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Just got back to Warsaw after a 4 day backpacking trip in the Carpathian Mountains - much of the time right on the Slovakian border. Diana and I went with a group of mostly Poles and a few other international folks (Canadian, Dutch, Indian, French). It was sort of an organized thing - more organized than I had anticipated - but ended up being super fun. Beautiful countryside, lush green, lots of mud, quaint country villages, good company, good hiking. Polish people love to be social and do group activities! It was sort of a hiking club arranged through a student organization - our group was named "twisting in the bush". The last night out was a huge annual gathering of sorts of this hiking club with guides and trekkers - about 2 or 300 people in all. An interesting observation of the trekking sub-culture in Poland. Lots of games, competitions, and up literally all night around a massive bonfire singing traditional Polish campfire songs until the birds started singing instead. Surprisingly - absolutely no alcohol - as this hiking association has a no drinking policy when out trekking - I guess they are concerned that with the way many Poles
drink - that nobody would ever do any hiking if drinking was tolerated. So - a completely sober event - which was kind of refreshing - and with the lack of sleep anyway, no alcohol needed! The lack of alcohol did not seem to hinder the level of craziness though - as I said - Poles love big group activities and are highly social! The last morning - after being up all night around the bonfire - there was a game/competition - a human tank - where a bunch of people laid on the ground and one by one starting rolling over everyone else to move as a giant worm over rocks and mud - into the freezing cold creek - more brush, grass, and mud, etc. It was quite an event. I guess I'm glad there are people out there that enjoy this sort of thing, as it makes the world a more interesting place for those of us that don't and more enjoy being the observer. Our hiking guide Darek asked me if I was going to submit any of my pictures from this event to National Geographic (obviously a joke) - pretty amusing. One of the nights
Carpathian Mountains
The first night we stayed at a sweet little cabin with no electricity or heat - this was the well where water came from out we were supposed to sleep in a barn, but it was so cold and rainy that day that we slept in an elementary school instead in a tiny village. Diana and I were in one of the rooms at the school stretching and doing some yoga (much needed after all the hiking with a pack on) - slowly, other people from our group became curious about what we were doing - and before I knew it, I was teaching a full on yoga class to 18 other people - who all seemed enthralled with it and couldn't seem to get enough. It was pretty fun - and very cool to finish up with a quiet meditation and open my eyes to see this international group of people sitting together in a perfect circle facing each other - with such a sense of focus, calm, and quiet - in a small elementary school in rural Poland. It was a bonding moment (as was the whole trip) - and I suppose these are some of the experiences that help to make travel such a sweet experience. On a similar note, Diana had fun showing folks in our group what it is
to roast marshmallows and make the all American traditional s'mores. Folks loved it. Coming out of the "bush" so to speak, we found out that Bin Laden had been killed - welcome back to the real world. As American travelers, we are now advised to be careful if traveling in heavily Muslim areas - and register with the state department (not sure what that would do, but suppose it's a good idea?). Along with this huge news, the royal wedding occurred and the Pope became a saint while we were gone. A very busy weekend in the world.
Before the hiking trip, Diana and I went to Gdansk and the suburbs around there - on the Baltic Sea in the north. This was over Easter weekend. A beautiful town - very picturesque - and the sweet smell of salt water. With the exception of a sketchy drunk guy who harassed us while we were sitting on the beach, it was a pleasant and mellow weekend - with much time spent hunting for just the right pieces of amber jewelry (this region is famous for Baltic amber).
It's been great to spend so much time with my niece Diana
- and she is off today to return to the states and her journey is closing (with the exception of a jaunt to Paraguay and Puerto Rico this summer - sucks to be her!) before she starts college this fall. What an amazing gap year she has had! I think people we have come across in our travels are curious and surprised and get a kick out of realizing what our relationship is - It seems that people think we come across as sisters more than anything else. It was interesting to watch the wheels in people's heads start to turn as they talked with each of us separately asking what we are doing in Poland and her response was "visiting my grandpa" and my response was "visiting my dad".
Regarding the Russian visa - think it's straightened out - I went back again with the properly stamped document - and the Russian embassy has my passport and money, which I hope and think is a good sign. I am supposed to go back on the 12th to pick up the visa and my passport - so I am starting some planning for travel in Russia and have also
purchased a train ticket for the second leg of my trans-siberian trip - from a small town in east Siberia called Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude, which is close to the Mongolian border - and one booked from Ulan-Ude to Ulan-Bator (capital of Mongolia) to arrive there on June 4 - and the journey continues.
Today, Diana wants to do some last minute shopping in Warsaw and possibly visit the zoo (which is supposed to be a good one), before me and my dad see her off at the airport this evening.
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Peter Siegel
non-member comment
Carpathians
Becky, Thanks for the virtual tour of the trip. Sounds great. The human tank through the mud to the creek sounds a bit nuts. We'll be picking Diana up from the airport tonight. I'm wondering if she's looking forward to coming back at this point or if she's ready to keep traveling. Glad to hear that the Russian visa seems to be working out. Be safe and enjoy the journey. Love, Peter