Sunday, September 30, 2007

The Holy Grail of Bike Touring (continued)

France has been (easily) displaced from the top of my list for europe's most beautiful country.

I'm sitting in a computer shop in montenegro using dial-up(!) internet, so I can't get any pictures of what I saw up yet, but suffice to say southern Bosnia and Northern Montenegro was one of the most spectacular areas I have ever visted - to bike through it was truly the oportunity of a lifetime.

In Bosnia, picture the landscape of BC with desiduous forests (just beginning to change colour) of eastern canada. Massive valleys and rock faces, coated in green and gold trees. As I crossed into montenegro, things got rockier, a little barer, and the mountains rawer - I would liken it to the pyrenees a little, or the canadian sheild on steroids. I chowed down on about 100 km each of the two days it took me to get to Niksic (using american keyboards - funny accents missing), and the second day was a real leg-buster. Climbing all day long, and when not climbing battling headwinds. Next tour I am bringing a bike computer with an altimeter so I know just how many vertical meters I ate - I suspect it was a lot yesterday.

Niksic is your typical country town, one main street that the locals walk up and down and up and down all saturday night. I got drunk with some Montenegran kids who thought I was quite the novelty and fed me free drinks all evening. I've been ordering food having no idea what it is (its either written in cyrillic or is just some crazy word I don't recognize) and I can't seem to explain to anyone that I want to buy a map, and could they please tell me where I could do so. In Spain and Italy, I thought I didn't know the language and had trouble communicating. My experince here makes me feel like I am fluent in both of those languages (indeed, I find myself accidentally reverting to some wierd mixture of the two when I try to communicate). Now I REALLY dont know the language.

I still have both legs after bosnia, and plan to make my way to the sea before entering Albania. That is, assuming I can find a map!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Sarajevo















Its been a cool couple of days here in sarajevo - both in terms of the weather (I'm in the mountains now... it looks a lot like BC here), and my experience in town.

Couchsurfed with what I believe to be the only biker in Sarajevo, and spent time chilling with her and her friend Igor (another couchsurf host) who grew up 100 km from here and had lots to tell me about the area's history. Ate like a king (turns out food IS cheaper here... and often weighed for price - 1kg = 6$ cdn!)

Ate a sandwich and watched old men play on a giant chess set.

Took a lot of pictures, but started to feel almost dirty doing it - like thier pain is my tourism.

I'm going to visit the history museum, which I'm told is quite a heavy experience, then hit the road through the mountains to Montenegro. Onward and upward - hope my legs are ready for some hardass hillclimbs.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Busses and Bosnia

Somehow I got the idea in my head that I wanted to go to Sarajevo.

I don't know if it was based on romantic ideas that the name has always conjured, a need to put some true-life basis behind the stories I read and heard in my lectures on inturnational relations, or the hazy images we got on Canadian TV that I still have in my mind of snipers from soviet looking apartment blocks and guns on the hills around dropping shells on the city below that needed some kind of confirmation. Maybe it was just the thought of riding a measly twenty or so kilometers of bosnia (the miniscule leg of coastline it lays claim to on the sea where there is a small gap in Croatia).

One way or another I decided to come. Then, in an admittedly drunken portage episode on my last night chillin with Tim I managed to twist my ankle, and the idea occured to me to take the train to sarajevo and stay a night or two with a couchsurfer - that way I can rest my leg and not worry about lost KM (the dazs until homecoming are rapidlz ticking down, and the Kilometer count remains daunting).

So we go to the train station. Where we're told that the tracks are being worked on and there are no trains from Split. Rats - but not impossible. Tim books a bus to Zagreb with plans to connect to trains taking him to Budapest, I decide to grab a night bus all the waz to sarajevo.

When the bus pulls up at 10 pm, my heart sinks. Its a minibus. Holds maybe 12 people. Definitely not my bike. Unenthusiastic at the process of stealth camping solo with a twisted ankle and in the rain in a large city, I limp back to the ticket office and ask them where is the closest to bosnia I can get by bus that night. They tell me Ploče, halfwaz to dubrovnic, has connecting trains. I wait for the 1:30 bus. When it shows, I ask the driver if he indeed stops at Ploče. Yes. and he'll take my bike. He overcharges me even after I bargain him down.

