Going Solo...

No, I am not referring to your (Facebook) relationship status here nor the Ayaz hit song. I am talking about traveling by yourself, on your own, just you, yourself and I...uhm, I mean: traveling solo :)

In my previous post I mentioned how fun and exciting the journey part of the travel can be - meeting random adventurous and intriguing characters that you would not normally meet when you go about your daily life. But you don't just meet these people - you have a higher possibility of meeting them when you're alone.

Think about it - let's say you're traveling with your friend(s)/significant other/family (or company in any other shape or form), would you then approach other people on your journey? Most likely not. You're probably going to hang with the people you're traveling with. Also, others are less likely to approach YOU, when they see you're already talking with your travel partner(s) or when you're surrounded by others. That's just the way it is.

- This is why I prefer to travel alone, yeah just me, myself and I.

Not only does it give me all the freedom and independence in the world (think - sleeping in as long as I want or actually in my case, get up as early as I want. You see when I travel, I don't 'waste' my time sleeping. I like to get up early, and with early I mean before sunrise! Yeah I know, I am not your average Joe [I mean Jane, but Joe has a better ring to it in this case]. Other perks include going wherever you feel like and stay there as long or as short as you want. Basically, free to do whatever you want, whenever you want), but another major reason I choose to travel by myself is the fact that I meet people (travelers) easier. When I am alone, I am more likely to just talk with others, because well, even though I like traveling alone, I do it because I like to meet others along the way. Especially wanderers and vagabonds. You know the type, those carrying a big backpack and looking rather scruffy (but in a good way, not in a BOris way).

So, there I was, by myself, in the bus to Mostar. It was the night bus, I didn't expect many people, since it was just a random weekday. But boy, was I wrong. The bus was packed, there was not a single seat left. I was sure that BOris was going to sit next to me as usual...and he did. I was told that the road to Mostar is a bumpy and windy one..."That's gonna be one long and uncomfortable ride", I thought.

- I prepared myself for one of the longest nights of my life...

But then, this guy walked in (Backpack? no. Scruffy? not really. Cute? Totally!). I noticed him immediately, because he was wearing this bright yellow shirt. His seat was somewhere in the back..."Darn", I thought, "here I am, sitting next to BOris, yet again. Why, God, why? Why couldn't I get a seat next to Yellow dude?"

The bus started moving and I turned my mp3 on and UP. A few hours into the ride, we had a break - at last! I couldn't wait to get out of the bus to stretch my legs and get some FRESH air.

That's where we started talking, Yellow dude and I. Turned out he was going to Mostar for some days and that he lives in Belgrade. We talked and talked until the bus started moving again - and I seriously couldn't wait to get aboard to snuggle up to... BOris. Unfortunately the seat next to Yellow dude was still taken.

After the next break, and after some passenger left the bus, I noticed the seat next to Yellow dude was free, so I was there in a blink of an eye. Finally, Yellow dude and I could continue our conversation. And we did, until we reached Mostar. There, we exchanged numbers and promised to meet up when I'd be back in Belgrade.

Back in Belgrade, we met and...what is it they always say? Ah, the rest is history :)

- Well, the rest was indeed HISTORY, because that was IT.

What, you actually thought we'd live happily ever after?! I'm sorry to disappoint you but this ain't a fairy tale, my dear reader, this is life. MY life! Welcome to my life.

But the point of this whole story is not about finding your prince on a white horse (white bus in this case). All, I'm trying to say is that the journey was a whole lot more fun because of this dude. And I wouldn't have met him, talked to him, if I had been traveling with someone else. That I know for sure. So, if you haven't traveled by yourself because you're afraid to or just never even considered it, why don't you give it a go? I may not have found my Mr Right(Now), but that doesn't mean you won't (that is if you're single and ready to mingle)! And even if you don't meet your prince(ss), at least you'll have had an enjoyable journey and in the end, that's all what matters, right?



(Still wished he called back though)

It’s all about the journey…

Over the past few months I have spent countless hours in buses and trains on my way to trainings and exchanges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia amongst a few destinations. Some people can’t get to their destination quick enough – they hate those long, uncomfortable and bumpy bus rides.

- I am not one of them.

No, I am one of those people that truly enjoy the journey. Sometimes the journey itself is even more fun and exciting than the actual holiday/destination is. For me holiday starts much earlier than arriving at the destination. It starts as soon as the first plans are made, and the excitement heightens with the preparations and packing, but the real fun begins, the moment I step into the bus/train/plane. That’s when things get concrete – that’s when the adventure begins.

I love the long rides – in fact, the longer the better! Any journey less than 5 hours isn’t a real journey. But how to spend all those hours in the bus? Some sleep, some read, some listen to music and some talk. When it comes to traveling I think sleeping is a waste of time (and besides I cannot sleep in overcrowded buses anyways) – I don’t want to miss a single second of my surroundings. Reading makes me nauseous. I either listen to music or I talk.

-I prefer to talk.

OK, maybe not with BOris (you know that person who claims half your already tiny seat and whose BO you can detect from miles away) who bores you to death with his tales of…actually I don’t give a darn what he’s saying, just get him a breath mint already. And some deodorant while we’re at it. 9 out of 10 times BOris chooses the seat next to me. In that case, my mp3 is my savior. But that one time, when God (and BOris) gives me a break and someone really interesting ends up next to me, that’s what counts. It’s those fascinating characters that cross your path, which you’ll remember.

-They make the ride worthwhile.

