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Down The Dunajec: The Oldest Kayak Rally In Europe
(Continued)
Text and photos by Robert
Huszar
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We
started day two with a castle tour. Back row:
Yurek Majcherczyk, Jib Ellison, Castle Tourguide,
and Eugene Buchanan. Front row: Robert Huszar,
Lisa Alpine, and Denise Buchanan.)
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That night, sitting
around the fire, sipping good Polish vodka, we listened
as our new friends sang the songs that were popular
in their university days. After five songs and much
laughter, the guitar was passed to us. Our hosts wanted
to hear the American campfire tradition. Now we were
in trouble.
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I have a voice quite
capable of creating an international incident. In fact, the
Canadian border patrol were still looking for me after an
unsavory affair at a Vancouver karaoke bar. Fortunately, Eugene
had paddled with the Latvians and the Russians on the Bashkaus
River in Siberia, and was hip to this important cultural exchange.
He tuned the guitar and, looking nervously at his back-up
singers, sternly admonished, "You better back me up on
this, guys."
Several Beatles songs
later we were in the clear, our "American" contribution
well received. Except that for the next several days, every
time we stopped for a break, someone would come up with some
absurd song or another that we could perform at the next campfire.
At one point, as all our boats were rafted together and we
were drifting leisurely with the current, I announced I had
the perfect song and launched into "I Wish I Was An Oscar
Meyer Wiener" -- which seemed appropriate, considering
the amounts of kielbasa we all consumed. Everyone giggled
and picked up the melody, completing the song in four-part
harmony. Of course, one of the Polish women we were paddling
with looked at us aghast, her eyes saying: Americans have
very weird sing-along tradition. Denise noticed her unease
and quickly explained it was a joke: a commercial for hot
dogs. "Oh," Paulina said, "I get it!"
She laughed warmly but did not request an encore.
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| Like all modern countries,
Poland is not without its problems. The government is in a state
of division, with over 200 active political parties (in 1991,
29 different parties were elected into the Sejm, the
lower parliamentary house). The culture is divided, with the
church trying to fill the gap left by the departure of the super-authoritative
Communist Party. The economy is weak, but stable and growing.
And Poland's infrastructure is compromised, but steady and being
rebuilt. |
Man's best friend,
wherever you go. |
| Consequently,
traveling in Poland does have a few minor nuisances. The biggest
problem in touring Poland is transportation. The trains and
buses are often over crowded and very often sold out. During
peak months, transportation arrangements must be booked in advance
-- and preferably through a reliable travel agent. Or you can
go with a group tour as we did, and have a professional take
care of the details. |
Happy landings!
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Also,
you should be aware that traveler's checks are not welcome in
Poland. You can get them cashed in major cities like Warsaw
and Krakow, but not without considerable aggravation; in smaller
towns you could wait for hours trying to get one cashed. Top-class
hotels will cash almost any type of traveler's check, but you
have to be a registered guest; and even then, they'll usually
charge a whopping 5 percent, either as a commission or by adjusting
the exchange rate in their favor. Barclay’s Bank of London
actually advises tourists against bringing traveler’s checks
to Poland, and instead recommends carrying plenty of cash. |
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The bathroom system is also a tad complicated.
Toilets are never free (prices vary from between 10 and 50
cents) and are zealously guarded by the babcia klozetown,
which translates as the Water Closet Sitter. These woman ensure
that everyone pays the fee. The babcia klozetown also
hands out a too-little piece of TP at some establishments,
and, in theory, keeps the place clean; but, as you'll discover,
price does not always reflect efficiency.
But these are all minor problems when
compared to the joys of alpine mountains, raging whitewater,
and 800-year-old castles. The Poles have a saying, "A
guest in the house is God in the house." And as you travel
though their country, marveling at a land and a people that
survived insurmountable odds, you are constantly aware, from
every face you pass, that in Poland, visitors are very welcome.
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| For tourist information or details
on next year’s Dunajec Festival, call Sunnyland
Tours (Yurek Majcherszyk) at 201-487-2150 or the Polish
National Tourist Office at 212-338-9238, or write the
Polish Information Agency: Orbis, 500 Fifth Avenue,
Suite 1428, New York, NY 10036. |
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Text and photos copyright ©1998
by Robert Huszar, 212-557-4949, ext. 206.
huszar@recteck.com
All rights reserved.
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