Ludilo Cacak

This translates into crazy Cacak, the town were we land after a long, slow day of hitchhiking. After getting up late, as usual thees days, we struggle to get a ride for some 20 kilometers with an other mixed origin (Serbian/Bosnian) emigrated visiting his family and relatives in his now divided home country. He speaks German with a strong almost incomprehensible schwab accent. The real back country type of accent which i struggle to understand. After visiting a monastery, he drops us at a crossing, fortunately shaded as we will sit there for 3-4 hours, holding up our Cacak sign in turns...

The Monastir and my camera going on an acid trip, purple Hendrix style...

Waiting, patiently...

Not so patient ???

Still here, same spot, same sign..

Finally, as Judith is getting desperate and loosing hope, an Autoslep stops. After seeing their phone number all over the rocks on the side of steep roads in the whole Balkan, i finally get a ride in one of those car pulling trucks. Actually it is a sorta improvised one, a big jeep pulling a tow with a white Peugeot 306 police car on it. The dude is sorta boring, not much to say but he takes us to Cacak and drops us in a surprising, exciting spot were we will quickly meet the most interesting people!

The crazy bunch

Ziiiveli Braaaateeee!

Across the road a bunch of men are having a couple beers, you can see in their eys it is not the first one and this is their daily hang out :) It is about 5 in the afternoon, we sweated on the side of the road in todays heat and a refreshment is very welcome so we don't hesitate when they invite us over, smiling, yelling something and franticly waving their hands. The cold BG beer is delightful. So is the second one and the smiles on everybody face. This encounter is one more proof of the Balkan hospitality and their curiosity when it comes to strangers.
After a couple beers everybody is friends and brothers. Brate or tebra as they say here, i thus learn that Serbians also us Verlan, this form of speaking so common amongst young French people consisting in inverting syllables. This is the beginning of a long evening of drinking Rakija as we are soon invited to come to Belco‘s home, meet his wife and taste her delicious coffee and more of his home made Rakija. We are welcomed like kings in Belco‘s garden, under a fruit tree sitting around a low table on low chairs, surrounded by tomato, cucumber, onion and paprika plants. The coffee is delicious like everything we get. A berry jam, sopska salad out of fresh garden vegetables, lots of Rakija and coffee. Communication is not easy but the mood is excellent and we challenge each other for who is to eat the hotter pepper. Hot Hot Hot!
Soon, as i play more stupid games and talk nonsense with my new mates, Judith gets a little upset by something i did not notice or rather did not feel so strongly, the men are sitting outside, laughing and drinking while the wife is inside, preparing us food, coffee and washiing up. I guess this is still more anchored in Serbian society and Judith's west European feminist side jumps up to this.
After enjoying more Food and Rakija, and i have to say there that is most probably the best Rakija i drank and will drink in Serbia. Easy, delicious, strong, and shared with my brate! Well after that we head of, carrying the 4-5 kilos of vegetables we get offered. Tomatoes, Cucumbers, onions, plums and of course some real hot peppers of all kinds. Purple, green, red, small and big they are all different tons of HOT :) O and also a huge jar of wild cherry jam.

Fresh Organic Fooooood

We head for the cheapest hotel in town and i slowly come down from my little clouds, this time around my brothers was honest, warm, fully lived, a little crazy and very welcome after today ride, mearly half of our way to Tara.