MOTORCYCLE JOURNEY COMPILATION
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EPISODE 7 - Video series
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Hey everyone

After a couple years of riding and working myself halfway around the world I finally decided to get more serious with my video footage. Never thought that the journey would go this far so my collection just kept growing beyond the original harddisks. Initially the clips were just meant to be something to look back on later in life and the occasional video. But after some of the stunning places that crossed my path and the great experiences; Wow, too good not to share. My writing has been fairly inconsistent and is not my forte so it seems, but with video I can literally show off the world!

Making this video series has been a great process and something very hands on with something to show for in the end. Unfortunately for the longest time the footage shot with the point-and-shoot camera is not of the best quality. Due to my very limited means choices had to be made since most of the money goes into keeping the ride alive; No funds for fancy stuff. I chose a GoPro and very glad I did because that footage is neat!

Join me on this ride around the world. What started as a small dream became a bigger dream and some say I'm living it. Though many of them probably don't know about the hobo life ha! No sponsors, work is what keeps this journey going. No big modern bike, just a trusty old '91 Honda Transalp that keeps on giving. It does not matter what you have, it's about doing it and then owning it. I think that might apply to everything in life.

Anyway, no great big documentary but a slice of daily life on the road. It's a great big extraordinary world out there and most people on it are pretty damn great. And to experience it on a motorcycle, priceless.

The series goes back and forth BETWEEN past and present episodes and hopefully one day they will meet.

Past: 2014 and onward - Departure day in the Netherlands, Amsterdam
Present: 2016 and onward - Finished Australia, return to Sydney

Enjoy the

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

The way East as planned before departure
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And then you are in Japan.

Hi

I finally managed to hold hostage my thoughts and inspiration to get this written show on the road. The actual live show has so far been absolutely grand and I’ve been reluctant to write about it since looking through the pictures only confirmed that six awesome months had gone by in a heartbeat. All those mental states I can still recognize and feel from the photos and how out of touch I am with those states at the moment. A third person perspective of someone I used to be. Such is life and always will be; therefore memories (good or bad) of extraordinary acts and endeavors are worth their weightlessness in gold.

And there are many such memories on this website and elsewhere on the internet. I have gathered a lot of information from those stories and forged a journey of my own. I am happy to be able to share my own experiences so that they may be of help to others. And of course there is one’s own pride and sense of accomplishment, that feeling of wanting to tell the world. “Cool story bro” is what we usually hear during the first weeks of returning home and then life goes on. Like nothing ever happened.

Ha! But I am not done yet. At least I think I’m not. I was planning on going to North America but the Canadian working holiday visa was not as straightforward to obtain as I thought it would be. That idea was dead in the water before I even left on this journey. The alternative? Still waiting on confirmation and I don’t want to jump the gun: Australia, my second year visa has been granted!

So what the hell was I doing in the first place? My plan was to ride from Amsterdam to Vladivostok through the Middle East on my ’91 Transalp. I will tell you all about it below (scroll scroll). I’ll write about my experiences and occasionally I’ll interject with current state of affairs. Like how I just cannot get enough of 7-Eleven rice triangles. I’ll create a topic on both the HUBB and ADV, seems to be a common thing.

My main motivation? Do something extraordinary while I am in the physical prime of my life. This time is usually spent building a CV, well screw that then, hence the title. I’ve done my share of traveling and there is nothing better than riding a motorcycle. At one point I just knew for sure: travel on my own terms, speed, and time. Full control, it is all on me. Turns out the world is not THAT big of a place. It would be a waste not to have a go at it taking in to account today’s unlimited and potentially paralyzing choices. “**** it lets go” many said before me and hopefully more will say in the future. The world is only getting smaller.

So what is next? Australia!

>>

Ok, Australia was huge. Took some time to ride and work around the country. Beautiful places, great moments, amazing people and a couple of calamities unfortunately. Still, got back on the road and fully experienced this great nation.

So any other stunning islands to ride next? New Zealand!


