Greetings to our family and friends from Croatia,
In entry #3 we were in the mountains of Montenegro. We decided not to go rafting because the water level in the river was very low. Based on the news from home, we would have a much better rafting experience in Kin Kin at present. We hope that some of the water is still there when we get home. We left the high mountains and motored down the beautiful Tara Gorge to Podgorica, the capital. This city has five rivers flowing through it. From there we zig zagged up a huge mountain until we were directly above the coast. On the edge of the cliff we found the remains of an old palace, from which the views were breathtaking. There were straw beds in the ruins where homeless people sleep, and straw bays for their animals. We took some scenic photos then headed down to the coast. We drove through Budva then south to St.Stefan, a very old island-town joined to the mainland by a sand bridge. The whole area was dense with people. We tried many sobes (b&b’s), but they were all booked out. At 7pm I left Debbie in the car and walked around until I found a travel agency still opened. A lovely girl called Adrianna tried to find us a room, but the whole area was booked up. Then at last she found a Russian hotel with one room left. Adrianna said that I would never find it without her help so she took me on a fascinating journey by foot. The whole side of the mountain is like a stone jungle with old buildings built up against each other and little pathways winding every which way between them. Adrianna was a big girl, well, compared to me anyway. We took a shortcut and climbed over a wall to reach the hotel. I had to help her. That was interesting. We secured the room then scaled our way back up the mountain to her office. By this time we were both saturated (sweat). I hiked back to the car with the good news and then we found our way to the hotel by road. It was perfect - right near the beach, with a fantastic view of St.Stefan Island.

In the morning we swam right out to the shark net that cut across the bay. The water was deep and clear. When we reached the net we were surprised to find that it was only a rope with floaters. No net at all! A little unsure about the shark situation in the area we decided to head for safer waters. On our way to shore we met a young German couple, Daniel and Luise, and we instantly made friends. They had hitchhiked from Berlin and were camping near the beach. That night we took them to dinner on the outer wall of Old Budva, overlooking the sea. For the next few days they travelled with us and we had a fantastic time sharing stories, climbing, swimming, eating together, sightseeing, etc. We visited a number of towns and villages until we came to Kotor, a fjord town at the end of a huge harbour, surrounded by gigantic mountains. We found an apartment with its own jetty and diving board, so we did a lot of swimming, even half way across the harbour. Early the next morning we climbed thousands of steps to an old fort. The climb was comparable to Mt. Cooroora in Pomona, maybe a bit steeper. We did it in 30 minutes at a solid pace. When we got down it was straight into the harbour for a swim before breakfast.

That day we drove to Parast, a small village around the harbour, where we stayed in a very old house, up very lot of stairs, for two nights. We just happened to be there on the anniversary of the town’s emancipation from 500 years of Italian occupation, so we caught some celebrations, marches and shooting. From there we drove into Croatia and changed cars at Dubrovnik Airport. We really enjoyed Daniel and Luise’s company but we decided to go our own ways at that stage so that Debbie could have my full attention again, something she finds hard to get even at the best of times. However Luise had eaten tuna the night before and was feeling very ill. She was experiencing an acute immune response. She must have a tremendous immune system because her body was throwing out toxins violently from both ends. At first I thought she had taken in too much seawater while swimming in the bay, but it was definitely the fish. We found an apartment on the highway above Dubrovnic. While the owner was showing us the rooms, Luisa looked very sick. The man wanted to know what was wrong with her, but before we could explain, Luise locked herself in his bathroom and brought up what sounded like a whole school of tuna. Unfortunately we were standing right outside the bathroom window. The man freaked out and sent us packing! Fortunately we found another apartment along the road with two bedrooms and a big kitchen, and fantastic views. By this stage Luise looked a little better, but we didn’t take any chances. I secured the flat before the owner got to see her. She and Daniel veged out there all afternoon while Debbie and I explored Old Dubrovnik. The next day we drove a few hours north and dropped the couple off on the highway near Split, where they intended visiting a friend. We found a hotel in a small beach village and rested, because the year had finally caught up with me. I usually collapse for 3-4 days at the start of a holiday. This time it didn’t happen until the third week, but when it happened I couldn’t move for a whole day. I felt totally paralysed and unsure that I would ever recover. But after a couple of good sleeps I was back to normal.

On the road again, we drove to the Krka National Park and did some hiking. I also did some climbing and swimming. Then back to the coast, where we crossed a bridge to the island of Vir. It was a long drive and we didn’t know if there was anywhere to stay on the island or anything worth seeing. However it turned out to be a paradise, with beautiful stony beaches and a magnificent bay. We decided to stay three nights. We hired a jet ski and went about 5km out to sea then criss-crossed the entire bay for 30 minutes at fairly low speeds (70-80kph). Every time I got up to about 75kph, Debbie would start screaming and digging her nails into my shoulders. It was very therapeutic for her because at one stage she was able to release all her anxieties in one loud, continuous, 20 second scream. I have never heard anything like it! I think that was the time I got close to 100kph. I know she enjoyed the experience because she hugged me like never before – all the way.

On Tuesday night I had a very uncomfortable pillow and as a result I didn’t sleep too well. At one stage I woke Debbie up because there was a lady in our room. Neither of us could find her. Another time I sat up in my sleep and smashed the side of my forehead on the corner of a bed-side cupboard. Blood everywhere! Then at 7:30am my phone rang. It was Greg. I stumbled out of bed, answered it and headed for the balcony. I didn’t notice that the glass door was closed - so wham!!! Another blow to the forehead, leaving a permanent print of my forehead and nose on the glass. Just one of those nights.

On Friday morning we drove to the motorway and cruised at 150-160kph all the way to Zagreb, the capital. It took two hours. We found Central Railway and purchased our tickets to Belgrade and Thessalonika. We then found a cheap hotel and booked in for two nights. That afternoon we explored the old city and had a fantastic traditional lunch. On Saturday we drove up into the hills and explored some of the old villages of Croatia. We had a picnic lunch outside Croatia’s most beautiful castle then learned the history of the nobility and religions of Croatia back to the fifteenth century.

Today we got up real early, dropped the car off and boarded the train to Serbia. About an hour into the six hour journey the conductor asked for our tickets. When I handed them to him he said they were only reservations. Where are your tickets? Well, he couldn’t speak English but fortunately a girl in our cabin could translate (with difficulty). I explained that I had purchased the tickets at the main international ticket office in Zagreb. He said that I had only purchased reservations. We couldn’t believe it! We had to pay again. Fortunately I still had some Croatian money in my pocket. He sold me tickets to the Serbian border and said that we would have to deal with a Serbian conductor when we cross the border. Fortunately the Serbian guy was a lot more friendly, but he couldn’t speak English either, and he wanted Serbian money. After some negotiations he agreed to take Croatian Kunas. When we got to Belgrade we decided to check our tickets to Thessalonika. They too turned out to be only reservations which had cost us $90. We had to pay another $100 to get the tickets. They sure have funny systems over here. I am still confused as to whether or not we have been stung.

Tonight we stay in Belgrade, then tomorrow night we get on the train at 9pm for an all-night ride to Greece. We are having a great time and I am nearly ready to get back into some serious work. We really thank God for allowing us to see so much of the world and meet so many different people.

Love to all,
Gary and Debbie