The Balkans Trip - Slovenia - July 13th

Woke up a bit late - 7:30. It was Monday and I had to exchange USD to Eur. Found out from the hotel reception that there is a post office in a tech park nearby - a couple of minutes drive and opens at 8am. Was there by 8:15 and looked for it. Finally found it after asking around. Lady at the counter rejected around five of the 20 USD notes telling they were damaged! Anyway exchanged the rest. Checked out of the hotel.

Started driving towards Postojna caves. Was a bit apprehensive at first on whether seeing some caves is really worth the time. Anyway decided to go. The entry into the caves was only through guided tours - in various languages. Had around 30 minutes before the tour and just walked around. Bought the ticket for the caves and a castle nearby.

The first part of the tour was a short train ride into the caves. Was awestruck within the first couple of minutes. The caves were not what I had imaged at all! The cave system is around 24 kms long and the temperature is a constant 10 deg C. The train ride took around 20 minutes and within the first few minutes started seeing stalagmites and stalactites. The lighting was done perfectly to just focus on these structures and not illuminate the whole area. We went through tunnels and a system of caves to finally reach the starting part of the walking section.

The english speaking guide was very good and explained the whole area well. Apparently the stalagmites and stalactites take 100's of years to grow by 1 mm and take a very long time to actually form a column. The air within the caves is supposed to be very good for the lungs and the humidity is at 100% and is very good for the skin. Apparently people who lived in caves had flawless skin and a more youthful look. At a certain part of the caves the guide also turned off all the lights to show us the actual darkness that exists there!

There was even a huge hall at the last cave and weddings and concerts take place here! The whole tour lasted 90 minutes and the whole scenery and the guide kept us entertained.

Drove to the Predjama castle from here. Also looked very unique and beautiful. The facade is the castle and behind it is a large cave system. Went in and explored all the rooms.

Went to the Skocjan caves next. Also a guided tour which started at 2pm. Had to walk for around 10 minutes to reach the entrance. Unfortunately no photography was allowed. The caves did not have as many stalagmites and stalactites as Postojna - they were apparently destroyed in an earthquake, but this time the scenery was very different. This cave system had huge canyons inside with a river flowing at the bottom. And a lake as well. The walk was along the canyons and the river within the caves. Very tempted to take pictures but couldnt. And I guess nothing would be seen in the pics as well.

Finished the tour and went outside. Noticed that fuel was low. Went into the nearest town and entered a petrol station - OMV. Had only two pumping stations and parked the car in one of them. Noticed that the pillars on both of them only mentioned diesel. Also there were only a couple of filling pipes at each station and they only mentioned diesel. Was very confused! Went into the shop and tried to ask for petrol. The guy didnt speak any english, but he mentioned diesel and didnt understand the word petrol. After a couple of tries he came out to inspect the car. Opened the fuel cap and examined the nozzle. Again told diesel and I tried to tell petrol. He then asked if its benzine. I told him petrol again. He didnt comprehend the word at all and confidently filled diesel. Now I think it was diesel that he filled! I thought maybe the Slovenians call petrol as diesel and I had no idea what benzine was! Anyway I paid for it and started the car. It started as usual and it also went ahead. Drove to the next destination - Piran. This was a city on the coast with an amazing old town jutting out into the adriatic. Found parking in a mlcp near the waterfront. Went into the old town and climbed the city walls to get the view.

Walked to the church and into the old town for a while. 

Decided to start the drive towards the next hotel at around 6:30. I was planning to spend the night in a tourist farm in the Logar valley national park in the northeast region of Slovenia. The Govc Vrsnik tourist farm was in the Robanov Kot valley and I fed the address to the GPS. It gave an estimate of 2.5 hours for a distance of 130 kms. Sounded strange but anyway started the drive. And the car was still going strong with whichever fuel it had!

