I left Visegrad on the 10th of April and arrived in Serbia the same day. The plan was to get to Tara National Park and camp out by Lake Zaovine, which I had seen beautiful pictures of and could not resist visiting. During the ride, I quickly heard thunder in the distance and got the feeling my day was going to become a bit interesting. Nevertheless, the road entering Serbia played jump rope with the river, winding through the valleys between the mountain ranges surrounding them. I thought maybe if I got to the other side of the mountain range, it would help keep the dark, storm-filled clouds on the other side. Reaching the other side, I discovered the same clouds that I had seen beforehand.

I turned off the main street towards the park when it started to rain cats and dogs, and the thunder boomed all around me. I covered my trailer and bundled up, ready for a wet afternoon. People I passed looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was, but once you accept the fact that you are going to be soaking wet, it adds a fun element to the day!

Making my way through the park, it became very apparent that the lake was surrounded by numerous mountain ranges. When I thought I was near the destination, I was still about 40 miles away. These 40 miles were not the flat miles that you wish for as a biker either. I continued uphill, reaching snow-covered areas and continuing up and up. There were multiple times when I considered setting up camp and calling it a day, but I kept on pedaling, thinking that I must be getting near. This day went on and on until I finally reached the lake and found a camping spot at sunset.

The day had been much longer than I had intended. I had been in snow, thunderstorms, valleys, and mountains—all in one day on a bicycle! Luckily, upon arrival at my chosen camping spot, the rain stopped briefly, allowing me enough time to set up my tent and get my things inside before the downpour began once again. It continued to thunderstorm throughout the night with a bit of snow accompanying it. When I woke up, it was freezing. I was in my sleeping bag wearing a full set of clothing and my warmest jacket. It was said to be an area with many bears, so on the plus side, I was glad that I did not have any unexpected wake-ups.

Anyway, I packed up my belongings and set my sights on the small market I had seen a couple of miles up the road. There, I hoped to find some food to fill my stomach as well as a bit of shelter to sit down and figure out where I was heading next.

With much of my stuff being pretty cold and wet, I was keen to find a place to stay that evening where I could hang my things up to dry a bit. After looking at the map, I set off towards the town of Uzice, Serbia. Luckily, the mostly uphill route the day before left me with a downhill path for that day. I approached the downhill portion of the mountain, excited to let gravity take control for a little bit. The roads were wet, and it was still drizzling on the decline. I was moving quite quickly and underestimated the effects the rain would have on my ability to brake.

As I approached a very sharp corner, it became very clear to me that I was not going to make the turn. Realizing this, I bailed from the bike and rolled across the gravel-covered pavement. Two men working in the rain along the road watched this whole event unfold and yelled to me in Serbian, which I assumed was confirming that I was alright. I got up and gave them the thumbs up, signaling that I was alive! This was my first, and hopefully last, wipeout. I was fortunate to be wearing gloves, a coat, and a rain jacket, which provided me with enough protection so that I was not in bad shape whatsoever.

Realizing that I was alright, I walked back to my bike. I was lucky that, although there were some small scratches, everything was still working. I hopped back on the bike and continued on the decline, thankful that I had little damage to show from my mistake. The rest of the day, I rode cautiously and eventually arrived in Uzice.

I stayed at the #1 Hostel in Uzice, which is the only hostel in the city. This place provided a comfy and clean sleeping area, and I was able to practice my Chinese with a Chinese girl working at the hostel. It turns out Serbia is one of the few countries that makes Chinese tourism and extended stays very easy. There were many Chinese tourists all around the city, which was not consistent with what I had seen in other Balkan countries. I stayed here for three nights before moving forward, as the weather remained pretty stormy.

