More like Monte Rain-o

So I had a pretty big mental debate yesterday on whether to continue with my plan to climb up Mount Lovcen or to just go around and down the coast. I knew the weather would be bad, and I knew it would be worse in the mountains, but I couldnt resist the urge to see what all the hype was about. Quite the climb it was...probably the most difficult so far. Twenty one hairpin turns in the cold rain. The Bay of Kotor is certainly beautiful and Im more than a bit peeved that I arrived in such crappy weather. As nice as the scenery is Im sure it would be more mindblowing in the sunshine. This whole area would be much better in one of the "shoulder" tourist seasons, when the crowds are thinner but restaurants are actually open and the weather isnt cold rain.

On the whole Ive enjoyed Montenegro. I took a detour on the way here to pass through the mountains of Bosnia Hercegovina as well. That makes this country number 12! I should be in Albania, number 13, by tomorrow evening. So far the people have been pretty friendly...lots of friendly honks and waves, no close encounters with traffic really. I can certainly see why this would be a very hard area to bike tour if you arent comfortable with narrow, high, no-barrier, twisty, heavy traffic roads. But Im fine with that.

Going to head a bit south of where I am (Petrovac) to camp for the night and hope I dont get hit with freezing wind and rain. Tomorrow I will be heading over the border to Albania. No clue what to expect down there...this will be the first true completely out there adventure. I dont even know what currency they use! Hopefully I can find an internet cafe while Im in Albania, but I expect to be in Greece by next Tuesday or Wednesday and am fairly confident to find internet access there. Until then, scope the pics and let me know what you think!

Oh, to John- I havent purged any of your comments! I know what you mean about the history in this region being crazy...Ive learned alot in the last week and a half or so and am continually amazed at the layers of history here. Where are you at? Hope you are well...its a shame there is no blog for me to check on...hahaha

Note- couldnt get all the pics up or caption them...enjoy those for now...will try again soon!

To the Black Mountain!

Well, my time in Dubrovnik was wonderful, as expected. Everyone says how beautiful the city is and I figured it was overstatement but I was wrong. It really is an amazing place filled with fascinating history and extremely friendly locals. I was aided by an excellent man who housed me in his computer shop (hearkens back to my nerd days!) and his friend even gave me a personal tour of the city. Thanks Dubo and Antonija! There are plenty of photos and a few videos updated to let you see what Im talking about.
Today (in fact, as soon as I finish this entry) I am heading to Montenegro, country number 10. The Bay of Kotor is supposedly stunning, so I look forward to it. The weather seems pretty fair; a bit chilly, but that is good for cycling. Rain is in the forecast later this week...the worst kind too- just above freezing temperature! We will see how that goes. Thanks again to all the folks with words of encouragement. It is extremely uplifting to know that you all are traveling along with me. Another big thanks goes out to my Nana and Pap for a generous donation. Not only will that help keep me fat (or at least fed) and happy on the road, but it puts the fundraising up to the first bicycle purchased for World Bicycle Relief! YAAAAY.
Anyways, going to go spend the rest of my kuna on groceries (Montenegro is back on the euro). Dont know the internet situation down in those parts, but Ill do my best to check in before heading into Albania near the end of this week. Until then, keep the pedals spinning (metaphorically speaking for most of you!).
Bobo the Hobo

Time to Split

HAHAHAH! That is so funny. Monday was probably one of the most brutal riding days I have ever had. Knock on wood. The headwinds pushed on the whole way down to Split and the only way I managed to push myself to the city was because I knew if I didnt make it, I would be sleeping in the woods and rain was certain. By the end of the day I was just shouting outloud like a crazy person as I did the last little stretch into Split.

Split is an amazing city...certainly one of my favorites of the trip so far. It was established as the Roman emperor Diocletian's vacation home because he was from Dalmatia. The original palace is what forms the core of the city and it is so amazing to wander through the narrow little alleyways that are over 1200 years old. The palace has been used continuosly ever since it was built and has a unique aspect of being both an ancient ruin and a modern day commercial and residential building.

Split has also done wonders for reinvigorating my will. Ive gone ahead and splurged on staying in a hostel for the last 2 nights and talking with other travelers is always bolstering. Also just being able to access the web and hear the words of encouragement from people like Mr. Freeman, Mama Clites and all the others does alot to reinforce my mentality. I feel ready to tackle the next section down to Dubrovnik, just have to figure out if I will ride on the mainland or use ferries to explore some of the islands as I ride south!

I believe Ive found a couchsurfing host for tonight, but havent heard from him yet. Since it rained all day yesterday I plan to explore the city in more detail with him this afternoon. Once I have those pics and videos Ill post them for your viewing pleasure. In the meantime Im going to go grab some food. Take care and stay tuned!

