them jumping on the waves, I remembered my already worn-out spine

and decided to look for another solution. It turned out to be an old

schooner – a “slow boat” leaving at 10.30 for the small Pouso Beach.

From there, I planned to walk to Lopez Mendez – supposedly the most

beautiful beach on the island: I paid just $10 for the return boat trip and we

About an hour on the old schooner, we reached the small bay of Pouso. So

well hidden that it could be a perfect hiding place for pirates. There was a

small beach, a restaurant on a pontoon and an old wooden pier, thanks to

which we didn’t have to jump out of our ship into the water. A few locals

were selling drinks. They showed me the beginning of the path to Lopez

It was over an hour of walking through a humid jungle with wild palm trees,

lianas and clumps of impressive bamboos. There were even some arrows along

the way, probably placed by the park administration. The entire island is

covered with a network of such well-maintained paths. When setting out on

the trail, remember to take enough drinks, because the hike may take up to

Lopez Mendes Beach was almost empty. With its great width, it reminded me of

t beach on Havelock in the Andaman Islands, considered one of the most

beautiful beaches in the world. The color of the water in the shallows

changed from turquoise to navy blue. The only building I found here was a

ruined and closed chapel hidden in the bushes. A stray sailboat was anchored

Ilha Grande really was once a pirate hideout. Then a leper colony and

finally (until the 1990s) a prison for criminal and political prisoners.

After enjoying the beauty of nature, I returned to the ship on time via the

same route.              The next morning we anchored off the Buzios Peninsula. This is

the most famous and largest place of the three new destinations I was to see

on this cruise. Buzios is a completely different place: it is not surrounded

by high mountains and already has the features of a large resort with

After leaving the tender for the quay in Porto Valeiro, I was pleasantly

surprised: there is free access to the Internet for tourists – 

to log in you only need, to “sell” them an e-mail address. There is a tourist agency on

the quay that offers exploring the peninsula in two ways: by safari bus to

viewpoints and beaches – for 70 reais, or $14, or by schooner to the beaches –

with stops for swimming – for the same price. I chose the bus and here is

Then, from other viewpoints, we admired the beaches hidden in the bays and

went down to them. Those interested could stop for an hour or two and, after

After returning to Buzios (some call this town the Brazilian Saint Tropez),

I still had time to take a walk along the beautiful seaside promenade,

stretching to the far end of the city beach. You can also see fishing boats

On the promenade you will find two life-size bronze statues. The first is

the famous French actress Brigitte Bardot, who lived in Buzios for some time

with her Brazilian fiancé, thus promoting this resort.  Brigitte is sitting

on a suitcase with a hat in her hand, and on the picture somebody else sit next to her – not at all her

fiancé… The second figure is a Brazilian president from the good old days,

From Buzios our ship sailed to Rio de Janeiro. Passenger ships usually enter

Guanabara Bay at dawn. It’s worth being then on board and watching. as a cruise

ship parades from the beach of Sao Conrado, past Leblon, Ipanema and

Sugarloaf Mountains to Copacabana – all the time with Christ on Corcovado in

the background. I’ve experienced this many times. This time it didn’t quite

work out because there was no wind and morning fog hung over the bay.

After disembarking, it turned out that local tour operators were demanding a

minimum of $42 for a half-day city tour. So I decided to spend time exploring the

immediate area on foot. The cruise terminal is located very close to the

administrative center of the city. The first destination of the walking tour

was the Museum of Tomorrow, whose bold, modern architecture I have admired

It’s worth walking around. There are some futuristic exhibitions inside that

don’t interest me much, so I gave up spending 30 reais for admission… But

I think that if you’ve already seen Corcovado, Sugar Loaf and Ipanema, it’s

Quite nearby, on a hill above the naval base (access via Rio Branco Avenue

and immediately turn to the left), there is another attraction that I have

avoided so far – the Monastery of San Bento. Admission to the baroque

monastery church is free. And it’s really worth coming here because the

Only the poor interior lighting does not allow you to fully appreciate the

thousands of sculptures and decorations crammed onto the altars and walls.

The church is visited by locals on various family occasions. I met such a

family, look how beautiful Brazilian women can look in traditional, lace

Even on the central street of Rio (Av. Presidente Vargas) you can see

interesting pictures from the everyday life of Cariocas (that’s what

Brazilians call the inhabitants of Rio). Street kitchens, shoemakers’ and

watchmakers’ workshops, shoeshine shops, homeless people sleeping in the

When the sidewalks of Avenida Vargasa were built in times of prosperity,

intricate patterns of black and white stone cubes were laid on the surface.

Over the years, they have been damaged in many places. However, no one today

Homeless people, and perhaps also those who came to a big city to look for

Tourists do not bring such photos from the famous Rio. And yet this is also

That evening, we said goodbye to Rio and Brazil with a wonderful revue

During the cruise we had many performances, not only in the theater. I will

certainly remember for a long time the duo dancing flamenco according to old

patterns and to authentic Spanish music played “live” on an acoustic guitar.

