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Outlook: We left as kayakers and came back as dissidents

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6 men standing by a river hold their oars and arms in the air smiling, with their boats next to them

26/08/2021 GMT

We left as kayakers and came back as dissidents

BBC World Service - Outlook, We left as kayakers and came back as dissidents

Andrzej and Jacek escaped Communist Poland on an adventure. Life would never be the same

Fed up with living in Communist Poland, Andrzej Pietowski, Jacek Bogucki and their friends set off to paddle one of the toughest rivers in the world. Their lives changed forever.

In the late 1970s, a bunch of fun-loving young Polish guys fed up with living under communism built themselves some kayaks and set off on an adventure. Despite their initial lack of experience, equipment or money, Andrzej Pietowski, Jacek Bogucki and their friends became the first to paddle one of the world's deepest river canyons - the Colca in southern Peru. They were about to return to Poland as heroes when the military imposed a crackdown on the burgeoning Solidarity movement, leaving the kayakers in a risky position. Andrzej and Jacek tell Jo Fidgen their extraordinary story, which is featured in the upcoming documentary Godspeed, Los Polacos!

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Picture: The kayakers
Credit: Canoandes Inc

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