“So we beat on, boats against the current”
 

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

CONTENTS

Video Series
Episode 1 - Back in Sydney
Episode 2 - Ride around Sydney
Episode 3 - Departure day in Amsterdam
Episode 4 - Get snowed in just before the Alps
Episode 5 - Get pulled over by the cops in Sydney
Episode 6 - Ride into the amazing Swiss Alps
Episode 7 - From the Swiss Alps into the Italian Alps

Compilation Video's
Join the motorcycle adventure ride

Ride Reports
1. In the beginning I headed towards the Alps
2. Into the Alps!
3. Ride into ex-Yugoslavia - Part 1
4. Ride into ex-Yugoslavia - Part 2
5. A change of plans through Montenegro and Albania
6. Head for Istanbul
7. Ride into Istanbul

Short video's
The Swiss Alps #1
Iraq #1
Turkey #1
Georgia #1
Iran #1
Japan #1
Australia: Coral Bay to Ningaloo station offroad

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

So I start out in Amsterdam after coming back from Australia in December. Soon I decide I really want to execute my plan of riding around the world and if I want to do it then I should do it soon (seasons). I set my departure date to somewhere between 15th and 25th of March. Preparations start a month beforehand and heat up two weeks before departure. Things get really serious during the last week and I decide to leave the 20th. I remember sitting one day in the living room of my friend’s house late afternoon. I had spent all day confirming and doing all my online purchases. I looked devastated, a thousand yard stare of mental depletion. Getting my Russian visa was the first small step of no return but after that massive online purchase spree I was definitely beyond the point of no return. The next day I was at ease, this is happening. On the final day of packing time was playing tricks on me. The less time I had, the more I still had to do. Three in the morning, again the thousand yard stare.

It's a nice sunny day for a ride to the other side of the world.





Next day late departure, I was going to go and that was that.

Look at those shiny pristine paniers.


Said goodbye to friends and family and in the evening me and my friend, who joined me for a day, camped just over the border in Germany. My wish for the day granted: I shall not sleep in the Netherlands on my first day! And I’m off, sort of.

First night, we carefully picked a spot.




From Germany I loop back to the Netherlands for some quick administrative work (I should not be here!) And then back to Germany and then I am on my way for real.

Camping deep in the German forest. Impeccable camouflage.






I have once again a pleasant ride through the Eifel and visit Monschau.

Just another morning in my quiet mountain town.


Beautiful place in the winter when covered in snow and bustling with Christmas market activity.




After that to Belgium. The Ardennes covered in its usual gray eeriness. There is something about that place that I just cannot describe. I had the same feeling riding through it as I did in 2011 when I was on my way back home from Istanbul. Cannot believe I don't have a picture of the place.



Headlight busted, had to replace one for the first time. Activate PDF manual. O sure Windows, take your time.


Hello Luxembourg, thanks for the cheap fuel.


Get to France and ride through Nancy in direction of Strasbourg. Camp lakeside, a car drove past me as I made my way through the intricate forest paths to get to the lake unseen. Me still in my early stages of camping in the wild was of course convince the passengers would come and murder me during the night.


"Character develops itself in the stream of life." Thanks Wolfgang, I needed to hear that.


What is up with that city anyway? Someone should tell the Germans about this place because it kind of looks like it is theirs. Just saying.








Could you ladies please take a picture of this aspiring adventurer? Merci!


Back in Deutschland!


As I ride further south the landscape goes up and the temperature goes town; I am getting close to the base of the Alps. Snowfall! Such jubilant panic and excitement as I went up the mountain.


Adventure is here!


Once past the top the snow stopped. At a big Luis.de shop I buy a small air compressor pump (oh how of great use you are going to be!). The next day I’m supposed to meet family in Switzerland so outside the shop I decide to go on a time trial to try and make it there in the evening. It was already 17:30 and I knew this was a bad idea, especially due to the fact it already had snowed before. Something I repeated even louder when it starting raining whilst on the highway. And then it definitely became a bad idea when that rain turned in to serious snowfall.