These wonderful soloists gave free lessons in this fiery dance on all “days

On Sunday, April 7, at 11:20 a.m., “Grandiosa” crossed the equator. On this

occasion, Neptune himself came on board, accompanied by his wife, to give

the captain the key to the northern seas. As a gesture of gratitude, he

Then he and his wife began to eagerly baptize novices. Neptune’s entourage

was very modest for such a ship: in fact, there was only one sexy mermaid

who, after pouring water on them, placed a real octopus, defrosted in the

ship’s kitchen, on the heads of the delinquents. She was helped by the

cruise director with the second octopus. And this was a big novelty for me –

The ceremony was accompanied by lively music from loudspeakers. And when

everyone was baptized and Neptune and his entourage were said goodbye, the

We spent eight days in the open ocean, without calling at any ports. This

has never happened before! Even though the passengers were provided with a

lot of entertainment, and I took a laptop on the trip to use my free time

for creative work, at the end of this period I began to miss the sight of

On April 12th, we arrived in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The passengers breathed a

sigh of relief – there seemed to be no one left on the ship. The port

authorities assigned us a berth not at the terminal built on the waterfront

street, but opposite – at a quay that also serves as a breakwater. From

there it’s about two kilometers to the city center, but no one complained –

Needing access to the Internet, I walked to Candelaria Square at the

entrance to the old part of the city, where the tourist information office

is located on the right. I have used their free network access many times.

But this time I was disappointed: the local network worked, but the server

did not. The friendly staff directed me to the large public library opposite

The entrance to the library is located behind this modern sculpture. Without

unnecessary ado, signing up and showing documents, I chose a table and spent

over two hours catching up on the Internet: I answered letters, ordered bank

And then there was still time to visit my favorite corners of this city –

including the square. where the Supreme Court of the Canary Islands is

There was still one week left until the end of this transatlantic cruise. We

spent the next day at sea, heading to the Moroccan port of Casablanca. I

have been to Casablanca many times, also by ship, and looking at the port

from the deck, I realized that nothing had changed here. Well, maybe only

Instead of walking through the streets of Casablanca again, I decided this

time to take a train to the seaside town of Jadida, located about 80

kilometers south of Casablanca. From the station at the port gate –

“Casablanca – Port”, the train

takes 1.5 hours and costs $7 (return). Jadida is a typical Arab town with a

In the main street I found several nice, stylish buildings: this bank, a

A beautiful walking boulevard was built along the beach (the sand is

unfortunately not very clean), and it fills up especially on non-working

The main attraction of the town is the Portuguese fortress of Mazagan, built

in the 16th century. Of course, that’s where I headed. But it’s 5 km from

the station to the fortress, so in order not to waste time, it’s worth

taking a shared taxi at the station, paying a dollar in each direction. The

photo below is an invaluable document for those planning a trip, showing the

shape of the Portuguese fortress and enabling orientation. The quadrangle in

You enter the fortress through the gates visible in the photo. Admission is

free. The main street of the fortress leads from the gate, past the former

Church of the Assumption, a mosque and Portuguese water cisterns, to the

Cannons from various periods remain on the battlements of the bastion. The

fortress is a favorite meeting place for Arab lovers. They spend hours here

In 2004, the Mazagan Fortress was included on the UNESCO World Heritage

List. Everyone takes photos here, so I also took a souvenir photo by the

picturesque palm tree under the top, circular terrace of the Angel’s

After returning, I still had time for a short walk around the center of

Casablanca. In the evening we sailed further. to sail past Gibraltar the

next evening.                            As another night passed, I admired the sunrise in Malaga. I

like this city and have been here many times. This time I decided to take

local transport to Mijas [Mihas] – a historic town located over 400 meters

above sea level. The ship’s office offered a trip to Mijas for USD 70. 

I got to Mijas for 5 euros (the electric train from Malaga main railway

station to Fuengirola cost 3.20 euros

I had an unexpectedly nice guide

– Sveta, who lives in Malaga, remembered the date of my visit and, like me,

was happy to spend time together. Mijas, called the White City, has a lot of

Tourists visit here the chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks carved in the rock. There

are more old churches here and they are open during the day. The small

settlement also has its own small bullfighting arena, built in 1900.

Next to the chapel there is one of several viewpoints offering a wide view

towards the sea. From an altitude of over 400 meters, you can clearly see

the surrounding mountains and settlements on the slopes, but the sea, a few

Mijas is not without reason called the White City. The houses in the narrow,

cobbled streets are painted almost exclusively in white. But on these white

walls there are many colorfully painted flower pots. The shops sell original

These colorful flower pots for hanging on the walls are also offered for

sale. A small botanical garden was established on the slope, where I

photographed strelitzia – flowers resembling the top of a bird, originating

Time passed quickly in Mijas. After visiting the town, Sveta and her husband Oleg took

me in their car to the ship. I thanked them very much. From the stern of the

ship there was a wonderful view of Malaga. The setting sun warmly

That evening I watched a very good and bright farewell show in the theater. It was

shown one day in advance, because everyone knew that the next day everyone

would be busy packing their luggage and few of the passengers would have

And the ship was still sailing… The next morning I was already in Valencia, Spain.

