The Sweet and the Nasty

Today I ventured on my first hike in the Tatra Mountains. A Finnish guy in my room was nice enough to sell me an extra map he had for really cheap and gave me all sorts of tips on where to go and how to get there. (By the way, the Finnish are fantastically friendly people.) To get to the start of any of the hiking, you have to take a minibus. I walked down to the area where the minibuses are, armed with my map, hoping for the best. None of the minibuses seemed to be going where I wanted to go... then a guy starts talking to me, asking me where I want to go.. at least I think that is what he was asking. I point on my map because I am not sure what it would be called. He starts shouting at me, and waving me away! It was like an episode of Seinfield, and I was a victim of the Soup Nazi. So I start looking at the other minibuses... meanwhile another guy comes over to me... he had been standing with the guy who yelled at me. He starts talking to me.. so I point at the map again. He points to the minibus. So I get on. As I am doing so, a woman starts talking to me. I didn't know what she wanted. I thought she wanted me to pay her. I get off the bus and try to pay the guy who yelled at me. Nope.. it seemed like I would pay when I got off. So I got back on the bus. Then the woman starts yammering again. I really had no idea what she was on about!! Finally I was saved. A woman who spoke English asked me where I wanted to go. I showed her on the map. She said no problem, they were going past there and she would tell the driver to stop to let me off. Phew!

I got to the start of the hiking trail without further incident. I did a circuit hike of about 6 hours. The trails are marked and color coded even! It is so easy to find your way. At each junction there is even a signpost with color coded arrows, names and times. It's easier to find your way around the mountains than it is in the town of Zakopane! (They really need signs in town!)

The hike was beautiful. Up through the forest, into a valley, over a pass and then down into another valley. I had planned on doing a sidetrip up to the top of a peak, but I only went halfway up. Unfortunately it was a rainy day, and when I got halfway up, I realized that I wouldn't be able to see a thing from the top so I turned back. I could only see about 25 feet in front of me at the time, the clouds were really low. So I hiked up to a height of 1800 metres today.

I met a really sweet man (probably in his 60's) when I was at the top of the pass. He talked and talked to me in Polish. I told him that I was from Canada and only spoke English, but he just went on and on. He didn't seem to care that I couldn't understand a word he was saying. He had just come down from the peak that I was planning on going up and was trying to tell me to go. That much I figured out. Finally he decided to continue the hike down and he grabbed my arm in a friendly way, said adieu and was on his way. So far I haven't found the Polish people as friendly as I had hoped. This man restored my hope. I think that they must think I am American so aren't so friendly.

I can completely understand that. The Americans I have come across have been SO annoying. They have this arrogance about them, and they never shut up! I know they are not all like that... but the ones I have met on this trip sure haven't left a good impression. So from now on, whenever anyone talks to me in another language, it is going to be "Canadian, sorry English only".

I have decided to stay an extra night in Zakopane because I haven't had any luck getting a room booked in Stary Smokovec, Slovakia. The tourist office (for booking rooms) is only open from 10:00 to 4:00 so I figure I will leave here in the morning (day after tomorrow) and try to get a room when I get there. It is only about an hour to the border by bus, then you walk across into Slovakia and catch a bus for another hour or so.