It was fairly straightforward in the end. I had a meal in a restaurant near the Belgrade hostel then picked up my things, caught a free bus, arrived at the bus station. The only complication there is to buy a ‘platform ticket’ which gives you access to the bus you’ve already paid for. Ho hum. Free bus service around town, so I don’t mind. I buy three passes, two for a Turkish mother and daughter who are stressing about the process.
Once my bus arrives it is a busy double decker coach. The journey is initially uncomfortable for being cramped. We get out at a petrol station (where loads of people have a cigarette?! AT A PETROL STATION.) Then we do the border at Korroman. It is relatively painless.
Eventually some leave the coach at Foca, and light starts to emerge at dawn. There is an incredible mist over the mountains as we wind along the Drina river. It is light by the time we ride through the Sutjeska Valley, and it is beautiful. I think it is up there with the Salzburg-Ljubljana train ride.
The twists and turns, combined with the lack of sleep, make me a bit queasy. The crowd thins out but the journey is long. I’m so tired and want a proper sleep.
I arrive into Mostar at the right time and briefly check the train station. It is a really run down place. No obvious logic to how it works. No screens, platforms etc. I’ll worry about it tomorrow.
Mostar reminds me of rural Morocco or Turkey. I have breakfast at a cafe beneath my hostel. It is too early to check in so I eat at the cafe and use their loo. Crazy heat. Need to rest but will wander around.
Later – 8.44pm
Mostar is quite small but strangely beautiful and super busy. It is like a theme park with all the tourists in the small streets. I wandered around, got a Pepsi, returned to the hostel to check in properly. Can only pay in local currency, so I go to a cash machine and get a really bad deal. Ho hum. Thankfully I have avoided a lot of this while travelling.
My room isn’t in the hostel. It’s really a bedroom in an apartment up the street. It’s a bit weird, but there is air conditioning so I am fine. I slept for a few hours to recover from the bus journey. Later I want to go out to get some food and visit the War Photography exhibition.
There is a BBC documentary there which I find on Youtube and decide to watch on my phone in the bedroom. Mostar has a tragic recent history. I remember it as a teenager but didn’t pay too much attention then. How incredible to see it thriving now.