It’s an interesting city, I’ve only been here once in the past and it was a

long time ago, so I was eager to go to the city. A free shuttle bus took us

from the distant pier to the ferry terminal, and from there there was a city

bus 4 to the center. However, I set off on foot – I wanted to visit the icon

of Valencia along the way – the “City of Sciences and Arts” which attracts

The complex is extensive, and there are queues to individual facilities. 

The most famous is the Oceanographic Museum, where you have to pay an

admission fee of 34 euros and more. A little further there is the “bristling”

Museum of Sciences, and to the left of it you can see the dome of the Palace

The Palace of Arts looks even more interesting in profile. Since my previous

stay, more buildings have been added to this complex. I believe that no

Of course, Valencia also has an Old Town with a slightly bizarre cathedral

on the palm-shaded Queen’s Square (photo below), but similar places can also

bus number 4 from the main square, paying 1.50 euros, and returned to the

The next morning, at nine o’clock, I disembarked the ship in Barcelona with

my carry-on only luggage. I have never seen this before: 5 cruise ships stood at

the passenger quay, throwing thousands of passengers ashore. The queues for

the buses were hundreds of people. The taxi drivers couldn’t keep up… I

I knew the road well.    1.5 hours of walking passed before I saw the former

Plaza del Toros – a bullfighting arena, now rebuilt into a shopping center.

100 meters away I found the stop of the city bus 46 (be careful – it runs

rarely!)     For 2.55 euros (you can pay inside with a credit card) it took me to

The LOT plane departed on time. I had a transfer in Warsaw and it was

already dark when I was landing in Gdańsk. The thermometer showed only 3

degrees Celsius!  But it was a happy end to a journey of over two months,

during which I crossed the Atlantic Ocean by ship twice. You can find its map

here.   I was already thinking

about my next trips…

As always, you will find the “hot” news from the route of this

April just one day after leaving the ship “Grandiosa”

in Barcelona, my fans

invited me to a lecture in a stylish palace in Rzucewo on the Bay of Puck. I

was not in the best shape after a long journey, but my speech, illustrated

with photos from seven continents, was met with a very warm reception. I’m

sure that was because I was talking to travel enthusiasts who came here from

The next day, as you probably guessed, I was already in my Wojtkówka, where

I was greeted by wonderfully blooming tulips. They preened in the middle of

There was so much work in the garden that even on my name day I was working

here to catch up. My proven friends – Ela and Jacek – found me here. I

received the wishes and the gift, and then we recalled our travels, drinking

name-day tea on the terrace of Wojtkówka, and enjoying Ela’s fantastic apple

Soon after, apple trees bloomed wonderfully around Wojtówka. How nice it is

yIn such wonderful scenery and with perfect weather, we celebrated Flag Day

and Constitution Day on May 3rd. On this occasion, as every year, a white

I also had the opportunity to visit our opera and philharmonic hall again.

It was an operetta gala in the building of our Philharmonic, performed on a

grand scale and with interesting ballet inserts “Aida” by Verd (picture on

 You know perfectly well that my favorite “Wojtkówka”, which is almost

40 years old, requires annual maintenance. I have been making it myself for

many years, but I am losing strength… My younger son Adam, who has been

living in Norway for years, came for a few days and devoted a lot of his

time to helping me. Thanks to him, “Wojtkówka” gained a real “face lift” –

I had a great time now. The weather is favorable, primroses, tulips,

columbines, irises and peonies are blooming around one by one. But there is

a lot of work – including fighting the plague of snails and ants. In the

evenings, tired, I listen to music and plan my next voyages. Don’t forget,

dear friends, that the doors of “Wojtkówka” are wide open for you until the

At the end of June, I organized a one-day excursion to Stockholm, the capital of

Sweden, for my grandson Kuba, who helps me from time to time in Wojtkówka.

For Kuba it was a step to the new, unknown country. We spent the night before the flight

in Wojtkówka, and then early in the morning we went to the airport. The

plane took off at 6:00. Two hours later we were already in the center of Stockholm –

The return plane was scheduled only for 11 p.m., so we had the whole day to

explore. The weather was perfect: hot and cloudless. We started our tour at

the interesting city hall, with beautiful arcades separating the courtyard

The capital of Sweden is a very compact city, it has many monuments, but

they are concentrated in a small area, so the center can be explored on foot.

from the town hall we went to see the opera house and the parliament built

There are many atmospheric, narrow cobblestone streets in the Old Town. This

labyrinth includes, among others, the Alfred Nobel Museum, eagerly visited

There is now quite an expensive museum in the royal palace. In general,

Sweden is an expensive country compared to Eastern European countries.