After Uzice, I was eager to see another place. The weather forecast was once again showing rain for the next three days, but I couldn’t help my restlessness to move on. I set off with no clear idea of where I was going but with a determination to go. I wanted to head east but wasn’t certain how far I would be able to get or where I should go. Serbia does not have many large cities with hostels in the southern part of the country, so I was either camping or staying in a guesthouse. Eventually, the plan was to head south to the Raska region, then further down into Kosovo. I rode around 50 miles and made it to a tiny town called Konarevo in the middle of nowhere. Arriving at dark, I booked one of the only guest rooms in town. I was greeted by a family of four. The two kids could not understand a thing I was saying, but they smiled and laughed as I tried my best to communicate with them. They showed me to my room, and I stayed there resting for two nights. Although there was absolutely nothing in this town, my legs were causing me some issues, and I didn’t want to push my luck. I felt that one good day of rest would help me avoid an injury by overuse.

After my day of rest, I was feeling good. I set off early from the guesthouse and planned to see how far my legs could get me. I aimed to reach Novi Pazar and then assess where to go from there. I reached Novi Pazar around lunchtime. It was a medium-sized town, and I enjoyed having a big meal at a street food joint near the main square. When I ordered, the guy taking my order insisted that I was ordering too much food, and I insisted that my body would consume it all. It’s crazy how your appetite increases when you are burning the kind of calories you do when biking full days. Anyway, after eating every last crumb of the food, I kept on pedaling for the border. This is where it gets interesting!

When I used Google Maps to find the route into Kosovo, it kept on bringing me far out of the way of where I was hoping to go. At the same time, the map showed what looked like a large road going through the border that would cut my distance in half. It was my understanding that this border is not really recognized by Serbia, so I figured crossing it wouldn’t be a big deal. I set off on this more direct route, spending the next couple of hours climbing up and up. A group of six teenage kids joined me for a while. They spoke so little English that we really struggled to communicate, although there was no lack of trying. Most of what they were saying was “How much does your bike cost? How long are you bicycling? Where are you from?” Then the rest of the time, it seemed like the kids were attempting to show off the number of swear words they knew in English. They laughed at one another and continued to surround me on their bikes. A few of them fell behind, and the oldest one rode with me for at least an hour as he was going to his house in the same direction. My Romanian was awful, and his English was not much better, so even though we tried to communicate as much as possible, we shared many long moments of silence. Eventually, the kid got home, and I continued climbing.

At this point, the road turned into gravel, and I began to get a bit nervous. Nevertheless, I continued. When I finally reached what seemed to be the peak of the incline, I looked down and saw what appeared to be the border crossing station. I rode up, and two men appeared out of nowhere. I handed them my passport, and they looked at me with a bit of confusion on their faces. One man was large and bald, and the other short and stocky. The short and stocky man told me that this was not a border crossing but a border security station. He insisted that I would have to go back to Novi Pazar and take the other route, which would take me a huge distance in the wrong direction. The taller, bald man made a call and was speaking to someone in Serbian. Based on my research, I got the feeling that this wasn’t the only option. I insisted that this road did exist on Google Maps and asked the two guards if there was any way I could cross. I asked them, “How am I supposed to go that far? It’s almost dark!” After about 10 minutes of reorganizing my bag and trying to make these guys pity me, I began to turn my bike around, thinking that I might have to go back the way I came.

Then the taller, bald man gave me a big smile and pointed towards Kosovo! “KOSOVO!” he said, “much gas!” which I translated to “hurry up and get out of here.” I smiled and thanked the two of them, then started the descent into Kosovo. No stamps or passport check required.

For the next hour or two, I was the only one on the road and could hear nothing besides the wind and my bike tires against the varied surface types. I was riding along the tops of these mountain ridges, and it was incredible! The road was awful, though, constantly switching from gravel to old, broken-up pavement. It looked like no one had been on it in years. After my recent wipeout, I was a bit more cautious around the sharp turns and avoided any close calls.

Eventually, I made it to Bajske and then into Mitrovica. When I arrived in Mitrovica, it was already nighttime. This is not the safest city due to the ongoing issues between Kosovo and Serbia. It is technically considered a war zone, and there were no places that showed up on Booking.com, likely because of that. I made the decision to push myself and continue to Pristina, which was another 25 miles away. I put my reflective vest on and made sure all my lights were working correctly before continuing.

