Sarajevo

Im so tired this afternoon I am going to blog, eat and go back to bed and then get up in the evening to have some night life.  I might catch up with the Japanese guy I met in Mostar if he gets back to my facebook message.

Today I got up early again and walked and walked and had Turkish coffee in a tiny little place.  Its so old World Turkish here in the Old City.  Its more old fashioned than istanbul.  Really old school.  With my coffee came a piece of Turkish delight and it was all cooked in a beautiful samovar.

I got chatting to a Slovakian Anthropologist who is doing research here.  We had an interesting chat and he told me many things that I would never have found out from a local.  he says that life here is stuck in a  Stalemate.  Nothing can move on because no politician is willing to alter their views.

I did the war tour this morning.  It was awful and interesting. I especially liked the Bosnian view of the UN which they called the United Nothing.  I saw the bags of survival packs sent by the UN, it included tiny tabasco sauce and  massive bags of apple sauce along with bubblegum.

I heard about how the Serbian forces coordinated themselves  catching the Sarajevoans unaware and laying siege to the city without any warning. How people were just snipered at random down the roads collecting water from the only safe well available for 4 years. There was no water, electricity or fresh food.  But the cigarette factory still operated and so did the theatre!!
One person would be shot in the leg, people would come to help and then the whole crowd would be killed. the aim of the Greater Serbian plan was to completely destroy the multi cultural heritage of this great cosmopolitan city.  Kill its beating heart. 300 mortars were fired from above nearly every day. 11.541 civilians in the city were killed. The toughest and most harrowing siege in modern history did not destroy the Bosnian people.  They just are still angry that the UN wouldnt arm them legally against their aggressors and all weapons had to be smuggled in. I even heard today that Russian soldiers paid the Serbs to come on killing frenzy training holidays...here was a training camp for the Russian  army.  A real life shoot them up computer game. Also you can see the frustration at the total  incompetence of the governments now.

I saw the tunnel of life, the 800metre tunnel which was used for food parcels and for getting critically injured people out of Sarajevo. I chatted to an illegal gun smuggler. I picked up one of the 30kg packs that even women would have to carry through the man made tunnel underneath the airport. Ive seen the remains in the solid ground of mortar bombs and pictures of the amazing woman who gave water to each soldier as they reserfaced, exhausted from the tunnel. (walking 800m with their packs through the tunnel took over 2 hours per person.)

Right thats it. The War is over for me!!    Im off back to the hotel for a rest, sleep and more food.   The food here is totally amazing and then this evening Im going to stroll about with the locals.  Ive heard that its 100 percent safe here for a single woman to walk around in the centre of the city at night so I a going to take advantage of this. Bye.