Eastern Davos - and how to get there

Economic forum in Polish Krynica has nickname „Eastern Davos“. Maybe it is too ambitious to call it like that but each year, when I decide how and by which way to travel to this quiet spa resort on eastern side of Tatra mountains, I experience an exercise in development of Central Europe.
It is not about the quality of discussions, which are numerous and one needs to divide himself to be at every interesting panel, it is not about receptions, which are opulent and rich, it is not about two thousands of interesting people from business, politics and culture. It is about roads.
Organizers offer transport from Krakow. But to get there by plane is almost impossible if you do not book your ticket six months before, what is for journalist hard to do. By train it is seven hours (if train goes according to schedule, which is an exception, not rule). And then three hours in bus. Therefore I vote for car.
Then detailed study of actual situation of road construction comes. And this is that development game. Forget about Poland. They only talk about building highways, their roads are bumpy and way how they drive is nothing but suicidal. I gave them many chances, but nice roads end ten kilometers behind border in Bialsko Biala.
Northeastern corner of Czech Republic is not very well reachable, because highways end hundred kilometres before border and have been under construction many years already, accompanied by corruption charges.
Slovaks are building at least highway to Zilina, where giant Kia auto company plant is situated, but to go further eastward is adventurous on narrow roads with hundreds of trucks – beside about fifty kilometers of finished highway around Liptovsky Mikulas. It is highway without external connection, that is interesting. This year I was surprised that construction site has changed and early I will be ready to go about eighty kilometers between Ruzomberok and Poprad on highway. Great! (If I survive these trucks).
But how to overcome traffic jams in between (this year around Czech Trinec and Slovak Cadca and Ruzomberok was particularly hard)? This is question in which no ultramodern GPS will help. Simply, constructions are everwhere as well as jams and as well as trucks full of goods for our developing consumerism.
Other special feature is crossing the borders. Czech-Slovak borders is still natural mountaineous barier against invasion. Beside highway from Brno to Bratislava there is no modern connection. How trucks between automotive companies in both countries will move is real mystery. Regional roads will probably look like Czech D1 main highway, connecting Prague and Brno. It is constantly under repair and constantly overcrowded by trucks from all over the Europe using Czechia as cheap transit country.
So, on one side there is development and construction going on, on the other signs of improvement are not seen on horizon.
Then finaly after nice part of journey comes around Tatry from Poprad north on, but – where to cross to Poland? If I would not have „secret“ information that nearby in Muszyna there is new „Visegrad“ bridge and crossing built, exhausted, I would have to go additional hundred kilometres. From both Polish and Slovak side is very hard to find new crossing, there are no signs on road and two years old map of Slovakia does show nothing.
So tired, exhausted and enriched by new finesses of Czech, Slovak and Polish drivers, I am in Krynica, happy and looking forward, because I (and other few hundreds) are eager to discuss new things in our bumpy, unconnected region which is under (re)construction. I find my hotel, open box with invitations and – first two invite me to panels about building highways in public-private partnership and transport at the service of business. Welcome to Krynica!