Finding My Inner Bosnian

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Geo: 43.34, 17.81

I am Chinese. I was born Canadian. I discovered later in life that sangria flows through my body, and found my inner Spaniard. And now I've become ... Bosnian? Checking out of the hostel, I chatted with the receptionist (sadly, it was a guy, and not the beautiful girl), complimenting him on his incredible city, speaking of the vibrant cafe culture here, and how all I did yesterday was bounce from outdoor cafe to outdoor cafe. He chuckled "I think you are Bosnian. All young Bosnian men care about is having a few Euros in their pocket so that they can have a beer while sitting outside, looking at the women. As long as they can do that, they don't care if they have a job." I didn't have the heart to correct him and tell him I'm not really young any more, but I still appreciated the sentiment.

I've been extremely fortunate so far on this trip, having met some of the nicest people. It makes a big difference in your travels, enriching the experience; millions of people can claim to have visited the Louvre, climbed the dome in St. Paul's Cathedral, etc., so having done the same does not in itself make a wonderful travel memory. It took me many years of solo travel to realize this, but it's often the interactions on a human level that bring the experience to a whole new level. The funny stories, the enlightening moments ... they are what make travel unique to the individual.

Many times you encounter a jackass while traveling that you want nothing to do with, not even the most superficial of introductory conversations. So far, I can't say I've met one person like that - believe me, that's quite a rare occurrence to be able to say that, and I hope the trend continues. From Budva, to Kotor, to Dubrovnik, to Sarajevo ... there have been many great discussions and moments of hilarity and complete stupidity. The trend continued today, I am happy to say.



The ride to Mostar today was phenomenal (I seem to be using that word a lot this trip, aren't I?) - stunning scenery all the way from Bosnia through Herzegovina. I've talked before about those wonderful moments you can have on a bus or train, where either the beauty you pass or the thoughts you have can be quite enlightening experiences that trigger subconscious resolution of ideas that are plaguing your mind. Today was a prime example of that.

Quite unexpected, that the countryside would be so green and beautiful, with rivers and gorges. One day I will have to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as three days simply isn't enough to get out and explore some of the natural beauty in the area. So far, I've only been able to witness the natural beauty of the women in the area, which is actually a far more beautiful thing to look at 😊

Majda's Rooms offers a pick-up service - a very nice thing to have, especially in this heat, and not having to walk 20 minutes in 37 C! The worker who picked me up told me that recently Mostar was the hottest place in Europe, bursting the thermometer at 43 C last week! I've forgotten her name, but having lived in Mostar for her entire life, she had seen many terrible things during the war. Her son was only 9 months old when the fighting broke out, making it an even more harrowing experience.

It's meeting people like this that provide profound insight into a country. Watching the news, researching the Internet, reading the guidebook ... they can only tell you so much about what happened here. It's amazing how much the city has recovered, and I suspect much credit goes to the resiliency of the people. After having lost so much, and suffering even much more, it's incredible to see how they've carried on with their lives. As she told me, at the time, you don't know how you will get through such a terrible time, but you do. It's not until years after the fact that the depth of what transpired is fully comprehended.

There really is a sense of hope here, despite Mostar having nearly been leveled during the war. Whatever industry existed before was nearly wiped out, and Mostar is slowly being revitalized through tourist dollars. The town is actually a lot different from what I expected; both my guidebooks don't seem to have been updated all that recently, because there are relatively few burned-out buildings still standing. Most have been torn down and much of the city has been rebuilt, though there are still a few stark reminders around town.

It's truly a small world when traveling around slightly less-touristed places in Europe - all travelers end up taking the same basic routes, in this case, Dubrovnik-Mostar-Sarajevo-Split. Invariably, you run into people you met before, or recognize from somewhere. I ended up running into the two Irish lads I encountered when we arrived at the Sarajevo bus station the other day, and later met a guy at Majda's, David, that recognized me from the Hostel City Center in Sarajevo. Even funnier, I met a girl named Christina that had encountered Rosh and Frankie in Belgrade, who I also met at the Hostel City Center. Six degrees of separation, right?

