DAY 8 - TITO VELES

8) TUESDAY, 5 JULY 1977: 320KMS. - PRILEP / (TITO) VELES.

From MOJKOVAC via IVANGRAD we continued towards the east  passing KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, to PRISTINA. In SKOPJE, we stopped to change money and buy alcohol burner from a fully air-conditioned and  modern shopping center (like Siam Square). It seems that SKOPJE is very modernized  than any other cities in Yugoslavia that we passed.

After SKOPJE, we came across with horse or donkey-drawn wagon of Gypsy caravan, this minority frequently seen living in Rumania.

 

Horse drawn Gypsy caravan - Photo : Robert & Mihaela Vicol @ publicphoto.org  / Google images search

We drove passing a vast field full of yellow sunflowers  and also farmlands growing  apples and grapes.  People are the same friendly as everywhere here in this country. When driving through various villages or passing people, we had to wave our hands to people and children,  staring at our campervan. It was just like we were somebody they knew !

 

Photo : Bing images search

We reached TITO VELES  almost  at twilight.  In TITO VELES, like every city in Yugoslavia, many  people  especially  young teenagers are prominent on paths of pedestrian streets in the city. Some of them clustered into groups chatting on the streets.  It looked like there was a fair or people were having some celebrations. We sat in a coffee shop looking at those teenagers walking back and forth for several different rounds. Girls huddled together and boys were walking together among them.  I thought this was a sort of cultural practice, allowing opportunities for teenagers to meet as well as  good chances for them to make friends or flirting in public.

(Tito) Veles - Photo : Eugene Hamil "Spirit of photography" / Bing images search

Wherever  we moved to in the area, it seemed to get  attention of more people . Whichever way I looked to, my eyes met with others keeping theirs towards us. The people kept calling and provoked each other to look at us . Probably, there were not many of narrow-eyed, Asian look like me or Thai people ever came to this place.  There were those brave passers-by  and were not shy, came straight to us questioning us with their smily faces as from which part of the world I (we) came.  Only few people know whereabout of my country, Thailand.  So I had to mention that it was near Vietnam. Most people thought  I was from China as they know about a Hong  Kong filmstar, Bruce Lee, who is very popular in Kung-Fu movies. Otherwise, they thought I was a Japanese instead.

Bruce Lee - Photo : Bing images search

Believe it or not, at TITO VELES this evening, I (or we) became a teen idol in no time. Those teenage boys doing sports had given special attention and came together to talk to us, starting with small groups and  gradually became a larger group of about  20-30 people posing different questions and listened to what we said attentively.  It was funny, we couldn’t  respond to all questioins they poured to us. All of them seemed very willing to provide assistances and invited us to join them for a cup of coffee at their tables. Moreover, there were those wanting also to invite us to their homes to teach them karate as they likely misunderstood that I was karate expert. (I  even didn’t know how to do Karate but only some self-defense Thai boxing ! :-D )

(Tito) Veles - Photo : wikipedia.org / Bing imagres search

Most young people here can speak English very well as they learn English as a foreign language (I was told). Other foreign languages are French, German and Russian as a sequence. But so far we found less people speaking other foreign languages, particularly English speaking people just can be found in this city. Before that,  we used sign language as a hint  to communicate with people.

A walk and hanging around in the city lasted until around 11.00 pm., from where we drove out toward PRILEP and found a nice parking for camping under a tree by the roadside (away from TITO VELES about 30 km).

Until now I have learnt  2 Yugoslavian words : “qvala”  : means thank you and “dobre”  : means  good/ well.

DAY 7 - MOJKOVAC

7) MONDAY, 4 JULY 1977 : 267 KMS. - MOJKOVAC
 

We repeated almost the same scenery of coastal area today, driving  from DUBROVNIK until arriving PETROVAC and then crossings up to TITOGRAD with a short stop for buying some apples and to change money.

People here are very friendly, especially children selling fruits on the way. A young boy came with fresh chilis and tomatoes and gave us as present.

The road from TITOGRAD runs along a stream or a V-shape river in a valley with steep bluffs or cliffs, we stopped to climb down to wash our hair, intended to take a bath. However, the water was so cold that I only stood there barely a minute and had to leap up.

Photo :  Bing images search

On the way down into the stream, we’re climbing onto the spiny brombeeren (blackberries) bushes with sharp thorns. That gave us some traces on our legs when we climbed up.

Photo :  Bing images search

On the roadside, I then took advantage of a little waterfall to take an open-air shower and shampooing my hair. The water was a bit cold but no choice!

It's cold !

After I finished washing my hair at a little waterfall, we continued our journey on the road along the river bank of high slopes all the way. It was very risky to fall down but the roadsides were very beautiful natural canyons.  We stopped to take some photographs and buy fruits (like apples but having thin and clear reddish-yellow peel) from shepherd children in the area. It costed 10.- Dinar and the taste was not bad, I was not sure about the fruit name, probably a kind of nectarine fruit.

