Melting In Mostar

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I had done this journey before. But thankfully this time, I wasn't horrifically hungover for my bus ride down Croatia's Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik.
Along the way, there were loads of amazing coves and relatively empty pebble beaches; if you had a car, it would be amazing to be able to stop by at some of them.

As I was leaving Croatia for the last time on this trip, I wanted to make sure I had no kuna leftover and so I spent everything I had on food while waiting for my bus to Bosnia in Dubrovnik. Feeling pretty chuffed with myself that I managed to spend every single kuna I had left, I then realised that I needed 8KN (£1) to pay the f*cking luggage fee on the bus. Why don't they just include the luggage fee in the price of the ticket like everywhere else in the world? I was also angry at myself however, especially since I had actually remembered the luggage fee when I got on the bus in Korcula that morning. ATMs of course, only give out 100KN notes so having made a special effort to get rid of all my kuna, I was now left with 92KN that I would somehow have to change. FFS Derek.

This wasn't my first time in Bosnia & Herzegovina and last time, I found myself fascinated and enthralled by the place, a place like no other I had visited in Europe. I only went to Sarajevo last time but I had heard rave reviews about Bosnia's other major tourist destination; Mostar.

Arriving in the city that afternoon, I settled in at the hostel before reacquainting myself with an old Balkan friend in the evening; cevapcici. Mincemeat sausages with ajvar (spicy tomato, pepper and paprika chutney) and kajmak (a thick, goat-milk cream) served with onions in a flatbread sounds so simple - but is so delicious. Salty, but delicious.
Another old friend was burek - pastries filled with meat or cheese and sometimes spinach. I would say however, that the ones I had in Sarajevo were better.

On my first full day in Mostar, I decided to go on a tour of the Hercegovinian countryside outside of Mostar, which is apparently supposed to be the highlight of many people's stay here in Mostar - particularly if you were staying at my hostel, since it was organised by them.
Joining me for the tour were Aussie couple Matt and Jami, Finnish girls Asta and Katarina, Swede Ida, and quite amazingly, Adam from Canada who I had met at Community Hostel six months ago in of all places, Quito, Ecuador. This serendiptious reunion was just ridiculous when you think of the chances of it happening. Six months later, in the same hostel at the same time, in a different country on a different continent. This world is just too small. Unbelievable, really.
And things didn't end there either - when at the bus station, I recognised a girl there waiting for a bus. We both looked at each other - we both knew we'd seen each other before. But where? On a shuttle on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, four months earlier. That's where. This was now just uncanny.

Our tour guide Bata was full of jokes and energy - perhaps too much. Of both. But better someone enthusiastic and only funny half the time than someone boring, right?
But as well as showing us the sights, Bata was just a fountain of knowledge regarding Mostar and Bosnia - and it would be impossible to discuss both without also discussing the war that has had such an irrevocable impact on the country and its people.
Bata and his sister Majda - who runs the hostel and after whom the hostel is named - had first-hand, harrowing experiences of the Bosnian War in the early 90s. Both managed to escape Mostar, as well as their parents; Majda to London where she lived for five years; their parents to Norway; and Bata to Sweden, before which he was hidden from opposition soldiers by his Croatian friends before escaping Bosnia hidden in the back of an ambulance. It was pretty much exactly like how Jews were hidden from the Nazis in WWII - and to think that this only happened 25 years ago.
Both Bata and Majda still spoke with emotion when relaying their experiences and it must be difficult having to talk about them almost everyday. You get the feeling however, that these experiences have immutably shaped and moulded them into the people they are today, and that they have learned to cope with the horrible memories a long time ago - and that in true Bosnian fashion, they have made the most of what they have and are now looking confidently forward while never forgetting what has happened in the past.

