2015 - Tony - A Trip to a Destination Not Yet Known

by Stoyan Haralampiev

2382km in 27 days · 4781 views

Day 1, Saturday, September 19

157km in 2h · 62km/h

Traveled 4km in 4min
10:03 Stop for 10min
Traveled 55km in 1h 02min
11:16 30min OMV Dupnica
Traveled 98km in 1h 09min
12:55 21h 08min Guest House Garbevi, Dobrinishte. A great motorcycle-friendly place to stay.

Day 2, Sunday, September 20

306km in 4h · 49km/h

Traveled 42km in 33min
10:37 Stop for 5min
Traveled 2km in 3min
10:47 Stop for 15min
Traveled 21km in 17min
11:20 Stop for 2min
Traveled 51km in 48min
12:10 21min Somewhere along the roller coaster road between Goce Delchev and Serres.
Traveled 15km in 16min
12:48 Stop for 6min
Traveled 415m in 1min
12:56 43min A decent gyros place along the road through Serres.
Traveled 140km in 1h 20min
14:59 51min A quick coffee with a semi-dead dog. Also made a quick local camps overview.
Traveled 32km in 27min
16:19 Stop for 16min
Traveled 1km in 1min
16:37 Stop for 3min
Traveled 237m in 33s
16:40 Stop for 3min
Traveled 788m in 2min
16:46 Stop for 9min
Traveled 280m in 42s
16:57 17h 20min Camping Zeus. Turned out to be their last working day for the season but we got a decent place to sleep. It's very close to the Olympus mountain.

Day 3, Monday, September 21

392km in 6h · 58km/h

Traveled 2km in 3min
10:22 Stop for 7min
Traveled 2km in 4min
10:34 3min Olympus Mountain
Traveled 14km in 17min
10:55 Stop for 2min
Traveled 15km in 18min
11:16 Stop for 3min
Traveled 1km in 1min
11:21 Stop for 3min
Traveled 16km in 16min
11:41 11min Somewhere along the curved mountain roads.
Traveled 9km in 8min
12:00 3min Hopefully we moved her in the right direction.
Traveled 34km in 27min
12:32 13min The rain was just about to start.
Traveled 43km in 29min
13:15 1h 28min A cosy place with tasty gyros.
Traveled 46km in 46min
15:31 Stop for 4min
Traveled 12km in 14min
15:49 Stop for 5min
Traveled 16km in 18min
16:14 Stop for 2min
Traveled 24km in 14min
16:30 Stop for 2min
Traveled 14km in 10min
16:43 37min A cup of espresso to fight the effect of rain on positive mood :)
Traveled 76km in 56min
18:18 Stop for 3min
Traveled 31km in 29min
18:51 Stop for 5min
Traveled 31km in 32min
19:29 Stop for 1h 12min
Traveled 2km in 4min
20:46 Stop for 2h 27min
Traveled 4km in 7min
23:21 Stop for 10h 27min

Day 4, Tuesday, September 22

45km in 1h · 27km/h

Traveled 2km in 5min
09:53 Stop for 1h 22min
Traveled 2km in 5min
11:21 Stop for 51min
Traveled 27km in 33min
12:47 Stop for 6min
Traveled 479m in 1min
12:55 Stop for 21min
Traveled 225m in 34s
13:17 Stop for 3min
Traveled 249m in 37s
13:22 4h 12min Poros Beach
Traveled 465m in 2min
17:37 Stop for 14min
Traveled 502m in 1min
17:53 Stop for 1h 03min
Traveled 479m in 1min
18:57 Stop for 1h 47min
Traveled 5km in 9min
20:54 Stop for 11min
Traveled 5km in 10min
21:16 Stop for 14h 52min

Day 5, Wednesday, September 23

94km in 2h · 42km/h

Traveled 14km in 19min
12:29 Stop for 2min
Traveled 32km in 43min
13:14 Stop for 5h 18min
Traveled 5km in 9min
18:42 Stop for 9min
Traveled 6km in 9min
19:01 Stop for 23min
Traveled 11km in 12min
19:37 Stop for 3min
Traveled 20km in 24min
20:04 Stop for 7min
Traveled 5km in 9min
20:22 Stop for 15h 10min

