Touching Stories at the Border Crossing to Sarajevo

The drive from Belgrade, Serbia to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina took around five hours. We drove west on Highway E-70, south on Route 20, then southwest on Routes 136 and and 26, all mountain roads, until we were driving side by side the Drina River to the Karakaj Border.

Our Tour Director said that the Drina is the largest tributary of the Sava River and forms a large portion of the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At that moment, we were on the Serbian side, but the fields and mountains we were looking at on the other side of the river was Bosnia and Herzegovina. The border gate is on the other side of the river and once we cross, we’d say goodbye to Serbia.

While waiting in line at the border, our Tour Director gave the bus floor to us. We were each asked to go in front, grab the microphone, and say a few things about ourselves and why we chose to go on this trip. I got an enthusiastic cheer from the youngsters when I told them that I was on a “mommy me-time” trip and that I left my husband and son at home for a few days to take a break from my wifely and motherly duties. They all said, “You go, girl!” and “What a brilliant idea! I’d totally do this when I get married and have kids!”

Among all the introductions, what struck me the most were the very personal sharing of a couple of travel mates. The young lady from Iceland said that she was diagnosed with an illness that she had been battling on-and-off, and that she had decided to quit her job and travel the world instead. “Now is a good time to do all the things that I have always wanted to do, and see things I have always wanted to see.” What a brave soul!

The Vietnamese Canadian couple told us that they were among the boat people who fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in the 1970s and got rescued from the sea. They went through a lot before ending up in Canada. Their individual stories, which they shared with me in detail while we were walking the streets of Sarajevo, could be a compelling drama series. Their escape from Vietnam was such a harrowing experience and that time, they did not think they would survive. The wife told me she spent some years as a refugee in Manila, where she took a bookkeeping course and worked briefly at an accounting firm (and where she met her husband), before finally travelling to Canada.

Their Canadian start-up wasn’t so easy either. They literally built their life from scratch, working day and night to earn, save, and support their family of four children. When they finally managed to get a better life by way of a convenience store business, the wife got sick with a rare form of arthritis that rendered her half-paralyzed for two years and required specialized medication and extensive therapy.

Now that she can move again, she and her husband decided to retire from working, sell their business, and travel the world together while they still can. At that time, they counted Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 87th country they’ve visited so far, and after our Balkan tour, they were heading to Greece and Turkey before going home to Canada. The wife said to me, “One never knows what can happen in life. Look at me, I got very sick at a relatively young age, so do not wait until your retirement to live and enjoy your life. Do it now.” 

The husband added that it was only when his wife got sick that he realized they had been working non-stop since the day they got off the boat – seven days a week, almost 18 hours a day, and never taking vacations. “You don’t live to work. You work to live. Recognize what’s important in life before it’s too late,” he said.

I felt so privileged to hear their tales, learn from their experiences, and listen to the advice they shared from what they’ve lived through.

There were light-hearted and funny stories as well from the other travelers, ranging from “running away from a clingy girlfriend” to “living my Game of Thrones fantasies.” (We were visiting Croatia on this trip as well.)

After our time in Serbia, a few comfort breaks along the way, and this classroom-style introduction which turned out to be hilarious in general, I could sense that our tour group was beginning to bond very well. And as we crossed the border, our Tour Director pointed out that we could be his luckiest group, so far, because it had taken us the shortest time for both border crossings – less than 30 minutes each for the Bulgaria to Serbia border, and now, the Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina border.

And with the border check over with, we enjoyed the long, scenic drive up ahead. The first part was driving along the banks of the Drina which shimmered under the sun in shades of turquoise and aquamarine. It is said to be one of the most beautiful rivers in Europe and I couldn’t agree more. Originating from the mountains of Montenegro, it cuts through almost the entire Dinaric Mountain system, carving many gorges on its course.

During our entire drive, we were surrounded by emerald green mountains lush with vegetation, gorgeous canyons, and crisp mountain air. It reminded me a little bit of my previous long drive from North Vancouver to Calgary, cutting through several lakes, mountains, and national parks in the Rockies. My husband would have loved this. From the window of our bus, one could see the geological layers on the cliffs and rock formations up close.

The sheer beauty and magnificence of what we were seeing prompted even the queasiest passenger to skip napping and just soak in the view and the picturesque mountainous landscape with the little quaint villages on the canyon lands peeking from the rich foliage brought all of us to a reverent feeling of awe.

The mountains gave way to low, rolling hills, and then verdant green plateaus where pastoral scenes welcomed us. Isolated cottages with farmlands and grazing animals dot the landscape. Looking at this scene just granted me that sense of peace.

I could tell we were approaching Sarajevo as we started seeing more houses and buildings – residential homes, small businesses, apartment complexes, and hostels. Our Tour Director pointed out that among the Balkan countries, Bosnia was the least developed because it was the most ravaged by war. He asked for our patience because though we’d be staying at a nice hotel, not all the amenities might be on par with our standards or expectations.

I saw what he meant because all around town, the evidence of struggle and strife was everywhere – dilapidated buildings, walls ridden with bullet holes, warning signs indicating the presence of land mines, and the hardship that you can just sense.