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Published: August 20th 2007
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The last couple of weeks has been busy catching up with friends, and organizing ourselves for the next leg of our journey.
We met Angela and Paul in Kazimierz Dolny, an artists retreat town not far from Warsaw. Angela was teaching English to children on a school camp just up the road in Pulavy, and Paul had been visiting Belarus and decided to pay us a visit as part of his trip (he also rescued us from melting to death in our caravan and whisked us off for a night of luxury in the hotel next door!).
Then it was off to Warsaw where we were looked after by our wonderful hosts (parents of a good friend from London). Ela and Jerzy fed us Polish delicacies while helping our stumbling Polish vocabulary to improve a little further. A few language difficulties aside (such as the time I was served hot beer in the middle of a heat wave), we can now ask for most things we want in shops (as often the goods are behind the counter), but my favourite saying is that which has been wished to us ‘Szerokiej Drogi’ (may your road be wide) which I think is relevant
for travelers and non travelers alike.
This well wishing and the plentiful storks who watch over us from above, seem to assure our safe passage through Poland.
In Warsaw we met more good friends from London, George, and Amanda, and headed to the primeval forests of Bialowezia, where the Zubr (buffalo) roam along with wolves and elk and where Poland meets Belarus (in the form of a impenetrable fence with alarms should one try to impinge it). The buffalo have probably been made most famous by Zubrowka, a high quality Polish vodka flavoured with Bison grass, which is sold throughout the country.. Though only about 260km from Warsaw, it turned out to be an epic to reach on multiple forms of public transport (the bikes and our bottoms having a well earned rest!)
We had to share our bungalow in Bialowezia with a wild boar (or what was once a wild boar), and the forest with 29 different species of mosquito, who seemed attracted rather than discouraged by the aroma of insect repellant. Our guide was bombarded with questions which he answered most admirably, but was unable to answer our most pressing question of what the mosquitoes would eat when
we had gone - he admitted at this point that he was ‘not a mosquito specialist’ much to our amusement as it seemed he was a specialist on everything else.(It took George and Wikipedia to solve that one! Apparently they eat nectar as well as blood. )
Never-the-less, an ethereal and timeless place.
Then it was back to Warsaw, and the haven of Ela and Jerzys home, where we also met Peter, over from London, and collected our Russian visas before reloading our bikes and heading north towards Lithuania.
July 16 Day 93 Kazimierz Dolny (rest day, caught up with Paul and Angela) 36 degrees. Paul shouted us night in flash hotel next door to camp ground!
Caravan 40 Pln
Drinks and restaurant 25 Pln
Total = 65 Pln
Euro = 17
July 17 Day 94 Kazimierz Dolny to Pulavy ( 32km- it really should have only been 16km but got hopelessly lost entering and leaving town) Heat wave continues. Spent afternoon with Angela at swimming pool
Camping ground 10 Pln
Lunch 23 Pln
Sklep 21 Pln
Bar 23.50
Total = 77.50 Pln
Euro = 20.5
July 18 Day 95 Pulavy to Celejow (80km)
Free
camp in forest
Sklep 20 Pln
Supermarket 8 Pln
Total = 28 Pln
Euro = 7.5
July 19 Day 96 Celejow to Warsaw (65 Km)
Stayed with friend Peter’s parents Ela and Jerzy
New seat, tyre and two inner tubes. 175
Food in restaurant 35
Other food 5
Total = 215
Euro = 56.50
July 20 Day 97 rest day Warsaw
Stayed with friends from London (George and Amanda) in hostel 90
Restaurants 135
Nightclub and bars 120
Maps 130
Travel pass 14.4
Russian visa 876
Lotto 2.5
Total = 1367.90
Euro = 360
July 21 Day 98 rest day Warsaw with George and Amanda
Camping Warsaw 55
Travel card 14.4
Sklep 95
Food and drink 25
Total = 189.40
Euro = 50
July 22 Day 99 To Bialowezia via public transport with G & A
Train and buses Warsaw to Bialowezia 84
Russian market Warsaw clothing etc 140
Camping (domki) 25
Food and drink 60
Sklep 20
Total = 329
Euro = 86.5
July 23 Day 100 rest day Bialowezia
Restaurant 35
Sklep 30
Souvenirs 62.5
Bike hire 40 (40 km cycle ride around area- George perhaps 60km due
to an attempt to reach the Belarussian border through the forest!)
Domki 25
Park entrance fee (reserve and park) 24
Tour guide for park 80
Total = 296.5
Euro = 78
July 24 Day 101
Returned to Warsaw from Bialowezia
Stayed with Pete’s parents Ela and Jerzy
Buses back to Warsaw 73
Travel passes Warsaw 14
Food and drink 55
Total = 142
Euro = 37.50
July 25 Day 102
Rest day Warsaw
Ortlieb back pack for Sonya 219
Food and drink 40
Travel passes Warsaw 14
Phone card 10
Total = 283
Euro = 74.5
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fabian
non-member comment
Hey
Hey, You guys rock!! Keep riding :) IM getting a moutain bike that I caN use soon hehehe how cool is that, we should hit some hills some time F