SLIPPING AND SLIDING ON APPARITION HILL

Started out quite rainy and last minute I decide to stay another night in Mostar and just do a day trip to Medjugorje, I could not get hold of the GH owner so i left her a note in my room then hurried to the bus station. It took about 40 minutes to get to Medjugorje. In town I asked around where I can change TCs and the guy at Paddy travel referred me to Unicredit bank across the sreet. 1.3% commission is Ok. Then asked the bus schedule at the restaurant accross the bus stop since none were posted in the bus stop itself, she wrote down for me the Mostar bus sched. Then had a burger and chips. Walked towards St. James Church and went inside and around, there is a pavilion out back maybe for mass service in the summer, and also heaps of confessional rooms on the side of the area in different languages, must be really busy. The rain stopped for now, went inside the church and there was a mass in Croatian going on and there were about 10 priests saying the mass, quite peaceful inside. Outside however lots of vendors selling religious paraphernalia.

The German guy I met in Ukraine said there is a mystical feel to the place, I only felt it inside the church as it was solemn, but the stores selling souvenir items was a let down, but you cant blame them from trying to cash in on it. I went to foolow the trail to the Apparition hill where the Virgin supposedly appeared to 6 or 7 children in the 80s, took me a good 1/2 hour to get up and also lining the street uphill are more souvenir stores, seeling everything from rosaries to life size image of the Virgin. As it was raining the cobblestone are slippery as hell and I struggled to climb up the hill, well polished rocks jutting out from the muddy terrain did not help my cause and found myself cursing under my breath in frustration and then quickly whispering "Im sorries" in case someone up there really is listening!

A group of Chinese tourists were the only people in the hill, saying there rosaries on the stations of the cross. I decided to go up further and followed some trails through colorful foliage and some burned trees, dont know why they burned those trees. Then got fed up with the slipping and sliding i went back down but got lost, then found my way again and finally made it back to the slippery streets. My pants are stained with mud! Went back to the info center in town next to the church, they have baskets just like in the supremarket to help you when you shop, it really is so commercialized I was a bit dissapointed, i did not feel the heavenly presence so to speak.
To kill time I hit the internet, there are more internet place here than in Mostar. Then hurried to catch the 4:30pm bus back to Mostar, the bus was late and it was pouring down rain at this time. People in the bus shed starting to smoke and got me really annoyed as I cant really leave because its raining cats and dogs, half hour of suffocation later the bus arrives and I got on. It was dark when we arrived in Mostar and it dropped me at the center of the new part of town and just walked to the GH. When I got to my room, there is another back pack there, I had the room to myself the last 2 nights, this time I am sharing it with Jason from Detroit, nice guy, he came from Sarajevo and gave me tips on what to do there. Cooked my meal of pasta and veggies and when Jason arrived back from walking in town in the rain soaking wet he complained ther is nothing there to do, you go to bars he said there is only 2 people there and they work there! This is the quiet season so...

Jason and I chatted till the we hours and off to bed for me early start the next morning to catch the 7:30 am train to Sarajevo. When I woke up it is still raining a bit, got to the station and met Barry again. We both hopped on the late train and enjoyed the scenic view through tunnels and high passes, colorful foliage, quaint villages, then we both fell asleep. We both woke up when a guy came in to the cabin when the train stopped somewhere, I woke up and just had a look where we are, the sign said Sarajevo!! I woke Barry up in panic lest the train starts to go again, luckily we got off in time.

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