7 passport checks, 2 countries, 1 really cool bridge

13 June 2009

Yesterday, we daytripped to Mostar, Bosnia from Dubrovnik, Croatia. I had been wanting to go to Bosnia, and finally I made it. Country number 35 (36 if you count the US).

We spent 3 and a half hours on the bus to get there, and 3 to get back, and a total of 5 hours in Mostar itself. Our passports were checked 7 times, but not stamped even once (I really wanted a Bosnian stamp!). We had to wake up before 6am and we didn't get back until about 10pm.

Was it worth it?

YES!

Bosnia is a really interesting combination of people. In Mostar, for example, control is divided between Croats and Bosniaks. Although we had no experience with this ourselves, apparently the division is apparent with each ethnicity claiming one side of the main street even. Something else I find interesting is that in Mostar specifically, Orthodox, Islam, and Catholic exist side by side. Christian crosses can be seen in close proximity to mosques. Minarets peak the skyline, crosses on the tops of churches in between.

Despite major efforts to restore the city, war damage is still existent and obvious. There are hollow buildings inhabited only by trees and birds. The main symbol of the city is the bridge which was more or less destroyed in the war and painstakingly rebuilt.

The main sites are the mosques in stari grad (old town) and the restored bridge. We admired the bridge and took plenty of pictures. We even witnessed a couple of guys jumping from the bridge into the Neretva river below (something like 100 feet down). What a scam! One guy would go around asking people to pay to watch a different guy jump off the bridge. We didn't pay, but saw the jumping because we happened to be in the right place at the right time to witness the "feat." I bet they make a pretty good living jumping a couple of times every hour. Greg said he saw a 20 euro bill in the hat the guy was passing around.

I think that is going to be one of my new jobs. Bridge jumping. My slogan will be: "I'll jump for a Mark." But the trick is, I won't. I'll only jump once I have 20 Bosnian Marks in my hat (10 euro). If I jump 6 times a day, that's 60 euro and surely enough to live on in Bosnia.

I don't think I've mentioned my other new jobs I'm planning on (all borrowed ideas from people I've seen working here). My first job is definitely going to be rabbit fortune telling (I saw this one in Turkey). My business plan is to buy a bunny, train it to sit on a box, handwrite some crazy fortunes, and then write up a sign that says "Pet my bunny and he will tell you your fortune." I will lure kids in with my bunny (of course they will want to pet him, and when they do, "Aha! That will be 1 Turkish lira please. Here is your fortune.") My only business cost would be carrots and lettuce! But of course, I would need more income than my bunny could provide me, so I would have to diversify. I would also sell jewelry on the side of the road, tie bits of string around unsuspecting tourists' wrists and then ask for a euro, carry around a bucket of ice and bottled water, and participate in other such nefarious get rich quick schemes.

Sixteen plus hours after we left, we ambled through the door of the sobe. I was so tired I couldn't think. I showered quickly and almost immediately fell asleep.