Three small bears

A giant Rex

I was merrily making my way through the rolling hills of southern Slovenia feeling somewhat exhausted and depleated from a couple of long days riding when I thought, 'that looks remarkably like a small bear grazing in that field. Continuing on my way I came closer and thought, boy, that really does look like three small bears and low and behold when mamma bear stood up behind the three cubs, I thought, thats not a small bear, nay, thats a big bugger, looking my direction in much the same stance that my parents took on through a town in central BC this time last earth cycle. Think, mum and dad, middle of a busy street with hands held up beneth a giant wood carving of a Grizzly bear and you start to get the idea. I begged them not to, alas they insisted.

St Marks in Zagreb, Croatia

Moving on from the bears in the field I had another sighting as I was setting up my tent some kms down the road. Like the bear itself I took off and found a better place to rest ones head for the night. I guess the people were wrong that suggested it is unlikely I will see a bear at camp where I was. Maybe it is a Sloven game to watch the tourist run away from a big hairy animal late in the evening. This certainly would give a reason why girls run away from me when i try to talk with them. I dirgress.

Man eating Catfish

Doris and Me getting Buff(er)

I apologise if this update seems somewhat disjointed as I have been distracted twice now. Let me start at the beginning. I was lying on a bench in the shade watching the practice starts at the 2011 world rowing champs in Bled as any normal nomad would do when I was approached by Maja and her mother. Her brother in Nz was enough to warrant trying to chat with the chap with the silver fern on his bike and so we chatted then as luck would have it I bumped into these chalming folk again as they had stopped for lunch. Long story not so long, I got directions to their house in the rural hills outside the capital and have been here for three days. Apart from the normal things, a shave, a shower, paragliding with her brother, drinking with her brothers father in law and being nursed all day from the rediculous hangover from the horrid Rajkia, it has been a pleasnt and quiet stop on the journey.

Self Explanatory, I hope

So as you can see I have had things to do. Add to this the incessant need to mother me with food, BBqs, Pivo (beer) and trinkets for which I have learnt to make and drink Turkish coffee out of I am set for another adventure tomorrow.

Whoa Bear

I spent a couple of nights in Zagrab where I met with Vladimir and his possy and swapped a couple of travelling hats for a nights accomodation and a couple of tshirts as I was running bare on both. We played 5 a side footy at the school before getting some pivo and sitting beneath a million stars in a field chatting about life. As the temperatures have remained in the high 30s for the last week we went to the lake for a swim. What the lads failed to tell this trusting biker is that the lake, man made as it was, is home to a man eating cat fish. Being that I am writing this and therefore not catfish poo leads us to a couple of conclusions. One, the guys are full of shit and there is infact not large man eating cat fish or I am not in fact not a man and thus do not float in the menu line of the Fishy. The jurry is out on this one. I was called the youngest 28 year old he had ever met so perhaps there is some truth to my boyish innocence remaining in tact.

Gettin er done

The pass

As you can see Doris and I did a bit of a work out in the sun and the cheeky Vlad snapped a piccy just as I was finishing my 82nd rep so my form was in the early stages of failure. Not unlike I might add the 9km 14% (I hope you can appreciate that Steff) that took me over the Vrsic pass (1600m). What a push, I was absolutely done by the time I made the trip up the beautiful smooth new road to the pass. Even better was the potholed and terrible road in the other side. Not only this, but the other side only desended to 800m before I was in the valley. Should have seen that coming.

Maja and I

I have had the pleasure of driving around Slovenia as the two ladies dont drive but they have access to a car so I was driving with their driections and completely at their beck and call. But it was good to see how close I could getto the cyclists then honk my horn and scare them. What a luxary.

floating through life

I have been asked a few questions so I thought the next blog I would have a go at answering some of them. If you have any send em to me and I will see what I can do. A big shout out to my good friend Jack Bauer who is doing it tough on the professional racing circuit in Europe. He should be so lucky to have shuch pleasurable riding days as I do. Go hard Jack.

I was given the club tshirt after I glided and it has on it some words to live by.
 "it is better to live one day as a Raven, than your whole life as a lizard"

Birthday bash

Sarajevo

Croatia

Take that MINE

It must be said that little ol Benjamin McDowall is not for want of peoples good will and giving nature.I was sitting there on the edge of a wide open and well grommed field when an elderly lady wandered over to me and asked in Bosnian "young man, why are you taking naked photos of yourself out here in the open while I am collecting the fallen apples beneath the laden trees above me, and while my daughter in law is merrily hanging clothes out her bedroom window facing this direction no less" It must be said that this is what I think she was saying and should not be taken as word for word as all I understood was the initial greeting. Its true however that I had asked the owner if I could camp in the field and as it was indeed my birthday I stripped doris and I bare and got some traveling naked photos with the 2L bottle of beer, a watermelon and a block of chocolate. The photos can be seen at www.nakedben.com. That evening I pondered over a million stars what the next year would be like and to be fair it made a pretty good start the following morning when I was woken up and asked to come to the house for breakfast. Later on in the day I was flagged down my a marathon runner who had passed in his Jeep and we had lunch at a cafe on the road side. Riding into the early evening I was beeped and tooted at a couple of times in another field. Odd I thought, people usually just let me be. These people however planted a seed of doubt in my mind and after an hour or so I packed everything up and headed out. AsI peddled another 500m or so I came by an entire field with derelict buildings roped off with MINE signs so perhaps I dodged a bullet wandering aimlessly into the field. Stupid. So there I was peddling into the fading light when I spied a football field at the edge of town. I asked the man outside the nextdoor church if it would be ok for me to camp there and before you know it I am sitting with this Priest and his young family drinking hair on your chest coffee, eating cold meat, hot pasta and freshly warmed bread. There is now an Orthodox priest wandering around northern Bosnia with a Traveling Hat warming his holy head.

