Hidden Charms of Bosnia

On the 19th of October 2023, Yaghyesh and I took a flight from Abu Dhabi to Sarajevo. It was our fall break and I wanted to follow NYUAD’s usual trend of traveling around the world. On a random day – months before our trip – we decided that it would be Bosnia this time because we had a valid working US Visa and Bosnia seemed nearer and the most financially feasible.

Bosnia reminded me of Nepal. Unlike the UAE, the humidity was less, the temperature was cool, and above all, the airport was surrounded by hills akin to Nepal from all four sides. The airport wasn’t fancy at all and as we cleared security and caught a taxi to Hostel Franz Ferdinand, I was struck by the simplicity of the city. It wasn’t fancy like Dubai or Abu Dhabi nor did it seem underdeveloped like Nepal, the buildings and traffic were just spot-on normal. Nothing much, nothing less. I could see excitement and kindness in every person we encountered, especially our taxi driver who made fun comments about his life in Bosnia. On our first night, we took a stroll around the city and tried some Bosnian foods. I have to say Bosnian food did not entice me much especially because people mostly ate beef, but Yaghyesh seemed to enjoy a cuisine unique to Bosnia called Cevapi. I felt like I couldn’t get a complete sense of Bosnian cuisine because I don’t eat beef.

Our Day 2, we explored Sarajevo. We were happy with our hostel because even if it wasn’t the best place we had stayed so far, it still seemed perfect for both of us especially because the hostel was located in the center of the city. The river was within our reach, the market was 2 minutes away, the most popular food destinations within 3 minutes, and the historical bridge that triggered the First World War was right to our left. It wasn’t surprising that our Nepali genes prompted us to go climbing up the hills in Sarajevo. Without even bothering about where we were going, we just started following a narrow lane and kept on climbing high until we were greeted by a dead end. We could see the entire city from the top. The view was engrossing, it was as though I wanted to hug the city. We could see flat terrains filled with white graveyards. We could see a castle built during the world war to guard against enemies. We could see the bridge where Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. The landscape and the hills and the trees reminded me of Nepal, it reminded me of what Nepal could be because one thing was clear – Bosnia resembled Nepal, a lot.

The next day, we caught a morning train from Sarajevo to Mostar. The train ride felt very romantic to me. The climate was a bit gloomy and the light inside the train was strong. The ride was smooth and the view was just very ideal. The train ride was effortless, the villages in Bosnia and the side lakes and rivers were what you would expect your ideal date to be in. I was lost in romantic imagination throughout the train ride. Mostar was like Nepal’s Pokhara. It felt very silent and remote. We stayed in a local woman’s home. She didn’t speak in English and most of the time we were trying to make sense of each other in our own languages and our facial expressions. It was funny how both of us were trying so hard to get across our messages. We never knew her name but we referred to her as “Aunty”. She was joyous, kind, and very sweet. We went to the Old Bridge that day. The Bridge has an interesting story. It was believed to have been built during the Ottoman Empire. The history goes that young people would jump off the bridge in a bid to entertain the wealthy onlookers. The tradition still continues to this day. Yaghyesh and I found a place cornered on the bank of the river, sat on top of rocks, and looked at the divers. At first, they spent a lot of time trying to entice people to give them money. After all, they made a living out of this and once they got their full share, the diver jumped off the bridge. It was entertaining, scary, and very unique.

The next morning, we hired a private guide to show us around popular places in Mostar. Our first stop was a place called Blagaj which was older than Mostar. Historically, the King of Herzegovina had his kingdom in Blagaj. We could see the King’s castle on top of the rocky hill and interestingly, there was a secret tunnel from the castle down to the ground as a secretive escape route for the King. We went to see an old home, believed to have been built hundreds of years ago. This home was tinted with religion and faith all over and it was very interesting to look at the architecture of those days. I was reading about spirituality and faith recently, and it was striking to look at spiritual symbols in that house. There was a resemblance of a dead coffin in a room and the guide told us that people used to look at the coffin and be grateful for their life every day. It just confirmed my introspection about the importance of faith in bringing mankind to this era.

After Blagaj, we stopped at Pocitelj. This place was full of castles built during the Ottoman Empire. The reason why it was a strategic place for the castle was because right by the side, there was the Neretva River that connected to the Adriatic Ocean. This meant that people from any country could enter Herzegovina from the river and the castles were built to prevent that. We could even see the Croatia-Bosnia border from the fort. Yaghyesh and I were very ecstatic about this place, we spent a lot of time climbing and exploring the forts and relishing the view from inside. After spending close to an hour in the fort and getting food there, we headed to our final destination, the Kravecia Waterfalls. Yaghyesh was very particular about wanting to swim in the lake and I joined him in this pursuit. He swam effortlessly across the lake while I only swam in the shallow end. The water was very cold but bearable and we spent a lot of time in this place, partly introspecting, but mostly getting pictures and swimming. It was a tiring but incredibly fruitful experience.

On our final day in Mostar, we hiked to Fortica and the windmills beyond. Yaghyesh wasn’t much into this plan because he was very keen about exploring the diving club in the Old Bridge but I somehow managed to convince him to go with me. We hiked for 2 hours to get to the highest point of Mostar – Fortica. Then, we hiked even more, beyond Fortica, to see the windmills. It was a rewarding experience for me especially because it was the first time I was looking at an army of windmills surrounding me from the highest point of Mostar. We headed to Sarajevo the next morning on the same train and caught a flight to Abu Dhabi in the evening. I have to say, I really fell for Bosnia. When I was in the US, I never imagined I’d discover a place as vibrant as New York but Bosnia, in many ways, felt like an improved version of Nepal, and it has only fuelled my desire to continue exploring the diverse wonders of Europe. Until we meet again, see you Europe!

Here’s a bonus video, a dive from the Old Bridge: