Out with the Dinar in with the Leva

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Quite a lot has happened since I left Belgrade. In fact, I've left Serbia all together and am now enjoying all the creature comforts a hostel in Sofia has to offer.

Where to begin? Riding out of Belgrade was fairly stress free, helped by the fact that I had a 6 o'clock start and the streets were still relatively quiet. It was nice to be finally moving although and I was surprised that I actually managed to move at all seeings the bike is quite heavily laden. After about 20km I stopped to have a cuppa. It was only then that I discovered, having taken my handlebar bag off the bike, that all good intentions of repairing the holder had somehow gone astray - it was now deeply embedded in the bag itself! What to do??? Duct tape I've discovered is a wonderful thing. Not only did I manage to stick the part back on (albeit a little shabbily) but it has proven to remain in place up until now. Yay! Minor hiccup dealt with I peddaled on through countryside that was beautifully fragrant, up hills, down hills with an occasional rest to well, rest and take it all in.

I met a woman, Zora, about 20km out of Smederevo. She invited me to stay at her place to rest . As I had been doing this for quite some time along the way I told her that I would come and have a coffee instead. It was a really nice way to spend a little of the afternoon at her place, although small and very run down, it had a magnificent view of the Danube not too far below.

I arrived in Smederevo intent on staying in the hotel and exploring the fortress that was built by despot Djuradj Brankovic in around 1428 and that was meant to be quite imposing. Well, I never got to explore and I never got to stay in the hotel. When I arrived in Smederevo I made my way to the hotel where 3 people were sitting on the steps out the front. They invited me to sit down with them and then told me that the hotel was no longer operating. Well, it did look rather run down but then again, a lot of hotels in the Balkans do and they're still open (and charging ridiculous room rates). Nikola, who used to work in reception before the hotel's deline, offered to help me find a room. The only private rooms Smederevo had charged about $80AUD!! Definitely not an option. He then told me of a privately run place outside of town that would probably be better. So I headed off. The only reason I decided on this route was to visit Smederevo and as it turned out all I saw was the dusty main drag of the town. I do have a brochure though with a picture of what I would have seen...

Next day destination Despotovac for two reasons - to visit Serbia's #1 cave Resavska Pecina and to visit the Manasija Monastery. Cycling commenced at about 6.30 and the road was flat with a wonderful tail wind. I flew, although this may have had something to do with the coffee and 3 fried eggs for breakfast. Again the road was wonderful. Well, not the actual road, this was not wonderful at all. Full of potholes, some the size of wading pools, and countless memorials to the dead lined the road but the scenery was great. Lots of wild flowers - wild irises, briar roses, fragrant acacias, peonies - and everyone busily working away in the fields.

I arrived in Despotovac with a rough idea of how much the motel cost. I was quite surprised when they asked for double. Still, I did not back down and accept it (good). Instead, I pointed to my book waving my hands around, saying expensive expensive expensive and then I saw the official price list and pointed out the price. They backed down. Everything is possible in the Balkans, it just depends how much you want to either pay for it for fight for it.

I decided to stay a couple of nights so I could ride my bike (sans baggage) to the caves (about 20km in the hills beyond Despotovac). Not long into the trip I was having some problems with the gears, namely the front gears. And then I heard a snap. O oh. I could not shift my gears beyond the lowest gear. OK, so it wasn't that bad because I tend to stay mostly in the middle or the lowest but in the hills (and on an extended cycling trip!) it's actually nice to have everything working as its meant to. But, I made it to the caves which, although impressive, had nothing on the ones I saw in Romania with Professor Viehmann.

After the caves I headed to the monastery which was nestled in the hills, as they all are. Either that or up a great big whopping mountain. Beautiful little monastery run by nuns (one who was in fact English) surrounded by a great big fortress which looked quite imposing on its approach but was very peaceful inside its grounds. Peaceful that is until the busload of school children arrived. I've not seen such a rush on buying since the Myer stocktake sale. It was a similar kind of pandemonium. I got caught up in the buying frenzy and bought myself a little cross for my bicycle and an small icon of Sveti Sava (Serbia's patron saint).

