All posts by Walter

Albania, Sibirsky Extreme

Albania

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We began the day in Budva with the first order of business to re-attach Marcin’s water connection with his engine and to top up his KTM with water.  How it managed to reach Budva without water in the system I dont know – but it did.

The coastal road to the south east was shrouded in fog so we cut inland up a spectacular mountain road until we reached the town of Virpazar.  Then we turned down a 35km, one lane mountain road that led to villages and monasteries along the southern side of Lake Shkoder.  This was a super route.  Anyone heading down this way would be well advised to take the spectacular but challenging route between Virpazar and Ostros.  Temperatures reached 26 degrees on that leg and we passed a couple of German riders on orange dirt bikes exploring abandoned military roads.

My bike seems to have picked up a bit of a problem.  It keeps blowing fuses for the instrument cluster.  it doesnt really affect the riding of the bike, but stops me indicating or seeing my instruments.  3 fuses in 3 days.  I should take a look at it.

We continued on and reached the Montenegro – Albania border at Sukobin – Muriqan.  There is no joint border, it is still two border posts connected by 100 yards of no-mans-land.  Fortunately we were sent through relatively quickly and were not asked for a green card.  And so we were in Albania – country number 15.  

There are a lot of preconceptions about Albania but we were determined to keep an open mind and enjoy it.  It was soon apparent though that the vast bulk of the country’s roadside areas is just a tipping centre for rubbish, cars, furniture and whatever else can be dumped by the side of the road.  The first time I stopped, to wait for everyone to catch up, we were mobbed by run down scabby kids asking for money and trying to grope the bikes.  They reached up and just took Marcin’s pepsi bottle from its holding place in the front of his bike.  It turns out it was a big gypsy camp I happened to stop in, and I was pleased to motor on out of there as soon as Jon arrived.  

My telephone hadnt worked in Montenegro.  I assume that my phone company had no agreement with any of the 3 networks in Montenegro.  I had been hoping for something in Albania, but alas, nothing here either.  Jon’s phone, which worked in Montenegro, doesnt work in Albania either.  It turns out only Marcin’s Polish sim card was registering on the network in Albania and I borrowed his phone to SMS our American contact in Albania, Steve, who had found a place for us to stay in the centre of Tirane, and also had some parts for me to collect.

The Albania roadside is a colourful place,and in some ways reminded me of the Chinese roadsides I saw 15 years ago. Old ladies sit by the highway selling eggs, or chickens.  Butchers hang meat outside their stalls, alongside the main highway in the country, and drivers have their own interpretation of safe driving practices.  Adjusting to the driving had to happen fast.  Marcin and I have ridden through the 3rd world before, but while Albania isnt really a 3rd world country, the driving practises were on a par with what you find in the 3rd world, Jon hadnt ridden in conditions like this before.  Despite numerous dangerous incidents, we made to Tirane in one piece, and following Steve’s directions, found ourselves 50 yards away from the Tirane Backpackers hostel.  Steve had arranged for us to store the bikes in the grounds of the hostel so we rode up an improvised ramp and into the hostel before heading out for a few beers and dinner with Steve

Croatia, Montenegro, Sibirsky Extreme

Warmth at Last

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The day began clearing customs and immigration at the port in Split, and we began our journey through Eastern Europe in the rain.  It turns out my boots are perhaps not totally waterproof :(.  The rain and fog eased after about 30 km and most of  the next hour or two was in overcast conditions.  Not the best conditions to see the famous Croatian coast.  by lunchtime we had reached Dubrovnik, and the sun had burnt through the fog and cloud leaving us with lovely warm sunny conditions.

After a pizza for lunch by the walls of old Dubrovnik, we got back on our way south, heading for country number 13, Bosnia.  Bosnia has a tiny 10km off coastline, splitting the Croatian coast into 2 bits.  The border was uneventful and we were just waved through.  This was good as by now we were overheating any time we stopped.  Tomorrow we would have to start dressing much lighter.  The border with Montenegro was our first administrative hassle of the trip.  We had to stop for 10 – 15 min’s to pay insurance fee at the border due to  not having a “green card” insurance policy.  This will probably be repeated several times in the next week or so.

Once into Montenegro, the picture changed dramatically.  Croatia still felt very westernised, but immediately upon entering Montenegro we felt a wilder, more primitive feel.   We headed for the world famous Bay of Kotor, the most southerly fjord in Europe, surrounded by dramatic rocky mountains.  This area has seen intense property development in recent years with new apartment prices for regular garden variety apartments reaching 5000 Eur per sq metre.  That’s London prices in one of the poorest countries in Europe!  Not surprisingly, we discovered prices had fallen at least 60% in the last year or so as the buyers suddenly dried up.

Finally we pushed onto the beach resort town of Budva, which was dead this time of year, and an hour or so after arriving, we heard the unique exhaust sound of a MotoSyberia KTM outside the hotel.  It was Marcin Safranow, who had ridden 1800km in 2 days to meet up with us!  Hardcore!!