Around noon, we watched the changing of the guard ceremony in front of the

After reaching the museum island, Kuba could visit for free an interesting

facility containing the wreck of the famous sailing ship “Vaasa”. This is a

privilege of his age: children under 18 have free admission to many

attractions. Then we took a vaporetto along the capital’s canals. We admired

the views of the city, and it was a trip included in the price of a single

It was a beautiful and interesting day, made for a very successful trip! It

turned out that at very low costs (we took sandwiches for the whole day in

colorful flowers. As always, I spend it in my Wojtkówka, working in the

garden and maintaining the house. I was visited by friends and travelers from

all over the world. I listened to good music, read and prepare plans for my

next trips around the world – including a spontaneous trip to the mountains

of Romania – at the end of August, because it is difficult for me to stay in

the country for long period. I invited another member of my Seven Continents

Club – Wojtek Adamski from southern Poland – to this trip. Wojtek visited me

Right after Wojtek, a traveler from the Far East appeared in Wojtkówka: Yu

Hsiang Lju. This young medical school graduate from Taipei, Taiwan is just

starting his traveling career. He was fascinated by my travel achievements

Yu was the second Chinese to visit Wojtkówka (the first visitor was a

Chinese living in Singapore). I showed him the monuments of old Gdańsk and

the Oliwa cathedral. We also went by ship to Westerplatte. I fed him fresh

vegetables, of which there were a lot in Wojtkówka. What he liked best

It wss the middle of a warm summer. New flowers bloom every day around

Wojtkówka, bringing me a lot of joy and admiring my visiting friends. 

My favorite dahlia zinnias bloom until late autumn. I sow them in the spring

Together with my friends, from time to time I go to chamber concerts

organized in the summer in the Old Town of Gdańsk. It has become a tradition

to listen to Chopin’s music together in the philharmonic hall on the Motława

 A few days before the planned departure for Romania, the first

traveller from the Czech Republic visited me at “Wojtkówka”. Stanislav had

already travelled to very distant countries: he had been to Australia and

New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea. With such seasoned travellers,

you talk about the world in a completely different way. I showed him the

monuments of Gdańsk, and in return for his three-day hospitality, he offered

Among this year’s guests of “Wojtkówka” there were also the ladies Ewa

and Jadzia. We were only a dozen or so years old when we were scouts, we

went  together to summer camps and sang songs by the fire. We

remembered those times while tasting my beans… Both bridesmaids left

this country many times, but I used local transport to get there. This

effectively prevented me from reaching the higher parts of the South

Carpatian Mountains. This time, a rental car will allowed me to reach the high

passes, to enjoy the landscapes… At the beginning two consecutive flights

In Targu Mures I was joined by my travel companion, Wojtek Adamski. The next

morning, after visiting the historic Targu (the large cathedral and the

Palace of Culture are worth recommending), we drove a car  rented for a

week  to Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a good choice,

The colorful townhouses are not only in the market square, but also in the

side streets. There is a path along the defensive walls. The bells ringing

in the towers of old churches… The streets can be steep and in such

beautiful weather, walking through a city built on a hill takes a lot of

Opposite the old town you will see a hill with antenna masts. You can’t go

all the way to the top, but it’s worth climbing the grassy slope to take a

Settlers from Germany settled around Sighisoara centuries ago. And since

this land was not so safe, they built unique defensive churches in their

villages, allowing them to hide behind their walls in case of threats and

attacks. UNESCO has included 9 such churches on its list. I chose from them

those that seemed the most interesting to me due to their architecture. The

The next day, the section of the route leading to the monasteries of

Bucovina began, which was a sentimental journey for me – I had traveled it

with a backpack in 1972 – over 50 years ago! It was almost 300 kilometers of

riding, initially among green hills, and then through forested valleys.

Where Bukovina conventionally began, we found a towering metal cross and a

From the viewing terrace under the cross, which I climbed, a magnificent

view of the surrounding area opened up. And even though it was the beginning

Along the way, we recorded such views of the Romanian countryside:

horse-drawn carts on the roads, haystacks set behind wooden fences, and even

thatched roofs on old cottages. We used to see such things here, too.

The first of the old Bukovina monasteries we visited was the Moldovita

Monastery. Its walls on both sides are covered with magnificent frescoes. In

the old days, for illiterate peasants, it was a large comic book telling the

The monasteries of Bukovina are distinguished by their specific architecture:

the unique shape of the roofs, high walls and the interior divided into

three rooms: the vestibule, the tombstone and the main room – with the

iconostasis. In this monastery I was enchanted by the roses planted in many

At the monastery gate they charge a small entrance fee, e.g. 5 lei (about 1

euro) – when I was here in ’72 the entrance was free and there were many

more Romanian pilgrims. But 52 years have passed since then! From Moldovica

it is not far to the next monastery on the UNESCO list. It was pretty

The interior of the church contains a magnificent iconostasis. Signs

prohibit photography, but you can discreetly take a photo with your

smartphone and it doesn’t bother anyone. Unfortunately, the windows of the

monastery churches are everywhere small and the interiors of the temples are

We spent the night in a small guesthouse near the fortified walls of

Sucevica, and the next day, heading back south, we visited two more similar

monasteries: Humor and Voronet. We admired interesting frescoes everywhere,

and in the monastery vestibules Orthodox nuns sold candles, which, however,

joyOn the same day we visited two more defensive churches of German settlers:

Saschiz and Viscri. I was particularly impressed by the latter, resembling a

small castle with a defensive wall and towers at its corners. In addition,

you drive to it on round river stones through a village filled with intact

architecture from centuries ago. This is how it has looked here since the

For the night we reached the historic town of Fogaras, the central part of

which is occupied by a medieval fortress renovated with reverence. Inside

there is an interesting museum. And the high walls of the fortress are

reflected from all sides in a wide moat. Supposedly in September 1939,

soldiers – refugees from fighting Poland were quartered there. But the young

The main goal of our trip was to drive two mountain roads crossing the

Făgăraș Mountains. The first of them was the Transfăgăraș Road, climbing

about 2100 meters above sea level. That was the day. After a storm that

passed during the night, we started climbing through countless serpentines

But the magnificent panoramas opened up to us only one floor higher, where

the steep slopes were covered only by grass and low dwarf pines. At some

points on the road, you could park for a moment on the side of the road.

Then, looking down, back, allowed you to assess the number of loops and

At the top, it unexpectedly turned out that there was no marker with an

inscription, because instead of standing on an open pass, you drive through

a tunnel that had been dug under it… After leaving it, similar, beautiful

views open up. When we then went down to the forest floor again, I saw

something that was hard to expect: Carpathian bears waiting by the road for

These are not people in disguise, but wild animals! You just have to stop

the car and they will come, stand on their paws and knock on the window 🙂

We met them at eight different points on the road. There was a bear with

A few hours passed from saying goodbye to the bears to our arrival in the

capital of Oltenia – the elegant city of Craiova. We deserved a rest –

especially the driver. It was not until the next day that we set off to

explore. The most beautiful building in Craiova turned out to be this palace,

currently housing the Museum of Arts. Poles should remember this place,

because in November and December 1939 our president – refugee Ignacy

Craiova has a beautiful old town with cobblestone pedestrian streets, where

you can drink coffee in the company of such a bronze lady. But many stylish

houses are still waiting for renovation. There were no instructions at the

closed information office, so as usual I went to the reception of an

expensive hotel. My correct English must have made an impression, because

Visiting the beautiful parks, the ethnographic museum and the church filled

our afternoon and only the next day we set off again, turning back towards

the mountains. Our destination was the second mountain route of Romania –

Transalpina – marked on the maps as number 67C. It is worth noting that both

driver, Transalpina is a bit easier, because the “pins” are a bit longer

here and the visibility of the road is a bit better. The tourist base in the

towns below the pass is more developed, and this mountain region turns into

a ski resort in winter. The pass itself is not clearly marked. When the GPS

shows 2145 meters above sea level, it means it’s time to get out and take a

There are of course more places for nice photos on this route. Unfortunately,

there were no bears in the forest floor. However, we did see a large herd of

It was not until the evening that we reached the large, university city of

Cluj Napoca (Cluj). This is the capital of Transylvania, where it was worth

spending half a day in the morning to explore. Although only two gate

buildings remain of the historic citadel, a beautiful view of the city opens

up from the hill. In the central square, the larger-than-life statue of King

In Cluj this short but interesting journey ended. From the new terminal of

the Cluj Napoca airport I flew straight to Warsaw and from there to Gdansk.

It turned out that in Romania there are still many interesting places to

discover, low prices and beautiful landscapes. Next time I would like to “discover”

the Romanian Black Sea coast. After the season, of course, because I don’t

As always, you will find the “hot” news from the route of this

log.  Draft of the route map is

After returning from my trip to

the mountains of Romania, I had another week of beautiful, sunny weather in

Gdańsk. I used this time to work in the garden of Wojtkówka and meet friends

and travelers. The most interesting person among them was the Argentinian

Mauro – a nice resident of Buenos Aires, currently traveling around Europe.

We chatted all evening in Wojtkówka. My guest leafed through my book with

interest – it contains over 200 colorful photos from all over the world! The

next morning I showed him around the Old Town in Gdańsk. Who knows, maybe

around the world. This was my fourteenth trip around the globe. My previous,

13th trip around the world was forcibly shortened by the outbreak of the

COVID pandemic. I had hoped that I would be able to complete the entire

fourteenth lap as planned! You can find the map of this trip

This great journey was carried out in segments. The first one – the

expedition to Western Tibet was the biggest challenge for me. I had long

dreamed of driving along the entire, main Himalayan range on the Tibetan

side.This expedition was a complete success. I have published a

comprehensive report from Tibet on a separate website,

The second segment of my RTW journey began in Singapore, where I arrived by

plane. This was my fourth visit to this beautiful and modern city-state.

Each time I was there I noticed new architectural structures (like the

The old colonial buildings are unfortunately disappearing. The last ones can

be found along the Singapore River. I searched in vain for the small Chinese

hotel on Bencoolen St where I stayed on my first visit to Singapore in 1896.

Today, tourists take away from Singapore usually photographs like the ones

in the photo below. The city is well organized, has efficient transport –

from the airport (one of the most efficient in the world) you can get to the

city by metro. To use it once, you don’t have to buy an expensive transit

The most controversial building in the cityscape is, in my opinion, the

Marina Hotel – a luxury hotel with over 2,500 rooms. On the upper link of

The symbol of the city is the merlion – half fish, half lion. A stream of

water constantly gushes from the mouth of the sculpture placed at the mouth

of the Singapore River. This is the place where all the tourists coming to

Singapore take pictures. When I was here last time, the Merlion was under

 In the afternoon I boarded the ship of Carnival Line. We were leaving

the port in the evening. I expected the rich city at this time to shine with

an orgy of lights, but I was a bit disappointed. The view of the skyscrapers

was certainly nice, but I expected something more. Well, they are also

From Singapore our ship set course for Vietnam. The cruise program said

Ho-Chi-Minh, but it turned out that the port of former Saigon was the

run-down town of Phu My, from where it takes almost 2 hours by bus to Ho Chi

Minh. That’s over 69 kilometers! When we finally reach the city, from the

bridge over the wide Saigon River we can admire the local dowtown – a group

A city tour always starts here with a visit to the Independence Palace. It

used to be the palace of the governor of French Indochina. During the

fighting between the north and the south, it was bombed by the communists.

