It actually started great. Good hammock spot, great nights rest, plenty of sunshine with 75 degree weather, no wind.
I started alone, and found the other kayaker kids chilling 1 km downstream. We drank some coffee and I decided to head off. To Bratislava, but just for groceries.
So that was all the excitement, and although Bratislava is supposed to be a cool place, I couldn't handle spending more money at the wrong time.
So I headed off alone, feeling pretty good health wise and mind wise. I hit a HUUUGE lake in the middle of the river, it was probably 2 or 3 miles across and went like that for maybe 10 miles. Maybe more, but it felt like an absolute eternity.
The river narrowed to a mile across. However, the left bank had a huge metal levee, and the right had a steep concrete levee, with stairs to get out only every 1-2km. This was scary, indeed. Enough to put anybody normal in a state of panic. On top of this, one could not actually see the end of the river, it was cloudy and getting dark, so the sky and river, as it was one straight long shot for several miles, combined to form an image that resembled the edge of the earth.
I later found stairs, climbed up to peak around. And what did I find but a town down below, under the rivers levee. Other than this one town was nothing in sight.
I decided to be brave and carry on through to the small dim light at the end of the river, which was a lock and dam. It was TINY. But I grew bigger as I grew more tired.
It was dark. One blinking light flickered. I went to it. Nothing. Not a telephone to call the lock and dam, which I usually do. Not a sign, nothing.
I paddled across the river to the non lock side, typical to have a ramp and cart to portage my boat. And... nothing. Luckily, I found later I got out at the very last set of stairs, and walked a mile or so to the lock and dam area.
At this point I was frustrated but collected. I looked around for ab answer on how to get my boat around and couldn't find a dam thing.
I found one security guard who spoke 0% English. I used gestures, he understood. He called the captain. Same thing. Gestures, understood, but no solution. We "talked" long enough to get 3 Slovak lock and dam workers to help me move my boat up the steep levee wall, into a small side canal, and on my way.
I went through a marshy swamp canal invested by snakes and frogs and gross algae shit.
I stopped where there was light. Made a tuna sandwich, laid down my tarp and sleeping bag, and passed the f out. At this point I had paddled 105 km be myself. And spent the last 3 hours trying to get my boat back on the river. All I could think, was F@$% Slovakia.
I love Slovakia.. truly one of the gems of Europe.. but... I had nobody to blame.. or no where to look for my frustration, so I blamed someone else... when in reality, I had put myself there in that place and time, and therefore should take responsibility.... but lack of sleep can takes its toll. And I love you Slovakia!
I read later in my Guide Book, written in 1990, that a dam was being planned, and that conservation groups strongly opposed based on the beauty of the land and how it would endanger if not extinct several extremely extremely rare species of birds and other wildlife. They did it anyway, for hydroelectric power. I'll leave at sunrise, which gives me 5 hours of sleep.
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