Headwinds are exhausting

Trying to make my way from Zadar to Split today, but the headwind is killing me. Since I lost my computer in Italy, I have no way of knowing just how slow Im going, but I feel like it is not a great pace. Still have about 75 KM to go, so I should be able to make it before darkness falls around 430 or 5 PM. Hope to hit a hostel in Split tonight and maybe stay over tomorrow as well, but have another 250 KM from Split to Dubrovnik, so I cant wait around too long. The other option is to get a ferry from Split down to Dubrovnik, but it looks like the next one wont come until Saturday and I cant afford lodging in Split that many nights. The other factor is that they are calling for rain the next couple days, which is really not fun. It isnt quite so cold that I cant battle the rain, but Id prefer not to. Really looks like Im going to be fighting my way all the way to Athens. God knows what those mountains in Monte Negro and Greece have in store for me!
The hardest part of the trip isnt really the riding or physical component at all though. The mental battle is much tougher, and now that I am temporarily without another soul to suffer alongside, its even worse. In any case, the challenges of riding during the day keep my mind off of it, but the night is when it really settles in. I have to be in camp and setup by darkness, which is usually around 5 PM. Then I have nothing to do but think far too much until I can go to bed about 8 or 9 PM. If I go to bed much earlier than this, I cannot sleep until it is time to wake up at 630 or 7am. Arrrgh.
Anyways, Im going to go top off the H2O supplies and try to beat the rain to Split. Ill check in from there later tonight or tomorrow. Cheers!

Killin time in Mali Losinj

As it turns out, Igor's info was slightly off. There was no ferry to Zadar on Thursday, so I had arrived a day early unintentionally. I figured I was going to have to sleep in the woods outside of town, but after a rousing pub session (of which I understood little to none of what was being said) I was housed for the night by an older Croatian gentleman. I still dont know what his name was, what he kept whispering to me as we crept around the building he lived in or why we had to tiptoe around..? Then he wakes me up at 530 because he has to go to work, so I end up sitting on a park bench and looking homeless. Oh...that is right, I AM homeless. I even bought a big fat permanent marker this morning and plan on hunting down some cardboard this afternoon to make a sign. Im thinking this sounds good: Attempting to ride this bicycle around the world. Ask me any question- 5 kuna!
Ill keep you updated on how being a croatian panhandler works. I figure its not really panhandling since Im going to do my best to answer the questions, no matter what subject they are on. I will probably fabricate the bits of science that I dont remember, and surely if it is a question on business, politics, law, philosophy....well, I guess Ill be making up alot of the answers. But the sign doesnt say I have true answers!
Anyways, the ferry doesnt leave here until 4 PM and it is a roughly 7 hour ride. That puts me into Zadar about 15 minutes before the silent party starts at 11. Sure hope I can get a pair of headphones and the hostel doesnt have a lockout. Check out the venue here.
Okay, Ill drop you another note when I get to some internet action...probably tomorrow afternoon! Happy Thanksgiving once again...mine was lacking turkey, but did involve some cold chicken and hard boiled eggs with a man I did not understand at all.

And then there was one...

Today is a sad day. John and I must part ways. He has decided to go to Spain with his girlfriend after they spend Christmas in Bosnia. I am not quite prepared for this. I dont think Ive ever spent 3 months in the exclusive company of one person, so I expect the seperation to be a bit strange and difficult. I will probably start holding lengthy conversations with my beard.
Rather than spend all of January, Feburary and part of March alone here in Croatia I am going to move on southwards and maybe a bit east. The plan is very much a work in progress, but the rough idea is to go to Athens, Istanbul or Cairo (budget, weather and terrain being the determining factors). From one of these major hubs I should be able to get a relatively cheap one way flight. I have to decide where to.
Bangkok- warm. beaches. cheap. From here I can ride Cambodia (Angkor Wat!), Vietnam (real Pho!) and maybe get some boats to do Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia...who knows? Then I have to get a flight home, probably from Bangkok once again.
Buenos Aires- it is summer down there. I can ride to Patagonia and the Amazon. Pretty damn cheap too. Only drawback is the flight is more expensive, so I would have to ride all the way north? Not sure if I have the budget for that, but maybe I can find work.
Los Angeles/Seattle/ West Coast- not really a good option at all right now, because of the weather. The only major plus is that I would be back on the correct continent with plenty of money to ride on.
So my ideal plan, if everything works out alright, would be to ride to Athens, Istanbul and then down to Cairo. From Cairo I would fly to Bangkok, ride SE Asia and then fly to South America and ride north. This would let me accomplish 6 continents, albeit cheating slightly.
Anyways, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving. John and I are going to have our parting meal/Thanksgiving at our favorite restaurant here in Cres. I may not get to eat any turkey, but perhaps I will soon be IN Turkey! HAHAHAHHA.
Hope that answers your questions Mom and DJ Wicky Wick. Ill check in from Zadar after I catch the ferry tomorrow. They have a cool thing called the Sea Organ, Ill tell you all about it!

Super Quick Update

Hey folks...only 6 minutes until the library closes. Just wanted to let you all know that I am still safe, alive and relatively happy here in Croatia. As for news, I believe I will be moving on very soon to try and hit Athens, Istanbul or Cairo in the next two months. From there my rough plan is to find a boat or plane to Bangkok, Buenos Aires or Los Angeles. More details and explanations for this coming soon.