My last trip was to Bosnia and Serbia. This was the trip I was kind of dreading because it was just me exploring on my own. The first half I was spending in Bosnia and second half in Serbia. I was so happy when someone from the hotel picked me up from the airport., impressive. Sarajevo was lovely but I couldn’t help but feel like I was in Turkey. I loved Sarajevo, it’s old and beautiful and surrounded by hills. Unfortunately my hotel was on top of one of those hills.
I took the local bus to Mostar nearly 3 hour bus ride. Great scenery on the way there, all mountains and hills. Mostar is a really lovely town much bigger than I expected. Lots of tourists but that’s normal as they all come down to Mostar for day trips from Croatia. I didn’t find the bridge very impressive, it’s very new after the restoration obviously. It probably looks better lit up at night. I was more impressed by the buildings left in ruins and buildings riddled in bullet holes but still being used by the locals.
The local souvenir they sell are bullets, real bullets but obviously with the gun powder taken out. They’re recycled into key rings, pens etc. I bought loads of them for pressies.
My next trip was to Srebrenice. That was a 10 hour bus ride, round trip.
Srebrenice is very close to the border of Serbia which is why it was the most targeted and was a town that suffered the most. When we finally reached my destination I was wondering how I was going to spend 5 hours (that’s when the next bus back to Sarajevo was) in one of the smallest towns I’ve ever visited. I checked out the nearby town of Potocari which is where the memorial site had been built. I decided to take a taxi there instead of walking which I normally do and would have done seeing as I had hours to spare. That goodness I didn’t walk as the heavens opened up and I was caught at the memorial for 30 minutes because of torrential rain. If I had walked I would have been soaked right down to my knickers.
I was so glad I brought my book. I found a run down hotel where the bus was parked for the day and sat in their foyer reading. They really got excited as they thought I was coming in to stay but realised I was just a temporary squatter. I did see and experience some sights. First of all I had company, mainly from the children whose parents owned the hotel, they were fun. We tried to converse in English but for some apparent reason they knew more Italian so we got by speaking Italian. The other sight was the bus driver in his underpants. I could see inside the bus from where I was and realised he was having it off with some young girl he picked up on one of our stops. After a couple of hours reading and chatting to the kids the driver and his girlffriend emerged from the bus and tried to get me to join them for coffee – I don’t mean join them as in join them!!! I declined as politely as I could without offending.
I went for another stroll around town, didn’t take long when I bumped into the bus conductor. He was at his mate’s having a drink. Still another 3 hours to go so I went back to the hotel foyer and continued with my book. After a while the bus conductor and his mate came and got me, sort of pulled me up of floor where I was sitting and practically dragged me out and pulled me into his van. To someone who was watching you would have thought that I was being abducted. For about 30 seconds I thought that too. They were just taking me out to join them for a drink. We went to a very small dingy room that was so smoky and dark. It was just the three of us in this converted café at first but word got around and it was filled with locals wanting to have their photos taken. I spent the rest of the day there and was nearly late for the bus but seeing as the conductor was with me it didn’t matter. We rushed in the torrential rain to get into the van, I was so lady like that I broke the van door. It just came of it’s hinges. It didn’t matter as they were all drunk and didn’t care.
My last day in Sarajevo had me looking for the elusive war tunnel near the airport. It was mentioned in the guide books and the internet but no signs anywhere. I walked for hours and after asking several people for directions I finally figured out where to go next. That’s what I thought, I found the town but the actual house was far more tricky. I went down so many narrow streets, all the houses facing the airport of course because the tunnel goes right under the airport. A little old lady felt sorry for me because at this point she took me by the hand to show me where to go. She kept showing me to cross the field, I was a bit reluctant bearing in my there are still live mines being found everywhere. But the old lady was adamant I cross this field to get to the tunnel. I crossed the field and nothing happened, no explosion,s woo hoo. I found the house with the tunnel and met the guy whose idea it was to build it. Great stuff but thoroughly knackered by the end of it.
Next stop was Serbia, I decided not to bother venturing any further than Belgrade. I knew my luck had run out when no one picked me up from the airport. I managed to find my way to the city but of course nothing ever goes smoothly. I found the bus stop and got on the bus to the city. I waved my money in front of the bus driver for a ticket but he ignored me. Actually he snorted at me. So I sat down. I was a little concerned that I didn’t have a ticket. I did see people get on and stamp their ticket on of those machines on the bus but I didn’t have a ticket to stamp. Halfway through the journey some guy patted me on my shoulder obviously asking to see my ticket. Typical, the only time I don’t have a ticket I get caught by the inspector. When he realised I was a foreigner – not hard really- he asked for my passport. At this point everyone was looking at me. He went and spoke to the driver and I was left there kacking myself because he had my passport. He eventually came back and wrote down on a piece of paper what I had to pay him. It was equivalent to $200, yes he was trying to fine the stupid tourist. I was a little concerned at this point because I knew that he wouldn’t give me my passport until I paid him, he just looked the type. I heard someone shout at him, it was a blonde woman sitting at the front. She took out a ticket out of her purse to give him for me, what a nice lady but the inspector shouted at her and that was it. A huge arguement broke out and I was forgotten. I had no idea what was being said but guessed that the lady wanted to help me, he wanted my money and I just sat there in my seat waiting for the ground to swallow me up. My passport came flying through the air at me and the inspector got off the bus still shouting at the lady. Then nothing happened. The lady never spoke to me directly or even looked at me, I wanted to say thank you but was worried that things might kick off.
I eventually got to my hotel and fell asleep for 8 hours. That’s what I did for 3 days in Belgrade. I slept, ate and occassionally visited some sites and was happy to go home.
I’m going to have a very busy summer this year, will let you know when it’s all over.