Sensory overload as the highway goes white and I make sure not to squeeze any levers or push any peddles. Keeping the bike in a straight line I can still feel the rear slightly swerve, meanwhile my visor gets covered in snow and I hardly can make out the other traffic anymore in the dark. With great care I steer the bike in the direction of the emergency lane where I finally come to a standstill. That was crazy. My luck! Right next to an exit and I turtle walk my way down the ramp.

Here I had to turn left and go down a bendy steep slope. Test walked it before I gave it a try with the bike.


Snowed in in the middle of nowhere, and my range severely limited, I have no choice but to check in to an inn. 35 Euros, argh, such great expenditures for accommodation was not part of the plan so early on.

Come and rest your weary head young traveler.


Few days in to the journey and the elements have already bested me. Have I been slain so soon? Should I turn around back home? (pretend I’m not in Japan for dramatic effect)

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Ok. Was hoping to put the first pics here but I've been looking at Mt. Fuji through the window for the last 4 hours and it is time to ride. These Japanese days were already short and are getting even shorter! There will be more tonight.

Hai!

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Mr Mota, thanks for taking us along and inspiring travel and adventure in me.

Have safe trip and enjoy your freedom! Will be following your adventure.

Good things come to those who wait. Finally got the bike on a boat to Australia and it officially left the port of Yokohama. Next destination: Brisbane. Booked my flight an hour ago so next week I'll be leaving this fine country of the rising sun and increasingly colder nights. Thank you Robin, Brendan, Yuki for consecutively putting me in touch with each other.

For the time being I walk on legs among the mortals again. Luckily my host lets me borrow his for the time being. He also helped me thoroughly clean the bike. A necessity if you want to get through the Australian quarantine inspection. Two costs I am trying to avoid: quarantine cleaning and storage costs. See the trick in Australia is to earn Australian wages but not to pay them.

My host Paco was the lifeblood of this operation:




Cleaning until the sun goes down, early though around 17:30:


And then it got really late. Also still had to change the rear tire:


Next day I drop off the bike at Yokohama port before noon. By the way a 60km ride from north east of Tokyo but still 2 hours, even when cutting corners. That's urban Japan for ya. Anyway, I stand tough but inside I realize that we will soon be separated. Away from each other for that long, after 8 months? A period of amazing heights and some thunderous lows. Like one of those music video's where shots of a couple running happily along the beach interchange with shots of them yelling and slamming doors. Think Meatloaf and the early 90's. An affair of a deep lust for life between man and machine.


And then I have to take the bus like a normal person:


Sugoi!

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Of course I did not turn back as one may have guessed.

So my ludicrous dash for Sursee failed, but all good. It’s not like I am short on time. The next morning I visit a local mechanic and ask him about changing to winter tires. He said I’ll be fine during the day since the snow melts and regardless of tire type snow will always get you in trouble anyway. Unless you got spikes of course. I got to hear my impeccable German skills in action and managed to suppress my cringing. Had some good laughs at the expense of BMW too: “BMW? DIE SIND SHEISSE!” the mechanic exclaimed with a face of disgust. Unsurprising since the good man had a big Japanese flag hanging high and mighty in his workshop. He explained how he only had seen one Honda Transalp engine go bust under 100.000km.

Mechanic was camera shy though and ran away:


So standing wide and firm on the ground with our arms crossed and our backs slightly arched backwards we looked down on the bike and nodded approvingly in silence. This bike shall not fail me.

Onward to Sursee but first I made a little detour to a small city named Kloten. The Dutch will understand.


Once in Sursee I met with family who I had not seen for over a decade. Stayed with them a few days and went for a day ride to Luzern.



A beautiful Swiss city cut in half by a river that ends in a lake. A couple of impressive wooden bridges hundreds of years old stretched from one side of the river to the other. Looking up at the ceiling you can see triangular panels with restored biblical paintings on them.



This is not a pose:


Alp is always posing:


After another couple of days with family I continue on through the Alps.

An Alp in the Alps. It never gets old. Though this time there is snow and now the Transalp logo has become reality. The little things I tell you. I ride in direction of Chur and am just blown away by the snowy mountains.