Midway through the ride I realize we're well beyond Ploče. Fuck - he either didn't stop or didnt call the stop. Not to worry I tell myself, this is better. I'll stay on the bus all night and get some sleep, then take a train from Dubrovnik, better rested, and maybe paying a fraction more.

At the Dubrovnik ticket office i get my next rude surprise. "there's no trains here" the puzzled information office woman tells me. Fuck. Again. I head into town to pick up some food (rude woman overcharges me at a fruit stand, rude girl yells at me - in between sentences in her more-important-than-the-customer phone call) and grab another bus heading, finally, to sarajevo. A couple of large, cold Karlovacos and a sleeping pill left over from when I got really sick riding in spain put me out for most of the ride, save periodic shakings into consciousness when I dutifully present my passport.

I arrive.

Sarajevo is wierd. I was warned by a friend we made in Split - "it's depressing" - and it is a little bit - but somehow still full of life. My face was glued to the window as we slid into the citz - building after building facade still pockmarked with bulletholes, scarred and maybe re-patched with mismatching bricks by shell holes. Its almost unreal. The achitecture reminds me of western-pop images of soviet russia and an arthur erikson wet dream combined. Faded billboards from the 1984 olympics still stand near the bus depot.

On the surface though, things seem normal. Traffic hums away as it does anywhere, save for a complete absence of bicycles. (complete). Boutiques line the streets in the centre, and there is a thriving tourist boutique district near the gorgeous (I would call it the most beautiful thing in the city, actuallz) mosque and courtyards. Everyone still drinks coke, and it costs the same it does in Vancouver or Torino.

Under the surface I discover things are still messed up. This is a city without trust - offering a couple of marks to make a quick local call on someone's cell (a trick that has worked everyhere else I've been) elicits suspicious looks, grunts, and flat out 'no's. I meet a bosnian girl now living in vancouver (who thankfully hooks me up with a cell phone) here to do paperworks and sort out loose ends remaining from pre-war times. She tells me that the system is corrupted enough that she can barely get anyting done. She also tells me that the area around the city is still heavily mined, and completelz unmarked. Freaking scary, because the area she points to is the very same one I'd been scoping to wild camp (hey! what a nice forrest right next to the city!) if my couchsurf plan didn't pan out.

I decide to do a bit of better research on the subject and am informed by our lovely government's website that "Landmines remain a very serious danger, especially outside of Sarajevo. The vast majority of mined areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not marked in any way. Visitors should keep to main roads, stay on paved surfaces, avoid abandoned houses, and travel only during daylight hours. Special care should be taken near former confrontation lines. Avoid areas with visible signs of destruction, such as numerous destroyed buildings, which may be mined. The mine threat includes large amounts of unexploded ordnance and discarded ammunition. War relics and unknown items should not be touched and should be reported to local authorities. Visitors should carry a document identifying their blood type."

Well there is a mindfuck. Looks like I'll be asking a lot of people if I can tent on their property, as that warning description pretty much rules out all of my usual haunts. I dont even KNOW my bloodtype.

trust me kids, though, I'll be careful. I love my legs and have absolutely no interest in having them blown off.

See you back home (in one piece) in just over a month!

Monday, September 24, 2007

croatia continues





We're in Split Croatia now.

Its been a couple of amazing days touring this coast, and I begin to understand why people now call this the 'holy grail of bike touring.' We'll have both of our pictures up on a new flickr (fixed.friction,) and you can see for yourself.

Highlights include:

-2 borders in one day (slovenia and croatia)
-Sleeping in an abandonned boyscout camp during a badass thunderstorm
-The Istrian peninsula, and drinking lots of istra bitter
-cheap half liter beers
-ferry ride and 3 beautiful days on the islands of Cres and Lošinj, with amaying wildcamping oportunities
-Zadar, where we couchsurfed and met some fucking cool kids, also saw the most amazing piece of public art I have ever seen, the Zadar sea organ.

