2018-10-31 Day 50 Wed

A number of utes and small trucks went past this morning both up and down the valley. Washing was duly done and rinsed in the quite cold river water. The plan today was to drive till we got some sun and somewhere to hang the washing up.

Leaving our camp we drove up river. The road quite rough in places and where they had dragged the logs out very muddy.

Came across two small areas of seedling pines I guess to plant out as renewable wood. A very lovely drive. Every so often a picnic table would be perched above the river. I assume for the guys logging.

The small creeks are walled in with concrete with just a slit up the middle to let the water through. Not at all sure why?

As we got a little higher in altitude the road became quiet gorgeous with its dropped leaves and switch backs. I got out and took some photos of John driving up. This little road we were on is an orange road on our Map so we thought it’d be a good road.It once was with guard rails and all.

Towards the end of our road we came across a marble/limestone quarry and further down the valley was all the associated works, cutting, crushing, polishing, carving, etc.

At Sarmizegetusa we looked into a camp site but cost $10 so we continued just down the road where an old amphitheater was. We had a bit to eat at the restaurant, sharing a vegie soup and fried pork and greasy chips. Soup was good.

Spent about one hour wondering around the site of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa one of the oldest Roman settlements in Romania.

As it was time to find a camp. We drove in towards the Retezat National Park, and found a little camp down on the river to hang our clothes out. We sat in the sun for the hour before the sun hid itself behind the hill. It gets cold very quickly when the sun is gone. Very little traffic and the road is not well looked after. A bit strange with a hydro electric dam further upstream.

  92km  Camp site

2018-10-30 Day 49 Tue

Was up at 2:45am for a Kyamba Foundation board meeting to Milawa, tucked back in bed by 4:30. I slept in till nearly 8!

A lovely temperature here just T-shirt weather, and a few spots of rain. Lady bugs becoming an issue, must have about 40 inside and they are crawling all over the outside. I have never seen so many. As the morning progressed so did the number of lady bugs. Just think of a bad fly day in Aus and that’s about the number!

A small overhang!

It was after lunch that we finally pulled camp. Has been good and quiet. More trains yesterday evening than this morning.

The small villages are a bit poorer than Slovakia, but are kept neat clean and tidy. Lots of wood being collected for the winter. Logs appear to be dropped off in front of houses to be cut up and split.

In a small village I noticed a mechanic shop. We turned around and went back. They could not do the job but the big shed out the back could. Two guys had passable English and greased EC quickly. All done and no no cost….. so handed out another kangaroo

Some of the bus shelters are quite comfortable!

There is not much in the way of landscape to photograph so am taking photos of interesting buildings which are mainly churches of one domination or another. In a small town of 3 streets there can easily be 3 churches and often huddled together or across the street from one another.

A monastery was up a short road, on top of a small hill, but NO we could not stop in the car park overnight. Continuing up the valley our sealed road now dirt and the sky darkening we found a short unused track to the river only 20m off the road but enough for tonight. It is dark by 17:00hrs now. It was time to get washing soaking.

186km  Camp site

2018-10-29 Day 48 Mon

Stayed in camp for a while with internet while I reloaded the rec reserves finances I had removed from Manager a couple of days ago. I rang Kevin and admitted to my over zealous clean up!!


Then we headed off to the border of Romania 30km SE. Our passports needed for the first time in 8 countries and 2 months. But the crossing was straight forward. We drove to the check point handed our passports over then our rego and was told to go and park. This we did then walked back to the police officer. We followed our passports as they were handed on and on again. Finally a guy entered details into the computer and stamped our two passports, he spent some time looking at our rego then handed it to us. We were in Romania after 49 days in Shengen territory.

The line of trucks waiting to enter Slovakia was 4.95km. I thought South American lines were bad.
We circuited the town of Orada trying to stay out the worst of the traffic. The drivers here are a little more exciting than in Slovakia. The rules are more open to interpretation the further we drive East and South. A lot of concentration needed.

