Hey,

Well the van got fixed. . a bit of a mish with me mechanic that can only speak Italian! The roadside assitance people had no idea who picked us up either - all we could tell them was that it was a yellow truck! We made it to Croatia on time for our sailing, and have spent the last 7 days on the ocean.

We had 30 people on our boat, plus the crew , and was one of the hottest weeks that Croatia has had in a few years - so good for the sun tanning! Sleeping was hard work in extreme heat. Afternoon sun we had to hide under deck and play cards! Jamiee met us there so increased our group size to 4! Evryday we set sail at about 6 too 8 am, then stopped at 10 for a 2 hour swim, before carrying on to a port for the night. The surrounds were much like Te Anau (except there was sun every day), and the ocean was as calm as the lake.

First stop was Hvar, where it was just a night out on the booze, and get to meet evryone on tour. We had 11 boats on our tour, so a big group! The following morning we continued our trip south to Trstenik (population 100) considered to be one of the most beautiful and unspoilt traditional villages along the Croatian coast. Heaps of rubbish on the beaches but the water was still good, as well as the cocktails. The next day it was onto our most southerly port - Dubrovnik. We walked through the Stradun - both a street and a square, a promenade inside the city walls. The next day it was onto Mijet, where me and Paul hired bikes and went into the national park to see the salt lakes, and bike up really steep hills! Were buggared after that one! The next day was onto Korcula, a smaller town like Dubrovnick, we went to see the Marco Polo house (appearantly where the game was invented) and then onto the pubs. Our second last night we were in Makarska, where we had a missive night in a club that was acutally in a cave in the side on a hill (all of the islands were really hilly). Was pretty awesome - would have been better if there was air con though! And on our last day we sailed to Split - where we departed from. We went white water rafting in the afternoon - which was good fun, hot sun and super cold water! And an awesome local guide.

Today we left Split super early and travelled into Bosnia. The country is really pretty, really green and heaps of rivers and mountains. Have travelled thourgh heaps of farm land - where haystacks are actually haystacks, and the farming gear is super old! Heaps of war torn buildings around too, and we have been told to stick to the tarseal in case of landmines etc. And tonight we not 100% sure what is going on, but we stopped at a flash hotel to ask where a camping ground was, and they said we could just camp on there lawn for free - bonus! But kind of wierd cause there are a few guests looking at us sideways! Anyhow they have a good bar, and beer is cheap here, so best go!

Take Care

Haz and P