Montenegro

After breaky in the morning I road off and was again invited into dinner with people I met when I was looking for a camp. As I left they went through and pillaged their garden and gave me a shopping bag of fresh fruit and veges which was lovely but they obviously dont cycle around much.

Old man on the road, Montengro

Flat tire on my birthaday. First since NZ

It was interesting biking into Sarajevo. As children growing up 15 years ago I remember it in the news as a place full of war and death. Now days it is a feast of different cultures, colors, sights and smells. The Orthodox churches stand proudly next to the Mosques and the old town has been rebuilt and is flocked with activity both during the day and into the night. Cafes are the go here and many an hour will be spent watching the flocks march past doing whatever it is they are doing with their evenings.

So I have been doing well, Doris went and got her makeup done so I went and got my head shaved and then we were on our way again. She seems to be running ok but every time I say that she breaks something. Oh well. Such is life. Biking towards Zagreb now and then into Slovenia in the next couple of days. Just over 3 months left and still loving being on the road. Its a simple life and easy to fall in love with.

Priest with a traveling Hat

Thanks to every one who writes notes and well wishes, I always look forward to reading them, thanks for the birthday wishes and I am sorry that most of them will go unreturned. Dream it live it love it.

Diary Entries

View of the Adratic

3/8/11 Poljanak - Kapliuh 112km



Bosnia



Its an interesting feeling looking over miles of land and wondering if there are any mines lurking just under the surface. Bosnia has over four million land mines still in the ground, in old buildings and generally enough around the place that it makes me quite concerned whenever I leave the road. Having said that I am snuggled into a field quite close to a farm house trying to stay far enough from the road so the police wont see me as I have not registered and there may be fines and all that jazz.......

Some good looking bridge - Croatia

4/8/11 Kapliuh - Jajce 93km

As luck would have it, the torrential down pour happened while I was in a cafe all cozy and warm and as even better luck would have it the really really heavy rain fell as I was being fed in the upstairs loft of a house on the edge of town. After riding most of my ks before lunch I stopped in Jajce to look at the relatively impressive waterfalls beneath the citadel. It was here I found refuge from the thunder storm and when it let up I made a dash to find a camp. I past a spot which had some big trees and would have offered some better shelter for my weary tent and upon asking the land owner he invited me to use the unused upstairs. Just a big concrete room with childrens toys they left me to my own devices but for dinner on a tray followed by cheesecake and coffee..............

Sunset over the Adratiac

30/7/11 Pivoac - Prizina 126km

I must have a default look that says 'I am in need'. I dont look poor or impervished, Doris takes care of that, nor do I look unloved. Unshaven and unwashed certainly but not unloved. Yet people in this far away land (Croatia) seem to pass on a courisity reserved for people who need help.

Like Milford, but North

Having covered 70km in the morning I stopped next to a popular swimming beach right off the highway. After a swim and some lunch I leant right up against the bags on the back of Doris and had a nap. Nothing particularly unusual about this situation. I was in a half dosey state when I noticed an aging woman walking towards me with some purpose. In an area rife with tourists I assumed she had something to sell or I was being told off. Remaning still as if asleep I met her gaze through my sunnies when she said something in Croatian and handed me some grapes. I took the grapes thinking I was still going to pay when she took my free hand and placed in it a foil package and wandering off. The grapes were plump and juicy and the homemade cake in the foil was still warm from the oven. A delightful piece of fruity cake. I looked around but this apparation of a woman had whistfully come and gone as if she had never existed in the first instance.....

Mostar - Bosnia

2/8/11 Velika Kapela - Poljanak 104km

So it yurns out I wasnt on the mapped road at all. I deciphered some vague signs and found my way on to the road I intended to be on yesterday. After trying to fall asleep last night, the noises of the forest bacame too much for me and I could have sworn that a bear was outside my tent waiting to eat me. I got up and using the aid of my headlamp I once again tried to pick the lock on the wood shed (I found a cabbin in the woods) but only succeeded in opening the door after I pryed one far enough open to flick a secondary latch. I was not able to relock the door so I rode away this morning as fast as I could.

Front line in War. Bullet holes. Bosnia

Whilist I was asleep on the wooden bench I could hear a scratching and I thought for sure a bear was going through my stuff. After barricading myself in I have the nerves to shine my torch and saw a plump black eyed fluffy tailed squirrel staring back at me. My relief was short lived as I was shocked awake some time after when the little bastard jumped on my chest. I immeditely thought it was a bear but we retreted having both been given a hell of a fright.....

Turtles and a half naked kid

A cheeky swimming spot I found

Add caption

So the trip is still going well. Just on half way at the moment and already the nights are getting longer and although the day time temperatures are still around the high 30's it is dropping away in the evenings and well into the nights. Bring on the snows of winter. I hope I dont come to regreat that comment.