Jablanica on the Neretva

The plan was to stay off the main road, which is one of the North South BiH transportation roads. Avoiding trucks and buses is a good idea when you are headed into the mountains where there are also tunnels.

The plan was foiled. I stayed on small roads, that got even smaller, that turned into 4x4 tracks that turned into a completely overgrown bushwack.

I had done 2/3 of the climbing and turned out to dash all the way back into the valley to the big road after all. Mapy shows a white (tertiary) road but you never know what you get. It's part of the adventure. The overgrown bushwhack and the large asphalted wide road show the same on the map!

There is a secondary road on the left side of the river that I take instead of the large road on the right side of the river. Eventually I have to cross and Mapy he tells me where. I get there and it is a dam that is fenced and padlocked. SOL! I'm running on a fairly empty tank right now, it's an extra 20K to go back where I know I can cross.

I was going to throw my bicycle over the fence and go for it, but I hear some water splashing and somebody is playing with a hose. I yell for him and explain in sign language I have to go across. He looks at me and shakes his head, at first I was thinking he was saying no but he has a smile on his face and he says no you can't but then again I can go get the key. He saves my day. I get escorted across the dam and out a very closed up tunnel on the other end. Hopping the fence would not have done me any good. This is a secured facility.

I buckle down for another 35K on the busy road keeping the momentum up to minimize the time I'm out there.

Jablanica is a small mountain town that was important during world war II and saw a share of the '90s conflicts. It's just north of Mostar. BiH plays Panama for worldcup placement it's on all the TVs in the bars. Pretty much anywhere when a goal is scored the public lets out roars, here it is muted. There is a lot about BiH that is different.Read more