Entered into the mountains at around 7:30 pm. It was getting dark, there were rarely any vehicles seen and I couldnt spot anyone - only ghost towns! The gps finally took me to a house in a small town and indicated this is the final destination. Didnt look anything like the picture that I had seen on the internet. Went upto the house but was dark. Decided to get back the main road and fortunately spotted 2 ladies on the road. Stopped and went to them with the address. One of them could manage to read and speak English and they knew the place I was talking about! Told I need to go back around 6 kms and reach a bridge. There is a sign board indicating Robanov Kot and will take me into a narrow road into another mountain. Decided to follow the instruction and reached the bridge. Found the road and took it. Was very narrow and a uphill drive with curves. I cant imagine what anyone should do if there is another car from the opposite direction. I could soon spot signs for the tourist farms. I had reached the Robanov Kot valley - between huge mountains. 

Old lady at the farm was actually surprised to see me. She used the phrases "You are here" and "You actually came" multiple times! She of course had the booking and the room, but I guess she didnt expect to see me. Asked if I wanted dinner and I told yes if she can manage something vegetarian. She told will manage and I went to the room to keep my bags. Came back to the kitchen and she offered me some schnapps as a welcome drink. Was a strong drink and I was having that for the first time! 

Then there was some soup, vegetables and dessert as well. Everything tasted very weird including the dessert. I couldnt even recognize a couple of those veg. Anyway managed to eat something and decided I am not cut out for living in a Slovenian farm!

The room was quite ok with a balcony and a view that I guessed I would see only in the morning. Had wifi as well and tried to check on google on what would happen if diesel was filled in a petrol car. Got mixed answers but mostly people told either the car wont start or if it does then it would go for a while and then stop. Decided that I have passed the first hurdle as the car anyway started. Now how far it would go before it stops is yet to be seen.

The Balkans Trip - Slovenia - July 12th

Had breakfast at 4 points at around 6:30. Was elaborate and good. Took an apple for the road. Decided to leave early so that I could reach Vintgar gorge by 8 am. Apparently the crowds build up a lot after 9. The drive towards the Julian Alps was very beautiful

Reached the gorge by 8:30 and that was a good decision. The only other person apart from me was the guy collecting garbage. The water was extremely clear.

Reached a bridge at the half way mark and saw a train go through. The views from the train would be amazing I guess. Walked all the way to the end of the gorge - took around 45 minutes and saw a waterfall at the end.

Walked all the way back and the crowd was building up. Lots of people walking on the narrow bridges, Started driving towards lake Bled. Reached Bled castle and went in. The castle itself is not much but the whole reason to go in was only to see the view of lake Bled and the island in the middle.

All this got over by 9:30 and the only thing planned for the day was the next lake at Bohinj. Decided to check the internet and found that a drive through the Triglav National Park leads me to Vrsic Pass - a high mountain pass across the Julian Alps. Started driving towards the pass

Reached the pass and took a few pics. Stopped a lot of times on the way. Views were just amazing!
Started driving towards lake Bohinj. Lots of people at the lake enjoying the sun.

The Vogel cable car takes you to the ski center on top of the mountains. During summer the ride is useful to see the views of lake Bohinj and the surrounding mountains. There is nothing else to do on the top

Got down from the ski center and started driving to Savica waterfall. The road was really narrow with hardly space for one car. Towards the end a guy in a bike from the opposite side fell right in front of my car. He was too fast and tried to avoid colliding with me. Fell down, but was in full bike gear and was not hurt. Got out of the car to check if he was ok. Everything looked fine. Continued the drive towards the waterfall. Was a long walk as well to the waterfall.

Started driving back to the hotel. Very slow moving traffic along lake Bled. Took nearly an hour more than normal. Reached the hotel and had the same veggy patty and wine

The Balkans trip - BLR to Zurich to Ljubljana - July 10th and 11th

Since I am used to living out of a suitcase, packing for the trip took me about 15 mins.  My first flight from Blr to Bom was Jet airways. Noticed while web checkin that I could actually checkin for the Swiss airlines as well in the Jet airways website.

Reached the airport and the check in counter. The lady at the counter tried hard to pronounce the final destination Ljubljana! Finally gave up and assured me that the bag would reach the place where ever it is. Reached Bombay and ate a dosa in Bombay airport. Had a doubt if I should pick up my baggage in Zurich to clear customs. Decided to ask at the Swiss airlines counter. The guy there could pronounce Ljubljana correctly and told me I need not pick it up in Zurich. The seat in the Swiss airways from Bom to Zurich, though at the emergency exit, did not have sufficient leg space! First time that I had chosen a wrong seat during web checkin. But slept quite ok.

