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The Balkans
We pasted through Zadar early in the morning and made our mid-morning stop at Split one of those really pretty towns like you see on the post cards. I have discovered a nice local tradition, you order a coffee and they serve on the side a small cherry brandy and a glass of mineral water. Geoff and I are quite taken with this and argue over who is driving and who can have another round. We compromise and both have another. This stretch of the coast is very beautiful and we stop regularly for photos. We arrive at Dubrovnik and spend the afternoon looking around the old city. It is a walled city and dates back several centuries. There's no traffic and the main streets are filled with people just strolling around. We find a small cafe just near the main gate and have coffee whilst a small string quartet plays classical music. Its all very pleasant and I am at last beginning to relax and realise that I am going to enjoy this trip. Geoff is a bit of a character one might say an eccentric. He has a large black beard, wears a large felt hat that looks like its been beaten to death & smokes a small pipe. He has a very dry sense of humor and some particular dislikes, onions being one of them, this particular dislike will keep rearing its head.

Adriatic Coast

Walled City Dubrovnik
We spend the night just out of Dubrovnic camped right next to the sea. The sea is a beautiful deep blue and so clear you can see the bottom so clearly even in 20 feet of water. I went for a walk on the rocks with Jocelyn a New Zealand girl and we spotted octopus crawling around just below the surface. One was quite big and we got as close to him as we could to get a good look. As he moved from one rock to another he would change colour so it was hard to make out what was octopus and what was rock. There was a sudden movement and the octopus came half out of the water and grabbed Jocelyn ankle. I was frozen to the spot, it took ages for what was happening to sink in. I just could belive what I was seeing, the octopus was trying to pull her into the water. I looked at her terrified face then at the octopus and suddenly jumped into action. It was not easy to get him off, as fast as I got one tentacle off he'd put another on. Finally she was free. She wasn't in any real danger, the octopus had no chance of pulling her in but it was not something I would ever have thought possible. I have a new respect for octopus they are not as harmless as I imagined

Camp near Dubrovnik
Today we are to leave the Adriatic coast and head inland. We drive to Kotor and stop for early morning coffee and get some food for lunch. The road from Kotor takes us around the large fiord type inlet to the foot of the hills and the start of the "Serpentine" a 27 hair pin bend road that pulls you away from the coast. The climb is steep the corners are tight and you need to be on constant watch for any large vehicle coming the other way. As we are going up hill we are expected to give way to traffic coming down. The corners are so tight that you need to take up the whole road to get round and even then there is very little room to spare. The last thing you want to do on a steep hill is have to reverse. Brakes are designed to stop you going forward they are not as effective when you are in reverse, and when you are on the edge of a shear drop you have very little room for error. The climb takes two hours and as the bus has no power steering no one is more pleased to see the top than me. Lunch is at Cetinje where I settle my nerves with two coffees washed down with cherry brandy.

Kotor - Serpentine

Kotor from top of Pass

Road zigzags up the hill
We have left major roads behind now and for the next day will be traveling through some remote country. The road is high up now. The temperature has fallen and we can see out over the Skadarsko lakes into Albania. The road takes us to Podgorica then towards Mioska. There is very little traffic on this road just the odd bus or truck, then something quite unexpected happens. In the distance two buses are approaching and as they get closer we realise they are both Swagman Tours west bound for London. We pull over and everyone gets off and hears all the stories of what to expect. Our passengers are very interested in what the other have to say as they are near the end of their tour and have lots of experiences to share. The two drivers have been stranded in India for 12 months due to the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and are looking forward to getting home. We spend a very interesting evening and I listen carefully to what is being said as it may be valuable later on. They give us the run down on the political situation between India and Pakistan plus what is happening in Afghanistan.

East meets West
As they talked I realise something that had not occurred to me before, we are responsible for the safety of our passengers. I don't mean in just the getting them there but being aware of what is happening around us and not wandering blindly into some social upheaval or political instability. The passengers are on holiday and are relying on us to make it enjoyable and safe. It would not be long before we discovered the dangers of overland travel. About an hour later we decide to find somewhere to stop for the night so we can spend some time together. Nearby is an old quarry that has empty buildings that make a great place to spend the night as we can all sleep undercover. We share some of our food with them and they think the dehydrated potatoes are great, I hope this doesn't mean that the food we have now is as good as it gets? Its a late night and people sit up till well after midnight talking, we realise how little we know about the adventure that's ahead. We say our farewells and both head off in different directions them for Kotor and the Adriatic coast us for Pec, Prizren, Skopje then as close to the Greek border as we can.

Night camp Yugoslavia
The road from Rozaje to Pec goes over a pass that is above the snow line and as it is a sunny and not very cold day melting snow has turned the road to mud. They are several occasions when we slide all over the road but don't get bogged. Then just as the top of the pass comes into view down she goes. Its shovel out and start digging, find stones to pack the wheels. There is lots of water flowing down the road and its as cold as ice, to make matters worse the rest of the crew soon lose interest and walk to the top of the pass were there is a cafe serving coffee and cherry brandy. An hour later we finally get her moving and crawl the last 200 meters to the top. When we arrive the passenger are bored and ready to get going. We were not. Fred, Geoff and I are frozen after working in ice water for an hour and spend 30 minutes warming up drying out and drinking cherry brandy. This holdup will make it harder to reach the Greek border today and arrive in Athens the day after. At the bottom of the past we stop to look at an old building a fine example of a Byzantine Church.

Rozaje to Pec Road
The road to Prizren is slow going and we are glad to hit the Pristina to Skopje road and cross the border into Macedonia. Afternoon tea is at Skopje were we stock up on wine and Slivovik (plum brandy) plus a banana flavored liquor that has become a favorite. We drive a bit later than normal and camp overnight very close to the border. Yugoslavia is a communist country and it shows. The people are not happy, they seem very reticent to speak to foreigners and are always nervous if we talk to them, they can't get away quick enough. I learn later that they are always watched by secret police and can easily get into trouble for having anything to do with foreigners. Every time I go back the people have changed, be it a campsite, shop or restaurant the staff are never the same. They do their six months then get sent back to the country. The government seems to be afraid that if they spend to much time with foreigners that they will see what they are missing. The life here looks hard and people seem to have very little, much of the transport is by horse and cart. The economy is agricultural and animals are the currency, sheep are everywhere.

Byzantine Church
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An overland journey to India following the India overland trail through Belgium, Germany, Austria Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, & Nepal. Visting sites of Dubrovnic, Split, Kotor, Athens, Kerimoti, Istanbul, Galipolli, Troy, Delphi, Efes, Goreme, Nemrut, Tehran, Esphan, Persepolis, Shiraz, Kerman, Bam, Quetta, Kandahar, Kabul, Bamian Valley, Kyhber Pass, Indus river, Lahore, Punjab, Amritsar, Kashmir, Delhi, Agra, Taj Mahal, Vanaris, Patna, Raj Path, Kathmandu, Himalyas. All this undertaken in a 20 year old Asian Greyhound, Swagman Tours, LS Bristol bus. This Indiaoverland company was held together by Norm Harris an expatriate Aussie living in Windsor. With drivers like Bob Ashford, Geoff Lawrence, Clive Parker, Dave Watt, Ronnie Martin, John Witchard, Ken Mcdonald, Derek Amey & couriers Fred Fisher, Jos Livingstone, Peter Swift, Kieren Smith & mechanics Gordon Hammond, Graham Libby, Pomme John & Rastas just to name a few.