Today Tim (new nickname, Barricade - story coming soon) and I split ways - he rolls back to hungary and I decide if I follow the coast down to Dubrovnik or cut inland to Sarejavo in Bosnia.

Friction touring, fucking loving it.

Friday, September 21, 2007

adresses

I'm aware that I have been incredibly negligent in the mail department with all of y'all - but I'm planning on sending some stuff out soon. I have a nice collection of postcards amassed from various european countries waiting to send. I just am lacking adresses. So if you want one, email me your addy or leave it on here. You might even get it with a bosnian or croatian stamp!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Italia a duo

So its been a wild couple of days on the road with the cowboy.

After jetting to Milano, we pushed it north to the edge of the Alps, camping one night near a lake, mounting some mountains for breakfast and lunch the next day, and camping on a second, larger lake the second night. No days under 100 km. We also dropped in on a little bike shop looking for cycle caps and were welcomed like heroes. Trulz the spirit of bikelove is international,; the folks there at Bramati Point wouldnt let us leave without giving us a full team uniform - jersy and shorts, and a discount on some sweet campagnolo hats.

We then pushed it south to Venizia.

Let me warn the bicycle traveler to venice. Don't bring your god dammned bike. Its a beautiful city, though overrun by tourists to the point of feeling like disneyland, but wandering aimlessly between the canals and the tight winding streets is an unreal experience, one magnified by the fact we arrived at night. The downside of course is that every canal is bridged by a steeply arching bridge. Made of stairs. meaning portage. If you have ever portaged a fully loaded touring bike 40 times in 2 hours, you'll understand why I say leave your bike at home. If you haven't, you dont want to. 'the rats nest' is what we started calling the place. We ended the night camping it in a clump of bushes at the farthest end of venice before catching a ferry over to a peninsula that connects to the mainland on the other side of the bay, and riding towards a bike festival that tim had seen a poster for earlier in the week.

We arived at cyclomundi knowing it was a bike festival and nothing else. It turned out to be a touring festival. We rolled in on our loaded bikes and were once again the centre of attention - many photos were taken of us all loaded up, everyone wanted to hear our story, and we were asked to give a brief summary which was translated into italian for the crowd. They fed us, housed us, and treated us like gold. Even better, we got to meet a lot of experienced tourers - cats who had circled the border of europe entirely, had ridden from finland to greece, from italz to japan - we watched a presentation by a woman who had toured the entire world in 8 years.

Even better, we met an italian framebuilder at the festival who told me that he could re-weld the crack that had recently developped in my right seatstay. Stayed an extra day to have the job done and got to check out his sweet factory/workshop full of beautiful frames. Thanks Carlo.

Then eastward once more. Through Trieste and into Slovenia. A couple of truly badass thunderstorms. Then into Croatia. Two borders in one day. We're on the island of Cres now, on the Croatian coast (apparentlz the Holy Grail of bike touring... and so beautiful you believe it) planning our route southward. More dispatches as possible.

(ps, the balkans are pretty chill. No gun toting civil war grudgers so far, just really old ladies who feed us wine when we ask if we can fill up our water bottles)

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Italia, meet the east van bike revolution

Three nights in Torino, and we're off.

Tim and I greet each other as old soldiers who have not seen each other in ages, trading war stories and battle scars.

We're up at a respectable hour monday and set off in the direction of Milano. 129.99 km in the first day, 6.5 hours of riding.

Italia watch out, we're going to tear the asphalt off your roads.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Copout D'azur

Ok, I'm just going to come out and admit it right off the bat.

I copped out.

I took a train.

Reached the Italian border a few hours after writing my last post and after a careful analysys of

1) what time it was (approx 6 pm)
2) the condition of my legs and my right knee (starting to give me some regular pains)
3) a more careful examination of my real (michelin) map, not the google map (lacking in, specifically, altitudes)

I came to the realization that it would take me no less than 48-72 hours to reach Torino.