A passionate Bosnian, Bata was perhaps surprisingly honest and open about his own feelings and opinions regarding the horrific Bosnian War and life in Bosnia today. Providing us with essential background before beginning the tour, he recites how the UN screwed Bosnia over by putting in place a weapons embargo that left the country defenceless - an embargo meant to "de-escalate tensions" after Bosnia & Herzgovina had gained its independence from Yugoslavia.
He also tells us about the secret agreement between Serbia and Croatia regarding the taking over and the partitioning of Bosnia - with Mostar and the Neretva River acting as the partition border between the two countries. The Croats initially even helped the Bosnians against the invasion by the Serbs - acting as good cop to Serbia's bad cop if you like - but then in line with their pact with the Serbs, betrayed the Bosnians and launched their own plans to claim Bosnian territory for Croatia. Bata's general distrust of Croats seemed obvious - and if you were to extrapolate his sentiments to the general Bosnian population, it is perhaps unsurprising given what happened during the war.

The first part of the tour was a drive-through of Mostar with stops at significant locations. I was surprised to learn that similar to how Sarajevo has a Serb and a Bosnian side of town, so Mostar has a Bosnian and a Croat side of town. With Croatian nationalists apparently in control of the local government, it was clear to see the difference between the affluent, shopping mall filled Croatian side and the older, less well-off Bosnian side. I was also shocked to learn that there is still segregation in the schools here with different curriculums for those considered Bosnian and those considered Croats. As you might expect, it is much more advantageous to be considered Croatian - and Bata also brought up the difficult situation that kids brought up in mixed Bosnian/Croatian marriages find themselves in, where they struggle to fit in on either side.
It seems that despite everything that has happened to them, Bosnians are still getting a raw deal here in Mostar; to be treated effectively like a second-class citizen in your own country because of your ethnicity is astounding - but sadly, Bosnia is far from the only place in the world where this is happening right now. I personally couldn't believe it. So sad.
Travelling through the countryside near the Croatian border, it was also interesting to see that the flags flying above houses - and indeed over a wedding party crossing the road - were Croatian flags rather than Bosnian. It was a little surreal.

But at least ethnic tensions are relatively calm at the moment. Many Bosnians and Croats are friends with each other and there does seem to be a general, silent acknowledgement that although there are underlying tensions, that it is better to coexist peacefully than to return to war. To illustrate, Bata tells us that he would speak Croatian rather than Bosnian (even though they are almost the same language) where we were in the countryside, just to keep things friendly.
But how long this lasts is moot - it only takes a spark to start a fire and the latent tensions ensures that Bosnia's raw land is tinder dry. Bata certainly wasn't pulling any punches as he described what he sees are the subtle ways that both Croat and Serb nationalists were slowly influencing Bosnian politics for political gain and perhaps eventually, the gaining of the Bosnian territory they wanted during the war. He also sadly believes that there inevitably will be war again someday, as long as the Croat and Serb nationalists continue to operate in the shadows. In another example of his willingness to open up and express his beliefs and emotions, Bata also tells us of his opinion that the UN didn't really care about Bosnia during the war and that they don't care about Bosnia now - and of how let down he feels by this.
But he tells us that Bosnians would keep on keeping on and would keep on fighting - as they always have done.

Moving on from the politics, the tour took us to the natural sight that is the Kravica Waterfalls.
After Iguazu however, all waterfalls have been ruined for me. Nevertheless, the falls were impressive and like I did in El Salvador, we got to swim in, climb and explore the waterfalls. One even had an awesome cave right behind it! The water however was cold. So cold. Colder than it was on Hvar and Korcula. Swimming in the lake that the falls fell into, the cold actually tired me out quicker than normal. Refreshing it certainly was.
A nice afternoon was wrapped up by a big lunch of grilled meat and a Balkan-style tomato, cucumber and pepper salad.

