Day 47 to 50 Tara National Park and Drive to Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

6.9. Tues 

This morning, the water level was not as low and calm as the day before. The river also looked much more turbulent. I was lucky. There was still fog for a long time, and that's where I first heard and then saw the two sea eagles (pictures in the last post). The sun came out, I packed my things after a small breakfast, and drove towards Bajina Bašta - the gateway to Tara National Park.

In Bajina Bašta, I buy postcards at the tourist information (no problem) and stamps at the post office (big problem). Even with the correct translations, the lady does not initially understand what I want from her... At the post office... I have no idea what else you do at the post office here... A good friend will receive a Cyrillic postcard - great fun for me 😁

At the campsite, I am greeted by many small dogs. The operator is not there at first, I call him, and when he appears, I have to make contact with him to find out where the toilets are. Very strange. The bathroom was strange too. I cook and soon go to sleep. The little dogs run through the fields with the big dogs until late at night and bark all night - that's how the dogs are socialized here.

7.9. Wed 

In the morning it is foggy and damp for a long time. A cat comes to visit me. After breakfast, I set off towards the national park. Before that, I make a stop in town for supplies. Today, there will be a lot of uphill. By the way, my attempt to buy a fast charging cable with Type-C on both sides in town fails. Instead, I have a very nice conversation with an employee at the mobile phone shop. He speaks German quite well (for communication) and is interested in my journey.

Komoot annoys me with a paved side road with exaggerated steep inclines. It seems to be a bit shorter... I come down a hill onto the road that I then continue up. That was very unnecessary and exhausting. The weather is super sunny and warm. I sweat a lot. On the way up, I pass many plum plantations. A man gives me a handful. Plums are a kind of national fruit in Serbia with many different breeds.

When I arrive at the top in the national park, I find many tourist stalls. But no postcards anywhere... I ask around and am sent to a hotel (an old Soviet building from the 80s), where the shop is 'broken', whatever that means. I am sent on a 'rocky road' into the forest. There are supposed to be postcards there... 🤨 Of course, there are none there either. Maybe there used to be postcards at the one hut I arrive at. But everything is closed up. But while I'm collecting postcards in the forest, I meet Vojslav, a Serbian electrical engineer. We start a conversation, and I decide to stay in a hotel here for two nights to hike and meet Vojslav again.

From Vojslav, I learn many interesting things about Serbia. Among other things, the problems of the energy industry, that first coal mining in their own country has become neglected, then coal imports via the Danube have come to a standstill due to low water levels, and now electricity has to be imported at high prices. But we also talk about hiking, traveling, and many other things. A very nice encounter! 

The Tara Hotel is very nice, clean, the hotelier is very helpful and finds a good place for my bike. In the evening, I eat fish in the hotel restaurant and have a phone call with a part of my Wednesday boys' group from home. 

8.9. Thurs

The next day, I go hiking. I ride a bit with my bike to shorten the way. After 1 hour of wandering through the forest, I finally find the start of the trail and hike through a beautiful forest with a few exercise stations and a crazy cable car through the forest, unfortunately (or fortunately for me) only the cable is still hanging 😉 

A hiker with a dog comes towards me. When we pass each other, the dog stops and looks from me to the other hiker and back, deciding that he might have a better chance of getting something to eat with me. And so I have a hiking dog. After a while, the dog understands where I want to go, he seems to know this forest very well, and he runs ahead. He is already waiting for me at the viewpoint. Before I can reach the viewpoint, I am amazed by an old man who is doing something on the ground there. When I get closer, he stands up, and I realize that the little plastic scraps and other rubbish he has collected. He is very old and seems to be a monk from the monastery in the valley who has walked up here just to collect the garbage. Despite the lack of a common language, we talk a little. Then he continues on and waves goodbye. The view is great, and even an imperial eagle flies by. I recognize it by its call, but I am too slow to take a picture. I sit comfortably on the bench with the dog and rest. I offer the dog a piece of granola bar, but he's not interested. Several other people come, and I slowly move on. The dog decides to stay with the other people.

The further path gets worse, sometimes the path is plowed by forest vehicles. When it gets wilder, I look at the map and realize that I have indeed deviated from the path. And when I find a bear footprint, I am glad when I am back on the regular path. I also visit another viewpoint. I have to go downhill a lot, but there is a beautiful rock from which you have a very nice view. I take a break for food and then continue back to the bike. Along a beautiful stream valley and up to the hotel through dry meadows, I take photos of butterflies and grasshoppers.

In the afternoon, I meet with Vojslav for a coffee, then wash my laundry, and in the evening Vojslav and I have dinner together again. It was a very nice and relaxing change from cycling, but I'm looking forward to continuing the next day. I will head to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Višegrad, which everyone has told me is amazing (Vojslav was a bit more realistically restrained: just as ugly as Bajina Bašta and only a newly built part made to look old in the center - he was right, but I still liked it 😉) 

9.9. Fri 

After breakfast, where dogs and cats are always present, I pack up, say goodbye to Vojslav, go shopping, and drive down to the valley towards Kremna. I notice that my English is improving, and I can have relaxed conversations. That makes me happy.

I surprisingly quickly reach the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a small shop just before the border post, I want to shop again. An old man with hardly any teeth in his mouth signals to me that someone will come soon (it is always amazing how well you can communicate even without language). In the shop, I put all the money I have left on the table and want to spend it all. The woman does not understand what I want and first calls someone to translate. This has happened to me for the second time and annoys me because I think we could have figured it out somehow. With a handful of bars and a juice, I make my way to the border. On the Serbian side, it goes quickly. On the Bosnian side, there is a long line, and it goes slowly. I wait patiently behind a smelly Mercedes from the late 80s (?).

The drive then goes through a beautiful narrow valley downhill. There are traces of the war everywhere, especially ruined houses. The valley was a heavily contested area. In Višegrad, I visit the nicely renovated city center (it looks like a Roman city), eat ice cream, struggle to find postcards (there are only two motifs, and one is also shown in small on the other card 🙃), and come across a bust of Nikola Tesla. I find out (with Wikipedia and in conversation with locals) that he has nothing to do with the city and learn a lot about his life. He is just lined up here with other Bosnian celebrities next to the Nobel Prize laureate Ivo Andrić, who grew up here.

By the way, buying stamps at the post office is very complicated again (what else would I want at the post office?). I get 4 stamps per postcard (!) and have to put the postcards in envelopes because I had already written them and there is simply not enough space... 🤪

I continue along the river. The valley gets narrower and I have to go through many tunnels.

The noise in the tunnels is intense, and I feel very uncomfortable. Just listen to it: Audio in the tunnel. Audio 2 in the tunnel. I decide to ride with headphones and music, and it actually gets much better. It's still tiring though. When I pass a hotel, I decide to stay there. The room is very comfortable, and I eat delicious fish in the restaurant.

Tomorrow I will decide whether to go to Sarajevo or directly to Montenegro and the Durmitor National Park. Ciao, until the next post. I can reveal that it will be adventurous 😬

You can track my routes on Komoot here:

Check out this Collection on komoot – I think you’ll like it. 'Draussenerfahren' https://www.komoot.de/collection/1622992/-draussenerfahren