petite on board
Svi mi živimo pod istim nebom
Justin Cook
We,
Arrived on the same date,
Stayed at the same hostel,
Joined the same Miran history tour, and
Took the same train to Sarajevo.
When he first told me that he is starting his retirement, I was like...
'Really? I wanna do that too. Now!'
And the following discussion that we had, would be the reading of coffee-grounds.
"We are all living under the same sky"
(A phase quoted from a street art at the entrance of the abandoned sniper tower in Mostar)
A 6 years old kid probably could know what that's mean, but how many of us can truely interpret the meaning behind? And why is this so poignant?
And this, is the story of Mostar & Justin:
Mostar is not only about a bridge. Bosnian have been living in a city surrounded by destructed buildings and street arts which keep reminding them how wars and sufferings were like.
Justin - An American guy who reaches his 30s and decided to leave his demons behind for an early retirement in his poker career. Knowing him has been my greatest pleasure and inspiration.
Visited in May 2015
Coffee Staines
Normally when you order a cuppa from Cafe Nero or Pret, you won't get a real dark coffee like a Bosnia one. A well-brewed Bosnian coffee, also known as Turkish coffee, will let the grounds sink at the bottom of your cup.
While for this mate over here, he always sees things differently - and there he started to pour out his coffee-grounds. Was it a prediction? a good sign or a warning?
Apparently, he thought that he got the bad luck from pouring out my coffee. A few days later, he told me that his stomach wasn't feeling very well and that probably explained why I saw a monster throwing up from my coffee.
Ruins, Street Arts, Sniper Tower
Living in a city that remind you of war everyday is already a suffering. Though war has superficially ended in Bosnia, no doubt that the recent desruption of Bosnian war has left mark in Mostar. Emotions of the locals were reflected on the walls by extraordinary graffiti works, so strong and colourful, while at the same time leaving the bullet holes uncovered.
With all these imperfections, I found Bosnia unexpectedly special and got you sucked into it.
Airport Hangar
Part of the Miran History tour hosted by our hostel was visiting the formerly top-secret underground airport hangar. Hidden in the mountains near the Mostar airport, this was where Tito stationed fighter planes to save Yugoslavia from Soviet and Serbia.
The Beauty of Kravice Falls
Despite the heartbreaking facts about Mostar, we found a place to embrace the nature and clear our mind.
Thank you Justin, for the guy who inspired the creation of this website
4 months later, when I was struggling with wifi on my road trip in Highlands, I received an email from Sami. (Hostel-mate in Sarajevo + mutual friend with Justin). The email directed me to his blog "The Unlikely Traveller" and with an entry extract talking about Justin. Who would have imagined, the guy who determined to quit his job and to travel the world would have chosen to put a full-stop in his life. Why?
For some reason, it did give me a hard feeling of what he might had interpreted from my coffee-grounds. No matter what had happened, I am glad to have known him in Mostar. That's the moment when I realise persons are the main elements in all my travel memories. They are all unique and remarkable. Travel tips are out there everywhere on the internet, but you can never experience the same thing as the blogger simply because you will meet different individuals.
So, stop ducking yourself into your tablet, look up and meet those lovely people out there.
Stari Most
The must-known old bridge and significant symbol of Mostar.
Sadly, I wasn't there at the right timing for the bridge jumping festival. Apparently, there are about 4 out of 10 tourists attempted to jump in a year and unfortunately broken their limbs.
Facts about the Ikari Bridge Jumping
When: Last week in July
What: The oldest diving competition in the world, since 1566. Leaping 21m into the Neretva River, it's actually twice as high as the highest Olympic diving board.
