Of all the places for it to happen, it just had to be the middle of Serbia!
We’d had a really good run out of Hungary and south to Belgrade. Around the ring road this time, so it was much less stressful for the driver. A bit of a traffic jam where the motorways didn’t quite join up and then we were on our way towards Nis making really good time.
We’d just discussed the fact that getting to Bulgaria (and back into the EU) was just about doable tonight, when there was a really loud bang. We pulled over on the hard shoulder and Guy couldn’t find anything wrong, which was weird. Started driving slowly again when passers by started gesticulating at the front wheel. A young man stopped in front of us and came to say that he was ‘no mechanic, but could see there was something very wrong with the wheel’. He looked at it with Guy and his hands were covered in oil. He was on his way home, but if we followed him slowly he’d take us to the two nearest garages. The first was closed, but the second had three workmen really eager to help at 6pm! Couldn’t get through to the insurance company as no phone signal.
We’d somehow lost the plastic skirt thing from under the engine and a huge piece of rock had flown up and damaged the prop shaft. Great!
“It’s ok – we can get the part and fix it. Two hours max.”
Be more like two weeks in the UK but where was the part coming from at 6pm and how much is this going to cost? We had no cash as usual and they didn’t look like the kind of garage that took Visa cards.
We find Serbia quite a scary country, but I have to say, absolutely everyone we’ve met (including getting lost last year) has been incredibly kind and helpful. One chap took us to the nearest town to get cash – wildest two mile car journey ever. The town was even wilder! Another man went to fetch the part and the third one drove off to bring us two coffees. We were asked if we wanted pizza free of charge or anything else to eat or drink. Man reappears with new prop shaft, they all descend on the van and fit it immediately!
Having paid, no receipt 😬We are now parked up securely in their yard for the night with two of the biggest guard dogs I’ve ever seen. They’ve plugged us in to the electricity and given us a bagful of various soft drinks! We are just shell-shocked!
