Day 106 - Dubrovnik - Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Monday, October 15, 2018.

We did it! We got up with enough time to even take a shower and have coffee! What a difference it makes to get up early. We left the apartment at 7:00am, rolling our bags down the stairs. Halfway down, a door opened and a woman stopped us and told us to be quiet because her guest was sleeping. Gregory ignored her and I should have too, but instead, I wanted to apply my positive psychology and make her understand that we weren't trying to make noise but I just couldn’t carry my heavy suitcase. Next place, I’m definitely leaving more clothes. I did not succeed in instilling empathy with the woman even after I told her, "smile, God loves you!" I can’t believe I said that and, worse, I got way behind my family.

Gregory came to check on me, and finally, I made it to the bottom! We walked to the Pile gate. Gregory declined two overpriced taxis (good thing he knew the prices) and requested an Uber to the bus station.

At the bus station, Gregory went to the ticket window and ordered 4 tickets to Mostar, only to find the tickets were sold out! I wanted to cry. What were we going to do? I started to think fast and went to the information window to see if there was another way to go, mostly because the next bus to Mostar wasn't until 4:00 in the afternoon. Gregory calmly told me to wait, that they would probably have space on the bus and we could buy a ticket directly from the driver. I don’t know how he does it, but I love him for always being calm!

I went to ask which one was the bus to Mostar, that’s my quality and my strength because Gregory does not like to ask. I found the bus (which was clearly marked Airport Bus), asked the driver if he had four spaces and he only said, "Four? Oof we'll see!" I waited among other groups of hopeful passnegers and worried. If he was sold out and there were 3 girls in front of us, how would he have rooom for us, too?

It turned out that there were enough seats after all. A small miracle! Gregory ran to get cash to pay for the tickets while I waited at the door of the bus, still anxious! I hope that by the end of this trip, I will be able to travel better and more relaxed.

The bus ride was very pleasant, even if we all sat in separately. The only road was a 2-lane coastal road that was very scenic but curvy and slow. At one point, we crossed into Bosnia and then, a few minutes later, back into Croatia because there is a small section of coastline that Bosnia controls, and there's only that one road through it!

The view was amazing, mountains, green landscape and blue water! We made it to the Bosnian border, which took several minutes to get through. First, they collected all our passports -- everyone on the bus -- and took them away for processing. After about 15 minutes, they brought the passports back to the bus driver's assistant, who held onto them until we had passed through customs, which was another 15 minute stop up the road.

When we made it to Mostar, my first impression was of a poor country because right away, kids approached us asking for money. There is no Uber in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we would have taken a taxi, which would have been cheap, but we walked for a few reasons: it was only 10 minutes from the bus station, it was nice and sunny, and we had no money. Did I mention that Bosnia has its own currency as well?

I felt like I was walking in a Mexican street, except for the bombed out and abandoned properties that dot the streets here from the 1991-1995 war. We made a turn into a pedestrian zone which was full of locals, lined with beauty shops and cafes. We made it to our apartment which is actually attached to a 4-room hotel. Our separate unit has two bedrooms on 2 floors and a small kitchen with a dining room. All this for $35 a night! We settled, rested, and then Gregory and I went to explore the city and find a grocery store. We found Konzum which now we are familiar with but we didn't expect it to be so big and full of food. Gregory and I were very excited to see all this food and again a variety of fruit and vegetables. We took our time, mostly because we had to translate the labels.

Anyway, it was actually fun to fill two baskets of food. I even decided to spoil the kids and bought a brownie mix! Of course, I hadn't noticed yet that we didn't have an oven in our apartment. The kids were also excited to fill up the refrigerator which we hadn't done in a while. To add to the excitement, we saw the prices of the restaurants and cafes. Things are much more affordable here! We felt rich again.

We came home, snacked, and went to visit the old town which was a few minutes down the pedestrian zone from our place. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. But when we saw the river, the famous bridge and the old town, I was blown away. It was so beautiful, like something out of a fairytale! The pebbled streets with all the market stands reminded me of Guanajuato, Mexico. They even sold some of the same wood children's toys along with local handicrafts.

We also walked down to the turquoise Neretva river to watch the ducks, took some pictures, then we walked back home where we had a homemade dinner with fresh chicken, Mexican zucchini and white rice! We were all happy to discover a breathtaking place!