Day 17: Slovak, for a day

Lipot to Komarno (56km)

Wolfie was shocked that I had walked all the way to the river, so he very kindly gave me a lift back to the river, after stopping at the local shop for me to buy lunch. At breakfast, they had also exchanged some currency for me and gave me some sandwiches for lunch. I waved goodbye to Wolfie, thanked him for his help and headed off downstream, the Slovakian town of Komorno was the target.

It was a pretty uneventful morning, in fact the most interesting thing that happened was when a bug flew into my eye and took up residence for the rest of the morning. I stopped at the side of the river on a pebbled beach and relaxed for a bit.

As early afternoon seamlessly drifted into late afternoon, the skies darkened and raindrops began to fall. It was a strange kind of rain; I was being rained on by what seemed like the only cloud in the sky. It made me think of poor Eeyore wandering around with a raincloud above his head. Soon the sky filled with clouds and the rain became more persistent. It didn’t really halt my progress and I arrived into Komorno in the early evening. As I was approaching the city, the Charles Dickens boat came in the opposite direction, it had a Union Jack on the front which it had to lower to go under a bridge, as I went the past the ship, it was in the process of sending the flag back to the top of the mast, I assumed that it was timed perfectly to appreciate my good effort in getting this far.

The river is still acting as the border between Slovakia and Hungary and the contrast between the countries was quite evident on this stretch of water. The Hungarian side was lined with appealing beaches, children flying kites and enjoying ice cream, while the Slovakian side looked like the outside of a prison, lined with concrete walls, covered in graffiti and topped with barbed wire. The issue was that almost all the hotels were on the Slovakian side. I eventually found a suitable place to exit the water, which was actually perfectly placed next to the hotel I had chosen. I still, and this is true for cycling as well, exit the kayak extremely clumsily. Anyone watching this spectacle would think I’d never done it before, which particularly for cycling is a damming indictment of my skills. On this occasion, I exited with even less grace than normal, falling into the water to about waist level. Nothing got damaged, but it certainly didn’t make me a popular guest when I squelched into the hotel moments later.

I wandered into town to get some dinner. Whenever I’m in a foreign country, I try my best to alter my behaviour in an attempt to look as local as possible. In France, for example, it is important to look as a bit camp, while in Australia, simply wearing a singlet will do just fine. In Slovakia, I decided, the best way to fit in, is to look as angry as possible. I was doing quite well, which isn’t easy in pink shorts, until I went to order food and my cover was immediately blown.

A much less eventful day today which I’m certainly not complaining about. This is most probably my last stop in Slovakia, which doesn’t receive any complaints on my part either. The river now continues on through Hungary and down to the Serbia/Croatia border.