After the waterfalls, we then make our way to the medieval Ottoman village of Pocitelj.
As we approach the town on the hill above it, you wouldn't have thought that there was anything there; but then as you walk through the bushes, through the old town gate and into the residential alleyways, this amazing stone-built town opens up in front of you with a stunning view over the Neretva River.
We are then taken into the home of an old lady living in the village where we are treated to some sweet Balkan delights. It was here that I probably had the best baklava I think I have ever had. It wasn't dry, hard and chewy like a lot of baklava is; but was soft and moist and very nutty. Dried figs and other dried fruits were also served, washed down by Bosnian coffee (very strong and like Turkish coffee) and three different flavours of squash - sage, elderflower (which I correctly guessed) and pomegranate. Regarding the squash, I was thinking that the new-age, unconsciously-faux sophisticates back in London would love it!
We were also told about the lady's story and how she returned back to Pocitelj after the war to her destroyed house and started to live there again, despite the region still being unstable. Much of Pocitelj was destroyed during the war as part of a systematic eradication of history and culture by Croat forces - similar to what ISIS have done in Syria. Such deliberate, calculated and ruthlessly malicious actions are just immensely despicable and sad. Thankfully, much of the town has been restored and the town is now permanently protected.

The last stop of the tour was Blagaj - the site of a Dervish monastery right next to a cave where what were believed to be the ancient ancestors of the Bosnian people were believed to have lived. A beautiful cave out of which flows the cold, clean and clear water from an underground river, the site has both cultural and natural significance.
Bata's commentary throughout the day was rich with symbolism and his stories were cleverly connected to the things we were seeing in a way that is difficult to describe. But by bringing us to Blagaj last, he wrapped things up nicely; this was where his people originally came from - a beautiful and sacred place - and by bringing us to where it all began, he explains to us that the Bosnian people must never forget who they are despite everything that has happened. It was perhaps, the most poignant of places to end the tour.

And what a tour.
At times it was definitely information overload but I was so appreciative to learn about the situation here and how everything still inextricably linked to the war. It was a privilege I believe, to hear a local speak truths without fear of repercussions. It was so similar in many ways, to the outstanding tour I did of Jerusalem led by a former extremely Orthodox Jew. Like that tour did about Jews, Bata provided an amazingly honest and unparalleled insight into the Bosnian psyche. As he said himself, tourists just see the sights but backpackers seek a real understanding of the places they are visiting. Well, Bata sure provided that.
Yes, you can see amazing sights, have fun, drunken times and eat some amazing food; but it's the experiences where you really get to learn about the place and the people, the experiences that deeply explores the culture and history of the place - these are the travel experiences that are almost always the most rewarding.
There were times as I passed through Andorra, France and Italy where I wondered whether it was worth it to continue travelling - but after Bata's tour, I was inspired and my desire to keep travelling was suddenly reenergised. I was now much more excited about what lay ahead, especially if I was going to learn as much as I have here.

Over two thousand words into this blog entry and I still haven't even covered the most famous sight in Mostar; Stari Most.
The "Old Bridge" is much like the Tower Bridge in London or the Charles Bridge in Prague; iconic. And a bridge.
But there is so much more meaning and symbolism here; it is the connection between east and west, Catholic and Orthodox. It is the reason that Mostar even exists. The town and its people was almost broken when the bridge was systematically destroyed during the war; it was sad sight seeing the video footage of "Grandpa" being destroyed by Croat nationalist shells.
Perhaps most famously however, it is known for the brave locals and occasional tourists who jump off the bridge's 24m apex into the freezing Neretva River below. I was lucky enough to see one local (after enough money had been collected from watching bystanders) and one tourist jump.
An American guy at my hostel was keen - well outwardly he was, but inside you just knew he was crying - but to do so, a tourist must go through training, a smaller training jump and pay a 35€ fee for the privilege. Apparently, the local diving club took one look at how he did the training jump and immediately told him he wouldn't be jumping; from such a height, any hesitation or jelly legs is enough for you to forget to execute your technique - with potentially disastrous consequences.
You certainly won't see me jumping.
The bridge is located right in the heart of the old town, which resembled Sarajevo's Turkish quarter and indeed, Ottoman Turkey itself. Despite being saturated by souvenir shops and tourists, Mostar's old town still manages to maintain an authentic, medieval Ottoman atmosphere - which after remembering that Bosnia is still in Europe, is a pretty cool and unique thing.
Adding to the Ottoman ambience are the atmospheric call to prayers. As a kid experiencing them waking me up while on holidays in Malaysia, I hated them - but now I love them and you get some really beautiful songs and melodies from time-to-time, almost always improvised.

