Zielona Gora - jacek time

Time that I paid a visit to that hero I met a few years ago in Zielona Gora, who goes by the unassuming name of Jacek. He's 70 years old and is his adventures of the past few years are truly awe-inspiring. He started his cycling adventures when he "finally had enough time" on retiring at 62. He spent 8 months in the road and cycled to Morocco. He had minimal funds and a very simple old bike. At night he camped or sometimes was invited into people's homes. So what adventures has he accrued in the past few years since my last visit? Or had old age dug its talons into his joints and shaken such thoughts from his skull?

I'm happy to report that this encounter left me as wide-eyed as our previous one. 

He fails to recognise me when he opens the door: a less that auspicious beginning. He spies my bike and scans it without commenting. Our talk turns quickly to past and future plans. He took his bike to Russia and cycled around Baikal lake and then cycled through Mongolia before cycling through some of China. He previously described himself as a "lone wolf" on our last visit, but now invites me on a canoeing trip next year! Ok, a little about the canoe... He built it himself over three months and it is suite simply a work of art. He uses it regularly and is just back from a canoeing adventure in Finland. 

The one thing holding him back from being an eternal hobo? His lovely wife, who abides and acquiesces his forays to far-off lands, but does not participate. 

He searches through his large collection of maps to show me his route through Mongolia and China. The map of Mongolia does not appear to be useful in the slightest, as there are only a few roads shown. China on the other hand is a mass of confusing road lines crisscrossing the paper, with the names in chinese characters adding to the disorienting impression. For this journey, he splurged on a new aluminium bicycle, which he built himself, of course. 

The next day, with my head swimming with new cycling inspiration, Jacek says he will escort me half way to my destination. He assures me that he knows the nicer roads and can show me some of the sights on the way. Putting all my faith in his navigation skills, my GPS takes a rest for a few hours. That is, until Jacek looks confused and needs some GPS assurance after we have been pushing out bikes down a sandy fittest path for a few kilometres. We find our way again and after 40km we take a dip in a nearby lake to refresh ourselves. This 80km round trip for him, is the proverbial walk in the park.