Old Town

And then further north to Gdansk....

writing this in Warsaw. Im travelling alone again. Its weird because for the last few days, I was able to speak whatever was on my mind to Jaime, whether it is complaining how cold it is, or how beautiful the buildings are, or how friendly the Poles are, or how cheap the food. It takes adjusting to the fact that Im by myself again.

Originally, I had booked this trip to Poland with the assumption that I was going by myself. But to my pleasant surprise, Jaime took to the idea and she decided to come along as well for a few days. Before this trip, if you asked me whether I preferred to travel alone or with someone, my answer would have been to travel alone. If you think Im sad, you arent alone, because my brother thinks Im really sad. In fact, thats what he calls me everytime I start babbling about my [dream] destinations during our frequent phone calls back in Australia. He says the same thing about me and my past-passion of swimming. He never understood why I used to be so into training. He couldnt see what is so atractive about swimming or why I even enjoyed watching it on TV or at the Olympics; he couldnt see the interest in swimming laps after laps, when your head is for the most part facing down or up at the ceiling of the pool. I dont understand either. In hindsight, I can see how swimming is a rather solitary sport. Its not like tennis or waterpolo. Goodness. Does this suggest something about me?

People who know me well, or in other words, those I am close to would describe me as hyperactive and outgoing. But to a majority of others, they would see me as boring and as a person lacking social skills (as my brother would put it). I realize this is true, when I reflect on the way I interact with people. There arent many people I click with but those persons I do click with, I would talk non-stop. Its also influenced the way I form friendships. Although I have spent a significant number of years in HK, Sydney and Melbourne, in each place, there are only a select few I would regard as close or life friends. I realize I am satisfied with that - as long as my friendships are meaningful and intimate. Corny but how true.

Ive gone way off tangent. I had set this blog purely as a travel blog. Oops. I do like the idea of blogging. Its a way for me to recall what I have seen and experienced, and my thoughts at the time of writing. Most people know what a horrible memory I have. Jaime and I had a trip down memory lane, and she was shocked at how little I remember. Its kind of scary. I hope its not symptoms of premature amnesia/dementia. Last week, I was re-reading entries of my India trip and it was sad but nice just reminescing my time there. I remember, I wished I had written more in my blog, than the rather rushed once-a-week entries which tried to summarize the preceding week. Between the entries was like a gap in time - what happened? what did I do? I know in the not so distant future, I will be looking back at this current blog and wondering the same thing; I havent done a good job with writing in this blog on this trip. I hope when I get back to London and start uploading the photos, I will be inspired to write descriptive notes under the photos.

So, back to my trip in Poland. The last time I wrote in this space was when Jaime and I were in Zakopane, a cute and cozy ski town. On the first day, we went on this ski lift up the mountain, but it was a misty day and we couldnt see much. So we spent the rest of the day in the local markets and later in a restaurant for three hours! (we were too full to move, so we stayed put and listened to live Polish music and just talked) The next day, we woke up to really good weather - it was a clear day and the sun was shining (of course, it was cold as we were high up in the mountains) - so we decided to take the gondola lift that morning. The view we got of the Tatra mountains were incredible. We took lots of photos (despite both our dying camera batteries). We bused back to Krakow about noon. I spent the afternoon doing errands while Jaime when to visit some cathedrals. The cathedrals here look amazing, especially the Wawel cathedral. Jaime thinks some of the cathedrals look even better than those in Italy. I cant really comment because I have a hazy memory. The Poles are devoutly Catholic and church-going is (whether for a mass or for personal prayer/confession) is a way of life here. There are also cathedrals everywhere.

I got into Warsaw yesterday. Its one big city. I wanted to go take a look of the Stare Miasto (Old Town) and I completely underestimated the distance. Sure, it is walkable, but its a good 45 mins walk. Ah. sometimes maps are so deceptive. I wasnt as impressed with the Old Town in Warsaw, as I was with the Old Town in Krakow. I dont know if thats a bias opinion since the Old Town in Warsaw was completely destroyed in WWII and the Old Town as it stands now is a recreated version. There is a difference in the atmospheres of the Stare Miastos of Krakow and Warsaw. In Krakow, being in the Main Square was a natural thing; the Old Town is part of the local sphere of movement; the locals would do their shopping, attend the cathedrals, dine out in Old Town. But in Warsaw, the Old Town seems to confine itself (or really, appeal) to tourists. You get the feeling that locals seldom actually go to Old Town area. I didnt spend long in Old Town as there wasnt much to see in any case. While I wasnt so intrigued by the Old Town, my spirits were lifted when I started exploring the rest of the city. I stumbled across a good shopping strip when I decided to hop on a random tram. On the same street. I went into a cafe that specializes in soup and I had this really tasty mushroom soup with German/Polish rye bread (Im starting to like this type of hard and chewy bread).

Poland is cheap, but I wouldnt say cheaper than Asia (definitely not cheaper than South Asian countries). I think its cheap for Eastern Europe standards. But I dont know how long it will remain as a bargain destination for travellers. I was saying to Jaime that since flights to Poland are opening up and the forcast of the euro currency, its going to be fast changing. I just hope it wouldnt become exploited like many Asian countries (notably, Thailand). Im am so used to travelling in Asia where you expect to be ripped off and bargaining is paramount. For example, for musuem charges and other entrance fees, Im pleasantly surprised at being charged the same rate as locals (in India, that would be unheard of - to see the Taj Mahal, tourists have to pay 75 times more than locals). Also, there is a conspicuous absence of touts hanging outside buses ready to prey on travellrs. lols. In fact, I havent come across anyone trying to sell me stuff on the street. The ironic (or not) thing is, I find it easier to get around in Asia than in Poland. The tourist industry in countries like Thailand is huge, and the many people whose livelihood depend on the industry often need to acquire some level of English to profit. Its not the case in Poland. It is hard getting around without any Polish or German. I spent at least an hour at the railway station buying a rail ticket [let me deviate here - the Central Train Station in Warsaw is big and convulated. Usually at a train statin, there is one main reservations counter/s but in this station, there are at least 20 ticket counters scattered around the stations]. Anyways, travelling in Poland is a sharp contrast to travelling in Asia-general. There isnt much of a cultural shock in the conventional sense.

I better head off to bed because I have an early train to catch tomorrow. Oh dear, its late now. Im staying at this hostel in a 8-person dorm (oh, thats the other difference with backpacking in Asia - the style of budget accommodation), which is fine, save the fact that I will probably wake some up as I prepare for bed (and pack my bag for tmr). Bye.