Now we are 3.

Italy, San Marino, Sibirsky Extreme

Crossing the Rubicon

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The day started with a lovely 45 minute ride along the Eastern shore of Lago Garda, before heading in as straight as possible a line for Ancona port.  There were only two things to distract us in our mission to get to Ancona in time to buy some ferry tickets for the overnight boat to Split, Croatia.

First of those distractions was just to the north of Rimini … We came across the Fiume Rubicone … otherwise known as The Rubicon.  This pathetic unremarkable stream once marked the border between the Roman provinces and Italy proper.  The expression to cross the Rubicon is in reference to Julius Caesar, who invaded Italy by crossing the Rubicon with his legions.  Generals were supposed to re-enter Italy “unarmed”, but Caesar crossed with his legions, and in doing so, launched the Civil War against the Senate and its army – a war in which Caesar eventually won – becoming dictator in the process.  So today, WE crossed the Rubicon .. not figuratively, but literally!.

The second distraction of the day was San Marino.  A short side trip up to a mountainside fortress enabled us to claim our 11th country of the trip so far.  The Garmins both went a little crazy on the way back down  … maybe San Marino is a GPS black hole.  or maybe garmin is crap??

Finally we pulled into Ancona port, bought the tickets for ourselves and the bikes to Split and headed off to find the internet cafe … where we sit right now.!

Tomorrow we wake up in Croatia.  Bona Sera !

Austria, Italy, Sibirsky Extreme

Crossing the Alps

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Thursday started off freezing.  Wednesday night was our first night in the tent, and while it was a balmy +15 degreees when we pulled into Liechtenstein late on Wednesday afternoon, it was icy when we woke in the campground the next morning.  The sort of damp cold that penetrates everything.  Even our super warm Khyam sleeping bags were unable to cope with this damp sub zero cold and I had no choice by to head for the showers at 6am, frozen to the core, for a half hour long scalding hot shower just to warm up.

We packed up camp and hit the road eventually about 10:30 all set to face the Arlberg region of Austria.  It was still only 1 degree above freezing.  We had two passes to deal with today:  the Brenner Pass was the main one.  At 1370 metres its one of the lowest but most important crossings in the whole Alps.  We had been stopped and told by a swiss motorcyclist the previous day that passes over 1400 metres still have snow and ice on the road surfaces.  But the Brenner was so important to European commerce that it was bound to be open.  We were less certain about the Arlberg Pass.  At 1800 metres, we thought it would be closed and we would have to pay the big bucks and use the Arlberg tunnel to cross from the Rhine basin to the Danube basin.  But we were in luck. Austrian alpine signs proclaimed the pass open, and I said to Jonathan that if the pass was open, it behooved Sibirsky Extreme to take it on.

And so we did.  Long before we got to the pass we passed the village of Stuben, at around 1300 metres on the west side of the pass.  Stuben is a ski resort village part of the whole Arlberg complex, and sure enough we were riding passed stunned skiers, staring wide eyed as we rode up the mountain while they skied down it 5 metres away from us.  The pass was clear at 1800 metres and at that point we were a full 500 metres above the bustling ski resort of St Anton.  We descended the Eastern side of the pass only to find someone had already Sibirsky Extremed the St Anton sign!  Damn, we were too late again!

A couple of hour later, atop the Brenner Pass,  Jonathan stopped for a chat with Humphrey, an English cyclist who was off to China … it had taken him a whole month to get to the Brenner.  Good luck Humphrey.

Then it was Italy, and country number 10.  Weather was instantly shite on the Italian side.  Moist air pushing up on the alps … we pressed on in light rain to Lake Garda, where we found a bike friendly Hotel for the night.  We were in luck for there was a cheezy Tex-Mex place across the road and we feasted on Burritos and long overdue beers.  The idea of camping in the rain kinda sucked – so to find a bike friendly hotel where we could park the bikes in an underground garage was a nice end to the day.

Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Sibirsky Extreme, Switzerland

DE, CH, FL, AT

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It was 1 degree when we left Enzklosterle this morning, but we have managed to end the day in warm sunshine in Austria, having entered our 9th country.  So far GB, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and now Austria have been visited by the Sibirsky Extreme motorcycling bandwagon. (I dont think Wales counts as a separate country does it??)

Tomorrow, Italy should be country number 10.

We are camped in the Rhine valley, surrounded by Alps on all sides here … so far we have avoided the mountains (though there was plenty of snow in the Schwarzwald this morning above 600 metres … we did a lot of riding 800-900 metres amsl) but tomorrow does worry mee a bit.  We cross the Alps at one of the lowest points, the Brenner Pass (about 1300 metres from memory) but we have to get through the Arlberg first.  The Arlberg pass is still closed I think so we have to pay the big bucks and use the tunnel.

Someone seems to have got wind of our little project and we have been finding Sibirsky Extreme stickers all along our route, including border crossings and customs buildings!  I cant believe people would do such a thing!.