BOUARFA 508km DAY 185

Breakfast was included, Moroccan style was okay. I changed my oil and then we departed around 9:20am. Rode some long high passes with some locals passing occasionally,  roads are rough when you go off the beaten path.

First half of day was great until we got up to the plateau and all the way here was just flat semi desert for hours, arriving in the dark again around 6:40pm. Got the only hotel in town (€30) , bare bones , tomorrow is another day !  

After the sun set the temperature dropped to 12*C  and we are at about 1400 meters. So will go to Merzouga tomorrow and the road runs right on the Algerian border for quite a distance. Where are no border crossings for Algeria, they have been closed for over thirty years, so can't go there from here.

SERBIA DAY 266 425km.

DONJI MILANOVAC - TOPOLA - CACEK - IVANJICA - USCE - RĂSAKA      425km.

The road hugs the Danube for about 80km and then turns west to Topola which connected to the toll higjway for 25km and then to Topola, rather busy section. But from there it was out on country roads amongst the farms and quaint rustic villages. Fro Cacek I made up the rest of the route and it was a dandy by put fluke as I just looked at Google maps and picked the route to Rasaka. Rode for hours in the mountains through a park ,was absolutely beautful and the weather was perfect, and hardly any traffic whatsoever. Got to Rasak and stopped at a nice restaurant and got some wifi to find a place to stay and chewed down on some pork steaks. Turned out to be a most memorable day, didn't expect anything like that in Serbia. Found a room for €18 which was okay except for the people blasting music at 3am. 

    Had some coffee and they don't take credit cards so the lady said have it on her and she would not take no for an answer. I found a bank and came back and paid her.

    Just when you thought you have seen it all. Wife in the cage in the back on a chair, a lot starter than us .......

   Pork and Serbian Salad and beer.

SIBIU INTO SERBIA. DAY 265 395km.

TRANSALPINA PASS 

Duro had given me a dirt road route through the mountains to connected to the Transalpina Pass which was more fun and scenis than the pass  which was a bit of let down for me. Lots of bikers on it and it had some views and got me pointed to Serbia and crossed the border at 5pm and then rode along the Danube for 57km to a room I had seen on iOverlander which was on the water with a  nice restaurant. The room was not that marvellous but a great location on the Danube.

MOLDOVA TO ROMANIA DAY 263 459km.

DAY 263.   5th September 2023. 

I CLOCKED 40 000 km. TODAY

Went to Cricova Winery for a noon tour, which was worth waiting for. Like the other winery it is all in 120km of limestone tunnels and they even had a underground church in the labyrinth of tunnels. They drive you around for about 5 km and it was a little more upscale to yesterday's where many world leaders have come for tastings and other shanannigans. 

Left there at 2pm and crossed the border to Romania at 4pm, went straight to the front and was stamped and gone in five minutes. 

Troads are narrow and just two lanes with no shoulder and wind through the countryside with lots of lorries, so am overtaking all the time. You go through small town and villages with the old horse and cart so have to be laser focused. 

I pushed on into the night to reach Brasov, arriving at about 10pm and then drove around till afyer midnight trying to find a place to stay. In the end I went and saw a parking lot and blew up my mattress and got into my sleeping bag, didn't bother with the tent, was so done trying to find a place. In the morning I got some old looks from people arriving for work and there was on old abandoned car next to me and I heard a creeking door open and out came some homeless guy and gave me the hairy eyeball when I greeted him, people are weird at 6:30am.

DAY 264   SIBIU MOTO CAMP.  152km.

Packed up my wet sleeping bag from the heavy dew and went into town and got some coffee. It is a beautiful place but I can't stick around so rode to Sibiu where I stayed previously at the Moto Camp where Duro was there to meet me. Got the same room , had a shower and then went to the old town for a few hours and the buildings are old and stunning with all the roofs having a few brows built in, which gave it some character and the times on the main church was like art work.

INTO KOSOVO ILLEGALLY DAY 267 167km.

Left Rasak and went up to a ski resort which is the highest point in Serbia almost 8000ft. Then found a dirt road into Kosovo and as I came up over a rises there were maybe twenty US soldiers to welcome me.

I stopped to enquire what the deal was, and they were 10ft inside the Kosovo border, which has no border post and you are not allowed to enter there but they didn't care. 

    My fellow countrymen welcoming me into Kosovo.

Continued on down the pass into a small village where there were more troops guarding a government office, I guess there has been a few clashes recently, Serbia and Kosovans have each other.

Crusty Cripps from NZ recommended the Soho Hotel in Pristina so found it and it is a gem and the owner is a bit of a character so decided to stay even although it was only noon, my orinal thought was to push on but afret meeting the owner I decided to stay and glad I did. (€20)  

Walked downtown but nothing really here to see or do and I think North Macedonia is the same but have to go through here to get to where I am going. 

PRISTINA

ODESSA UKRAINE DAY 259+260 1 SEPT 23

VINNYTSIA TO ODESSA  430km.   5 HRS.

The ride down to Odessa was all on a highwayand was able to average 102kmph so was easy going and nice and cool.

Staying at the Mozart Hotel, a nice big room next to the famous opera house and evrything is in walking distance.

Didn't know what to expect at a port town on the Black Sea but was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful architecture, wide cobbled stones streets and how vibrant theplace is at night. No shortage of fancy cars, Maserati's McLaren , Tesla's  and the women all dress stylishly and are gorgeous and there are no tourists around. 

All around the harbour and the famous steps are all barricaded with no access cause of the invasion and was bombed on the 23 July 23 and you hear the sirens go off at night, thankfully no issues where I was at. Apparentlywhen the planes take off in Russia the sirens sound all over.

    Damage to the church and house below.

Did a walking tour today for three hours andOdessa has a long history dating back to the Ottoman Empire and has many old buildings and the Opera House with pre community architecture and Art Noveau across the city.

   Opera House.

   Mozart Hotel

    Breakfast toast

thing

Tomorrow I plan to go to MOLDOVIA , but there is a thin slice of land on the border of Ukraine that is a breakaway province where there are Russian forces, so am keep to see that and apparently Moldovians aren't allowed there, the one guy said I should not go there , maybe I'm not allowed in. You have to go to see for yourself cause if you have to listened to everybody you wouldn't leave your house !