It is a colourful combination of West and East, effortlessly mixing modern sleek shopping malls in Mostar with rich culture and history in Sarajevo. For an inexplicable reason, we feel nervous approaching the border. Are we sure our passports are valid? Such spurious questions keep popping into my head, which are rather comical considering I triple checked them this morning.
The physical borders impose a sense of formality. Our concerns at the border are gratefully unfounded. The border official politely greets us and asks for our passports and vehicle documentation V5 , thoroughly checking them over before glancing at us through his window and kerchunk! Marcus and I look at each other and audibly exhale sighs of relief, finally daring to smile as we search for a cashpoint. Our online research suggested it is a cash country, so we require Bosnian Marks to enable us to buy lunch and drinks which we all so desperately need.
I can confirm that cash is the predominant method of accepted payment, aside from in major supermarkets like Bingo our favourite European supermarket for its variety of quality food at affordable prices and McDonalds. Some campsites quote Euros, and accept both Euros and local currency.
Sure enough we spot it and pull over. Bosnia was one of the countries we were particularly excited about exploring on the Big European Odyssey as it seemed off the beaten path, our only knowledge of it stemming from a fuzzy memory of the war we saw in the news when we were children. Sitting in a restaurant ordering cevapi and Bosnian coffee, watching the children play in the soft play area, I marvel at how easy things seem to be. The waiter chats happily in English, and his friendly smile is the first of many we receive in this country of azure lakes, churches and mosques.
The facilities are clean and basic, with a restaurant overlooking the wonderful view of the river. We enjoy a pitch right on the bank, enabling us to marvel at the vista every morning over coffee and every evening when we sit outside for dinner. There are viewing platforms at strategic points along the wooden boardwalk, from where the best shots of the waterfalls can be captured, as well as witnessing extreme white water rafters going over the top of the 25m precipice, followed by excited screams from the rafters and gasps of delight from spectators.
