Day 39

25/09/2011 – Day 39

Baja to Bački Monoštor – 77km

Leaving the centre of Baja is simplicity itself as the route run straight through the middle of the main square where all the hotels are situated. The supermarket was open as we left so we stocked up on water. Just as we were setting off a man approached us, he was from Freiburg in Germany and was doing the Danube to the Black Sea as well and was taking the day off in Baja. We must have been travelling very close to each other in time as he started out about the same day as we did.

One of the things we had commented on was how many people we see going west and how few we see going east, but when you think about it we will meet everyone coming the opposite way to us but only the people we pass or who pass us  going in the same direction.

Today is 90% road work, the tracks were good in most places but someone has driven a tracked vehicle down one section and it has left a series of very close ridges on the track and it is like riding over corrugated sheets. Going faster or slower has no effect on the vibration, you just have to try and pick the best line.

The day starts with us heading west, which feels strange as we have been heading east or south most of the time. It is strange to have the sun on your left for such a long time.

At Újmohács it is time to make a decision, either to turn right and go through Croatia, or turn left and go through Serbia. Neither is very attractive but you have to weigh up the pros and cons. Croatia is another country to add to the list and you still have to go through Serbia, but it is another currency to add to your pocket and there are lots of hills.

Serbia on the other hand is flat, it is just one currency to change into and it is shorter. So we turned left.

Once again we struggle to find somewhere to eat, but this time because there is nowhere, nothing, not even a bar. The only place we are told we can eat is Hercegszántó near the border. This is a 50km drag all the way from Baja. Here we stop at the same time as a group of Hungarian cyclists who have just been on a day trip through Croatia and Serbia. As we sit and drink a beer they tell us the quickest way to the border.

From here we head due south to the Serbian border, I have been thinking about this crossing and wonder what sort reception I would get after the NATO bombing led by the Americans and the Brits. As it turned out it was a non-event, the Hungarian side was very slow (I wonder what the problem is with people leaving the country, maybe it is just a throw back from the past) and the Serbian side was relatively quick. Looking at us on the bikes loaded with kit, ‘where are you going, the Black Sea?’ He must see hundreds of cyclists during the year, all going the same way.

The change from Hungary to Serbia is quite remarkable; you can see you are in a different country. The houses are slightly different, but the roads are much worse. Hungary is like the UK on a bad day, a few potholes but some of them are big. Serbia is non-stop potholes. The other thing that hits you is how dirty the place is, there is rubbish dumped at the side of the road everywhere, and it all stinks.

Even in the towns, the road and the pavement seem to merge; there are no kerbs or anything to define the edge of the road. This is good for bikes where we can just drive off the road anytime we like but it makes the place look untidy.

We have decided to try and get to Bački Monoštor and spend the night there. As we cycle into the village there are signs pointing everywhere for rooms to let but the houses themselves are not indicated, which makes it difficult to find them. When we stop someone to ask the way to a house she tells us not to bother, she knows a better place to stay. So we follow her to another house. Only 8€ a night each for bed and breakfast but no internet; we say we will look around and may be back. The place seems nice and I like the woman on sight.

We cycle round the village finding nothing and stop at a bar for a beer. We ask about internet and places to stay and the waitress says the only place is the library that will have the internet.

So back to the house to stay, but she has gone! As we stand outside the woman across the street says she will be back soon and we should wait. A few minutes later she comes back with a man who speaks English. What follows is very weird; she is telling us this is not her house but a friend’s who has gone to see her sister. But she can let us in to see the room but we have to wait for the friend to come back and she may be a while. The man explains all this to us, and then offers to let us stay at his house until the woman comes back. We suggest going to the restaurant as an option and he offers to show us the best one to go to. M asks about the internet and he offers to take us to his home again where he has Wi-Fi.

Now another woman appears and calls the owner, it will be difficult for her to come back, can we stay somewhere else? Once again the man, Miloš, comes to the rescue; there is another B&B a few houses from his.

On the ride to the house, Miloš tells us a bit about himself, he makes cheese, he is a part time guide for the village and he learnt English in Budapest. At his house we meet his wife and M sends the email he needed to. Then we go to the B&B. once again it is a room in a house that is used solely for guests. We are the only people here and the house is all ours for the night, the price? 10€, 12 including breakfast.

Now Miloš takes us to the centre of the village to find something to eat, staying with us to make sure there is nothing lost in the translation.

Here we are, in a village in the north of Serbia when a total stranger comes up to help. He speaks fluent English, he offers us the use his home, he finds us somewhere to stay and he makes sure we get something to eat. What else can you ask for?

This is my first time in Serbia and I am impressed. It seems to be a very nice place and the people we have met today could not have been more helpful. I do hope it continues like this. But one thing I have noticed, everywhere you look there is nothing in English, no American songs on the radio, no English words in adverts etc. They seem to be getting along just fine without having to adopt English to please the foreigners, which is a pleasant change.