2,500 words into this blog entry, I should probably explain the title, which is probably self-explanatory.
In Mostar, it was hot. So. Hot.
The hottest conditions I have been in on the trip so far and that includes all of Latin America.
After eating a big breakfast at the hostel, the heat made you even more lethargic than you already were and you just did not have the motivation to leave the hostel. You could really feel the sun baking your skin and just did not want to be out underneath it. I was radiant - as in radiating heat outwards like never before. At times it really felt like I was back in Abu Dhabi. That sun was so strong.
The thermometer at the hostel had it at 41 degrees in the shade - Majda reckoned that it would be about 50 degrees out in the sun. Too much.

Nevertheless, the day after Bata's tour, my tour group reconvened for a trip to the "sniper tower". Nothing more than a triangular-shaped shell of a building now, it used to house the offices of a major bank; now it houses nothing but trash and loads of broken glass.
Some ten storeys high, the building is 'named' as such because this was where Croat snipers would pick off their targets walking along the front line. Anyone can visit the sniper tower at any time as it is pretty much an abandoned building - but walking up the staircase is a little precarious given that there are no walls, meaning that you could literally leap off the staircase to your death if you were feeling suicidal.
It was a cool experience and slightly eerie walking through the building, imagining vividly what it would have been like as an office on the inside - seeing where the bathrooms were, the emergency staircase, the revolving door. The empty lift shaft was pretty scary too.
But it was mainly the graffiti and street art all over the building that caught the attention, much of it symbolic, promoting peace and unity.
And then in a morbid way, you could imagine why this place would have been great for snipers as it had a panoramic view of the front line, which is now the main street of Bulevar. While a nice view, it was chilling and solemn to think about what that view was used for.
Despite the lack of thought towards any sort of health and safety, the building was a cool sight to visit.

Following the visit to the sniper tower, we spent three hours over a late lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking the river; something I could afford to do in Bosnia! It was grilled meat and salad again but the watered-down Bosnian red wine was distinctly average.
The tufahija - a dessert of a whole stewed apple stuffed with walnuts, soaked in elderflower and lemon juice, and doused in whipped cream - was probably the highlight. Very nice.

That night, an event that has been shaping my travels through Europe so far finally came to an end when Portugal surprised the hosts France by winning the final of Euro 2016. Portugal defended stoutly all match and nicked it with a well-taken extra-time goal. France were the better team and will be devastated - just like Cristiano Ronaldo was when he was forced off injured during the first half in the biggest game of his life - not to have won in front of their own fans, in their own country. The game wasn't a great spectacle at all but it was perhaps fitting, seeming that it was in keeping with most of the tournament.

I stayed in Mostar longer than one needs to in order to see and do everything and one of the main reasons I did so was because my hostel was amazing - perhaps the best hostel I have stayed at so far all trip. More like a shared house than a hostel, the small common areas lent to a very social atmosphere and the staff were brilliantly helpful and friendly. The showers were amazingly modern too. Hostel Majda soon took on the name of "Hostel One More Night" - since that was what everyone wanted at the end of their stay.
I however, went through with the phrase (in fact, I stayed an extra two nights) as I wanted somewhere to chill, plan and catch up on blogs. But since the hostel was so social, it was a bit distracting and I couldn't get as much work done as I wanted - but then this hostel was made for socialising rather than working!

I did manage to get admin stuff done however, such as exchanging those darn kunas and doing laundry; but I also managed to squeeze in a visit to the 350 year-old Turkish House which provided a glimpse into life in Ottoman Mostar - a reign that lasted for 400 years here. It was actually pretty cool - there were even old Turkish costumes you could put on to fully live out your Ottoman fantasies.

