Mostar, was originally a last minute detour when the ferry schedule to go from Dubrovnik to Split via the islands didn’t work out. It ended up however, being one of the most memorable stops on the trip. Alex and I were kids during the war there, old enough to have a vague recolection of it occurring. We both remember reading a book in middle school about it. Along with desert storm, the war in Bosnia is the first war we remember. So it felt a bit strange to travel to a country we’ve long associated with war and instability. Turns out, the city of Mostar and its inhabitants are far from moving past the war, with many buildings in shambles and neighbors that previously shot sniper rifles at their children. Even twenty years later. It was a facinating, if not somber two days. Though you might never notice, if you just popped in and didn’t look beyond the new, rebuilt, and thriving tourist infrastructure. Continue reading
Author Archives: Jessica
Dubrovnik: Redeeming an Overcrowded City
It isn’t as if we didn’t know Dubrovnik might not be an enjoyable city. When researching Croatia we read that a lot of people disliked it. But, that’s also what we heard about Bangkok, a city we loved. Plus, it’s technically still shoulder season, so we figured why not? It’s a good thing we had two full days though, otherwise we would have left hating the city. But with a little effort avoiding the crowds generated by the cruise ships can redeem this city. It’s a shame though, it’s gorgeous here, but the mass tourism is absolutely out of control. Just google image “crowds in Dubrovnik.” It’s upsetting. Continue reading
Israel: Jerusalem + Tel Aviv
Getting from Jordan to Israel by land is in theory, a simple procedure. But with any land crossing, and particularly with one involving contested areas you never know exactly what to expect. We heard experiences ran from benign to horrendous. We resolved ourselves to spending the day getting from Madaba to Jerusalem if needed. From our hotel we shared a taxi to the border with a girl from Switzerland, Sophie, who was living in the West Bank learning Arabic. At the border we paid our departure tax and waited for the bus. This apparently could take anywhere from 20-minutes to two hours as it waited to fill. Luckily for us, it took 25 minutes. We were off towards Israel! Continue reading
Dana Nature Reserve
If you travel to Jordan, you typically spend a few nights in the desert of Wadi Rum at a Bedouin camp. Its one of the things here “not to miss.” So, we missed it. As it goes. But we had good reason! We’d desert camped in the Sahara, and judging by recent temperatures here neither of us were particularly interested in spending the day in triple digit heat in sand dunes. So instead, we headed north to Feynan Ecolodge (Truffle Pig recommended) where it was still hot, but at least had proper rooms and cold water. This time we drove the desert highway, which in the south is incredibly boring. If you can imagine something far worse than I-5 from SF to LA, then you have this highway, hot, flat shrub forever. Luckily, the drive was in no way a reflection of how we’d spend the next few days. Continue reading
Colliding With The Earth 