Kotor & Budva, Montenegro - 23 July 2007

I joined a small (and cheaper than usual) tour to visit Montenegro while I was in Dubrovnik and got my money's worth - it's not what you think as the lesson there was clearly "you got what you paid for". There were about 10-11 of us on the tour but guess what our ride was? A mini van. It was a good thing that the driver picked me up last which meant that I got the first seat next to the sliding door. I felt sorry for the people who had to sit in the back row as it did not seem very spacious back there.

On the 1-hr drive south to Montenegro, we realized that the van's air-conditioning system was down. The fanning system worked but it was circulating HOT air only. The van's windows could not even be wound down and there were only a few small gaps that allowed some outside air to flow in on each side of the van. It was torturous inside the 40+ degree celsius van. I tried to calm myself down and to stay cool by not moving much from my seat, and by focusing my thoughts outside. Still, I literally saw sweat droplets forming from the top of my hands and arms and my face was dripping wet with perspiration. I was essentially in a moving sauna - it was SO bad that it became a funny situation for me. The guide, Vladimir, might be multi-lingual but he was bad at his job. He was disorganized and impersonable. All in, we had a recipe for a distressing tour.

Montenegro was unique. Newly independent from Serbia in 2006, Montenegro's main attractions were mostly populated on the Adriatic coast where luxury resort hotels and condominiums were developed, typically in Budva. Seafarers would also fancy a sail on the beautiful Bay of Kotor. The old town of Kotor was interesting with historic architecture and culture that were unique to the major Balkan ethnicities of Montenegrin, Albanians, Muslims, Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks. A great number of Russians holiday in Montenegro as well and many of them have been investing in coastal properties there with their new-found 'commodity-based' wealth. Can Montenegrins completely shake off their communist past? Only time will tell.

Bay of Kotor Pictures:

Above: Our Lady of the Rocks - a man-made island




Above right: Vladimir

Kotor Pictures:

Above: Kotor Old Town

Budva Pictures:

Above right: Budva Old Town

Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina - 21 July 2007

Above right: The Queen of Peace monument on the Apparition Hill was donated by S. Korean pilgrims

"Believe. Faith will give you strength in life's trials and is the only joy and happiness in life." - a recent message from Mary through one of the six (now grown up) children who had seen visions of the Queen of Peace on June 24, 1981 up on a hill in Medjugorje.

Medjugorje has been turned into a shrine for pilgrims around the world since the Virgin apparitions appeared 26 years ago. A visit to this tiny town, located near the border of Croatia, in western Bosnia-Herzegovina was a must for me while I was in Dubrovnik. A few fellow pilgrims and I boarded the bus from Dubrovnik at 9 AM and arrived in Medjugorje at 11 AM. We were met by a local guide, Anita, who took us to the base of the Apparition hill where she briefed us on the sightings that occurred 26 years ago.

What I liked about Anita was that she was unassuming, happy and always smiling. There was a genuine peace and joy in her. She told us that she did not know where we came from or what personal griefs we bore but she knew that we were there because Mother Mary invited each and everyone of us. That was an "awww" moment.

All the debate on the apparitions aside, I have to say my own experience on the hill was a special one. Whatever I smelled and felt, it was real and it was good. A teenage girl from our group came unprepared for the rocky hike up wearing a pair of flip-flops instead of shoes. Her slippers broke midway through her climb (in 40 degrees celsius heat under the 12 o'clock sun). She took off her broken flip-flops and proceeded to climb bare feet - mind you in sharp rocks and extreme heat. We were so proud of her conviction, and in a way, she being at the same age as the 6 Croatian children who saw the visions only made her experience uncanny.

After the hike to the top of the hill where the Queen of Peace appeared, we spent a moment each to say our prayers and petitions. We then hiked down quickly to attend the 1 PM Mass at St. James church in the town centrum. It was standing room only by the time we entered the church. With the Mass in Croatian, all I did was stood and watched until the part of the Peace blessings when everyone around me turned and said their "Peace-be-with-you" blessings to me in Croatian. I wished them back in English. The exchanges were simply warm and loving. Strangers wishing one another well and peace despite the language barrier and more - a graceful moment that I would never forget.

Above: Crossing the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina territory

Above: "Croatian California" - the fertile valley where a variety of crops were grown

Photos of Medjugorje and my hike up the Apparition Hill:

Above left: View of Medjugorje from the Apparition Hill

Above: St. James church

Dubrovnik, Croatia - 18-26 July 2007

Above left: View of Old Town Dubrovnik; Above right: View of New Town Dubrovnik

Ahh, sunny Dubrovnik was truly special - I had one of my best summer vacations there, if not the best, yet. The locals were warm, friendly, patient, laid-back, strong and hard-working. Although there were the occasional crowds of (sometimes boisterous) tourists from the cruise ships that arrived in the morning and docked out in the afternoon, the town had not sold-out to over-commercialism/tourism and managed to retain her Mediterranean charm.

I based myself in Old Town Dubrovnik for a week at the private residence of Katarina, a Bosnian-born Croatian. She 'picked' me from the bus stop - literally. She was one of a few home owners who waited at the bus station looking for tourists to rent rooms to. It was a win-win for her and me. She showed me her room. I liked it. We talked price and I paid her. It was a fair and easy transaction - no middle person (like the tour agencies or the like) involved.

Above left: Katarina; Above right: Home-made Bosnian pita (by Katarina)

In between sights, I worked as well. Carrying my laptop and research notes with me to cafés or the old harbor, I read and wrote my research paper, occasionally taking breather breaks to people-watch. Although difficult at first, I adjusted to having no internet connection for the entire week. I was detached from the rest of the world but on the flip side, I could focus on the here and now in the splendid Croatian Riviera. I felt like an author working on her next big novel, from an exotic city for inspiration. Life should always be this fine.

Old Town Dubrovnik was beautiful with rich historic architectures that were influenced by Venice and Vienna - both had once besieged and ruled the city; even Hitler himself deemed the city too beautiful to be bombed and destroyed. Today, Old Town Dubrovnik is an epicenter of gastronomic (with a stress on Italian cuisine) and shopping experience.

Above left: @ the Pile Gate (an entry way into Old Town Dubrovnik); Above right: Sweet nectarines were my staple diet there :)

Above right: On the Old Town city wall

Above left: Placa Stradun; Above right: Big Onofrio's Fountain - Croatian water so clear, clean and natural, you could drink it right out of the taps

Above left: Franciscan Monastery entrance; Above right: A Franciscan Monastery cloister

Above left: St. Blaise Church in the foreground; Above right: Orlando's Column

Above left: Gundulic's Square

Above left: A rare sight of a vacant street in the morning (it was usually busy with pedestrians in the day/evening)

Above: Sunset on the Croatian Adriatic