Kravica

I hitchhiked from Medjugorje to the Kravica waterfalls.  An old German Catholic picked me up and went out of his way to deliver me to the waterfalls.

They were beautiful.  Hot day.  Fresh water.  Pouring.  Beauty.

I climbed the rocks to the waterfalls, swam naked in the different pools of water, ate a tomato i found on the ground, washed my clothes and hung them to dry in the fresh summer breeze.  It was paradise.  It was me and it was nature.  Side by side.  At one.  Natural one.

I went for a hike and found other beautiful scenes along the river.

Oh, and there was a rope swing!  I jumped off and swung high above the water and dropped into the deep blue with the fish and river snakes.  What a time!

I headed out of there after about half a day, but I regret I didn’t spend longer.  It would have been easy to camp there.

Medjugorje

I got a bus to Medjugorje.  Six Bosnian teenagers saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1981 in Medjugorje.  It has become a huge Catholic pilgrimage site.  I was raised Catholic, and I was so close.  I had to do it.

The main street is filled with Catholic souvenirs.  Holy water.  Statues of Mary.  Postcards.  Everything was overpriced also.  And most places took Euro and US Dollars along with the local currency.

I got up to Apparition Hill and found a statue of Mary in the spot where the teenagers originally saw her.  I heard people saying the rosary out loud.  Then people got in front of the statue to pray.  Then some knelt on the rocks.  Catholics one-upping each other.  I just sat and watched.

St. James church has a lot of money.  Great facilities.  It also has a large seating capacity.  Thousands of people come to this place on vacation to go to Mass and pray.  What a boring time!!

There’s also a statue of Resurrected Jesus that has a liquid oozing out of his knee.  It has become a holy substance because no one knows what it is.  It’s called the Weeping Knee.  I touched it, and blessed myself.

I went back up to Apparition Hill at night because there was going to be some prayer led by one of the original teenagers.  As I was walking in the dark, I met up with an old Italian lady.  We became friends as we were going the same direction and the only language we could agree on was French.  I speak tres petit francais.  Really shitty French.  It was fun stumbling through it trying to communicate with her though.  We were good companions and looked after each other as we climbed the rocky hill towards the statue of Mary.  I didn’t see the guy, the original seer of Mary.  Too bad.  I did see a lot of pilgrims though, and they were singing Catholic songs in different languages, and praying the rosary, everything they could think of.

As people left, I walked through the fields in the dark, and found a good place to camp for the night.  I pulled out my tarp and sleeping bag, and went to sleep as the Virgin Mary watched over me.

Then I woke up at 6am, and got the hell out of there.

Mostar

I got to Mostar by hitchhiking.  Terrible experience, but great story.

It’s a really beautiful area, but that’s most of it.  Cobblestone streets.  Lots of souvenirs.

A river runs through it, and it has a famous bridge.  “Most” means bridge in Serb-Croatian.  Guys jump off the bridge into the river.  It’s a tradition, and nowadays these divers try to make money from it, charging tourists like 40 euro.  I just stood around and waited for a guy to jump.  That was free.

The original bridge was bombed during the Bosnian war.  The Croatians, on the other side, destroyed it.  It was rebuilt soon after the war ended.

Mostar is also divided.  The old town is Bosnian Muslim and across the main street, Bulevar, is the Croatian side.  All along this street, the buildings are still bombed out.  I guess there is no money for repair.

I bumped into my Russian friends from Sarajevo a few times in Mostar.  They tried hitchhiking to Mostar the same time I did, but with less luck.  The gypsy who I rode with actually stopped for them but asked for 20 KM.  He asked me, and got, 10 KM.  Anna and George waited for 2 hours for a ride, but nothing.  Then they had to hitchhike back to the bus station, and spent 17 KM each on a bus.  I guess I was fortunate to get to Mostar for 10 KM.

George and Anna said they would be happy to host me if I make it to St. Petersburg.  Cool!!

I stayed with two girls in Mostar.  A French girl, Aurora, and a Slovenian, Jozi.  They were great and very easy-going.  Jozi recommended I go to the Kravica waterfall after Medjugorje.  Great suggestion.

