From Kraków to Toruń - Day Two 26/8/12

No need to worry. That’s what I kept telling myself but yet every little sound was a threat to my nerves. I felt my body stiffen with breaths coming in short gasps as the sounds of life in the forest kept me in a state of great fear. My body was stiff, my nerves ruined. I longed for daylight and the chance to pack up and go.

          When it came, I did just that, the only problem was the going part. I couldn’t remember which way I had entered the forest. I tried a number of ways but to no avail and decided it would easier to do it without the bike. I did find the way but then couldn’t find the bike. I backtracked and searched for at least one hour with my legs getting scratched and stung in the process until I finally found it. Back on the road again, I felt exhausted and dizzy from the lack of sleep and stress. I was also itching like crazy from the mosquito bites I had received despite spraying myself with repellent. Weather wise, it was sunny but windy which made progress that bit slower.

          Again, I wasn’t sure how far I was going to go. Without a speedometer it was difficult to gauge what was possible. The 973 road was pleasant enough, most importantly, it was quiet. My first aim was to get to Nowy Korczyn. Along the way I passed some villages and made a detour to see a village called Zalipie which had some interesting painted wooden houses. Other than that, there was not so much to report on except typical villages with lots of chickens and many barking dogs that made a racket as I passed by.

To get across the Wisła, it was necessary to take a ferry which was maneuvered across the wide river by means of a cable. The wind was quite strong at this stage and the thought of getting blown away down the Wisła was not so unrealistic. It was a relief to be on the other side and to be on the move again. I avoided the main road as much as possible passing by villages such as Pawłów, Brzostków and others until I got as far and Rataje Słupskie and was forced to take the busy 73 as far as Pacanów and then I got off it again and once more traveled along much quieter roads through the Polish countryside.

          When I reached Staszów, my body was really drained of energy. I just couldn’t go any further. Fighting the wind had really been hard and it was time to rest even though I wasn’t satisfied with the distance I had done. Camping wild was not something I wanted to repeat so I looked around for accommodation but there was none to be seen, at least with my eyes. I was looking at a map which showed a campsite when a drunken old man asked me what I was looking for. I told him and he said he would help me. He wanted to take a taxi with me to Golejów where the campsite was located but I refused as it didn’t seem so far away. He said he would walk with me and show me how to reach the campsite. He wasn't the most desirable company but it seemed wrong to turn down the offer of help. Understanding him was not easy as his speech was slurred from too much booze. We continued walking with me trying to reply to his questions but then I felt his hand touch off my groin. I thought perhaps it was an accident given his state but then it happened again and he shockingly asked me without any shame if I wanted a blowjob. I couldn't really believe my ears but he repeated his offer with an expressoin of sincerity on his face. I politely declined and then had to insist on going the rest of the way myself. He was not happy with this at first and tried his luck unsuccessfully to get more money from me. Fortunately, there were no more offers of other sexual favours and there was no struggle to get away from him.

The campsite was located next to a lake. It was cold at this stage and the weather had changed so I was happy to have a place to stay to rest and recover. The facilities were nothing special, neither were the food options on offer. I had to settle for a bowl of soup and a toasted cheese baguette (zapiekanka). I was really hungry and knew that I had to look after my diet more if I was to complete the trip. Sleeping in a tent meant an early night as it was dark before 9 o’clock. The only other people on the campsite was a Polish family that made up for the lack of other people by making a lot of noise by shouting and swearing as they got drunk not so far away from my tent. At least there was less of a risk of being attacked by wild animals during the night. The scratching of bites was difficult to resist as I found it impossible to ignore the waves of itchiness that came upon me.