Tim was already waiting for me there, and has a deadline to be back in Budapest, and to be perfectly honest - while I absolutely loved both france and spain, I've spent far too long mucking about in this corner of europe and now have only seven weeks to blow through some of the sweetest countryside on the continent - Italy, the Balkans, Greece, and then Turkey. I wish I had an extra two months.

No regrets of course, save that I wont get to add conquering every respectable mountain range in France (got the Massif Central and Pyrenees under the belt, but alas, no Alps. GENUINELY disappointed with myself on this one) two my other two accomplishments in that country (riding the vertical length of the country, and riding the entire south coast).

I'll say this for European trains though - fast, and CHEAP! The three and a half hour 160 (?) km ride cost me a piddling nine euros. Crazy business.

So now its just to link up with Wyatt and begin our Eastward plunge.

More details as they arise!

Friday, September 7, 2007

the two minute update

I know I've been terrible on this thing of late, so I thought I'd throw down a couple of details as I stop in Nice here for a few minutes to rest my legs and gather supplies.

I'm heading North from here, through the alps to meet up with fellow East Van bike missionary Tim Wyatt (check the link bar to the right for his blog).

Spent a lovely week in Marseille exploring the city by bike (I'll flat out admit respect for any regular biker in Marseille; by far the least bike friendly and traffic mad city I've seen yet). Its large, throbbing, dirty and alive - Marseille that is. Whoever it was that described it to me as the Vancouver of France has a very dfferent picture of Van than I do. I would say that it is the L.A. of France - whether this country has a Vancouver, I've yet to find out.

Spent some time with two quite awesome and amazing couchsurfing hosts who took me out with their friends, fed me well, and made me feel like a long lost friend.

Got food poisoning from a Snack stand, and am only now recovering my appetite. 200 KM in 2.2 days on a mostly empty stomach: grueling.

Its sunny and beautiful on the Cote D'Azure - a pitty its marred, like virtually any european coastlie I've seen, by an abundance of busy highways and overfilled, over priced, pleasure boat and tourist infested beach towns. I'm looking forward to the balkan coast in the hopes that there will be less people and more natural beauty. Go go Canadian nature-snobbism!

Anyhow, gotta hi the road here again as I have 170 or so km between wyatt and me, including some litte montain range they call the alps or somehing, and I'd like to be in Tornio by tomorrow night. Guess I should hit the road!

Love y'all, and I hope to EVENTUALLY recap some of the road between barcelona and here.

PS - special notice to the B:C:Clettes - caught your LA performance on the Project B blogsite... You ladies are looking hot as ever, and MY GOD have you raised the bar with the moves! Massive respect, and congrats on your successful tour!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Mini Bike Army, rollin strong in Vancouver

So those of you back on the homefront know I love my mini bikes, and a few of you out on the road here have heard about my membership in the bone shaking heart breaking silly yet somehow still sexy miniature bicycle breakdance burlesque crew 'Brakes.'

Well if that kind of thing cranks your chain, here's some more minibike and bike/dance action comming up - an end of summer ride hosted by Vancouver's own Minibike Army, and a welcome home from their successful westcoast tour for the lovely and talented (and Brakes inspiring) B.C.Clettes!

Dispatch from Mini Bike Army Headquarters:

Monday September 3, 2007 it's the Back to School Special and the Welcome Home B:C:Clettes Mini Bike Army Ride. It may be a long title but that's half the fun.

Mini Bike Army invites you to ride mini bikes (or whatever bike you have) on a holiday Monday afternoon ride. Meet at noon at the Science World Gazebo, ride at 12:30 to downtown, to the beaches, down Robson for some exposure, probably for food since mini bike riding takes a bit of energy... and perhaps some other special treat? Yes, it's probably the last opportunity for a mini bike Monday with nice weather. Don't hesitate, just ride.

Welcome home the B:C:Clettes from their westcoast tour with some bike love. Depending on how tired/busy the B:C:Clettes are, could they surprise us with a special performance? Doubtful, but if we entice them with beer, perhaps? We'll see who shows up I suppose.

minibikearmy.blogspot.com

Saturday, September 1, 2007

And Another

Batch of photos goes up...

CHECK 'EM HERE