When I arrived in Pristina, it was 11 PM. I had started my day at 8 AM. I was excited to see how far in total I had traveled because I knew this would be by far my longest day in terms of distance. I had traveled 119 miles that day, which is double the distance I was able to travel at the beginning of this adventure.

Upon arrival at Han Hostel in Pristina, I was welcomed by my friend Mike from Ireland and also Daniela from Mexico. It is always so cool to run into people from earlier on in your travels. I stayed at this hostel for two nights and enjoyed many of the free walking tours around the city as well as wandering around on my own. It is interesting to see that even though this country is Kosovo, there were Albanian flags all over. They consider themselves “Albanians in Kosovo.” Kosovo is one of two non-EU members that use the euro for their currency.

My last two nights in Pristina, I stayed at a Warmshowers host’s house. Warmshowers is a community of bicycling enthusiasts around the world who host other bicyclists. You create a profile and list whether you can host or if you are currently on a bicycling tour. For those familiar with Couchsurfing, it is very similar but is meant for bicycle enthusiasts. It’s a good way to get free accommodation and meet really cool bicyclists. They usually have tools and bicycling equipment you can use.

I reached out to the host and expected the normal Warmshowers experience, which is usually local hosts. When I arrived, the man greeted me in English, and I quickly realized that I was staying at a US diplomat’s place. I was given a comfortable bed in a nice house in the diplomatic neighborhood of Pristina. Carlos had a friend in town, so I was immediately invited out to a steak dinner. I had not had food or wine like that in a long time. I was grateful to be treated to dinner at potentially the nicest restaurant in Pristina!

To learn more about Warmshowers, the link is https://www.warmshowers.org/

The next day, Carlos’s friend and I took his green Mini Cooper to Skopje, in North Macedonia. This was a cool day trip, and I found Skopje to be an odd but intriguing city. Everything was new and felt a bit inauthentic, in my opinion. In recent history, the country tried to boost national identity and bolster tourism by building new buildings, bridges, and an excessive number of statues and monuments all over the city. It gave me Las Vegas vibes, and it saddened me to see that a lot of history had been destroyed and covered by new, meaningless monuments. People seem to have mixed feelings about the city, but most tend to be negative. I think it will be interesting to hear what people think 50 years from now, as I do think it is a beautiful city and maybe it will grow into its new look.

The following day, I thanked Carlos and his friend for hosting me and set my sails for Prizren. The ride was nearly 60 miles but was fairly straight and flat, so it flew by. I arrived in Prizren and checked into a hostel called Driza’s House. After checking in, I met a few fellow travelers and we went out looking for some local food and beers. One of the girls was in the Peace Corps in Albania, so she was able to communicate in Albanian with the locals, which was fun to hear. It is interesting to hear someone attempt to communicate in a language that few people learn. Even if she mispronounced a small part of the sentence, the whole meaning seemed to be lost. As English speakers, we are used to working with people who may not speak perfectly. We have become adept at finding meaning in imperfection. This was interesting to me!

Prizren is a beautiful city and has become one of the main tourist cities in Kosovo. I saw the sights in Prizren and headed out the following afternoon. I was excited to get some time out in the mountains. I was heading through what was said to be an amazing mountain pass, and it was exactly that.

That night, I camped out at probably one of the most beautiful campsites of my trip. This place was up in the mountains off the road that went through the national park. I made a fire to warm myself up and watched the sun drop over the mountains. The next morning, I got to watch the sunrise as well, which was just as good, if not better. I did some morning meditation, packed up my stuff, and made my way up the mountain until I found what looked to be a small ski resort. Following the ski resort, the road started its decline. That decline seemed to last hours and hours, which was amazing!