In a small village we missed the turn to the river and the track we were on became unused. We headed back and stopped to ask a group of guys that were building a large hot house frame. Among the 6 of them they got us on the right track to the river. The camp is our most exposed so far in Europe. On a rise with towns in the distance. But we did have some visibility unlike our forest camps where visibility was so contained. A train line is in a trench 5 meters away, and a number of small trains came through during the evening.

Quiet a number of lady bugs around, noticed that when we stopped for lunch too.

96KM   Camp site

2018-10-28 Day 47 Sun

A fisherman came and picked up a mooring buoy and sat there fishing till after we left. We saw him pull in one fish about 20cm long.

The big cow sheds and stacks of hay were plentiful

Drove through some of the national parks and wet lands but a little dry now. Wet time is spring, when lots of birds nest here. Now they have mostly left for winter. Camped near Vikendhazak over looking the canal, it rained a little over night and was quite windy.

165km  Camp site

2018-10-27 Day 46 Sat

Arrived at the cave entrance early but had time to read all the info posted on the walls. A bit of a shame that the longer walks are not readily available. However we went on the 1.2km 100min walk from the baradla - barlang entrance. And what a walk. We initially went down steps to an underground river (dry at this time of the year) and on a concrete footpath followed the river for 1.2km. There were 4 or 5 big caverns and the “tunnel” joining them was also huge we could have driven EC down it easily. An amazing tunnel and to think it has 3 main entrances and goes for over 20 km in Slovakia. We could not book one of the 5 hour tours as a minimum of 5 people are required, and you need to book 2 weeks in advanced. The downfalls of traveling off season with no plan!! The upside being there was only 20 people in our tour!!

After our trip back to EC in the bus from where we had excited the cave we traveled through towns looking for lunch.

We did a quick food shop and as I was packing groceries away John noticed a restaurant down the road. A lunch of venison in a very reduced sweet sauce with mashed spuds shaped and deep fried (chips). Very nice but far too much. We shared a beer but did not have wine as Hungary has a 0.0% tolerance of blood alcohol level.

On John drove. One town we came to seemed to have police cars everywhere with lights flashing. The roads were wet so maybe a bit slippery as this poor truck driver found out. Guard rails saved the day!

On the drive, 3 campsites were visited looking for a washing machine but they were all closed.

We came to a river and found our way down a dirt track to park near the river.

It seems to be getting easier to find out of the way camps.

146km  Camp site

2018-10-26 Day 45 Fri

The roads were in bad repair or rather had been repaired a lot so were a bit lumpy and bumpy keeping our speed around 50kph. We were traveling parallel and between 8-15 km south of our track on the 22^nd in Slovakia heading West not East.

The towns still make use of the wells in their front yards. Quite a varied collection of them.

Covering round bales with plastic...one long sausage!

We made it to Aggteleki national park and the information station 15 mins before it closed for the night. Found out about the 2 cave tours still running over winter and then left to find a camp.

We camped behind some trees in a farmers paddock just off the road. There were many car tracks through the “paddock”. I mention this as just as we were finishing eating a car pulled up in front of us and a parks officer came to the door telling us this was national park and no camping. To cut the story short after 30 minutes of telling us stories and giving us his card he left us there for the night. A very friendly fellow, well traveled (overseas) and head of this park and the whole northern area of parks.

139km   Camp site

2018-10-25 Day 44 Thu

It was a little wet this morning but not too bad. We did take a little top soil from camp with us in our tread. A drive down through Slovakia to the Hungarian border. The houses in the small villages are all neat and cared for. Only occasional we see an un-cared-for, and these are normal completely unloved and un-lived-in. 

All the small towns have at least one stork nest on a special platform above the power poles.

Crossed into Hungary near Satoraljaujhely. And found a dirt road, which we duly followed up the valley and through forests finally finding a little camp with some internet. John misjudge a tree and broke the glass in the right hand side mirror. It stayed in situ but reflections were a bit crazy.

181km      Camp site