May 26: Piva to Sarajevo, Bosnia - 140 km

The monastery dog had kept me awake half the night - barking and chasing heaven only knows what. I awoke at 6:15 to find him asleep under a tree!

I hung me wet clothes on the bike hoping that the early morning sun would dry them a little before setting off. I was feeling very hungry but had no food other than trail mix - I did NOT want a bowl of that for breakfast. I was told I could bread from the same restuarant that I'd received water from the day before. I had a quick look around the Monastery which was now unlocked - there was Mass at 8 am and a baptism at 8:30. Even though I know what to expect inside an Orthodox church I am always stunned at the beauty and radiance of the icons and other adornments inside. Piva was no exception.

I left for the cafe only to be told upon arrival that there was no bread. But I could order a sandwich. I asked for two. They were huge - thick slices of bread loaded with salted ham and cheese. The salt was too much adn I ate the second with cheese only. A new first for me: this was all washed down with a coke for breakfast! I was craving sugar.

Tackling the 7% climb was the first order of business and I started at 8:55. Later than planned but I was grateful for the relaxed breakfast I had enjoyed. I huffed and puffed as my legs tried to warm up. Then to my great, and pleasant, surprise after only 2 km the road began to dip and I screamed in Pluzine. From Pluzine to the border with Bosnia the route can be described in one word: spectacular! Plivsko Canyon forms a natural reservoir, torquise in colour. The road follows this closely through a series of 20-30 tunnels (I lost count) and is flat much of the time with the occasional climb to keep adventure cyclists honest.


I passed out of Serbia with no problem and had a friendly chat with the border guards about my trip. A very steep, but short descent followed to the Bosnian checkpoint. I took a photo of the 'Welcome to Bosnia' sign. Mistake. A border guard came over and yelled at me for taking photos and then refused to take my passport, instead ordering me to wait in the already hot sun. Maybe Bosnian state secrets are concealed within the sign or possible he thought I was a terrrorist sent to wreak havoc on two wheels. Finally I was cleared to enter Republika Srpska (one 'half' of Bosnia). The road sign warned to drive carefully due to road conditions fro the next 15 km and the surface, was there was once pavement, did not disappoint.

Coke two came at 11:30 and lunch was taken an couple of hours later at a roadside cafe: fried meat sandwich. And lots of water. Could not face another coke. I was halfway to Sarajevo with 65 km to go. A storm threatened and I decided to get back on the bike about 3 pm. The road continued to wind through canyons which protected me somewhat from the sun. The sky darkened and the wind picked up. At Dobro Polje I passed the first cafe and then a beer joint. I needed water but neither place appealed to me. I then saw the sign announcing the end of the village and turned back for the bar. Beer was all that was inside - cases of it. NO coke, no wine, no soft drinks, just beer. The owner did have a tap outside and I filled my water bottles.

Through the use of forearms to show gradient I asked about the grade over the next 35 km to Sarajevo (I was standing at the bottom of a hill). 5 km uphill he motioned, 'then fsshhht!' with his arm poined down. He increased the angle of his arm to show a steep descent, then levelled it off slightly and said 'Sarajevo'. To his discredit I thought 'No way is there a 30 km descnet to Sarajevo'. He was correct on all counts. At 5.1 km the road levelled and then I started falling with gravity at about 65 km/h again. The only negative was that 2 km into the climb it had started raining. Lightly at first. Then harder. Now it was pouring. I could barely see on the descent. Effectively I was being 'pushed' from behind by the trailer and I was aware that one mistake could end more than the bike trip. The road levelled off but had a downward bias and I raced over the remaining 35 km in a little over an hour. Life was good.

I entered Sarajevo at 6:15 and then took an hours and 10 km to find my hostel. Noone could tell me where it was. Finally, a sunglass/umbrella salesman came to my rescue and got hold of the hostel owner who then came to meet me in the old town. Sixty seconds later and the owner appeared (need to look his name up again). Posillipo Hostel is clean, RIGHT next to the old town, and comfortable. I love the feel of Sarajevo and have added my rest day back in - I will just have to ride 170 km/day for the following three days to reach Budapest on schedule.

I took care of my two most urgent needs: shower and food - though not necessarily in that order.