With me at the Turkish house was a new crew of friends that I had made, what with my tour crew moving on. This consisted of Donovan from Singapore, fellow Kiwi Lolly, and Shireen, who - and I might get this wrong - is half Puerto Rican and half Scottish, lived in London for many years, practices Islam and speaks several language including English, Spanish and Arabic. She had probably the most interesting background of anyone I have ever met.
"You're like the female Jason Bourne", Donovan tells her.
On my last day in Mostar (when annoyingly, I couldn't leave my bag at the hostel all day because I had a late night bus to catch - nope, doesn't make sense to me either apart from a lack of somewhere to put it at the hostel; but at least I didn't get kicked out completely this time, I suppose), my new crew and I visited a gallery containing photos from the war, which were taken by a New Zealand photographer called Wade Goddard, who now lives in Dubrovnik and has a gallery down there too. It was a great way to learn a bit more about what happened here during the war and how people lived, sombre as it was. There were photos of kids with bazookas, sniper victims on the street, ruined buildings, soldiers on down time, local women smoking cigarettes (which became a form of currency during the war) amongst the rubble - the photographs were moving.
Goddard's story was also fascinating however; he went to Bosnia during the war on his own accord as a freelance photographer - except that he was in his early twenties, and had no accreditation or even experience. It was a mad thing to do, but I guess something must have really compelled him to do it - to go and deliberately live through a war - but he's done pretty well out of it in the end.

After an afternoon at a restaurant with Donovan, Lolly and Shireen, munching on fried local mushrooms and sipping cold beer, it was finally time for me to leave. I will miss Mostar, particularly the hostel, where I felt so comfortable.
But I now had to move on - I had an unexpected reunion to make...

Vidimo se kasnije,
Derek

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Photos

Stari Most
Mostar's famous bridge.

The Sniper Tower
Old bank building that served as a sniper tower for Croat marksmen during the war.

Kravica Waterfalls
Not quite Iguazu but still impressive and a nice relaxing afternoon out.

On The Bridge
The bridge, due to its Islamic design, is actually quite steep on both side and has kerbs on it to help people keep their footing. At the southwest end of the bridge is the Tara Tower, which acts as a medieval gate to the bridge.

Hotel Neretva
The once grand Hotel Neretva was destroyed during the war - and has so far been left as is ever since. A visual reminder of the war. Look for the bullet holes on the facade.

Marsala Tita
Main street for vehicles that runs alongside the river. The battered building on the right has not been patched up since the war.

All Gave Some, Some Gave All
A poetic reminder of the sacrifices made by Bosnians during the war.

Slowing Down The Shutter Speed...
Pretty happy with how this turned out at the Kravica Waterfalls.

Pocitelj
Beautiful medieval Ottoman village 30km south of Mostar.

Blagaj
Stunning river cave with a Dervish monastery right beside it. It is believed that the ancient ancestors of the Bosnian people lived here. This is an important cultural sight as well as a beautiful natural one.

Kujundziluk
On the busy, shop-filled pedestrian street that runs alongside the river, looking towards the Stari Most.

Stari Most At Sunset
Looking across the famous bridge at sunset.

The Jump
A local jumps off the bridge - a cherished Mostar tradition. See if you can spot him.

Sniper View
View of Mostar and the main road of Bulevar, which acted as the front line during the war. This was taken from the top of the "sniper tower".

Climbing The Stairs
Matt, Asta, Jami and Katarina climb the stairs of the "sniper tower", which has no walls to speak of.

View Of Mostar
Taken from a restaurant alongside the river.

Stari Most In 1993
Picture of Stari Most after it was destroyed by Croat forces during the Croat-Bosniak War.

Turkish House
Lolly is in full regalia as she poses inside the Turkish House - this photo could well have been taken during Ottoman times.

Photograph By Wade Goddard
Wade Goddard was a New Zealand photographer who worked freelance in Bosnia during the Bosnian War.

Stari Most By Day
The bridge that connected east to west and Orthodoxy to Catholicism.

View From The Turkish House
Looking southwest across the emerald River Neretva from the Turkish House.

To The Castle
Walking through Pocitelj's medieval pedestrian streets towards Pocitelj Castle.

Ali Baba
A bar...built into a cave!

Bosnian Breakfast
Delicious fried bread, Bosnian coffee and rice pudding with cinnamon. In the background is kajmak (the white stuff), jam and ajvar (the orange/red stuff).

View Of Dalmatian Coast
One of many stunning beaches along Croatia's Dalmatian coast.