Day 6, Thursday, September 24

265km in 5h · 41km/h

Traveled 13km in 21min
11:53 Stop for 7min
Traveled 14km in 14min
12:16 Stop for 2min
Traveled 5km in 7min
12:26 Stop for 5min
Traveled 35km in 31min
13:02 Stop for 9min
Traveled 41km in 31min
13:44 Stop for 11min
Traveled 48km in 32min
14:27 Stop for 5min
Traveled 220m in 35s
14:33 Stop for 2min
Traveled 592m in 1min
14:38 Stop for 3min
Traveled 657m in 1min
14:42 Stop for 8min
Traveled 3km in 8min
14:59 Stop for 1h 15min
Traveled 207m in 37s
16:16 Stop for 19min
Traveled 35km in 1h 16min
17:51 Stop for 7min
Traveled 15m in 4s
17:58 Stop for 10min
Traveled 35km in 43min
18:52 36min First coffee place on Corfu. Loads of tourists and restaurants, cold attitude from the personnel. The norm for places heavily visited by tourists.
Traveled 21km in 24min
19:53 1h 04min Dionysos Apartments. The place was nothing special but the night view to the Albanian shore was beautiful. Add to this a bottle of Uzo and good company and there you go :)
Traveled 5km in 7min
21:04 Stop for 24min
Traveled 6km in 12min
21:41 1h 54min Harry's Tavern. Tasty food, local Corfu beer and an interesting conversation with the owner.
Traveled 2km in 2min
23:39 10h 59min Dionysos Apartments. The place was nothing special but the night view to the Albanian shore was beautiful. Add to this a bottle of Uzo and good company and there you go :)

Day 7, Friday, September 25

25km in 1h · 35km/h

Traveled 5km in 7min
10:46 1h 12min Morning coffee with morning rain
Traveled 61m in 34s
11:59 1h 42min Went for a walk around the city of Kasiopi. We had a look at the nearby beach where some divers were training. At the end just before heading back to the hotel some really hard rain poured over us. We had to roll up our pants and walk into the water on the streets to reach our bike. Luckily the Tiger loves to swim.
Traveled 6km in 11min
13:53 Stop for 2min
Traveled 6km in 8min
14:03 12min Searched for a gyro place and finally found a good one right here.
Traveled 7km in 8min
14:24 20h 23min Dionysos Apartments. The place was nothing special but the night view to the Albanian shore was beautiful. Add to this a bottle of Uzo and good company and there you go :)

Day 8, Saturday, September 26

293km in 7h · 35km/h

Traveled 2km in 2min
10:50 Stop for 20min
Traveled 6km in 5min
11:16 Stop for 7min
Traveled 25km in 31min
11:55 Stop for 7min
Traveled 2km in 5min
12:08 Stop for 28min
Traveled 340m in 1min
12:38 1h 52min Rented a pedal boat and went for a ride to some water caves in the area. Turned out to be a nice place for freediving but the fact that a number of motor boats full of elderly tourists are constantly cruising around you and over you when you dive really leaves a bad taste. I'd seriously recommend you to think about visiting Corfu twice. Going to Lefkada or some other little islands would make much more sense for the thrill seekers.
Traveled 22km in 25min
14:56 6min Bought tickets for our ferry to Igoumenitsa. We wanted to go directly to Sarande in Albania but the ferries that service this route do not take vehicle - only pedestrians. The seller turned out to be an enduro rider and recommended visiting Central Greece and especially the regions on the photos. Not for off-road but rather for a good moto trip around beautiful places.
Traveled 3km in 9min
15:12 Stop for 22min
Traveled 751m in 2min
15:37 Stop for 19min
Traveled 35km in 1h 49min
17:46 Stop for 3min
Traveled 192m in 2min
17:52 Stop for 3min
Traveled 2km in 3min
17:59 Stop for 4min
Traveled 28km in 29min
18:33 Stop for 4min
Traveled 527m in 1min
18:39 Stop for 2min
Traveled 7km in 7min
18:49 Stop for 2min
Traveled 13km in 19min
19:11 8min The legendary cable ferry at the Butrint Fortress going from Igoumentisa towards Ksamil. It is like a 40 meters distance but the experience is pretty exotic. A very drunken person on the departure side of the river greeted us and offered a sip from his home-made alcohol drink. When we tried it and told him it is a really good grape rakia a wide smile appeared on his face and he hugged us.
Traveled 16m in 5s
19:19 Stop for 4min
Traveled 13km in 13min
19:36 Stop for 5min
Traveled 89km in 1h 50min
21:32 Stop for 6min
Traveled 38km in 41min
22:20 Stop for 5min
Traveled 2km in 4min
22:30 Stop for 27min
Traveled 2km in 5min
23:03 1h 24min We finally made it to Vlore and after leaving our stuff in the hotel we managed to find a good pizza place very near this location.
Traveled 2km in 4min
00:32 12h 12min Villa Basilika. Quiet place with a parking inside the yard, extremely polite hosts. A nice place in the garden to drink your morning coffee. There was even a washing machine in the room.

