According to the English dictionary, hobby means interests doing during the free time as a form of relaxation and the activities taken unprofessionally. Apart from people who have typical hobbies such as collecting stamps, coins, phone cards or mascots, there is the large group of people who are interested in doing some strange or crazy things.
Now please try to imagine a person standing barefoot on the carpet, which is made of the red hot coals. These coals are burning fiercely and the person almost can't stand the heat of the red hot coals. However, the tension among the participants and the supporters seems to be palpable. The person has to overcome the fear and proves the determination, so the one focuses all the attention on the task and quickly starts to step across the red hot coals. Firstly, the person couldn't believe that it is possible, but he has already changed his minds.
This activity is called firewalking, which means that the volunteer has to walk on the red hot coals. What is more, the temperature of these hot colas reaches about 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.
A typical firewalk may be taken everywhere and the amount of participants' is about ten or fifty. Often firewalks take place evenings and often they are divided into two groups. It means the workshop and the right walk.
The workshop starts with the introductions and some other participants to get to know each other better. All participants are supposed to set the bonfire together. The wood is set into a special pile, which is about five feet wide and also five feet high. Then the pile is doused with kerosene and then light. After some minutes the fire reaches about fifteen feet. Then after few hours the wood is burned down and there are the glowing red hot coals. The participants gather together and all the coals are raked and they make the pathway, which is about twelve feet long and about six feet wide. The heat of the coals is unbelievable. It may burn the hair of hand fingers of the one who is wielding the rake. However, it is about six feet long.
When the coal carpet is prepared, the tension of the whole group is huge. The instructor stands at the edge of the coal carpet and quickly step across the hot coals. I think that only the fact of seeing someone walking on the hot coals makes the powerful impression. However, it is much more powerful when a person is ready to overcome the fears, follows the inner guidance and crosses the hot coals. Usually about 95% of the participants decide to walk across the hot coals and only one or two of them have blisters. I think that sometimes we have to burn to prove ourselves the fact that the fire may be very hot!
Some experienced firewalkers remember the one single case of the individual from Seattle. He was named Michael and he walked through the carpet of glowing red hot coals and suddenly he stopped. Then he picked up few coals and he managed to hold the coals in his hand for about ten seconds. Then he dropped the hot stones and continued walking to the edge of the carpet. When he reached the edge, he turned around and went back to the middle of the coal carpet. After a few minutes he finally decided to leave the carpet to make the room for the other impatient participants. After that show it seems that his feet and hands would be burned, but nothing happened. His hands and feet were unscathed. It was counted that Michael spent about two minutes on the red hot carpet.
There was also the man, who has a very original hobby. David Wimp is an accountant. For over 15 years he had been calculating the numbers. In 1984 he managed to punch for the first time. So next he added the other one to that and then the other one to them. Actually he hasn't stopped doing it and now he is closing to about six million of them. His bookcase at his home was stacked very high with all his homemade rolls of the calculator made of tapes-strips and the colour constructions taped to the strips of blank computer papers. Wimp doesn't like the tape bought in the shop. It is too boring and too white. So is used to make his own one. He laid every end to the other end. Today his tally stretches about 20 miles. Mr.Wimp started to count in the high school. A math teacher agreed to give him an "A" mark if he would be able to write the numbers form one to the whole million within nine days. He managed to write down all the numbers to 25,000. Then he stopped calculating for the next couple of years. When he retired, he started his action. On February 1993 he managed to punch about 7,070 numbers. He claims that he is doing it in front of TV. When he reached two million, he became bored with tapping the addition key and he decided to switch the minus key, so he calculated in the opposite direction to zero. When finally he reached zero, he began once again to punch forward.
What is David Wimp going to do in the future? He is going to reach the billion in counting. Why is he going to do it? "It's my hobby. I enjoy it," he answered.
Now I would like to describe you Staszek, who is an unemployed mechanic. He drives around Toruń wearing Batman costume. Staszek managed to build his Batman vehicle of old Polish cars and a motorcycle.
It seems that everyone in Toruń knows him, but he remains anonymously. All that everybody knows is the fact that he is single and lives in Czerniewice near Toruń. He spends every day on tinkering with the machines. Before he built this means of transport couple years ago, he managed to build some unusual vehicles. Today he is also building a new about 3,5 meter-long motorcycle. He probably is going to ride this motorcycle to Gniezno where the Unique Vehicle Convention takes place.
All of his vehicles underwent the technical testing. Police and car mechanics claim that the vehicles may be used on the Polish roads. So Staszek legally rides on the streets. During summer he always takes part in different sport and cultural events such as car races or air balloon races. During present summer his black vehicle will be probably seen on the Baltic coast.
Staszek liked Batman when he read the comics for the first time. When he watched the movie four years ago, he wanted to become Batman. At first, his appearance on Toruń's streets caused the great sensation, but today the dwellers have got used to his strange presence. Tourists, on the other hand, who see Staszek resting near the roadside food-stop next to Czerniewice, often decide to stop to take some pictures with him. Once a German tourist offered Staszek his band new Mercedes return for Staszek's Batmobile. However, the answer was short: "It's not for sale"
Staszek really pays attention to every detail. His Batman's vehicle opens, when he presses the button on his special remote control. He also painted his face, before he dresses the Batman's costume. He managed to sew his impressive costume by himself. Moreover, if there is the hot outside, he doesn't take the costume off. As the real Batman, Staszek behaves similar to his hero. He often buys coffee for every woman who visits the food-stop.
