ABOUT THIS TRAVEL
10 days in BOSNIA-KOSOVO,
Dec '02
INTRO
Kind
of travel:
alone in a wholly independent travel
When:
heart of the 2002 winter
How
I moved:
mainly by train, by bus and by plane
Where
I slept:
on the train, on the bus and in the cheapest (not so cheap)
hotels
Freezing
or baking?
It was chilly, especially in Kosovo (-5 +7), but perfectly bearable.
It's a pity it was without snow.
How
much:
unfortunately it's quite expensive travel here, since the budgets
of the foreigns in the area are the ones of the army officials.
If you are alone consider at least 50euro per day (transport-
accomodation- eating)
Dangers:
mines are a threat, but only if you really go out of the beaten
track you'll cope with this. Desperate people who have lost
everything in the war can be the main risk, anyway I didn't
have a single problem.
What
I liked:
the friendly people I met, the cultural mixing, the charming
Sarajevo and the experience to see by my own eyes the consequences
of a piece of so tough history
What
I dislike:
the prices of the accommodations and the too little time I dedicated
to this travel
What
you do need:
don't go there looking for highlights, but catch what the history
can teach you
THE TRAVEL
Since the end of the war the thought of
visiting ex-yugoslavia was lodged in my head. I wanted to see the post war reality... I
wanted to realise a situation so near my home, but seen only through the TV reports.
Christmas holidays were approaching...hence, this was the chance...and, as usual, I caught
it!
In my opinion travelling means to get in contact with people, and this can happen only
using the public means of transport; this is what I did.
Well equipped against the coldness in the
mid-december I left alone with my booknote from the station of Milan to Zagreb (Croatia).
Still prosecuting by train I reached the "east looking"
"capital" of the Srpska republika in Bosnia: Banja
Luka. Then I got to the charming Sarajevo,
whose mixing culture I fell in love. After a shocking divert
to Mostar, I headed to the cute and cold Prizren
in Kosovo and finally ended up in Phristina, from where I flew
back to Zurich.
Since the first day I was surprised by the kindness of the people I met. Every
single person has been helpful, trying to help me nevertheless the language barrier.
People were eager to speak to me, and every movement meant a new friend. They offered me a
coffee without any other interest that showing me their welcome.
Nobody complained about taking pictures and nobody denied me a smile. I've not had any
kind of problem, even travelling during the night in Kosovo.
I went there to see the war damages and I discovered the
kindness of the people, an unexpected richness: the people. Maybe I've been just lucky,
but, anyway, this has been my experience.
Alby
PS: thanks to Goram for
the company and the helpfulness in Sarayevo and to James for pushing me to visit
Kosovo...it really was worth!!!
|
