Day 29: Cycling from Berlin to Athens

Day 29

Kulen Vakuf > Drvar > middle of nowhere > hitched a ride to Glamoc

65km

4 hours 35 mins

1,275m elevation gain

The Day of Challenges

This was our toughest day yet. We faced a range of issues and it was a shame as it was probably the worst day for it, as we had a stretch of 60km to cover with no towns, shops or places to sleep along the way. Anyway, in the end we found a solution to everything but it was a very close call.

A nice pic from the day

Challenge Number 1 - the hills

We started out the day, a bit delayed as it was raining hard but we got on our way in light rain. We had a nice route along the river Una, which had a misty haze this morning but then we had a huge climb. We went from 300m straight up to 700m on a winding road with hairpin bends. Each stretch was about 1km long and it seemed to last forever, but we managed to stay on our bikes and keep going. We went through some low lying cloud which was quite surreal and made for some beautiful photos. This was not the last of the hills, during the course of the cycle we went back down to 500m and then up to 900m so it was a tough day of hills.

Check out that elevation!

We were above the clouds

Challenge Number 2 - the money

In the morning in Kulen Vakuf the post office was open but they would not give us any cash so we had to pay our guesthouse with a combination of euros and the Bosnian Marks we had managed to get from the petrol station yesterday. We now have no emergency euros on us. Later at Drvar we thought it would all be sorted but the cash machine there was empty and the bank said "come back at 5 or 6pm and try again." They did suggest to try the Post Office but again Shanky came out empty handed, luckily a Serbian couple noticed and went back in with Shanky and managed to convert our Croatian money to Bosnian. So now we had some cash! 

Challenge Number 3 - the flat tyre

Not long after leaving Drvar I got a puncture. The tyre was completely flat, so we prepared ourselves to put in one of the spare inner tubes we have been carrying. Most annoyingly it was the back wheel so we had to unhook the chain and everything. However, we did get one out and a new one in, I found the culprit which was a piece of sharp metal, still poking out of the tyre. Next, we had to begin pumping with our small pump. We sat on the ground (many beeping of horns as people drove past) Shanky was pumping and I was holding the valve steady. We did pretty well, or so we thought. When I would test it out, it wasn't as full as before and with the weight of the bags and me it wasn't perfect. We pumped some more and it was a little better, it was rideable but we took some weight out of my main bags and Shanky took my backpack and we carried on.

Shanky demonstrating his pumping action

Challenge Number 4 - the weather

We were on an isolated road with no towns, shops, hotels or much shelter and it was a 60km stretch to Glamoc. We kept going and my bike was riding well with the lighter load and Shanky was managing ok with the extra weight. However, as I looked to my right I saw big storm clouds and a haze of rain over the mountains which looked to be heading our way. We carried on for a while longer but the rain started coming down hard so we went to take shelter to avoid getting too cold. We had a discussion about our options and decided it might be best to start putting our thumbs out to ask for a ride, we had seen a few trucks go by. The rain and cold would be too much, as well as the dark and who was to know what time the only hotel in Glamoc would close. 

Challenge Number 5 - the dark

We set out again in lighter rain and we just missed a truck which pulled out ahead of us, in our direction. De-motivated we carried on but saw it parked by a gate to a house and music and voices could be heard, the only lived-in house we had seen so far. I pulled up to the gate to suggest to Shanky that we ask for a ride and an old man came to greet us. We had a strange, sign languaged discussion in the rain, asking for a ride to Glamoc in the truck. Some younger guys came up but equally could not speak English and we had quite a negotiation where he was really pushing for us to pay in euros but we were insistent that we no longer had any. Eventually, after he went back and forth to the house a bit we agreed on a price but another man would take us in his small car. 

Shanky was sure we would not get the bikes in the boot, but sure enough they did and used string to tie the wheels out the back of the boot, with the hood resting on top. We hopped in with the Uncle and his nephew, Shanky and I in the back with our bags. We were saved! Immediately the car steamed up because we were hot from cycling up hills and the uncle was trying desperately to make the blower function without turning down the heat, he struggled but was able to see. It was an hour's drive and it was very quickly pitch black and still raining, we saw lightening ahead. The road also got worse, with no tarmac but pebbles and huge puddles which would not have been good for my tyres, so we were completely relieved to be in the car. We also did not see any other houses along the way or other people the whole way. The uncle chatted in a monologue to his nephew the whole way and occasionally blasted some Bosnian music to us. The nephew even got out a couple of times to check the bikes were secure! 

The Uncle and Co. loading the boot with the old man smoking and chatting to us

The hotel in Glamoc

It was a bit hard to find the (one and only) hotel as it was a weird sort of complex with a gambling shop below. I found the reception but no one was there but as we started getting our bikes inside the receptionist came over, from another bar. We sorted out with a room and he promised there was hot water for a shower, he then also said to come to the bar after and he would arrange pizza for us. Relief!

Sights of note

• Many signs to the side of the road warning not to leave the track due to possible land mines 
• A collapsed bridge, with a new bridge on top
• Many cars honking at us to say hello
• In Glamoc, everyone appeared to be gambling (and it's a very small town), most bars/cafes offered gambling options

The collapsed bridge with a new one on top

The church in Drvar