132 km to a campground outside Lipt Hradok, Slovakian Republic. Cycled through Bialka, Jagurka, and Chyzne in Poland and Trstna, Habovka, and Lipt Ondrasova in the Slovakian Republic.

Another sunny, warm day. Calm in the morning and evening but very strong winds in mid-afternoon. In Poland I finally found a pleasant section of road, a long climb to Przel Krowiarki pass (the highest road in Poland, just over 1,000 meters). The road wound through a beautiful fir forest, and there was very light traffic on the road.

After stopping for a rest and photo at the summit, I coasted downhill to the Czech border, only to discover that Czechoslovakia no longer existed. The brand new sign said that I was entering the Slovenska Republika, a country whose independence had been declared only three days previously. I was informed of this fact by 4 Czech cyclists who had crossed the border at the same time I did. All of the border guards had new uniforms and looked very confused as they were checking big manuals as people crossed the border.

It felt great to be "back" in Slovakia. At the border the road was magically transformed from a Polish axle-breaker into a smooth asphalted surface with wide shoulders. Moreover, the wide open countryside and backdrop of the spectacular Tatra mountains was very soothing. I cruised into Podbiel, with a song on my lips, and ran into two American cyclists from Seattle, Josh and Claire. They were on a tour of Poland and had just crossed into Slovakia for the day before heading back. Claire works for the EPA in Seattle while Josh is a graduate student at WSU. He had been in Poland for an environmental conference and we discussed the terrible state of pollution in that country. We wanted to stop for coffee but the only restaurant was full of rowdy Czech men, so we had cokes out on a bus stop bench. They recommended a route to me that was not on my map, and I decided to take it.

The route Josh recommended was a spectacular climb into the Tatra Mountains ( with fabulous panoramic views) followed by a high speed 10 km descent on a good road. However, my mental state was then marred by an act of sheer stupidity on my part. I had not exchanged money at the border, and about half way up this climb I decided to take out the money I had hidden in my seat post. Unfortunately, the money would not come out. Finally, in frustration, I yanked it and tore all the bills. Then I started to panic. I had no money, it was Friday afternoon, and I was about 40 km from the next sizable town. Given the general paucity of banks (and the complete absence of cash machines) I didn't think I could repair my money or get new currency before Monday. So, I sped into Lipt Mikulas, trying to get to a bank before it closed.

It was late afternoon when I finally arrived in Lipt Mikulas. I was in a state of almost neurotic panic. After asking several people, I managed to find the only bank in town, but it had already closed. I then found a large department store (the first I had seen in eastern Europe) and, after leaving Burton under the watchful eye of a friendly street peddler, entered a scene of utter chaos. The store was divided into about 12 sections, each with walls and gates in them. There was no obvious order to the merchandise and people were frantically scurrying around like rats in a maze. The clerks were overwhelmed and surly. I was only looking for scotch tape, but I might as well have been searching for the holy grail. I finally concluded that the store had none. But my problem was solved when I managed to find an exchange office which refused to take my torn currency, but did change a $20 traveler's check for me.

After this debacle I set out on the road and met a German couple who were cycling the same direction as me. We had a nice talk, although their English was limited, and rode together for the next 20 km. The woman told me that she was amazed how friendly the Czechs were, and I did notice, while riding with them, that the reactions of passerbys was markedly more friendly than I was used to. When we came to a crossroads and were pondering whether we should continue riding together, a drunken Czech came up to us and would not stop talking and pointing to our map. He was friendly enough, but he was drunk and his language was, of course, incomprehensible to us. The whole scene was at first comical, and then irritating, so I decided to head out on my own.

The whole country seems in a festive mood. Everybody is out in the streets, and a couple of campgrounds I passed had literally thousands of people gathered in them--although the one I am staying at tonight is fairly quiet, with mostly German tourists.

Besides my money fiasco, I've managed to lose my watch and my flashlight in the last couple of days.

52 km to the forest near Stary Smokovec.