Andy, for example, decided one day to hop on the bus in New York to go all the way to Los Angeles just to buy an Obama t-shirt. He took 5 days for this trip, most of which was spent waiting at the Greyhound stations and on the bus itself…We met in Las Vegas and traveled together to Kansas City, which was a 10+ hour drive. We talked the whole way. About Obama, politics, Greyhound, Americans, life, reincarnation, aliens, public toilets and other random topics. When we reached KC, I felt like I knew this guy all my life…

Then there was Mr. O who tried to sell his son to me. And he was doing a pretty good job. Come on, what girl doesn’t want a well educated man, who has his own law practice with a beach house in Dubrovnik, a six figure salary, and who is tall, dark and handsome (Mr. O may have been exaggerating just a bit)?

-Well, I didn’t.

You see, after the whole pimping-the-son-to-me part, Mr. O mentioned that he was already married BUT he hated his daughter in law. He confessed that he’d much rather have a “nice exotic young lady such as yourself in the family.” Though flattered, I wasn’t ready to pack my bags and break up any marriages just yet.

And I have to mention this guy who had been walking around Europe for 23 months straight. He had been to every country. When asked why he decided to walk instead of, I don’t know, take the bus, he replied with “walking is faster.” This guy was compelling – his philosophy and experiences really made an impact on me and made me reassess my priorities in life. For me traveling is therapy. It is educational. It is inspirational.

-It is life.

Traveling is as much about the journey (if not more) as it is about arriving at your final destination. It is not just about getting there. As Ursula K. LeGuin says: “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

That guy I told you about who walked Europe, well his name was Gump. Forrest Gump (not the ‘real’ one – if there is such a thing – but still). Next time you’re off somewhere, keep your eyes and ears open and more importantly OPEN your mouth. Because you never know who you’ll meet and that one person might just change your life.

- And oh yeah, enjoy the ride :)

Goodbye Bosnia and Herzegovina...

The past three weeks I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina. First I was 8 days in Kljuc for a Partner Building Activity, then I spent 10 days in Mostar for a youth exchange. Both places will always have a special place in my heart.

In Kljuc there were participants from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia among others. The group bonded almost immediately. Over music. We had a musician amongst us and we would grab any free moment to sing our hearts out. "Zombie" from The Cranberries became our signature tune. Oh, and besides all the singing, we also tried to do some partner building :)

The NGO from Bosnia liked me so much that they invited me to join the youth exchange on "One Europe but Different Families" in Mostar. So, I did. I have no words to describe Mostar, but I'll give it a go. It is breathtakingly beautiful.

- I felt like I walked into a fairytale. The Old Bridge and the smaragd green river...simply magical.

The method used in this exchange was theatre and the play central to this exchange was Antigone. All week, we discussed about the differences in families in countries such as Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Montenegro and Serbia. Although I am far from an actor (heck, the thought of being on stage in front of people, scares me more than spiders do and believe me spiders scare me A WHOLE LOT) I decided to give it my all. We actually performed our final play outside. IN PUBLIC! Near the Old Bridge...The passers by looked confused. Who were all these strangely dressed people speaking in English running around, dancing, jumping, falling down and yelling all over Mostar? But, hey I had the time of my life. I forgot about all my inhibitions and just let it go...But thank god, there is no video footage of it - even though I am not ashamed of what I did, I think some things better remain unseen.

- What happened in Mostar, stays in Mostar ;)

Meet me at the Horse*

*The Horse at Trg Republike in Belgrade

- If I would get a Dinar (well, let’s make it an Euro ) each time someone’s said that to me, I’d be pretty filthy rich by now

Yeah, it’s THE meeting spot here in Belgrade. Everyone meets at the Horse and once you know where it is, you’re no longer an outsider. You can consider yourself part of the Belgrade community. I found out about the Horse during my second week in the city. I was meeting acquaintances and strangers mostly, because, well, how many real friends can you make in one week’s time?

You can imagine with the Horse being THE meeting spot, it gets kinda crowded around there. Therefore, I came up with the genius idea to add to the sentence: “Meet me at the Horse… UNDER THE CLOCK”. However, it didn’t appear to be less crowded over there, so perhaps not so genius after all. Right now I usually say: “Meet me at the Horse… AT OUR SPOT”. Now I am not going to tell you where that spot exactly is, because I don’t want others finding out and taking it

Since that second week I have been seeing and meeting the Horse regularly (let’s say about 4 times/week), so you could say that I have become pretty familiar with the place. Although most people use the place as a meeting spot and a waiting room, where they meet and move on

- I consider it much more than just a transitory space.

When I meet with people, I usually turn up early (I know there’s just some things about my character I cannot change – ‘Balkan style’ (arriving at least 15 minute late) is really just not my style) but I do it on purpose. You see, I like to sit at the square and watch all these people. Like me they are waiting, for their friends, girl/boy friends, colleagues, classmates, who knows who they are waiting for. Whether it’s day or night, there’s always people there. There’s always something going on. And that’s what I love about this place. I see the Horse as a platform. A platform where life unfolds right in front of me. Who needs TV, when they can have front seats at TR (Trg Republic)?

- It’s the best show on Earth and it’s live.

I especially love it when ’strangers’ meet one another for the first time. You can really distinguish the ones who are meeting someone they’ve not met before to those who are meeting someone they already know. The first group is walking around nervously, with their eyes fixed on the clock as well as at everyone who ‘enters the square’. When they finally meet the ones they are waiting for, it’s all joy though. I love watching those happy reunions and awkward first time meetings. Especially since I have had many of these myself.

The Horse holds a very special place in my heart. I couldn’t imagine the city without the Horse and vice versa. I will always think of it with fond memories. It is there where I met strangers. It is there where friendships started.

- It is there where my life in Belgrade began.