Popular Polish travel blogger visited Belarus. He didn't expect such prices and number of cameras
A Polish blogger with almost 600,000 subscribers on YouTube visited Belarus. Here's what surprised the Pole.
Photo here and below: screenshots from the video on the YouTube channel "Kamil — In Travel"
Interview at the border and two phones
Blogger Kamil Cichocki released two videos about his trip on his YouTube channel "Kamil — In Travel". This was his first trip to Belarus.
He named the long border crossing time as the main obstacle.
He traveled from Warsaw by bus, and at the border he learned that by getting into a passenger car, control could be passed much faster. So for 20 euros, he found someone willing to take him to Brest.
But it still didn't work out quickly, as the "interview" and phone check alone took two hours.
Kamil admitted that he had two phones with him. He hid the main one in the car and went to the interview room with his second smartphone, which contained almost nothing. And to ensure he would be allowed into Belarus, he said he was only going to Brest, because, in his opinion, if he had said he was also going to Minsk, he might not have been allowed into the country.
The Pole's phone was thoroughly checked for all photos, after which all applications were unlocked and reviewed.
The blogger and his companion also had all their belongings meticulously checked, and the minibus was sent for scanning.
In the video, the blogger later noted: he never delves into political issues because he is not a politician, and therefore shows countries from a tourist point of view. A few months before Belarus, the YouTuber visited Russia.
First impressions of Brest
The first thing that struck the Pole in Brest was the large number of old private buildings in the city center, many of which had slate roofs.
He mentioned that there used to be many such roofs in Poland, but when scientists reported that such roofs were harmful, they started to be replaced.
Next, he visited an old Catholic cemetery with many monuments in Polish.
While strolling through the city, he visited a shop where he was impressed by Belarusian sweets, a large selection of marmalade, and "Korovka" candies with various flavors. He also noted that Belarus is famous for its ice cream and that it is extremely cheap.
When visiting the market, the blogger was pleasantly surprised that many people understood Polish, could answer questions, and hold a conversation.
Like other tourists from the West, he repeatedly noted that everything in Belarus is very cheap: taxi and train fares, food and drinks in restaurants, and, of course, automotive fuel.
Cameras on every corner
After a couple of hours of walking around Brest, two more things struck the Pole: very clean streets with no litter, and a huge number of cameras on every corner.
"It seems a few years ago the state invested a lot in a surveillance system to monitor every movement on the streets and recognize faces," the traveler concluded.
The number of cameras continued to surprise the blogger on the second day – when he visited Brest Fortress.
On the territory of the fortress, the YouTuber met a man who, upon learning he was from Poland, started singing the Polish anthem.
However, according to the blogger, there were many people who asked them not to film, and security also forbade filming them.
Upon exiting the fortress, Kamil noted that it felt like the USSR.
He also encountered demands to stop filming when he was shooting buildings belonging to law enforcement agencies or other state institutions.
The blogger noted that in Belarus, a foreigner can easily buy a SIM card, but due to censored internet, many websites do not open.
It's very easy to go to prison in Belarus
Despite Kamil calling himself an exclusively tourist blogger, various political issues were raised from time to time.
For example, that drones are strictly prohibited from being imported into Belarus.
"Under the current regime, even for a small foolish act, you can end up in prison, and if even traces of drugs are found, you can get many years," he said, adding that Belarus is the only country in Europe where capital punishment still exists.
What else caught the Pole's eye?
The blogger noted that there are many old cars in Belarus, including "Ladas," and that many electric cars from China are now being imported there.
He also noticed that drivers in Brest start yielding to pedestrians even before they have fully reached the crossing.
Overall, after two days in Brest, he had mixed feelings and several conclusions.
"It's supposedly nice, pleasant, good food, cheap, there are many foreign students from Asia and Africa who come to study in Belarus. I don't feel any 'regime' yet," he said.
However, he compared crossing the border to passing through a gate leading to the world of the USSR.
"You know, it's so strange: it's only 200 kilometers from Warsaw [to Brest], closer than to Krakow, but it's immediately a completely different world."
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