It was rebuilt in a different style. Inside, there is now a museum showing

Visitors can see, among other things, underground shelters and command

The most interesting museum of former Saigon is the Historical Museum, showing

the history of the country. It contains exhibits from different eras. I was

happy not only to be able to see interesting exhibitions, but also to be

For tourists, the Vietnamese organize performances of their national music

and dance. I had the opportunity to admire the playing of traditional

instruments. I liked the traditional costumes of Vietnamese women,

From Vietnam our ship sailed to Borneo, specifically to Sabah in the

Malaysian part of this large island, which is crossed by the equator. We

docked at the capital of Sabah – the port of Kota Kinabalu. I had been there

Kota Kinabalu is a young city. The most beautiful building in the metropolis

is the Masjid Bandaraya mosque built on the shore of the bay. It took 8

years to build (due to lack of funds) and was opened in 2000. Its silhouette

refers to the Nabawi mosque in Mecca. Today, this mosque is the most

recognizable building in the city. Outside the hours of prayer, infidels can

visit the interior, but in long trousers, and women additionally with their

In the jungle outside the city, Malaysians have built a “cultural village”

for tourists, where they present their traditions and folklore. It is

definitely worth going there and spending about two hours (sessions at 10

and 12). Entry costs 130 ringit (approx. 30 USD). The visit begins with a

What’s not there! For example, they prepare national dishes and drinks right

before your eyes, which you can then try. You can shoot with a blowgun and

At the end, the hosts invite the guests to a shelter without walls, where

they perform national dances on the stage – dressed in their colorful

costumes. The music is very loud (gongs!), the girls are round.    But you can

After the performances, you can take a photo with the young artists, which I

did. I had there good time, guided by young lady explaining everything in

English  It’s worth remembering that it’s very hot and humid here, so

From Kota Kinabalu we sailed to Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

There, on the port pier, a large folklore band was waiting for us, playing

folk instruments and dancing in colorful costumes. It was tempting to get

closer to them and take pictures. Unfortunately, the crew opened for

passengers  only one gangway and a traffic jam formed, which caused a

2-hour delay – we had to leave the artists and run to the waiting tour buses.

That’s how it goes sometimes – our crew from the ship have discredit

ThManila (last time I have been

here last time in 1991) seen from the port looks like modern city with few

dozens skysctapers in the center. It has the city has over 2 million

It is enough to drive out of the fenced port into the streets of the

downtown to see that the center of Manila is a real urban jungle, filled

with thousands of crammed vehicles, scooters, motorcycles and roaring

jeepneys – old military jeeps converted into collective taxis. All these

For the Americans who dominated our ship, the most important thing to see in

Manila was the South Pacific War Cemetery. It was the burial place for

American soldiers who died fighting in Micronesia and Asia during World War

II. There are over 17,000 soldiers buried in the cemetery. The central part

is a circular colonnade on the walls of which the names of the fallen are

The Filipinos of course have a monument to their national hero in the

capital. He is Jose Rizal – a Filipino writer – and independence activist

who lived in the final period of Spanish colonial rule. The monument was

erected in the early 20th century in a small park in front of the port gate.

An honor guard stands in front of the monument. This is where state

The most interesting buildings in the old town (the old town called

Intramuros is surrounded by a defensive wall about 5 meters high) are the

monastery and the church of St. Augustine. Both buildings (450 years old)

are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery is housing now an

interesting museum. Wedding ceremonies are held in the beautiful church.

In the Intramuros district you will see many cobblestone streets. What I

liked the most here are kalesas – two-wheeled carriages modeled on those

that drove in Old Manila centuries ago. Today they carry tourists. There are

many willing people because where else in the world can you ride such a

In the corner of the Old City of Manila, at the mouth of the Pasig River,

the Spanish built a small fortress, Fort Santiago. The fort, surrounded by a

moat, has survived to this day and you can visit, among other things, an

underground prison. The fort’s gate on the side of the Old City is very

beautifully decorated. From the riverside bastion there is a nice view of

I returned to the ship just before sunset. The day ended with a magnificent

sunset. The sea was exceptionally calm. None of the passengers had any idea

that the next day we would find ourselves in a storm. The storm caused a

delay in sailing and, as a result, the cancellation of the planned landing

on the island of Guam. We sailed across the Pacific straight to Honolulu in

After 2 days of stormy weather, we had a few days at sea – time to look at our almost

new ship, which carried 3300 passengers from dozens of countries. Americans

dominated. For me, such a cruise is always an opportunity to meet other,

I quickly became friends with a nice family from Brazil. They were returning

to America after a stay in Southeast Asia. I told them about my several

trips through Brazil. And when I told them that in 2025 I would be back on

the Brazilian coast, Roberto suggested we meet in Sao Paulo or the

We arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, in beautiful weather. Two days of our stay