Day 9, Sunday, September 27

14km in 0h · 28km/h

Traveled 1km in 3min
12:48 Stop for 4min
Traveled 7km in 13min
13:06 3h 01min Our first encounter with the Albanian sea. The beach was... unusual. As are most things in this country.
Traveled 6km in 11min
16:18 20h 22min Villa Basilika. Quiet place with a parking inside the yard, extremely polite hosts. A nice place in the garden to drink your morning coffee. There was even a washing machine in the room.

Day 10, Monday, September 28

229km in 7h · 29km/h

Traveled 7km in 12min
12:53 Stop for 4min
Traveled 16km in 15min
13:13 Stop for 3min
Traveled 13km in 15min
13:32 Stop for 3min
Traveled 340m in 34s
13:36 Stop for 7min
Traveled 57km in 1h 12min
14:56 Stop for 2min
Traveled 2km in 7min
15:07 Stop for 5min
Traveled 386m in 1min
15:14 Stop for 6min
Traveled 4km in 13min
15:35 Stop for 8min
Traveled 543m in 3min
15:47 Stop for 9min
Traveled 1km in 8min
16:04 8min (short videos along the road: https://youtu.be/r6MCxI6uoTQ and https://youtu.be/ZH2nIhnbH-I) We got into some unexpected mountain offroad. Stunning nature high in the mountains, villages full of children, muddy and rocky road-like paths. It quickly became very hard to make progress. We had like 20km distance which took several hours. At some point near the top of the mountain I had to stop every 200-300 meters to leave the bike cool down and wait for Sneji who hopped off and on the bike at almost every steep 180 degree muddy turn. It was a hard experience. At the same time old people on little motorbikes ('papaki' as they call them in Greece) passed by us in the opposite direction smiling and talking to each other. They wore no helmets or any kind of protective clothing nor seemed worried in any way. This was a clash of cultures, habits, expectations and comfort levels I guess.
Traveled 443m in 2min
16:14 Stop for 4min
Traveled 353m in 47s
16:20 Stop for 14min
Traveled 1km in 6min
16:41 Stop for 2min
Traveled 16km in 58min
17:42 4min YES - finally on good tarmac road again! We felt relieved and thought we had made it not knowing what was waiting for us ahead...
Traveled 20km in 25min
18:12 Stop for 7min
Traveled 9km in 10min
18:30 Stop for 5min
Traveled 2km in 2min
18:38 Stop for 9min
Traveled 8km in 9min
18:57 Stop for 4min
Traveled 39km in 1h 12min
20:14 Stop for 6min
Traveled 9m in 11s
20:21 35min After several kilometers of incredible asphalt road in red rock canyons we got offroad again. The road was wet all over and it was quickly getting dark. Obviosuly prepared for laying tarmac but still unpaved with a lot of denivelation and mud puddles. It seemed endless. We made better progress compared to the previous mountain road but still had 18km to the good road when we reached a bridge with two big puddles on both sides of the road. I chose to pass in the middle very slowly to avoid hitting the sides of the bridge if hitting a deep hole under one of the puddles. In the light of the headlights it was not obvious but turned out there's deep mud in the middle. The bike skid and fell from nearly stationary position. It was soft and deep mud. I jumped immediately from beneath it and tried to calm Sneji while lifting the bike with my back towards it. She said her foot is below the right pannier... that was not good. I managed to lift the heavily loaded bike in the slippery mud enough for her to get her leg out. She screamed with pain... I left the bike back in the mud. It was clear things are not good. I laid her so she is in a more comfortable position and asked her some first aid questions. It was pitch dark and our phones had no coverage. There was no human presence nowhere nearby. We had to somehow deal with it. So I went back to the bike and managed to remove the panniers from both sides. Then I lifted it up, started it and managed to turn it around so we can have some light. After a short talk and inspection of the foot inside the boot it looked like it is broken and we needed to go to a hospital. Long story short... I managed to run to an electricity generating facility which lights I had noticed earlier, find the security guard and convince him to come and help us. Hours later we were in a hospital with the help of several Albanian men with big hearts who helped in a hard moment. It was an endless night with good persons, their friends, doctors, police. We went back to the mountains with the police, a lot of events followed... including having a ride with a police jeep, a police Moto Gucci (only 3rd gear working), many explanations and what not. Everything now is OK. We met many true friends this night and thanks to another true friend - Pepi Manolov - who came to pick us up from Bulgaria we are now back safe. After a few days I'll be in Albania again to continue the administrative process and hopefully get my bike and driving license released... Of course most important of all is Sneji's foot is OK and she is OK and in good spirits.
Traveled 10m in 3s
20:57 4h 04min The bike stayed in the mountains until I came back with the police to show them what happened and ride it to their station.
Traveled 32km in 48min
01:50 11min Had to park the bike at the road police station but that did not work. Not enough room for it to enter inside the building.
Traveled 932m in 2min