Today I began to lapse into full-fledged paranoia. The staring and gawking is just become too much. The problem is the worst when I eat, and I have to eat in restaurants because there is no appropriate food in the grocery stores. I'm also weary of the rude waiters and clerks, most of whom short-change me in some way. Typically, a waiter will first ignore me, then show no patience for my inability to read the menu, and finally, charge me for items that I did not order. I understand the reality that the standard of living is so much lower here, but nonetheless I find this ripoff mentality very disturbing. I feel as though whenever anybody has an edge (i.e. they know you don't understand the language) they will take full advantage of it. I've made up my mind to give large tips to waiters who show me a bit of common decency, but I've ended up giving few such tips. How do people go through life treating others in this manner?

Enough griping. The ride today was a spectacular climb and then a drop into Stary Smokovec, with the jagged peaked Tatra Mountains as a backdrop. The weather was clear and warm, and so the cycling itself was a delight.

I bought some pastries today that were awful. I've yet to find an edible bread or pastry in the shops here. However, they do have a fantastic dumpling bread that is served in restaurants. Unfortunately, I can't figure out what it is called, and it is hit or miss whether I receive it with my meal.

The campsites in this area were over-crowded and unsavory, so I decided to free camp in the forest. I'd not yet done this in Czechoslovakia, and so I felt a bit of trepidation. I walked, and carried, Burton a couple of hundred meters into a dense forest area. In the process I broke a spoke which I had to repair. Fortunately, I had the right size spare and was able to do so.

I have been feeling lonely and oppressed by the hostility directed toward me. I would do anything to have somebody show me a bit of kindness or human decency.

Awoke at 4:00 from an erotic dream about Anne. This is the first such dream I have had in some time. I think it is a good sign--at least it broke this feeling of paranoia.

144 km through Poprad aand Hrachova to a campground near Tomasovice.

Rode through the most outstanding terrain of the entire trip today, jagged mountain peaks, conifer forests and vast panoramic views (although still obscured by the pollution haze). I also met some people who showed me some common human decency, which buoyed my spirits immensely.

I was off by 5:00 a.m. and dropped quickly into the city of Poprad, which was already bustling with activity. Large crowds of people were at all of the bus stops--what were they doing at 5:30 on a Sunday morning? As with all the cities I went through today (except Muran) Poprad was a bleak industrial city, most likely constructed during the 50's when the Russians industrialized Slovakia.

After Poprad I climbed over three successive mountain ranges. This portion consisted of long uphills and steep long downhills--many of the climbs and descents were sign-posted as 12% grades. I almost burned out my brakes on a few of the downhills. I passed the same hitchhiker (carrying a guitar) three times during the day. We said "ahoy" every time we met, and it was like meeting an old friend. I also passed by two groups of touring cyclists going the other way. Unfortunately, either they or I were whizzing downhill at high speeds when we passed and so we could do no more than shout greetings at each other.

I was worried about food today because it is Sunday and there were some long stretches between towns. I finally found a pension about 50 km into the ride. The waiter there spoke some English and was very kind. When I gave him my torn 500 Korun note (taped together by this time) and asked if it was ok, he said "no problem". I could hardly believe my ears. I thought I would never hear an Eastern European utter those simple words. On top of that, the meal was delicious, with eggs and several varieties of cheese (a rarity in Czechoslovakia--I hadn't had cheese since I was in Germany). So, this waiter made my day and got a huge tip as a result.

I was still feeling so good about this act of decency that I was not upset when the waiter at tonight's meal charged me more for a coke than for an entire meal. This is one of the usual methods--drinks are not listed on the menu, and the charge for them is thus whatever the waiter thinks he can get away with.

I've been pondering my experiences in Poland for the past couple of days. My theory is that Hitler destroyed the soul of the country when he killed the Jews and the intellectuals. What he left behind was a nation of petty hustlers, bureaucrats and shopkeepers--just the kind of people who brought Hitler to power in the first place. It will probably take another generation for Poland to re-discover its soul, to again have visionaries and poets.

I am the only camper at this site that parallels one of the main highways, although there are people staying in bungalows. The shower did not work so I washed outside in a faucet. The toilets smelled so horribly that I nearly passed out when I went in. When I ate dinner at the restaurant, the flies were so bad that I, and all the other customers, had to eat outside on the deck. I can imagine the sanitary conditions in the kitchen.

My rear wheel is slightly out of true (caused by my broken spoke) causing a slight thump on each revolution. I spent an hour trying to re-true it before the sun set.

CONTINUE ON TO HUNGARY