The journey from Split to whatever-the-name-of-the-city-where-we-had-to-change was all on the coastal road, which snakes alongside the Adriatic Sea, Back and forth, back and forth the bus rocked as we made our way down the road. In good tradition with our bus journeys so far, the wind was really blowing.. At one point we had to stop for road construction and I thought the bus was going to be blown off the cliff and into the sea. I just wanted to get to wherever we had to go... The driver was going really fast and whipping it around the curves. It was a very beautfiul drive, with the mountains and the clear blue sea below, but I think had I not felt so bad I would have enjoyed it more/not thought we were going to die. I'm sure Paul's recollection of this drive and our driver is different from mine; to be honest when I am sick I am a big baby about things sometimes.... And that day I just wanted to be in bed with some tea and movies, not on a big bus driving down a winding road, being tossed from side to side in my seat.
When we approached the Bosnia and Herzegovnia border,(BiH as it is referred to, which makes it easier so I'll use that from here on out) I was so glad because the roads from this point on were straight, in a valley, and nearing our change point. I had my first real passport checkpoint where I was questioned where we were going and where our next destination is...The first time I have been asked that question thus far! Shortly after going through the checkpoint, we made our way to a random gravel parking lot in the city I could not understand or remember the name of, and our driver announced that this is where we change for Mostar. The next bus would arrive 30 minutes later.. We used this time to visit a cafe and use their facilities, since there were none on the bus and we had been on the bus for over 3 hours (ahh my bladder!). The next bus came, we boarded, and continued on our way to Mostar.
It's hard to describe what I saw and how I felt as we neared the city... I think this is what I envisioned when I thought of Eastern Europe.. I saw people working in fields, using oxen to plow and their hands in the dirt.. I saw an elderly lady with a scarf on her head, beige tights, a long dress and black shoes walking on the side of the road with a cow.. And then the trash... Wow. I wish I could create a volunteer organization purely to pick up trash around this place. How lucky we are to have services in place and initiatives to clean up areas, pick up trash, and beautify our cities in America.. The landscape here is so pretty, with towering rocky green mountains and clear blue rivers, it is tarnished by the amount of trash that is piled up or blown into trees. I saw so many plastic bags and pieces of industrial plastic wrap stuck in tree branches, blowing in the wind. It really saddened my heart and made me feel a bit ashamed... why, I don't know, maybe because I judged it a bit? My "If you see a piece of trash, pick it up" song I taught to my kindergarteners a couple years ago would be beneficial to the youth of BiH...It has been nearly 20 years since the Bosnian war ravaged this part of the world, but the aftermath is still evident.. which became more and more clear as we made our way to Mostar. After being in Western Europe and tourist paradise for the past few months, I guess this is a good preparation for what we will see in places like India and other countries where their is a great disparity between the wealthy and poor.
As we neared Mostar, the amount of bullethole ridden buildings increased. Mostar endured 9 long months of conflict and the people here saw some of the ugliest parts of the war. It is very complicated how everything went down.. I know it was civil war between the Serbs, Bosnian-Croats, and the Bosniaks. The Bosniaks are the muslim population that mostly live on the East side of the river, while the Christian population mostly live on the west. When Yugoslavia was united, these people lived in (somewhat) harmony, until when it dissimated and they no longer did..Xenophobia ran rampant.. The Serbs didn't like the Bosniaks, and the Croats helped the Bosniaks and then turned against them, and basically things didn't end well... Genocide, concentration camps in other parts of Bosnia, mass killings, and general terrible acts of war engulfed BiH and Mostar, with its large Muslim population, saw some of the worst of it.
The people of Mostar leave the buildings as they are, bombed out and covered in bullet holes, as a reminder of what has been. They even build new buildings adjacent to the derelict ones, I find this as a symbol of the past and now... Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not.
The main reason we came to Mostar was to learn about the history, and see the sights, such as the Old Town and the famous bridge, Stari Most (which translates to, Old Bridge). Mostar has been under the rule of many different empires, the Ottoman making the biggest mark. There is a huge influence of Turkish culture here, hence the large Muslim population. The bridge was buit in honor of Sultan Sleiman back in the Ottoman times, and later served as a symbol of discrimination (separating the Muslims from the Christians). During the war back in 1993, opposition forces blew up all the bridges across the river, isolating the Eastern side from the rest of the city. Stari Most was the last bridge to go... We watched a video of its destruction (captured by a local with a camcorder during the war) in a photo exhibition yeserday and it was heartbreaking to see this bridge crumble into the water. Violence is so scary, no one here even understands why the war happened. It really makes you feel sad and sick.
In 2004 as a symbol of growth and peace, the bridge was rebuilt and parts that had crumbed into the river were brought up and used for the reconstruction. The bridge was made just as it was before, and a peace rally (which included Prince Charles and other random important people) took place for its grand re-opening. It really is a pretty bridge, and is now a symbol of unification. When we were walking arund the old town yesterday, hearing the church bells from the cathedral and the calling for prayer from the mosques, it became very evident how diverse this population is....I hope peace remains for these people.. They are so friendly and just want to live their lives.. I can understand why they left the buildings up.. An in-your-face reminder of what happens when ignorance, violence, and hate prevail.
Today we will make our way up the "Glass Bank" (which no longer has glass in it...) building, which used to be a bank building pre-war. During the war, it served as a sniper tower... Teo, whose apartment we are staying in, said it is the best view of the city, apart from walking up one of the surrounding hills (which I have read have landmines still buried.. don't know how true that is, but I'm not taking my chances). It is ironic that a landmark still standing, which was used as a sniper tower, has the best view of the Old Town and the rest of Mostar. Phew, this is a lot to take in. Pictures to come.. my photo stream is acting up again!
MC
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