I have never been skiing so all of this is new to me and I am having a blast. I head out in direction of the Fluela pass disregarding the signs saying it is closed. I ignore many of these signs and higher up I end up at a snowy dead end.



This is the end:


Brilliant sight! Though no surprise. This is due the unfortunate timing of my trip since most passes open in May but the snow makes up for it and there are still alternative winding roads through mountain tops surrounded by meters of snow. This was the case when I had to detour back through the Julier pass. Fantastic. Recently I saw the GoPro footage on a quality lcd and the blue, grey, white contrast is simply stunning.

I spent the nights camping in the snow and it did get pretty damn cold during the night. Usually no lower than -5. I had to sleep with leggings, socks, shirt and hoody on and still it was not comfortable. Lies on the label of my sleeping bag but I knew what I was buying when I got it. Any bigger and it would not have fit in the top case packing setup.

What could possibly go wrong:




Speaking of which. I had the tent and sleeping bag next to each other in there and on top I would put the laptop which was tucked away in a memory-foam zip case. This would proof to be a durable solution in order to keep my laptop in working shape during later parts of the journey. Pro tip: leave a peace of foam/cloth between the keyboard and screen when you close it. I did not and now there are friction wear lines on the screen.

Wooooohooooooosshhhhwoooooooosshhhhhhhhwoooooossso oooooo:




On my way to and through Italy I encounter some very nice roads but slowly the snow is disappearing. By the time I get to Trento the snow is gone.



I camp in the mountains just outside of the city and the next day I head in direction of Venice.


Wanna get high:



An hour after I leave Trento the Alps are becoming smaller in my rearview mirrors and by the time I get to the Veneto province the peaks have been reduced to a silhouette on the horizon. I wave goodbye but not farewell.

Turns out the iPhone overheats easily and I realize how useless it is going to be as navigation once I get to the hot countries:


On the main road leaving Trento I run out of petrol. Them Italians and their bloody automated cash payment only petrol stations! I am still very much in card mode. Walk into the petrol station bar and explain my cashless situation. A senior man says come with me and we leave after he chugs his second drink since I got inside. We get into his car and he drives me to the next town where I can use an ATM and afterwards he drives me back to the petrol station. He had a bit of trouble staying in his lane but all good. Back at the station I buy us drinks and afterwards I am on my way again.

On my way that is into the urban hell that is Veneto province. Hours on end of doing 50, 60, 50, 70, 50, 60, 50, red lights and serious traffic. This went on almost all the way to Venice. Little did I know this was the worst stint of my whole journey so things only got better after that mentally exhausting experience. I cross the beautiful bridge into Venice and end up on Piazzale Roma. The place is bustling with pedestrians, cars and busses.


I stop on the far end by the water and the moment I get off the bike to take a picture I get yelled at from all directions. I run into one of the small streets to take a few pictures and run back to the bike in order to avoid getting fined and towed away.

No time to ask someone to take a picture of me:



Fill up on food, drink and petrol and get ready for the ride to Croatia. Also slip in to something more comfortable and take off all my thermal clothes:


No time to stick around now. I was on my way to meet a friend in Croatia and the day was running out of light. I geared up for a long late noon stint.

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Well. Busy times in Australia working before I head out again. Writing not coming along as I would like to. That is really something that has to be done while riding. I did start making short clips from my abundant gopro footage collection and thought I should share it here. Felt I had to do something since all footage was just doing nothing on the hdd. I sometimes cannot believe that some of it is already almost a year ago. Crazy. Never forget to really savor the moment. I'll do my best even more in the future. This beautiful world goes by so fast.

