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.

The arrival in Bol

The hike to Bol is fairly easy, a woman (second on that trip!) dropes me there :
From where i get a ride with Jure, a delivery man and his friend Damir. They are working exceptionally late on this Saturday and are telling me about life in Croatia. It ain't easy, working hard and getting little pay, but you have to take it when you have responsibilities, you have to earn the money somehow. I truly respect those guys and meeting and talking with people like them makes me realize how lucky i am to be able to do what i am doing. Most of you guys reading this should also realize this. After deliveing the hotel with some food:
I decide i will never eat an omelet in a hotel again... See those 5 big white packs, well they are the eags for breakfast and omelets... premixed into these 10kilo packs you can serve them just like you serve vine out of a "goon bag", using the valve. Appetizing isn't it?? The rest is all caned food, tomato concentrate, olives and tuna... On an island where tomatoes grow, olives are allover the place and the fish is right there this is just chocking... O and the yellow pack in the back on the right side, well thats for the German! precooked pre-sliced potatoes for there favorite salad! never travel in big hotels! As you will see in the next posts, i paid nothing close to what they pay and had great food, great vine and superb olive oil!
After the delivery, we had a bit more of a chat with Jure and Damir. "Slazem se" right? We just agreed on so many things! Would be really pleased if you leave a message or email me!
I them made my way to find a nice spot to sleep. I got a cocktail at the bar the German girls told me about. Chill out music, but the styling of the place should have warned me about what i got. An expensive cocktail, a condescended barman and a bit of a down in my mood after the great time with the delivery guys.
I then found a spot on the beach and had a bit of sleep looking forward to the windsurf tomorrow!

Revival!!

Yeahh the camera is back! was just a bad contact!

View from the hotel room!!!
The hotel, right on the marina!
Reading the news!! Thanks Xavier for that one! And thanks for the Room!

It is not completely back however, it can only shoot in the automatic mode. So no more black and whits, no more video, no more nice setting and nice pictures of sunset/sunrises... I ll have to find a solution to this...

I now make my way to Split... This will be an epic journey... First ride with an ice cream delivery man who does not speak a word of English but whom i surprisingly manage to understand... mostly :)

He drops me at a familiar place, the very same place i got stuck in 2 years ago, on the same road! but today the sun is shining, it is early, i will make it. I wait for the next ride learning a bit from my Croatian book. He arrives soon, before the bus the people at the station are waiting for! He is young has been to Lyon a couple times, nice dude! Remember he was waring his seatbelt i my attachment for it so i had no possibility of seatbelt, but who cares, we are in Croatia!

Next ride brings me from a shit spot to a nice spot with a beach, Fortunately coy it is middle of the day and getting hot again! Nice swim, cold beer before a other working young local picks me up for a couple kilomerters.

Sensing i am getting there to slowly, i catch the bus showing up 30 min later. To Split! On the way some strange bunker and nice views on the sea as always along this road.

More of Split tomorrow!

A Hotel in beograd

Hehe hope reading yesterdays message was not to long! I ll make i short for today!
I woke up early as always when sleeping outside, made some tee and had breakfast, packed and got back on the way. I Rapidly made it up out of the creek, and enjoyed the nice views remembering that i had no more camera witch made me feel a bit shit. I ll have to buy a new one... I rapidly forgot about this, made it passed a hut (not the one i was seeking) with bees to make honey all over the place. Then down the other canyon on the other side of the hill. The scenery is beautiful everywhere.
Down the end of the canyon, it is about 9 am and as i get to the exit of the park, most people make they way in... Most of them to climb. The bottom of this canyon is full off excellent equipped climbing tracks. I stop, get my climbing shoes on. Actually one of them because the toes on the other one hurt way to much to get into them tight shoes... So with one climbing shoe on i make a couple transversal at the bottom of the climbing wall. Too bad i cant get both on and ask one of the groups out here to secure me for one real climb.

I realize i was supposed to be short in this post...

I then cached a ride out of Staligrad to Biograd, further south, on the way to Split. There i strugle for about 2 or 3 hours to get a ride and finally catch a bus who kindly drops me into the city, It is that crazy hot time of the day again and i need a swim! i walk up the beach and see a Kite. Make my way up there where two guy are chatting, windsurf gear is rigged and a kit surfer is surfing. Again, no way to rent gear and loads of chats about trips, windsurf, ski etc... I am about to leave for a swim as i hear that "Salut, bonne route!", a Frenchman! the first in a long time :) We chat a bit. Xavier is a private jet pilot, about 28 i d say and he kindly invites me to share his hotel room. I was seeking a nice bed, shower and a bit of comfort after the two previous night but certainly did not expect this! Anyhow i accept the offer and after more chats with the windsurfing guys and a couple refreshing swims we make it to the restaurant with the other pilot and the hostess. Delicious dark risotto, some ice cream and a nice night of sleep in a real comfy bed! finally after two short hamac nights!

Sorry this got long again.. and without pictures,
tomorrow, surprise!!!!