I have remained in Sarajevo since the accident. Two weeks after I got the stitches out, but my knee was still so nicely swollen and bruised. I thought I would wait a week, thinking that by then it would be stronger and I would be able to bend it. I was wrong. It is still quite swollen, I still cannot walk much on it. I can walk around the hostel without crutches, but any further, I definitely need them. The first couple of weeks were a bit torturous, the hostel was very quiet, therefore boring, and I couldn't really leave. But the last week it has gotten busier, and I have gone out stubbornly with people who are coming through. I am meeting some really great people. I even have the offer to go and stay in Budapest if I need longer respite time. Fantastic! The only thing is, that with my knee not getting any better, I want to go back to London to get it sorted, and to make sure that it is OK inside. I am now waiting for my travel insurance to get back to me on whether they will help me with that. But right now, I took the bus to Mostar to get away for a little while. I needed a change of scenery, and a couple of girls were headed down this way that I have spent a few days with, and I decided to go with them. The bus ride is only 2.5 hours, so if I need to get back to Sarajevo, I can. The bike is still broken. I have taken it slightly apart, but have not succeeded in diagnosing anything yet. I think my best option will be to take it back to Split, to the same BMW shop that fixed it last time, and then let them sort it out. There is no BMW here, and Haris' dad (the guy who runs the hostel in Sarajevo) has offered to take me and the bike there in his van. That family has been so helpful. Haris has sorted out all my insurance and police stuff, his sister Nedjula has cooked me dinner for the last 3 weeks, and their parents have been so lovely. This whole ordeal would have been a lot worse without them... Bureaucracy moves at a snail pace here, and I am still waiting for insurance to go through, though that could also be partly because Haris has been doing it on top of all his other stuff. He has no spare time, and he still does this for me.
So the current plan is to get the bike to Split, me to London, and get us both fixed. Then once I know where I stand with both of those things, I will reevaluate my plans. If I need more time to recuperate, Budapest. If I am healthy enough to backpack, but not ride, I'll go to the Greek Isles and Cyprus. If I don't want to ride at all, I will get the bike back to London somehow, Or I may just backpack around eastern Europe, and ride back though Western Europe. I have many options, but first and most importantly I need to get my knee sorted. As long as my travel bug doesn't dessert me entirely...
