In the mountains, we encountered people living traditional rural lives. One woman was hand-raking hay by herself, preparing for the winter in the old-fashioned way. Animals seemed to roam freely, cows with bells, small herds of sheep and goats, horses. One herd of horses even nuzzled Tim’ s luggage. What struck us the most wasn’ t just the obvious destruction – it was the people. Whether it was a woman cooking traditional pastries in a unpowered café high in the mountains or a shepherd watching over her 30-odd sheep all day long, there was a quiet resilience everywhere. They live with history all around them but keep moving forward. The mix of cultures of mosques, churches, ruins and rebuilt homes all exist together and somehow it works. 1600 metres up in a village when we stopped for a beer in the hot sun, a local was interested in our bikes and asked if we knew Graham Jarvis? Apparently, Graham had been there a year earlier with a film crew tackling the huge mountain climbs. You just never know!
MONTENEGRO BOUND After completing the Bosnia Quest( see sidebar), we headed back towards Montenegro via an eastern route. On the way we visited the breathtaking Tara Canyon, the largest canyon in Europe and second only to the Grand Canyon
in the USA. Descending 15km of winding road to reach the river’ s edge, we cooled down in the crystal-clear water before climbing back up and visiting the commercial bridge area with cafes and zip lines. Accommodation was varied and apart from the hotel for the Bosnia Quest, we booked on the fly often only three or four hours before arriving. This gave us a taste of the culture with a range of B & B, campground chalets, hotels and private homes. We joined part of the Trans Euro Trail, the TET, winding through abandoned villages and mountain passes. One night we stayed at a family-run guesthouse found on Booking. com,
KIWI RIDER 31