Staying with the Slovak-Indian Friendship Society

Ivan created the Indian-Slovak Friendship Society many years ago as a means to share his passion and in an attempt to find like-minded people - not a huge demographic amongst the Slovakian population. Over the years his organisation slowly grew and a few years previously the building we were now staying in was donated by a friend of the society. Ivan uses the location as a means to further share his passion with the travellers who pass through. He also aspires to use it as a kind of retreat, where interested people can come stay and study the practices of yoga and meditation.

Another purpose of the building is to act as a venue for any functions of the society. We were fortunate enough that one such event happened during our stay. A group of four young men from India who were working in Slovakia - mostly in Bratislava - came to spend an evening in the Tatras. They spent a night cooking Indian cuisine and we were fortunate and honoured to be invited to join them for an evening of delicious food and entertaining conversation.

A final word on Ivan, a man truly worth great respect and admiration, a humble man who has a clear passion and wants nothing more than to share it with the world. His motivation is pure and money is no incentive. When we finally came to leaving Ivan told us that whilst he suggested a nightly price people should only pay what they could afford; so long as he could afford to power and heat his building then that was sufficient. We paid the full suggested price into the donation box - far cheaper than the average accommodation in the area for a far greater experience. Slovakia is rarely mentioned in any discussion of the must-see places in Europe; a country I would bet that few people know much about - nor did I before passing through as part of a Central-European road trip. The capital, Bratislava, has its charms but in my brief stay it failed to leave much of an impression (in fairness, we did visit in the midst of the pandemic and whilst most places were open, there was certainly a lack of atmosphere or energy, unsurprising given the empty streets and general lack of people).

However, Slovakia was not a country we visited for its cities or architecture. Instead, it was the immense natural beauty that was the attraction, particularly that of the Tatras Mountains. It was amongst these oft breathtaking peaks that we stumbled across the most unusual and unexpected of accommodations.

Having met whilst working together in Poland in the previous months, myself and Conor are two rather carefree travellers, rarely making plans until the last minute, always ready to embrace any opportunities for spontaneity. Having hiked through the morning and afternoon it was time to find some accommodation for the evening - affordability was a fairly significant consideration. Slovakia is by no means an expensive country, at least by western European standards; however, when booking on the same day in a rural area with no large cities or even towns it is not always so easy to find a cheap spot.

But that we did, and after a short drive to a nearby village (small collection of buildings) we had - supposedly - arrived at our destination. I use the word supposedly as we had arrived at what looked like an old, but still active farm, the main feature being small mountains of manure just next to the main building. It getting dark and fairly convinced we were somehow at the wrong place, I went to investigate the main building whilst Conor checked the map. We were at the correct place.

I was greeted at the door by Ivan, a kindly middle-aged man with a gentle Slovak accent. Beyond him was the real surprise, it would be hard to imagine a more surreal contrast between the interior and exterior of the building. The old farmhouse was home to a vast treasure of Indian culture. Rugs and imagery hung the walls, shelves were stacked with statues and icons, and one was instantly greeted by the smell of spices from the kitchen. The whole building was three stories of Indian culture, a full sensory immersion into a country and its heritage that lay 6,000km away. It was a truly remarkable discovery and a welcome one. Having only intended to spend one night there, as we normally did, we fell in love so quickly with the accommodation that we eventually stayed for a week.

Amongst the many appeals we found here, perhaps the best was the kitchen. With both of us having spent countless nights in hostels, airbnbs and every other accommodation a backpacker finds themself in, we were both used to working with basic, under-supplied kitchens. Here we found the facilities sufficient to make a feast. Conor, being the better chef, often took charge at dinner and thrived with an endless amount of herbs and spices to work with. Curry for dinner every night was not enough and so we always made extra and could be found eating tupperwares of Indian cuisine at the various peaks within the Tatras Mountains.

We developed a good relationship with the owner Ivan, who also lived in the accommodation, and he told us the history of how this unique location came into being. Since his youth Ivan had been keenly fascinated by Indian culture, a passion he never lost and which he fostered and nurtured over the years. He now instructs people in both yoga and meditation.

Posted: 07/04/2021

Written by: Tom Taylor (@tomtayloor)