Mostar Hitchhike

I hitchhiked from Sarajevo to Mostar, Bosnia today.  The first guy who stopped drove me only for about 5 minutes, which wasn’t helpful.  Then 5 minutes later a big yellow van stopped.  He was going to Mostar.  He didn’t speak English but he was telling me he would want 10 KM, which is about $7.  It costs about the same to take the bus.  I was hitchhiking to avoid that cost.  I told him I wouldn’t go, and closed the door, but he wanted me to come.  He kept telling me 10 KM.  I said no, I wouldn’t pay.  He said okay, and he would give me a ride anyway.  I put my bag in the back of the van.

As we drove, he started gesturing to me how he lost his money.  All gone.  Then he pointed to the gas gauge, and showed how it was close to empty.  This started really bothering me.  But it became okay.  I just told him that I’m hitchhiking.  Hitchhikers don’t pay.

Later, he indicated to the gas gauge again, and said he needed 10 KM; he doesn’t have money.  I told him no again.  He understood and told me he would pay me back when we got to Mostar.  He pleaded and I held up my clasped hands to show him that he was making a promise to me.  He understood and made the promise.  Okay.  I gave him 10 KM to put some gas in .

Then we got to the outskirts of Mostar.  He dropped me off at the side of the road, still a few kilometers away from the center, and told me to wait; he would be back with my money in 5 minutes.  I told him I only wanted 5 KM; I would share the cost with him a little.

I instantly had the realization that he wasn’t going to come back to pay me.  Why would he?  So, I went up the street looking for his van.  It’s big and yellow, so should be easy to find.  I spotted it after a couple of minutes.  I walked around the side of the house where two Gypsy guys were digging through some old metal junk parts.  I pointed to the van to communicate that I was looking for that guy.  It became a big show that I was there.  The whole Gypsy family came out to see this stupid white guy wanting his money.  And the guy came too.

He got back in the van and I did too.  I just wanted my money but he seemed to want to take me into the center.  So okay.  A couple of minutes later, he dropped me at the side of the road again and said he’d be back with money.  I told him I’d go with him this time.  No, he wanted me out, and he would come back.  It made no sense.  I got my bag from the back and hopped in the front seat again.  He wanted me out; he would come back.  It went back and forth like this.  Then I grabbed his cell phone from the dashboard and told him I would keep it until he returned.  He grabbed it back and told me to get out, apparently he would be coming back with children sitting along the seat, so no space for me.  Yeah, okay.  Asshole.  We were getting really frustrated with each other.  I finally got out and gave him a Fuck You.  He wasn’t going to come back.  Huge asshole.  Lying asshole.

I should have known from the beginning not to get in with that guy.  He wanted 10 KM off the bat.  He hadn’t changed his mind.  He just suckered me into giving it to him.  Using his word and his promise.  Gypsy bastard.

Yunus: Sarajevo

There were only a couple active CouchSurfers hosting in Sarajevo, but one guy named Yunus responded to my request to tell me that he could host me. 40 year old guy from Turkey. http://www.couchsurfing.com/yunusbosnia

He met me as I came off the tram, dressed in EU police gear. As we drove back to his place, he told me that there were 6 CouchSurfers he was hosting. He complained that they were lazy — didn’t clean up, didn’t cook, etc.

I met them. A French couple, a Russian couple, a German girl, and an Austrian guy. As much as he could, the Austrian guy brought up the topic of music. He’s got sooo much sheet music at home in Vienna. He loves his studies in music. Hey, what’s this music on the radio? My favorite music? Oh, that’s such a difficult question, I like so much. But I hate commerical music. This guy got really annoying really fast. Good thing he left soon after I got there.

We were all in our twenties. Yunus, 40, brought out his collectibles to show me. He had already showed the others. He had stamps and paper money and sugar packets from different countries. Oh, he liked to collect. And he imagined everyone else had the same passion to see his collection. A mind like a child.

Yunus was soft-spoken, curious, and generous kind of guy. Very neat and organized. It was about 1pm just after he brought me back, and he was organizing us to go to the Tunnel museum. He was supposed to be at work.