Next morning I was Nis bound. Oh dear. Nis bound and no energy and a bike that was giving me the absolute irrits and a road that would turn into a toll way. Not a good combination. By the time I got to Cicevac I had to consider my options. Search for a bike shop to have a look at the bike. Did that there was none. Cycle in a triangle (ie further west and then south) 150km out of the way to get on a road that I could travel on instead of the freeway/tollway with a bike that had had it. No, I don't think so. Take the train that I knew was leaving later on that afternoon and be in Nis for the evening. Yes. I think so. I am, afterall, no cycling purist. I'd had enough.

Let me tell you, Serbian bureaucracy is alive and well, at Cicevac railway station anyway. I had four hours to kill before my train but there was still so much to do. Firstly we had to get my bike weighed. This was something new. For the employees and me. There was a lot of shaking head and even more so once we managed to heave the bike on the scales - 45kg! No wonder the slog had been so hard!

Then it was back to the station to sort out the paperwork. Obviously this was not something people did often because they were not too sure how to complete and it obviously had not been completed for a very long time as the paper was old and yellow. Passport had to be shown, money handed over and tickets issued - 104DIN for me, 250DIN for my bike.

Tickets sorted I had 4 hours to while away. I'm quite adept at this and so managed it with eas e having had considerable experience in Frankfurt. The train was late. The train was slow. Two hours and 75km later we arrived in Nis. I rode to the hotel, Hotel Ambassdor. Centrally located with friendly staff the guidebook said. That may be so but they were also on strike and so the hotel was closed. Hmmm. Patience was running low. They did let me know of a hotel 4km away that was not, as I requested too expensive. Well, it was too expensive (and smelt rank - good ol' Balkan plumbing yet again seemingly non-existent) but I just didn't care. I arrived, thoroughly exhausted but in time to capture some replay of the Eurovision song contest. That definitely put a smile on my dial because, being the queen of kitsch, I absolutely love watching it back home and was well pleased that I managed to see it over here.

The following day I had a bit of a wander around Nis. Nice little town. Don't have my guidebook with me to give you a more detailed historical description but it has some ruins which I spent some time wandering around and a tower made of Serbian skulls where I met Dusan, a photographer and Miljana, his gothic model.

The following morning my concern was getting the bike fixed. I headed to the bike shop that Aleks, a man I had met the previous morning, found for me. I hung around for a while waiting for the "Meister" to show up but as it did not seem to be for some time yet and the heat was rising and time ticking I decided to try elsewhere. How lucky was I to not only find a decent bike mechanic who managed to fix my broken gear cable but also one who didn't charge me for it. Yay!

Off to Dimitrugrad, border town, I cycled happily using as many gears as was possible - just because I could. I knew I would have to use a mountain road and was mentally prepared for it. What I wasn't prepared for was a truck stopping in front of me, the driver getting out and telling me that I should put my bike in the back of his truck. He was waving his hands around saying that the road was very bad, it was very steep, it was very long. I said I had strong legs and I don't mind bad roads and I need the practice. He didn't get it. He carried on waving his arms for a while and in the end I relented. In the back the bike went and off we went. He was right. The road was bad, steep and seemingly never ending. He dropped me off at Bela Palanka and waved me goodbye as I continued on. I spent the night in Dimitrugrad which was quite pleasant and did not have the the same kind of hickville border town feel that I normally associate with a border town - thank goodness.

Border crossing went well. Although both Serbian and Bulgarian sides were a bit perplexed. Woman, bicycle, what the??? It was a hot cycle to Sofia but yes, I made it.

It's a lovely city and it has been likened to a Paris of the East. There is a lot to see and a lot to do. Two days here probably doesn't do the city justice but I am pleased with what I have seen. Tomorrow, I'm really heading off into the mountains in the direction of Rila Monastery. Hope the knees hold out. Hope the weather holds out.

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