Photo : worldpress / Bing images search

We stopped overnight near the town MOJKOVAC KOLASIN. On the roadsides, we saw many pink oleander plants in blooms and pomegranate trees sporadically.  Another observation today, most of the boys had crew cut hair, looking from the distance like shaved heads.

 

Photo : Bing images search

DAY 6 - DUBROVNIK

6) SUNDAY, 3 JULY 1977: 212 KMS. - DUBROVNIK

At the city point in SPLIT, where we were in the morning for textile-free sunbathing and swimming, it was not a beach but rocky area.  It was exciting to see people sunbathing in nude, mixing both men and women of all ages, like I had ever been once at Tisvilde beach  in Denmark.

Today's scenery on the way from SPLIT to DUBROVNIK remained the same coastal road  and looked almost the same, it didn’t change much with serpentine detours.  Sometimes it was rather tiring, if not for the natural beauty of the coast and the mountains. Strange, I felt a bit boring today. There were also signboards written "SOBE" periodically on the roadside, announcing about rooms availability for rent due to the holiday season. We wanted to take a break during the way for having some baked fishes but  were afraid of late arrival in DUBROVNIK and loose our chance to look around the city.

Old walking street of Dubrovnik - Photo : Bing images search

About 5.00 pm., we arrived DUBROVNIK and found a parking spot under pine trees near the old castle. An ordinary car with a sticker NL from Holland has already parked there, the owner seemed to sleep in the car to save his hotel bills. After parking,  we started our way to have a walk around, mixing with many pedestrians.  They were both tourists and local inhabitants,moving around on the main old roads of the city like in other cities we passed earlier. We met several groups of American tourists too.

Photo : Bing images search

The main interest of the city was located in the medieval fortifications and castles. The city was founded in the 7th century, has been on important lines of navigation. Adjacent to the walls of the old fort there is an aquarium that typically exhibits various types of fish with strange body patterns and colors, as well as various marine animals but we didn’t really want to enter inside. I think I've ever seen something the same already once at the WILHELMA Aquarium in STUTTGART.  

 

 

In addition, on the island not far from DUBROVNIK, it is a popular natural attraction for those who like sunbathing naked, they can do it freely without being worried to be looked at or commented by anyone.

Photo : wikimedia.org / Bing images search

The city of DUBROVNIK is famous for its beauty that tourists want to visit  to admire, including an Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, who visited here in 1929, giving credit to DUBROVNIK as a heaven on earth.  He said "If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik."   

Photo : Bing images search

(Note :  In 1979,  it has been registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site - Wikipedia.)



Interesting YouTube Video about Dubrovnik : 

DAY 5 - SPLIT

5) SATURDAY, 2 JULY 1977 : 188 KMS. - SPLIT

Around noon, leaving ZADAR along the Adiatic coastal road to BIOGRAD, PIROVAC, SIBERNIK until we reached SPLIT. Almost every town and city along the coast, with beaches or rocky shores not too steep, there were people swiming in the sea and sunbathing everywhere.

From Zadar along Adriatic coastal road to Split

Yugoslavia is popular with those who enjoy the sun without wearing clothes but lying naked on the beach (FKK), no less than in the Scandinavian countries. If we intentionally looked in between the rocks, we might have spotted naked people.

A beach at Adriatic sea - Photo : Bing image search

SPLIT is a large city, many people strolling on the road along the shore, lining with palm trees planted on both roadsides. It looks so beautiful like the Mediterranean atmostphere. There were many souvenirs available, probably because of a lot of tourists there.

 

Split (Croatia) - Photo : Bing images search

I spotted nice sandals with interesting weave pattern and a single leather thumb strap, it should be traditional style. There were also nice decoration dishes for wall hanging, painted in a pattern with exotic color inviting shoppers to buy.  I asked for the price of a very beautiful blouse, full-front Cross Stitch embroidered with indigenous design, it costed up to DM 50.- !  So I did not think to buy one. Other well-known souvenirs should be carpets with geometric design, carved woods, table-linen and crocheted napery. But  prices were not cheap as they are all handmade.

 

Split promenade - Photo : Bing images search

Here in SPLIT, I met a Yugoslav who has worked in STUTTGART accidentally and found out that he knew my junior friend Marinsa as well.  He asked me if I wanted to join with him and friends for sun–bathing in the morning at the end of the city point, a popular spot for naked sunbathing and swimming. 

 SPLIT - CROATIA

Aerial view of Split - Phot : travel-slovenia.com / Google images search

Wikipedia :

Split is a city in Croatia situated in the Mediterranean Basin on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centred around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its bay and port.
Population: 178,192 (2011)
Area: 79.38 km²