allowed me to recall, after years, the most interesting places on the “capital”

island of Oahu. We moored next to the Aloha Tower, and from there it was

only a fifteen-minute walk under the spreading trees to the Iolani Palace,

Opposite this palace, tourists like to take pictures in front of the statue

of King Kamehamecha, surrounded by beautiful palm trees. He was the greatest

From this “government district” I marched in the heat past the city hall

towards the beaches. The most famous of them is Waikiki Beach. Young couples

come here for photo sessions. I met some who willingly agreed to pose for

Right on the beach stands a statue of Prince Kahanamoku, who in the times of

the kingdom was a champion surfer – a discipline then reserved only for

upper-class Hawaiians. Every day, women hang fresh flower lei necklaces on

I used the second day of my stay in Honolulu for a trip to the PCC (Polynesian

Cultural Center). This very interesting institution was established on the

opposite side of the island from the capital – on a wild and sparsely

populated coast. The Mormons built several typical Polynesian villages there

– each representing a different Polynesian country and presenting its

culture. Admission is expensive (from 90 USD) but you can spend the whole

 I have visited in the pastall the island nations of Polynesia in the

past – I had something to talk about with the hosts of the individual

villages. I started my tour in the village (they say: islands) of Tonga,

Several times a day there are performances in the villages. A whole day is

not enough to see everything! Drums are beating, national costumes are

From the Tonga village I went to Fiji to recall the traditional construction

of huts and temples. There was an opportunity to talk to the chief (chief) –

he was surprised by my knowledge of his country. – Have you even been to the

old date line on Taveuni? We had to take photos. Because where else do guys

 In a Maori village (New Zealand) I not only participated in folk games

but also remembered the unique carving style of the Maori. Something like

In PCC there was of course the island of Hawaii, where ukulele playing and

static hula dances were presented, but there was also one dancer who showed

It was a beautiful spectacle, repeated three times during the day. So even

if you miss the first show, well, you just happened to watch them make fire

The bus ride back to Honolulu took about 1.5 hours – it was already dark

when I got to the ship. We soon sailed away, admiring the Honolulu skyline

 I wrote about the third episode of the 14th Journey Around the World (from

California to Florida) on a separate page

December 2024 – in Poland a and wet month I

spent  on warm seas and in warm countries. I flown for little

money to Barcelona and there I’ll board a ship I know well, sailing to

Tangier,

Canary Islands and then across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. From there,

after visiting few nice islands I

will flown straight to Norway to spend Christmas with my son and his family.

We sailed past Gibraltar at night. Then we were supposed to dock at Cadiz,

but a strike there caused the captain to steer the ship to Tangier, which is

on the African coast. This change was convenient for me, because Tangier is

I had the opportunity to wander once again through the labyrinth of alleys

of the old medina, visit the tomb of the great traveler Ibn Battuta (for the

first time I could look inside the tiny room) and then watch the oriental

Already in the new part of Tangier, near the French consulate, there is a

terrace with old cannons, from which a view of the port opens. It was from

this place that I took photos of our ship, on which I was to cross the

In the evening we set out onto the Atlantic, which turned out to be

exceptionally kind this time. The sea around the ship was as flat as a table.

According to the schedule, we docked at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary

Islands. Here, as always, I stocked up on rum, which was to last me for the

next few days spent in the empty ocean 🙂 I also had enough time to visit my

favorite places in this city: the squares in the old part of the city, where

unique dragon trees grow (I once admired them in Socotra) and the Mercado

That evening at the captain’s cocktail party I met my 43rd captain. His name

was John the Baptist. Whwn I introduced myself he asked me: – Have you

really visited all the countries?  Even….   My captain Gian

Bautista Manzini turned out to be a very nice person. Such captains are

At sunset we said goodbye to Tenerife. For the next 6 days we would see only

the inky ocean and the empty horizon. The ship suddenly became quiet, people

stopped rushing… But we were not bored. Every day there was a new

performance in the theater. There were lectures and competitions. I was

invited to tour the sterile ship kitchen. In the evening, there was dancing

I had time to meet other Poles (among the 2200 passengers there were 18

people with Polish passports – it was nice to exchange my experiences with

them!) I also met many interesting people from other countries: from Italy,

Belgium, Brazil and the Czech Republic. The ocean was calm. Daytime

temperatures were rising every day, the sun was shining more and more

strongly – I had to limit sunbathing to one hour a day, because I don’t like

On the morning of the seventh day I finally saw Barbados on the horizon –

the easternmost island of the Caribbean. Barbados has beautiful beaches, but

I marched from the port primarily to the park at the bus station, where I

always use the free access to the world wide web – after 7 days without

The center of Georgetown was already beautifully decorated for the upcoming

holidays: a large nativity scene was already standing by the drawbridge on

the river. Behind the second bridge, rafts with Christmas trees attached to

them were floating on the river (an interesting idea!), and another two

dozen decorated Christmas trees were placed along the riverside promenade

and the street. After finishing my online work, I marched towards the

so-called Washington House. George Washington – one of the fathers of the

American state supposedly left the borders of his country only once and for

two months he lived here – in Barbados in a small plantation house. Today,

this yellow house located on the outskirts of Bridgetown has been converted

into a museum. When I got there, it turned out that the house was surrounded

by a thick hedge, and the locals charged as much as 20 US dollars (or 40

Barbados dollars) for entry. This was a lot of money for me, so I limited

myself to taking pictures of this distinguished building from the outside. I

Opposite the Washington House you will see the garrison clock tower – the

adjacent area is occupied by the military and the coast guard, but you can

take photos in front of a row of historic cannons left by the British. On

the way to the Washington House it is worth deviating to Carlisle Beach – it

is a clean and nicely developed beach closest to the city. The sun is strong,

The next Caribbean island on our route was French-speaking Guadeloupe. I

spent a lot of time there at the beginning of the year, waiting for a ship

to Europe. Not much has changed here since February. I volunteered to be a

guide for my compatriots 🙂 We went to an old but still elegant one, where

the stalls are full of not only tropical fruits and vegetables, but also

homemade syrups and liqueurs. The smell is of cinnamon tree bark and black

vanilla pods. Dark-skinned vendors dressed in madras – a traditional

orange-yellow cloth, as in the past they do not want to be photographed.  

Through the main Place Victoire, where tall baobabs and mango trees grow, I

went to the Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. During my previous

visits, I had no luck – I always found the doors of the cathedral closed.

This time, I was lucky – I could go inside. I was surprised by the long

balcony at the height of the first floor. The interior of the building is

very modest and (unfortunately) neglected…

A wide avenue runs on the border of the old and new parts of the city, on

the sidewalks of which old women sell drinks and snacks from carts. Here,

for years, normal metropolitan life has continued… In the tourist

information office, they do not hand out maps of the city and the island, as

on other islands. And for years, no one has been able to do anything about

Late in the evening we sailed to Saint Kitts. The island is actually called

Saint Christopher, but people rarely use that name, even in official

documents. I first visited 30 years ago with my son Christopher, during our

St Kitts has become more beautiful over the years. A new concrete pier has

been built, housing two cruise ships. There is a pretty decent free Wi-Fi

signal in some parts of the colorful terminal. The police keep aggressive

In the central, green Independence Square, you might like the inactive

fountain and the Catholic church. A few blocks away, you can see the

Protestant St. George’s Cathedral. The tourist information worker at the

terminal handed out maps of the capital and the island. When I asked about

transport to Brimstone Fortress, he wanted to refer me to a taxi driver. But

I remembered that there was a small bus station at the Nevis ferry port. He

confirmed that from there, for $2-3 (I paid $2, they don’t issue tickets), I

The most interesting object on St. Kitts is the great fortress built by the

English on Brimstone Mountain. It has been entered on the UNESCO World

Heritage List. Having gathered a full complement of passengers, the driver

drove like crazy at times. He left me where the road to the fortress

branched off to the right, up. Its walls could be seen about 200 meters

 I was saved from climbing in the heat by a random older driver. On the

way we stopped at the ticket office, where I sat down to pay the $15

entrance fee. There are no discounts! At the destination, in a small room,

they show a short film about the history and reconstruction of the castle,

called the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. And then you can go up and explore. I

started by climbing a small green hill opposite the gate of the fortress. It

After taking pictures, I went down to the pavilion that housed the cinema

and boutique, then started climbing the cobblestone walkway again to the

gate of the actual fortress. Beyond it was a terrace with a row of old

cannons pointed out to the sea. The cannons were impressive, but so was the

The heart of the fortress is the peaked, quadrangular fort with another

dozen cannons on the battlements. Around the courtyard are the former crew

quarters, where soldiers slept in hammocks. There is a prison for those who

were insubordinate, a powder magazine and a bakery. In several rooms you can

When it was time to return to the ship there was no chance of hitchhiking

and the two miles to the main road had to be walked – fortunately downhill.

I didn’t have to wait long on the road – the microbus stopped on its own,

seeing a passenger on the road. Two dollars and 20 minutes later I was in

the island’s capital. There was still enough time to remember the historic

In the evening, the artists from the ship performed for us a cheerful

Christmas Show. They reminded us of popular songs about the Christmas tree

When I woke up the next day in my cheapest cabin without a window, we were

already in the British Virgin Islands. The ship docked in Tortola, where the

port is hidden in a picturesque bay, surrounded by green mountains. I had

been there many times, climbing a different mountain each time – for the

I passed the souvenir shops, then the former governor’s residence, which is

open to the public on weekdays for $5 admission. Then I turned right onto

MacNamara Street. The road that climbed up the slope had many potholes, but

eventually, after leaving the last few houses behind, a nice view opened up

Another two quarters of an hour of patient climbing and I could take a

beautiful photo of the bay with our ship, moored amidst the fabulous blue.

It was worth sweating a lot for such a panorama. Fortunately, I had been

From Tortola we sailed to the port of La Romana in the Dominican Republic

that same day. From there I took a bus to the airport in Santo Domingo, to

fly to my son in Oslo for Christmas (via Miami and Frankfurt). I made it in

time for Christmas Eve!   And so ended the last journey of the