He also wasn’t supposed to touch his female guests. But he did. He liked squeezing in between girls on the couch. Rubbing their backs as they used the computer. Doing a weird massage technique on their knees. Touching their waist. This was all obviously unwanted, and it made things pretty uncomfortable for all of us. And it made it even creepier that he had this child-like quality about him. The way he spoke, with so much curiosity in his voice, and his eyes wide and soft.

I brought this up this touching when Yunus was gone, and it became a great topic. Apparently, I had missed a big massage session the night before. Along with a ‘party.’ Everyone wanted to go to sleep, but he didn’t. So he put a cake together, brought it out, and told his sleepy, uninterested guests that they were going to have a party. Anyway, the girls didn’t like Yunus’ touching. There was also talk about how boring he is, and how he tries to control what his guests do (dinner at 6, drinks at 8, etc). The French guy said how it’s CouchSurfing, not couch fucking. I liked this point.

We all met up at 6pm in the city. Yunus had another CouchSurfer, this English guy with sleepy, arrogant English eyes. This guy took to me, the only other native English speaker. I found out he was really high maintenance. He told Yunus that he needed to change into his pants since it was getting cold. It was a demand. No pleases or thank yous. Just a bitch. When Yunus left, he told me how he didn’t trust Yunus with his bag, and that he has a bad feeling about him. English guy asked about the sleeping situation and I said that it will mostly floor space. English guy flipped out. “Oh no. Definitely not. I’m getting my bag and checking into a hostel. I’m not sleeping on the floor.” This guy was the most high-maintenance CouchSurfer ever. What did he expect?

The next morning Yunus woke us up and wanted things straightened up quickly. He was folding sheets, vacuuming crumbs, and lining up a couch cover just so. He is probably the least-suited person for hosting. Especially six people at once. Too high-maintenance himself. He was self-sacrificing everywhere, and quietly going about his martyrdom.

Later on that night, I was walking around Sarajevo when I bumped into Yunus. He was eating with some Turkish friends and the Russian couple. He requested that I sit down and eat. So I ate. It was a pretty bland meal of beans and rice. Not tasty. But I ate and enjoyed. I had to leave to meet up with this other guy, so I told Yunus that I was leaving. He asked that I leave some money. 5 KM. I left him 10 KM. Then as I left, I realized how weird this was. I was requested to sit and eat. I didn’t order any food. I didn’t have a choice in what I ate. A strange hospitality.

Then as I was leaving Yunus the next morning along with the Russian couple, Yunus told the Russian couple that they are his third favorite guests. He was making rankings and not including me. Very strange to be in this conversation and left out of his rankings. Rude too.

I reflected on this guy. I thought he was a terrible host, although he was generous in hosting so many people at once, and driving us around, etc. But the way he touched his girl guests was out of line. And his comments too, like “The girls can sleep with me.” Strange guy. And he was married and had two kids. They were in Turkey, and he was in Sarajevo for the year. So much happening with this guy. So I left him a neutral reference on CouchSurfing. Then he responded with a negative as a retaliation, so I pumped up the wording in mine and changed it to negative. Here they are.

FOR YUNUS:

WARNING to GIRLS:
Yunus likes girls too much. As another CouchSurfer who was staying with him put it: ‘This is not CouchFucking.’ So I must leave a negative.

The Good Side:
Yunus is a very gentle, generous, and hospitable host. He hosted 6 other CouchSurfers at the same time, which was cool. He drove us around, provided Turkish tea and some food, and treated us very well.

The Bad Side:
The problem was how he touched some of the girls. It was obviously unwanted, and made things quite uncomfortable. Rubbing backs, massaging, casually touching legs, etc. I don’t think there were further intentions, but it made for a weird experience for all of us, especially girls.

He has retaliated against me now since leaving this comment, and making things up about my ‘expecting a ride’, etc. I suspect this is why there are so many girls who haven’t left comments for him after staying.

He is a very nice guy, but girls should be made aware of this behavior.

