January 2, 2014
Coming back To Life
We take online communications for granted these days, that when the network fails, especially over the Christmas holiday, as in this case when I'd no contact home for much of the time. But its not just contact with friends and family, online communication is a necessary logistic for a cycle-tour. Two examples are, posting this journal and keeping track of money via online banking. When it fails, its almost as if the bike is broken. It makes you wonder how we managed in the old days.
Sarajevo is the place to come to and welcome in the new year for people around the region. On the few days leading up to the turn of the year, the streets were full of visitors and every bed was taken in the hostel. There was a big group of kids-nineteen-twenty year olds from Zagreb staying, that were extremely rowdy. Talking non-stop, even at four in the morning when grown-ups are trying to sleep. I joked that my internet problems were caused by their loud voices breaking up the signal.
I was to set off this morning, but decided to take my computer to a shop and have a clever technician look at it before going on. But this morning the computer is near enough back to normal connectivity: there was no need to go to any shop. It would've been a good day for cycling as it's a nice bright morning with temperatures a mild five or six. And looking at the weather outlook for the next seven days, it's to continue mild. My plan is to double back to Mostar from where it isn't far to the coast and then Dubrovnik.
Julia the other cyclist got away this morning. She's bravely for the season taking a mountainous route via Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia onto Greece. Her final destination is India.
So what to do today. I'm glad to see this is working again. I will pay the hostel bill for the two and half weeks I've been here. That'll be about two-hundred Euros. Then I'll go and have a coffee, have a walk and have lunch. You can sense I've now bored. If anything happens I'll add it on here.
Well I went out for lunch. The usual place in the old town and have steak with salad and bread for six marks (three Euros). My last day in Sarajevo. It seems so long since Sunday, December the fifteen when I got here. The Vagabond hostel has been one of the best places I've stayed and I'll miss Ida and Alvina and Sead. I think from now on I'll only be taking about a day or so off the bike per week. I'm anxious to make a bit of distance and I'll be getting behind with journal updates as a result. It's a hundred and twenty downhill kilometres to Mostar. Its perhaps doable in a day if I get away early, as it doesn't start getting dark now until four thirty. I'm really looking forward to the longer days.
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