POLAND Lubin

Poland

Alvin's update

Lubin Plains

Log 19

From Warsaw I headed south east, back to the rural plains around Lubin. All my plans to go back to Warsaw changed after the debacle of not remembering my train station. I soon found a mechanic with a Mig welder, on my way out of the city, who fixed the exhaust leak. I snapped on a new fuel filter which has eliminated the fuel leak. My gas supply remains dubious, i have had to put an oversize Polish cylinder in the wardrobe and run the hose via a new hole drilled in the floor of the WR connecting it to the Gas Cupboard . I remain skeptical about the seal and switch the gas supply off when not needed . This has stuffed my Fridge as it runs on Gas during the day and night, it was time to have a throw out anyway.

I have been telling you all the positive aspects of my travels but the negative can be as interesting as well. Towards mid afternoon the sun was real hot, I decided to take advantage of the heat and attend to the most of my clothes washing , It not easy to find a laundry service in this nick of the woods because there are very few tourists. I have not seen another campervan or tourist bus since i left Warsaw. I filled the ballast water tank to the top with H2O and sought a place where i could scrub and hang the clothes to dry . I found a spot just behind a village where they have their weekly market. The towns sewage plant was nearby but I could not detect any pong from there . A small fire was burning about 100 meters away . Rubbish was being burned, there was the strong smell of burnt plastic pervading the air. I decided to tolerate the smell while attended to the washing.

Once started the wind changed and I was getting the full force of the pollutants from the fire but I persevered and soon had the fence covered in Tee Shirts, shirts, trousers, and my undies, I put the sleeping bags out to air. They felt damp after a weeks rain and little ventilation through the van.

I wandered over to the fire and spread it so it would extinguish itself in time which worked after 30 minutes. I had a range of visitors all wondering who and what i was doing. Several teenagers can and sat in close proximity drinking beer and chatting . Probably marking their territory and tying to encourage me to move on. The rain recommenced , my clothing was 80% dry, still too wet to put away . I utilized a small overhang in the market to put the damp clothing and made my evening meal. Cauliflower, potatoes, Peas and Ham, I ripped open a tin of mixed fruit for sweets.

I watched the bird settle for the evening . Starlings,in their thousands, had a massive roosting tree nearby and were flat out catching up with the days news and events with one another. The Jack draws sat high on the power lines The young birds among them occasional squabbling and causing their neighbor to fly off temporarily. High in the sky six cranes flew by . Their flight was slow and direct. The wingspan must have been two meters and were flapped in a slow rhythmical pattern as they headed west. Their long legs acting as a rudder to keep them on course. A farmer bought in his two cows for the night . The old Frisian cows had been tethered in a field nearby . As they waddled past with massive udders it was obvious they were about to be milked . A permanent chain is fastened around the stub of their horns , the chain being about 20 feet long was being dragged along . The old girls had learnt to walk with their heads to one side to avoid treading on the chain.

The remainder of my clothes still hadn't dried so I decided to camp for the night and get an early start in the morning. I was awake at 0530. Made a cuppa and had some toast with tomato's. I got out through the cabin side door and had a stretch and yawn. Grabbed the still damp clothes and made ready to go. I slid the side door shut and went to the drivers side door which was locked . Then began my problem . I had locked the bloody keys inside. The campervan has additional security, all door lock down on the main front door . Stuff it, was standing in a teeshirt trousers and shoes. I pushed and pulled probed and twisted but no way was the van going to let me back in to reach the tantalizing keys hanging in the dashboard.

It would be another two hours before a mechanic would even be thinking of going to work. I walked the village to locate my options. I soon chilled down as the morning was cold and a light breeze soon lowered my body temperature. The locals where about their routines of sweeping up after the rain, feeding animals and taking yesterdays milk in small cans on push bikes to the collection point. I located three mechanics workshops in the first 30 minutes and soon found myself back at the van . I had kept my frustration under control but the sight of the keys dangling just out of reach was getting to me.

At 0700 I spotted a car turn into one of the garages i had identified earlier. I wandered down and explained my predicament with simple sign language. He quickly understood my plight and offered me a coat. His son could speak English and would be at work around 0830am , he would be able to help. He made me a strong black coffee which was hard to swallow but I welcomed the warmth in my stomach. Feeling warmer I wandered across the road to the rivers edge . Fishermen had their lines in since daylight. I thought I'd wander past and have a look into their catch bags to see if and what they were catching.

From down the river a bit i seen the mechanic and two others drive down to the van and commenced trying to open the lock. I hurried after them, needing to travel 500 meters, and arrived to find they had put and inflatable bag, like a BP Cuff, into the door jam and puffed it up straining the door probably hoping the catch would burst open . I soon put a stop to that stratagie, Their next act was to try to trip the lock mechanism by inserting a wire down the glass of the drivers window . Unsuccessful also.

One of the buggers climbed up onto the roof using the bike rack on the back . He began pulling and lifting the skylights which I knew were only locked down with flimsy plastic catches . Before he would listen to my protestation he had snapped a securing plastic clip which will be hard to replace. He soon understood my stronger language. "Get down off the F****** Thing" . I resolved to cut the rubber round the front drivers quarter window to gain entry before these bugger demolished my van. The mechanic was able to get a second hand rubber surround for about £20.00 . We soon had the new one installed and I was pleased to give him back his coat and point the van towards Lubin.

I wonder what will happen next