I’ve still not figured out why churches have to ring their fricking bells every hour during the night! In Stobrec it wasn’t even one, but two churches, and they weren’t synchronized properly – just as one ended the other began. Then in Blagaj it was the mosques – not every hour exactly, but in the middle of the night and various times during the day, then of course, the sundown gun-shot followed by wailing. Here it’s another church every hour – how many people really need to know in the middle of the night what time it is? Doesn’t anyone have a clock? Normally if I’m asleep it doesn’t actually wake me up, but if I’ve woken for some other reason and am trying to get back to sleep the bells really don’t help.

Considering how early I got up I didn’t get riding until almost 11:30, after doing a bunch of laundry. Headed south along the Ciro trail 14.5 km to Capljina. Saw the town of Pocitelj across the river, which has some apparently great ruins and old city, but unfortunately there’s no bridge over. Would have to go to Capljina then back up along the M17 to get there so didn’t bother. ‘Bike path’ was mostly paved, with a 3-4 km bit in the middle that was dirt/rocks/pot-holes.

Capljina was a fairly large place (at least compared to Blagaj and now Zitomislici, which is even smaller) rode around looking for a place to get my hair cut. Stopped at one place and asked how much for a haircut – lady just looked at me and shook her head. Asked another lady sitting by the door if she spoke English and she said very clearly ‘no’. Didn’t want to go in to an unfriendly place like that so kept looking. Not far along the street came upon another salon and asked how much – she said she was busy and could I come back? I said no – I need to return to Zitomislici and she replied that if I waited just a few minutes she would fit me in.

Happily sat and waited while she cut a fellow’s hair – another lady was sitting waiting for her colour to set. Rose cut my hair exactly how I wanted it – very short all around with the kind of purple (now rather pinkish) ‘mop top’.

Ride back was not bad – passed the ‘tree trimmer’ again – huge tractor-like machine that hacks the bushes and trees back from the road. Waited a minute or two until he finished the tree he was working on and indicated that he saw me – wouldn’t want to try and squeak by thinking there was room just as the giant muncher moved!

Ate lunch, then had a nice shower – again totally filthy from the ride on the dirt/rock part of the road. Did more laundry – face-timed Dom. Sitting on the lounge chair outside my tent watching the clouds gather and listening to the thunder approach.

Wind picked up pretty good, but no rain, at least not yet. Pretty nice sunset.

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