Day 11, Tuesday, September 29

04:00 15d 12h First day in Korce. Looking after Sneji in the hospital, working with the police to complete all administrative paperwork and details.
00:00 15h 00min Second day. Finalizing paperwork.

Day 12, Wednesday, September 30

Day 13, Thursday, October 1

Day 14, Friday, October 2

Day 15, Saturday, October 3

Day 16, Sunday, October 4

Day 17, Monday, October 5

Day 18, Tuesday, October 6

Day 19, Wednesday, October 7

Day 20, Thursday, October 8

Day 21, Friday, October 9

Day 22, Saturday, October 10

Day 23, Sunday, October 11

Day 24, Monday, October 12

Day 25, Tuesday, October 13

Day 26, Wednesday, October 14

562km in 7h · 49km/h

Traveled 688m in 2min
16:06 Stop for 7min
Traveled 30km in 33min
16:48 Stop for 2min
Traveled 7km in 6min
16:57 Stop for 10min
Traveled 232m in 27s
17:09 Stop for 2min
Traveled 19m in 4s
17:11 Stop for 5min
Traveled 13m in 4s
17:17 Stop for 25min
Traveled 10km in 7min
17:50 Stop for 28min
Traveled 32km in 31min
18:50 Stop for 3min
Traveled 381m in 42s
18:54 Stop for 3min
Traveled 80m in 18s
18:58 44min A great pizza place at the picturesque Kastoria.
Traveled 156km in 1h 34min
21:17 Stop for 14min
Traveled 172km in 2h 03min
23:34 33min OMV Sandanski
Traveled 96km in 1h 19min
01:27 Stop for 5min
Traveled 54km in 41min
02:13 Stop for 2min
Traveled 4km in 8min

Day 27, Thursday, October 15

Legend

Hotel 10
Restaurant 9
Generic stop 8
Photos 7
Beautiful sight 4
Beach 4
Ferry 4
Gas station 2
Bike drop 2
Camping 1
Something special 1
Tourist sight 1
Police 1