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Day 2 - Split, Croatia to Uzice, Bosnia
Should be a good day, i've got some Croatian Kuna in my pocket and i'm ready to use it!
Today we wake up in Split, Croatia after a very calm crossing of the Adriatic. Getting off the ferry is easy but we may have annoyed the line of traffic at customs slightly by jumping the queue. It really was too hot even at 8am to be sitting around in direct sunlight at border control.
Warrior has a long interview with the young female immigration officer. She wanted to know the purpose of his visit - she had not heard of the word holiday - they apparently don't do it in Croatia!
Some really nice stretches of fast roads sees us gain easy distance from the port through a very green landscape which is mostly made up of trees growing out of cracks in rock. Rumbling stomachs lead us to our first stop where the smell of freshly baked croissants sees the Kuna put to good use.
Its a nice little ride up some very local roads and we're soon at the Bosnian border. Its a relatively simple one, Green Cards and Passports. Slash doesn't have a green card of course ( damn you RAC insurance! ) so has to procure some from the lady in the office. A very large border guard then appears and takes an interest in the Tiger and its value. Never one to be sceptical ( ahem ) this seems a bit odd and too friendly. Nevertheless, he is just being chatty and we get going with no issues. We think he follows us for a bit in his Merc but this turns out to just be a local lady. ( not that we're paranoid or anything! )
The next set of roads is awful, all speed controlled and busy. The scenery is interesting but you can see disparity in the relative wealth of people. There are still tell tale signs of the conflicts with some buildings destroyed and others in partially completed stages.
We make it to Mostar by lunch, its nearly 32 degrees and whenever we're not moving it's sweltering. We can't find the famous bridge on the bikes so a really helpful young local lady offers to take us in the right direction. Walking around is so hot but we do see a few bullet holes in buildings and see some of the old town. The bridge is impressive, it has been rebuilt after the conflict and represents a symbol of local reconciliation between the warring factions. On the way back to the bikes we come across an altercation where a young lad has been caught trying to pinch a man's mobile phone. He's unceremoniously kicked by the man and a couple of others " detain" him.
There are a noticeable amount of police patrol cars but they don't seem interested in us particularly, we guess that it would be a real hassle for them to try and process 4 English bikers.
The afternoon is spent hooning around on an amazing set of long twisty roads which hug the mountains, go through unlit tunnels and over big bridges. A really good afternoon, the kind of riding you see in all the YouTube clips.
By late afternoon we pass through the Serbian border with no dramas and head for Uzice. We get there only to find that there are NO hotels at all. Warriors face of disbelief when told this by a local is a picture. As seems to happen in these situations a helpful chap on a motorbike stops and offers to take us to the only hotel in the area - 6km outside Uzice. Now ordinarily you might think that he's just going to take us all to a secluded spot where his mates are waiting and nick our bikes. Its such a random chance meeting though and with the bikers code to bind us all together trust is placed in the fella. It was a good call, not only does he take us there but he also makes sure we can park the bikes right in front of the steps to reception. He won't take any gratuity from us even when offered. Serbia is looking good so far.
Food is an interesting local dish of a 15 inch long breaded veal thing a bit like a Chicken Kiev. Nice enough to a point but the beers afterwards help to take away the taste.
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