The Swiss Alps


Iraq


Turkey


Georgia


Iran


Japan

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Hi Mr. Mota

Very nice trip and thanks for the entertainment

We are planning quite the same route, so it would be nice if you can share some informations about the transport

1. ferry from Vanino to Japan (procedures, time and costs)

2. transport from Japan to Brisbane (procedures, time and costs)

I guess there are way more people interested in this information, so thanks for the effort

Greets from Switzerland
TuA

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So someone asked me on facebook about the process and costs for shipping the bike from Yokohama in Japan to Brisbane in Australia. I'm posting my response below since other people might find it useful too:


SHIPPING BIKE FROM YOKOHAMA TO BRISBANE

I got the exact numbers on receipts and papers stacked away somewhere. Or maybe I don't anymore. I can give you close estimates though. As for company names I also have to dig that up. Transport was roll on roll off, no crate. Prices are in USD. I used agent on Japanese side. I did not use an agent on Australian side. Up to you. I was very lucky though to have someone help me out on Australian side. Shipping time is 3 weeks.

JAPAN
Shipping from Yokohama base cost (Armacup): $700 +10%
Shipping agent fee (Hamanas): $130
Custom fees: $50
Radio activity check and other little things: $20

When using agent chase them up if they are taking too long to reply. They can forget you. Don't be an ass though, you know what I mean.

AUSTRALIA
Customs: $40/80
Port fee: $80
*1 Induction fee: $90
*2 Inspection: $80

If you do not use an agent in Oz there is going to be a lot of back and forth over a few days. You can't take care of it in one day. Distances are great when you don't have your own transport. And of course don't forget carnet.

Like I said, numbers may differ but I remember that all in all it cost me around $1200 TOTAL.

Cheers.


*1: This is nuts but very important. You are not allowed to ride the bike out of the port (Queensland regulations). It has to go on a trailer. Truck drivers are very busy at the port so it is worth it to have someone ready to help you with that. Person driving car with trailer has to do safety induction. Also, customs (at airport) and port are close on the map but the bridge is far away, 20km if I remember correctly. You have to go to customs after you went to the port first, and then back to the port. Again someone to help is great otherwise Taxi's, very expensive in Oz. You can only ride once the bike is insured ($), registered ($) and out of the port.

*2: Inspection of cleanliness. Make sure the bike is spick-and-span. Key areas are places that catch mud from the wheels. You cannot be present during inspection. You do not want to pay Oz wages for cleaning.

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

So it has been a while again. Left Sydney in April and spent two months riding to the west coast pretty much sticking to the coast after Adelaide. The mountains and rainforest roads in NSW and VIC were fantastic but once on the westside of Eyre peninsula and onward I was really taken in by the coastline. More importantly the remoteness and that feeling of actually being alone.

Got to Perth and landed a job in the middle most western part of WA on the Great Central road for a couple of months. Only 300km from Eyers rock. Funny what Australia does to distances. Not that they mattered much to me anymore but people complaining about the boring 1000km Nullarbor seemed alien to me. Work is great and it is not the first time that I am pleasantly slaving away in the region. After all the riding remote work fits me better than ever. Beautiful vast spaces and when you drive home there is barely anyone on the dirt road as you move forward at German Autobahn speeds.

Got a few more weeks left and then I head to Geraldton and continue my journey north hugging the coast all the way to Darwin. Once there I want to cross the country through the middle past Alice Springs and the Simpson desert. Had time to sit down and write again and I hope to keep it going for a while. See if can integrate it with my day when I am riding again.

Anyway. Life has been good out here in Western Australia.

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

Slovenia we meet again and do I have sad news for you yet once more. I’ll be passing through for just a few hours because I am once again in a hurry. I nowadays have a term for when I pass through a country in one day: Sloveniad. As in “I Sloveniad that country in a matter of hours mate”. I did the same in 2011 coming back from Istanbul. My loss really. Only heard good things about the Slovenian Alps and Ljubljana, so I vouched to do the country right one day. Instead I was on my way to Croatia and the sun went down soon after I arrived in the country.

I decided not to buy a vignette since I was only going to ride less than 10km on the highway. After only 5km the highway was blocked off and traffic was diverted though the petrol station where it was crawling with police. Shit. Should I stop by the shop real quick and wait this one out? Nah, too suspicious. Had luck on my side and the police women waved me through with a smile and I was back on the road within a minute. Fantastic. I stopped for a long smoke and watched the sun go down as I enjoyed the beautiful countryside in absolute silence. I knew I was missing out on something just breezing through like this. Next time.