Was looking keenly out of the window while landing in Zurich to spot the alps. Couldnt see any mountains. By 7 I was out of the flight and decided that I had too much time before the next flight at 2:30. Made an impromptu decision to get out of the airport and visit Zurich. The immigration guy asked me how many days will I be in Zurich and told him maybe 4 hours! Looked surprised till I showed him the next boarding pass.

As usual the Swiss show their efficiency in everything. There were clear signs telling how to reach the city center. Exchanged some EUR to Swiss Francs in the airport and boarded the train to the center. Actually got on the train at the last minute and realised that its the first class compartment. A Chinese guy did the same thing. The ticket checking lady came in a few minutes later and explained to both of us that its first class and also told us how to recognize it from outside - apparently they have some different coloured stripes painted to recognize the classes - guess its also written! Was very nice about it and let us sit in first class for the journey. Got free internet in the main station and looked for the top attraction in tripadvisor. Turned out there was a lake and an old town and a mountain. Decided to visit the mountain first - Uetliberg. Had to take a smaller train but the ticket was expensive - 17 CHF. Was the last stop, and as usual the entire route was picture perfect. Had to climb a bit to reach the top. Views below

Found an Indian as well on top taking pics. Walked around a bit and decided its time to take the train back to the main station. Started walking towards the old town from the main station. The walk was along the river Limmat with buildings on both sides.

Wikitravel indicated that there are 2 churches - Grossmunster and Fraumunster. Visited the former one. Then walked to the lake. Passed some really cool graffiti

Was nearly 10:30 and was very hungry. Started walking back to the station and looked for something to eat on the way. Noticed a lady carrying a starbucks coffee, but hadnt spotted one. Walked a bit away from the station and found one. Had the usual croissant and java chip. Took the train back to the airport. Was again hungry by 1 pm and bought a sandwich. Flight from Zurich to Ljubljana was a 2 + 3 seater called avro rj100. Was the first time on such a strange flight!

The views from the flight were just amazing! Guess it was flying over the Swiss and Julian Alps.

And the mountains that I was expecting to see in Zurich were here as we landed in Ljubljana!

The airport was really small with maybe 2 aerobridges. We had to take the bus to the terminal. But the view was ... well the picture speaks for itself.

Strangely there was no currency exchange office at the airport and a coffee shop guy told that I would need to go to the bank or post office to do that and that would be possible only on Monday. I did have around 150 Eur on me and decided to manage with that. Found the Avant Car office easily and got a 2015 model Opel Corsa which had only gone around 3000 kms. The GPS was a new one as well. The lady told me that it was petrol and the tank was full. There was the usual inspection for scratches as well. She also gave me the documents and the Green Card. Ensured that none of the countries that I wanted to visit were crossed off. Everything looked ok. Turns out that cars in Slovenia have to buy a toll sticker called a vignette. Asked about it and the lady showed me the sticker. The car already had one and was valid for a year. Sat in the car for a few minutes to get used to the left hand drive. Started it and reached the exit. Was behind a few cars and suddenly one of them wanted to get back and asked me to reverse. The reverse gear was at the top left corner and though I felt that I had put the gear to reverse the car was only going forward! And I tried to tell the guy that I am unable to reverse and he was confused. Somehow the guy managed to go through and I didnt have to reverse. I went ahead as well but had half a mind to go back to tell that there is something wrong with the gear! Decided not to. Thought let me take it to the hotel and figure it out.

Took some wrong exits though the GPS was actually right. Went through the countryside instead of the highway, but the views made up for the longer route. Reached the hotel parking and tried the reverse now. Felt that the car was moving backward after I put the gear and was wondering what went wrong earlier. Thought will try it again and this time it didnt work! Guess it was just the slope that took me backward. Was about to give up when I noticed a button below the gear handle and suddenly remembered the car that I drove in SFO. Had to keep the button pressed and then shift to reverse! Worked. Cant blame the guy who got his driving license less than a year back and who has been driving only a Swift!