FOR EOIN:

I hosted him here in Sarajevo and did my best not only for him but also
for other 5 CSs while all 6 were present at the same time, same place.
When he was leaving from here, he changed his mind at the last second and
wanted to hitchhike with my Russian couple, surfers. He expected me to
drop him to outside of city, but I did not have time for it. Maybe it made
him very much upset!!! What he mentioned in his reference is a funny,
nonsense, maybe a bit artificial production of his mind. All six surfers,
including himself expressed their thanks a lot, even with their
handwriting (I have two in my profile photos)and still I could not
understand what was disturbing his mind??? Maybe a kind of jealousy or
being a Devil’s advocate or simply being a DEVIL!!!

FOR FUTURE HOSTS: He is NOT an advisable CS surfer, who would use, abuse
the things you could offer as a host and then make unexpected, ungrounded
surprises. Be aware of him !!!

I got some support from other people about this reference, and then some people saying that I should change it. The German girl who was touched the most left a weak neutral comment for Yunus. I urged her to change it to negative. She told me she wouldn’t since he was nice to drive us around. Whatever. I decided this wasn’t my battle after all. If the girls who get invaded by this guy feel too bad to leave him a negative comment, gaah, I can’t finish this sentence. You understand. Then I got this private message from Yunus:

Yunus Cetinkaya Wrote:
>Dear Eoin,
>
>what we experienced here in Sarajevo regarding the
>hosting, enjoying good time together, sharing many
>things, etc and what we did later on, I believe it is
>not matching properly. Negative reference will not
>help neither for you nor for me. I would like to
>suggest to DELETE both references, if you agree with
>me.
>
>PEACE is needed for all.
>
>Best wishes…

I responded:

maybe instead of peace, i would say that people should
have a second chance.

i have removed my reference for you, and won’t leave
any. please do the same for me.

in most ways, you were an excellent host. you went
above and beyond. and i mean that. this is also why
i struggled with the negative.

however, i really did have an issue with how you
touched the girls. it was obviously unwanted and i
feel you were out of line. you are the host and you
must make your guests feel comfortable. this is not a
fabrication of my mind. we all discussed this in your
absence, and the girls thought this touching was
weird.

why they don’t leave a reference about this, i don’t
know. i think they feel bad since you are very
generous and nice. i have decided that this is not my
battle to fight, although i really hope you will be
more conservative, and less “friendly,” in the
future.

thanks again,
eoin

And that’s all. Great experience.

Sarajevo

I stayed with Yunus and about 6 other CouchSurfers while I was in Sarajevo, but that’s another story.

I went to see the Tunnel of Life.  This was the underground tunnel constructed during the Bosnian war to bring supplies to Sarajevo since the Serbians surrounded the whole city.  It was a poorly constructed tunnel with wooden beams and a leaky ceiling.  800 meters long.

The center of Sarajevo is quaint with cobblestone streets.  It’s very small and there’s lots of souvenir shops, which makes things less interesting.

I was most interested in the Bosnian war.  I don’t know much about it, but there’s signs of it everywhere in Sarajevo.  Bullet holes in the buildings and marks in the sidewalk from shelling.  Really interesting to imagine this city under attack.  War is so foreign to me.  It always happens in some other place like Africa, or Sarajevo.  It was so odd thinking about how war happened here.

I met a couple locals from Sarajevo, and I got to ask them about the war.  They were both young guys, a little younger than me, and both had evacuated Bosnia during that time.  They gave good insight though since some family members fought, and some died.  I also heard about the feelings since, bitterness towards different ethnicities.

Apparently there’s still a big division in Bosnia.  Bosnian Muslims, Serbian Orthodox, and Croatian Catholics.  The country is even officially divided into the Republic of Serbia and The Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina.  There’s three different presidents (one for each ethnicity) who rotate control every 8 months.  Really odd system.

Another highlight was seeing the spot where WWI started.  Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo near the Latin bridge.  There’s a plaque indicating the exact spot along with a few photos.

Sarajevo was not all that interesting.  But thinking about the Bosnian war, and seeing the ethnic divide was cool.  Mosques, Catholic churches, and Orthodox churches all within a few hundred meters of each other.