The border crossing was easy. Apparently the procedure had changed since a year and I was very pleased with that. The country had become part of the European Union in 2013 and I had completely forgotten about it.

In case you have not noticed you are in Croatia.


The final stretch to Rijeka was a formality and once there I was welcomed by my friend Croatian man Jelle and his girlfriend.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/w3KHFb]

City looking all right in the sunshine.

To take this picture at the port…

…I passed by this sign. Not knowing it was the equivalent of crossing the border. Guard who came fast walking towards me did not look very happy.

View of the city taken from the west. We picked up a helmet for Jelle and had a couple of ice cold homemade Limoncello’s at his friends’ house.

I stayed at his place for almost a week. He showed me around the city and we went on a daytrip to Krk. A beautiful island peninsula with nice small fisherman villages. I walked through the narrowest street in the world though I highly doubt their audacious claims. There is probably some city or town in Asia which takes the cake. Jelle is the only person I know who like me takes straight pictures. An exceptional piece of common ground we both possess and a rare skill it would seem. About the only photography skill though.

Nice narrow streets in one of the sleepy towns of Krk.

Narrowest in the world you reckon?


From Krk we took a short ferry trip to the island of Cres. There is where things got really nice including the riding.


Beer O’clock. Not a Tomislav but still all right. See how straight that horizon is?


Picturesque little fishing village on Cres.

Take the ferry from the northern tip of the island back to the mainland. Late sunset coastal ride back to Rijeka.

The port of Rijeka never sleeps.


On a side note little did we know back then that Jelle was eight months short of becoming a father. And now he is. First man down in my circle of friends, all the best mate. Not me though. Not for a long time. Too many great things to do in this brilliant world. No wife, kids, or house for that matter. Makes for a malleable future and staying true to yourself is a lot easier like that. But I digress. In eight months you’ll be in for quite a surprise my friend. Good luck! At least the kid will have an interesting dad.

I decide to go see the Plitvitce waterfalls which is a 200km detour but no problem when you are on a motorcycle. It is what cyclists envy most about us riders. On the other hand I envy them for being able to take their bikes across the border just like that. No paperwork. On my way out of the city over the mountains I stumbled upon interesting scenery. The forests just looked devastated with many trees being snapped in half and even more were missing their tops. Probably due to the weight of snow and ice during winter but I’ve never seen anything like it before. Of course I did not take a picture.

Another interesting sight were the many abandoned houses alongside the road. History clearly left its mark in the region. Got some nice twisty road action when I arrived in the Plitvice area and I spent the night at a camping. There I spent the evening drinking and talking with a Dutch senior couple who occasionally take their campervan to places in Europe. Makes me feel good when I see people like that still roaming free and not withering away in a retirement home. Wish them the best.

Old bridge in the countryside.


Abandoned house…


…after abandoned house. After the war many people did not return to their houses and the younger generations leave the villages for the cities.


The next day I unpacked my bike and went to see the waterfalls. What I figured would be a casual stroll of maybe two hours turned into an activity of half a day. The area is huge with waterfall after waterfall, it never ends. I mentioned girlfriend earlier; Take her there. Chicks love waterfalls. Beautiful place and worth ones time. Watch out for your sunnies though and do not lose them in one of the waterfalls like I did.


Here is a waterfall. And look over there...


...another one!

One is tempted to go in but the water is ice cold.


Tagged along with a couple of young Germans who were flipping out in line behind me because their student cards were not accepted for a discount. Date had expired and they had not received their new cards yet. I got a discount with my dateless one and I graduated years ago. See how long I can keep that perk going in this life. Germans can get really heated when they deem a procedure incorrect or illogical. We all do but especially they are good at it. I once saw a German backpacker drive a Chinese tour guide girl mad. She called it quits and left us all behind. As the van drove off she hung from the window and shouted obscenities in Chinese to the tour group. But again I digress.