Even stranger, when everybody takes the same route, often times stories and news about random people can spread among people that have never met that person. Case in point - Dave asked us if we had heard about the guy in Dubrovnik that fell out of a third-story window. He pointed out to me that he was the guy hobbling around on crutches in the Sarajevo hostel. I didn't know of the story, but Christina did - I guess the "official" version is that he was sleepwalking and climbed out the window. But when the guy was questioned by friends after, he did admit that he was pretty drunk. Lucky for that guy, he only suffered a broken ankle.

Mostar is a beautiful little town, and the old town was the destination tonight for a nice simple meal, and a few drinks. But again, as great as Mostar is, what makes this town special are the inhabitants. Though we returned quite late, I finally met Majda - one of the kindest people you could come across.



She opened this hostel a few years ago without knowing anything about running a guest house, and did so as almost an experiment. The people that stay here almost compose a mini United Nations - on this night, the countries represented were Canada, Germany, Spain, USA, and the UK. It's been therapeutic for her, having to the chance to meet people from so many other countries, providing thehttp://www.travelpod.com/dashboard/entry/11/1282948899 opportunity to heal through sharing her experiences with others, and to tell the story of what transpired. In hindsight, Majda told me that she wishes she would've kept a journal at the time ... but I think that maybe at the time, your first priority would be just to survive, one day at a time.

Obviously, she feels that Bosnia received the worst end of the war ... how could you not, when witnessing something so tragic up close? But it really goes to show you that there are never winners in any war - I'm sure anybody that experienced the Yugoslavian war would think that their country received the worst of it. And the funny thing about that? They'd probably all be right.

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Photos

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Stari Most - it stood over four centuries before it was destroyed in the war for partly strategic reasons, but also because it was symbolic of the city's Muslim legacy. Rebuilding of the bridge was done with the same technology used to build the original bridge, and actually took longer to reconstruct.

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Cevapcici - can't go wrong with this, especially not for 1.5 Euro at a dive at the bus station! Good, chewy bread, but WAY too much onion. Juicy and flavourful cevapcic, so good ... too bad I forgot to ask for a side of yogurt to go with it.

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Leaving Sarajevo - reminds me somewhat of the dancing house in Prague.

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Balkan hospitality - a welcome drink and chocolate cake at Majda's. It came complete with interesting stories about life in Mostar during the war.

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Mostar -bell tower of the Franciscan Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Interesting that the tower wasn't as intricate as a typical Venetian-style bell tower.

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In the bottom right of the picture is the crooked bridge - locals think that it was built as practice to see if the design for Stari Most (old bridge) would work.

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The Neretva river - you can see a little swimming area where people dip into the frigid water.

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Stari Most, viewed from the river bank - it rises 75 feet above the water.

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Locals will dive from the top if they can collect enough money from tourists. These guys are crazy! They say that you can severely injure yourself if you do this incorrectly, and I heard a story of an Australian who complete tore up his knee during the dive so badly, that it just dangled to the side at a grotesque angle.

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Mosque near the cemetery.

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Creepy, creepy Teletubbies ...

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Afternoon snack - good espresso, and an average nut cake, which was a tad dry and hard. But at only 1.25 Euro for both, you can't really complain!

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There are still quite a few condemned buildings from the war.

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More ruined buildings in Mostar - this wasn't it, but there is a six or seven story bank building that was used as a sniper's nest during the war. I never had the chance to visit but Dave did, and mentioned how bullet shells were still lying around all over the place, as were rolls of paper and bank records. It had basically been left as it was before the war started, with people seemingly dropping everything and never returning. After the conflict ended, it's been left as it was.

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This ruined building looks a grow-op, with all the plants growing inside taking over.

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At Majda's rooms, they have you put name tags to identify your bunk. Seeing the name Eva below mine, I almost peed my pants at the prospect of it being a beautiful Spanish senorita! But unfortunately, she wasn't Spanish :(

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Interesting joke about Bosnians.

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Killer roasted chicken with some even better orange juice. We each ordered a juice, and each ordered a second one because it was so good.

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The cave bar - kinda cool, but pretty dead while we were there. Of course, it was pretty early.

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Stari Most at night - I can't say I was all that impressed during the day, but at night the bridge was gorgeous. This was taken from a great little outdoor bar.

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I was typing away on my netbook, when Majda told me that she had a good eye for photos, and that this would make a good picture. I think she was right, because with my skin tone ...

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... I look a lot like those cevapcici that I can't stop eating here.