Near the bottom, I saw a mama dog and her puppy running in the opposite direction to me. The mom walked while the little puppy ran as fast as possible behind her, trying to keep up. Another mile down the road, I saw another puppy walking in the street alone. This little guy was cute as can be and had obviously fallen behind from his mom and sibling. I couldn’t leave him there, imagining he might get hit by a car. Instead, I set him on my trailer and brought him back up the mountain to where I had seen his family before. After some searching and asking locals if they wanted to take care of him, I was able to find his mama. I left him there, although he kept running after me as I tried to leave. I was so tempted to keep him! If only hostels allowed dogs… This really made my day, spending time with such a cute puppy. It also made me miss my older puppy back home!

That evening, I stayed in Skopje, and then the following two days I spent camping and riding most of the day to get to Sofia, which was about 155 miles away. I had a friend I had met earlier in my travels who was going to be in Sofia with his girlfriend at the same time. I was looking forward to seeing them.

ROSE

1. I really enjoyed staying at my first Warmshowers host’s house. Obviously, it was nice to have some comfort and good food, but I also enjoyed learning a bit more about the life of a USAID employee in this region. The US has prioritized being in Kosovo, and we just built a massive new embassy in Pristina, equipped with all the state-of-the-art technology. This was built as a statement that the US is there in the Balkans to stay. I am happy to share more details and opinions on this if people are interested. Either way, the EU and many American funds are pumping a ton of money into the infrastructure and rebuilding of this country.

2. I really had some of the most beautiful camping nights along this section of my route. I cannot get over the beauty that can be found all over our planet. We are so lucky to have the ability to find these spots away from all the noise. Silence is such an amazing thing, especially in today’s world where technology makes the noise follow us unless we make a point to separate ourselves from it.

BUD

I am going to give a bit of a summary of my experience with the Serbia and Kosovo situation in terms of travel. First off, if you are from Kosovo, you have no issues getting into Serbia, and Serbians have no issues getting into Kosovo. The only big no-no is entering Kosovo as a foreigner and then going into Serbia. This is seen as disregarding Serbia’s border. Serbia still does not recognize Kosovo as a separate country, so entering Kosovo first and then going into Serbia will result in being refused entry and sent away. You will need to leave Kosovo and enter Serbia through a neighboring country. Many people go down to Skopje and then fly up to Belgrade.

Getting into Kosovo from Serbia is supposed to be quite a bit easier, although it is obviously not as easy as I had thought. If you are going by public transportation, they will go the correct way, but if you are driving, hiking, or cycling, you have to follow Google Maps and use the few available border crossings. I do not think my border control friends would have been as accommodating to someone driving a car.

One question I had was whether I will have an issue getting into Serbia in the future. Technically, I entered Serbia, but according to my passport, I never left, which means I overstayed my visit. They could claim that I have been there for years upon my return. I am due for a new passport shortly and was not too worried about this situation. I figured that it is a technicality and from my research, it has never been enforced. Still, this is something to keep in mind as things do change in these areas.

THORN

This is similar to some of my reflections from my time in Bosnia, but I think it is important to be aware of. When traveling through many of the Balkan countries, especially Macedonia and Kosovo, you see that there is a big chess game going on, and the players are using these countries and their people as pawns. These people’s lives and well-being are being directly impacted because of a game we (mostly the United States, England, Australia, etc.) are playing with Russia. Sometimes we may be impacting these people’s lives in a good way, but that is usually relative to the opponent’s play beforehand.

I do not mean to say what we are doing is completely wrong all the time, and I would never claim to be an expert after so little time in these regions. I realize I do not have all of the information, but we can easily go back to the concept of “post-intelligence stupidity.” I think that we need to be very aware that we are playing with people’s lives. This is only increasing around the world.

I struggle with getting good information about what is going on in many of these regions, and I think this is something that most Americans struggle with. One thing I hope to become better at in my life is finding ways to get good information about what is going on outside of the United States. We are heavily involved in so much of this but are completely blind to it in most cases.