In the afternoon I made my way in direction of Zagreb. Around halfway I ride through the city of Karlovac where I encounter a site of old war machines. These were weapons used during the war between the Serbs and de Croats. Shortly after I got there a local man arrived on a bike and gave me a tour around the place and explained information boards to me. He spoke barely passable English but he was able to convey information and a certain sentiment regarding the history of the city. Heavy fighting had gone on there as it was part of the front line. This would not be the last reminder of the war on my path since I would also be passing through Vukovar at some point.

The first of many tank encounters on my way to Vladivostok.


Don’t worry, I’ve got this.


I arrive in Zagreb during dusk and find a hostel to sleep. There I spend a few days sightseeing and socializing. In the evenings I go to the subterranean supermarket at the station and every time I am amazed at the ridiculous quantities of alcohol being purchased. Drinking is no joke over there so I did my part. The weather was not that great during my time there but the city was nice and well kept. Pretty small for a capital city.

Too my surprise the city center was not that big.




On my third day I had a bit of what I latter dubbed as the Zagreb blues. No will to take pictures, feeling a bit aimless. It was all already going so fast and I had a nagging feeling that I might be doing it wrong. Why Vladivostok? It all of a sudden felt like such an arbitrary destination. Why not take on the European continent at large and roam around for a year staying wherever I please. Hell I could even visit parts of the Middle East before I loop back into Eastern Europe. These thoughts would linger for a bit longer but the short term remedy was simply to ride on. Some days are simply just one of those days. And besides that, I had bigger plans! Bigger fish to fry! Caught on the other side of the world.

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VIDEO Series YT - '91 Transalp RTW: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Australia > New Zealand

I leave Zagreb and continue riding east in direction of the Hungarian city of Pécs and cross the border in the southwest part of the country. Forty kilometers East of that city in the small town of Mohacs I met up with two friends from university and thereby fulfilling a promise on the Danube.

We meet again.


Zoltan and Edina are a young couple from Hungary who studied for half a year in the Netherlands at my university. They and their family were the prime example of Hungarian hospitality. The father of Edina, the mayor of “Girl Kiss”, even gave me a tour of his vineyard cellar where I tasted some of his best wines. His wife was very surprised since he had not shared the good stuff for over a year. Truly a great honor! I was also reintroduced to the stiff drink Pálenka. That will put some hair on the inside of your throat. All this fine drinking was made manageable by eating a lot of delicious homemade sausages. The Hungarians know how to enjoy life in the countryside.

Winemaking is a matter of great pride and reputation in the region. I was very fortunate to get a taste.


Had a little tour of Pécs and after a few days I was off again back to Croatia riding east in direction of Serbia. Though not before I was given a few homemade sausages and a bottle of homebrew Pálenka. They say the good stuff slides down your throat and does not burn your mouth. I am still very grateful for everyone’s warm hospitality. Oh, I tried to fish in the Danube, which flows right outside of Zoltans parents house, and failed miserably.

The colorful center of student city Pécs.


A horse!


Before getting to the Croatian border with Serbia there were more scars of the war to be found in Vukovar. Soon after entering the city bullet hole riddled buildings became a common sight. This continues throughout the city until one arrives at the destroyed water tower. This infamous landmark remains as a reminder of the people’s hardship and brave resistance during the war. The tower was shelled for months by the Serbs and on multiple occasions people, who perished during their attempts, reinstalled the Croatian flag on top of the tower. Twice. A symbol of Croatian defiance and their unwillingness to succumb to their opponent. An impressive sight indeed.

Bullet holes all over the building façade.




The old water tower.


Later that day I entered Serbia without any issues and made my way to Belgrade. There I met with someone from couch surfing who turned out to be an excellent host and a good friend. Spent a handful of days checking out the city and enjoying the nightlife with the guidance of Vladan. In Belgrade the younger people meet each other in the city center or get together at a friends house. Nobody sits home alone at night and friends are always calling each other to see if they are doing anything.

Republic Square is one of the main meeting points in the city.


Trolley busses are the best busses. Especially in Belgrade.


