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Danger Zone
Riding through a minefield in Bosnia
by Cynthia Fitzgerald
Many months before I So I just continued and thought it would soon become
reached Bosnia, other motorcyclists
had warned me and smaller, until it was just a dirt track. Tree branches
a normal road again. Instead, the road became smaller
about this country. They were hanging over the path, and I had to push them
told me not to go off-road away while riding. I had to hide behind my windshield
in Bosnia because there to avoid leaves and smaller branches hitting my face.
are still thousands of mines At some point, I started to wonder how long it had
left from the recent war. So been that someone other than me actually traveled
when I crossed the border into Bosnia from Montenegro,
I told myself not to go off-road and to stay when did they put the mines in the ground? Was that
this road. I began to calculate. When was the war and
on paved roads. I really didn’t want to risk hitting a 20 years ago too? And could these trees and branches
landmine and end my journey prematurely. When really be around 20 years old?
I started riding towards Mostar in the Herzegovina Finally, I reached a paved road without having
blown Basanti and myself to pieces
part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, I checked my Maps.meapp
as usual, to find small roads that would also
over a landmine. I was quite relieved to
take me to Mostar. I found a small road that started
out very nice. It had two lanes, was well paved
time I should just turn around and go back
see that road and told myself that next
and it went through different villages and beautiful the same way in such a situation! When I posted
nature. I was very pleased that I found this alternative
route. The further I drove, the smaller the road ple warned me about the danger of mines in Bos-
my video of that ride on YouTube, hundreds of peo-
became until it gradually turned into an unpaved nia. Every time I read such a comment, I wanted to
road. It still looked like a road though, so I figured say ‘Yes, I was aware of it and didn’t really plan to
it wouldn’t be a problem. But slowly I really started ride such a track!’. I always tell myself beforehand
to think if it was actually true, ‘Would there really
be mines here’ and ‘could I be driving towards a go back. But I guess I’m the type of person who pre-
that when it gets too tricky, I can turn around and
minefield?’ You know probably not, Is what I said to fers to move forward instead of going back the way
myself so that I could feel better about the whole I came. So I had to go forwrad and continue on my
situation. But truly I was terrified about what I was exciting adventure. Even when I am really riding in
doing and what I was going through at the time. a real and scary potential minefield.
8 CLUTCH December 2020
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