Decided I need to keep the manual handy. Looked for it and found one. But it was in around 3 languages and none was English. We have the internet for these things anyway.

Checked in to the hotel - Four points by Sheraton. Guy told there is a restaurant which serves dinner from 7. Went to the restaurant and asked for something vegetarian. There was something called a veggy pattie on the menu. Ordered that along with a glass of house wine - red. Guy gave a starter as well and told its a vegetable - finnochio. No idea what that was. The internet told me its fennel. The patty and wine were very good though.

Got back to the room and downloaded an english manual for the car. There was sunlight even at 9 pm. Crashed for the day.

The Balkans trip - The prep

I was asked if I wanted to work or take off for 6 weeks. I chose the latter of course. Though this happened much later than my plan to visit the balkans. This time I decided to write down my experiences. I am doing this for the first time after visiting 22 countries. Realised that there are always people looking for info on the internet before they travel and me jotting down stuff can help.

So why the balkans? Well I remember reading the blog of some traveler who drove through some of the countries in the Balkans and I guess the idea stuck to my mind. And the possibility of visiting multiple countries within a short time was appealing as well. While creating my list of countries and visa requirements I had noticed that the Balkan countries were now allowing people in with a Schengen visa.

It is no secret that extensive research can ensure that the holiday goes according to plan. There are of course people who just pack up a bag and go around without a plan, but I am not that guy anyway. I spent hours on the internet finding out stuff about what I can visit in 16 days. Turns out there are a lot of countries in the Balkans and I wanted to do sufficient justice to the ones I visit. I had to land in one of the Schengen countries close to the region and I had a choice between Slovenia and Greece. Of course I could land in one of the central or west European countries but that would cost me more. I chose Slovenia. I had to check on the internet on how I should pronounce the capital Ljubljana!

I chose to visit Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania. I formed a day to day plan and noticed that the TripIt app can help a lot in maintaining my itinerary.

Coming to the flight ticket, found that makemytrip gave me the cheapest and best option to reach Ljubljana. Monitored the ticket for a couple of weeks to see if there is any fluctuation. Finally booked the connection BLR -> BOM -> Zurich -> Ljubljana on Swiss airlines and the connection Ljubljana -> Munich -> Frankfurt -> BLR on Lufthansa. I paid Rs 60k. Felt it was a decent deal.

The car was a bit more difficult. Actually the car also helped me determine which countries I could visit. Apparently not all car rental companies allow to travel to all the Balkan countries. Some of them do not allow you to visit Albania or Macedonia or Bosnia. I needed to find the one rental guy who could arrange for insurance for the countries I wanted to visit. Booked on Economy Car Rentals and gave them the requirement. I had to pay extra for a document called a Green Card, which indicates which countries I could visit and provide the necessary permit and insurance. They finally found a rental company Avant Car which could meet all my requirements. I communicated with them a couple of times over email to ensure that they will prepare the documents for the countries I wanted to visit. Got reassuring replies. The total charge would be 400 Euros for 2 weeks. Was a good deal as well.

Coming to hotels. One of the options was to look for cheap accommodation - like hostels and dorms. But after a bit of research felt that I am no longer cut out for hostels. I wanted a room of my own. Found that hotels in Slovenia and Croatia were priced close to the ones in west Europe. Montenegro, Serbia and Romania were much cheaper. As usual used tripadvisor to find the appropriate hotels to stay in. Made most of the bookings on bookings.com. There were only 2 places that I needed to communicate on email to book. I planned to spend one night in a rafting center in the border of Montenegro and Bosnia. And I wanted to spend one night in a monastery in Serbia. Both of them responded promptly and I could make the booking without a problem.

Some people on the internet did talk about the International Drivers Permit. There was some mixed opinion and not many people indicated that they were asked to show one. I did contemplate for a while if I should get one as well. But it was finally laziness that won. I didnt get it.

I did use wikitravel, tripadvisor and google maps extensively to make a day to day plan. I had to see the distances to travel each day and the places to see. I even checked out a video on youtube to see how border control happens while driving a car! I had decided not to visit any big cities. Actually I didnt visit the capitals of any of the countries. I decided to stick to the countryside and national parks.

With all this I guess I was ready!