In this picturesque street my host offers me a good hangover breakfast.


To me Belgrade felt like a real capital city with the many statues and its dirty old building facades that swallow you whole as you enter. It was a big city too. It is a nice walk through the city center to the fort through the big park. There on the grass like hobo I slept off a bit of my hangover after a rough night. The fort offers a vast and beautiful riverside view of the city and inside there are many war machines on display like tanks and artillery units.

The Danube river runs through the city.




Inside the fort a few of the many military units on display.


In the city center a couple of partly collapsed buildings laid bare another historical scar. The effects of the NATO bombings in the late nineties are still on display and it does not look like the city is going to demolish those structures any time soon. On the last day I still had some time to kill, fired up the navigation app and at "sights" the Tesla museum popped up. Of course I had go and have a look. A fine young woman demonstrated the wonders of Nicola’s electrical world and explained how Edison was a dick. To much displeasure of some present ‘Muricans.

There are a couple of buildings like this in the city center. Stark reminders of the past and another surface scar of the region.


One of the government buildings. At one place I was summoned to move away from the parking lot after I took a picture of what turned out to be the presidential building.


One late afternoon while waiting for a friend I wandered into an orthodox church so I could write in my journal while I waited. Inside mass had just commenced and I soon was overwhelmed by the intensity of the religious display. There were no seats and people were standing up. The priest read sternly from a book and I slowly began to feel out of place. Things got real when the priest started walking around with an incense bowl on a chain while walking in the direction of the people standing and waving it in front of them. They got out of the way and soon enough the stern eyes of the priest were fixed on mine as he made his way towards me. Now I really felt like I did not belong there as he waved the incense in front of me and murmured a few words as he stared directly into my eyes. He moved on. What a dark and intense atmosphere. I had never experienced anything like it. Brilliant.

Interior of a big Orthodox church. The one where I witnessed the ceremony was much smaller and darker.


Speaking of religious buildings. Made a quick visit to the allegedly biggest orthodox cathedral in the world. It was massive indeed but on the inside things seemed a little unfinished. Apparently there is no money to finish it fast. It is impressive but it still looks very new on the outside. Reminded me to a certain extend of the new Skopje city center in Macedonia which looks and feels like a Hellenic Disneyland. Maybe the city should do an exchange with Barcelona as they probably would learn a thing or two about milking an unfinished cathedral for eternity. Though other than that the city is very real. Of all the capitals in the region Belgrade felt the most authentic. It must have been quite a place to visit during the glory days.

The cathedral of saint Sava with in front of it a proud statue of George Petrovich the founder of modern Serbia. Many Ottoman soldiers were slain at the hand of that massive sword.


A couple of days later I was on my out of Belgrade heading towards the mountains north of the city. My generous host had given me a bottle of Serbian Rakia as a parting gift. Soon enough I was greeted by an impressive sea of broken and snapped tree tops. This was the ski season area of the country and harshest part of winter had just ended. I camped out in the front yard of a hotel which had a ski slope on both sides of the building. The man who owned the place was a past Olympic skier for the Soviet Union during the seventies. The old restaurant was decorated with photographs of a glorious past long gone. He owns both the slopes around the hotel but the last couple of winters had not been that great so earnings were meager. We spoke and we drank. A conservative man I soon figured so I had to pick my words wisely as I produced them in Pidgin English.

Moments like these put a man at ease at the end of the day.


Posing Alp.




Want to go for a ride?


It was a good day.


The next day I had some of the best riding in Serbia over winding old roads. The nature was beautiful at times and I wish I could have seen some of those areas in its luscious green spring glory. As I get closer to the border I am thinking about the second promise I fulfilled. This time the one I made to myself back in 2011. Then on my way back from Istanbul I had a small crash in Albania and due to the time it took to repair the bike I had to skip Serbia. I vouched to have a go at the country the next time I had a chance. I did it and it was well worth it. At the border with Kosovo I get an exit stamp and I make my way through no-man’s land to the Kosovarian border post over a nice winding road with snow covered verges. Once there I ran into an obstacle.

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