I'm considering a 6 month contract in Sarejevo (my other
possiblity is Capetown, South Africa -- lots of information
available on that!). But Bosnia-Herzagovina hasn't exactly
been a hot travelling destination of late. But I'm
intrigued.
I'm looking for advice -- cost of living, good
neighbourhoods to live in, what to avoid at all costs etc.
I'm not going to be making oodles of money, but I'm assured
I can survive on it. Ideas of where to travel to on
weekends etc. would also be welcomed. Anyone been there
recently?
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STAY AWAY ,FROM THERE CAN NOT ADVISE ANYMORE
Have you done any basic internet research yet? Sarajevo is
fine, but you can't/shouldn't travel into the Republica
Srbska (which surrounds the capital.) I don't know the
current conditions, but when the bombing started the state
dept. warned the U.S. citizens registered there that they
would NOT be responsible for anyone entering the R. S., and
I assume that that still stands. (If you don't know about
the Republica Srpska, do some research. Student groups have
sites you can access by searching on Banja Luka, for
example.)
What kind of contract is this? For what kind of firm?
If they are good they should have answers for you, if not it
may not be a good idea to go. You want to be sure that you
will have a support/information network and people that can
realistically guide you. The company should not be bringing
an expat from (where are you from?) without providing
orientation and training. It is not a place to go to
unprepared, but if you are there's no particular reason not
to go if you are realistic about it. (I move to Croatia
soon--I have a teaching fellowship. However, I've been
working with Bosnian refugees for 2 years so have
connections & know more or less what I'm getting into.)
Make an informed decision, not a quick one. Due to
recent events it has a lot of cachet as a destination,
but that doesn't make for a good reason to go. You
definately should read some history on the region, as well
as about the last war. Depending on your nationality you
may well be fine, but the reality is that the airport may
close, and Sarajevo isn't right by any independant country
that would be handy to flee to. In the Bosnian war there
were not just executions, but also torture, concentration
camps, rape camps, and psychological torture (such as having
to choose between raping or beating a family member and
being killed.) You would be going to a recent war zone and
should be aware of what that means. If you should become a
prisoner of war, do you want your family & friends to have
to see you on TV? Are they OK with you going? Probably all
would be well, but if they don't want you to go you need to
think about whether its right to put them through the
possible ordeal of having you go missing (or, again, end up
on TV.) I'm not saying that anything bad is going to
happen, or that Sarajevo will become unstable, just that you
should make an informed, purposeful decision. It's not like
moving to Paris for 6 months.
In terms of places to visit, the Adriatic coast of
Croatia is beautiful. One other word of pragmatic advice,
though--it's relatively cheap to fly to Europe, but are you
really likely to go to Africa if someone else isn't paying?
I would have gone to Africa if I had been accepted, for
just that reason.
Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the
world ... I know where I would go if I had the choice!
Wow...Cannot say that I agree with all of the information
you have been given thus far. You should read up on the
area. I recommend, "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation" by Laura
Silber and Allan Little (best account of the lead up and
the war in Bosnia); another good one is "The Fall of
Yugoslavia" by Misha Glenny (there are many other good
books out there, which you give you a feel for what
happened in Bosnia-Herzegovina). I lived and worked in
Bosnia shortly after the war, living just outside of
Sarajevo. Since you are considering and have been offered a
position there, I am going to assume that you have some
inclination of what working there would involve. Sure there
are some hardships, but things continue to improve (I
returned to the US last year, but have many friends still
working there with whom I am in contact). Sarajevo and
Bosnia are amazing places. Unfortunately, they have seen
some horrible things, but it is still a beautiful country,
for the people if not the surroundings. If you have contact
with the locals living there, you will quickly find this. I
don't regret having worked in Sarajevo, and I would go back
in a second. It is a very special place. The costs of
living there will depend upon you a great deal. Type of
apartment/house you require, do you go out for beers every
night, will you cook or eat out. It can be very inexpensive
(while I lived there, the average Bosnian was earning 150
DM/month). Or, it can be almost as expensive as living in
Germany. Foreigners live all over the city. I lived in a
'suburb' called Ilidza and there were many other foreigners
(and locals) living there as well (it is the last stop on
the tram line). The Republika Srpska (RS) is a bit more
unstable, than the Bosnian Croat Federation, but if your
work required you to go, or you had the opportunity to go
with people who frequent the area, I would not be too
concerned. Just be aware of the current situation in the
RS, and know whether there have been problems or not.
I don't think you need to be worried about being taken
hostage, unless your work is taking you into dangerous
situations.
Good weekend visits include: Mostar (three hours south of
Sarajevo); Travnik (north of Sarajevo); Dubrovnik, Croatia
(6 hours south of Sarajevo); Split, Croatia; Hvar (island
off the coast of Croatia); Korcula (island off the coast of
Croatia). Hope this helps some.
Meow Machka!
I was in Sarajevo in February this year for the first time
after the war and my I had a great time there. The people
were friendly, nightlife is cool, food is great and cheap
(actually, everything except accomodation is cheap or at
least moderate)... What else do you want?
Though almost 4 years have passed since the end of the
civil war, there are still countless traces of war.
Nevertheless, the city deserves a visit! If I has to choose
between Sarajevo and Capetown, I wouldn't hesitate.
The suburb of Ilidza is not very recomended place to live
anymore since many of refugees from Kosovo and Sandzak are
living there now. When I asked my Bosnian friends about
which part of Sarajevo is the worst place to live, they
named Ilidza (and Ciglane as the best).
I agree with Matt about places to go over the weekend.
Perhaps he forgot very beautifull wood-covered island of
Mljet (near Dubrovnik), and Split town, with beautifull
Roman ruins, which is connected to Sarajevo with a daily
bus.
I was in Sarajevo in February this year for the first time
after the war and my I had a great time there. The people
were friendly, nightlife is cool, food is great and cheap
(actually, everything except accomodation is cheap or at
least moderate)... What else do you want?
Though almost 4 years have passed since the end of the
civil war, there are still countless traces of war.
Nevertheless, the city deserves a visit! If I has to choose
between Sarajevo and Capetown, I wouldn't hesitate.
The suburb of Ilidza is not very recomended place to live
anymore since many of refugees from Kosovo and Sandzak are
living there now. When I asked my Bosnian friends about
which part of Sarajevo is the worst place to live, they
named Ilidza (and Ciglane as the best).
I agree with Matt about places to go over the weekend.
Perhaps he forgot very beautifull wood-covered island of
Mljet (near Dubrovnik), and Split town, with beautifull
Roman ruins, which is connected to Sarajevo with a daily
bus.
I received an email asking me some questions about
Sarajevo/Bosnia, and thought that I would post my response
to share with others.
I wish that I were heading on such a trip myself. I have
traveled around eastern Europe several times, but can never
get enough.
>although given that the war finished three years ago in
Bosnia, >wouldn't things be relatively stable there already?
Yes, things were pretty stable in the Republika Srpska (RS).
The problems for a couple years were when Muslim Returnees
were trying to visit their homes and local Serbs would cause
problems. Until the war in Yugoslavia/Kosovo began, things
had improved a great deal. After the recent crisis began,
there had been several attacks on UNHCR and OSCE vehicles (a
few 'small' bombings, but I don't think that anyone was
really hurt). I just think that the situation became a bit
more tense. Where were you wanting to go in the RS? Banja
Luka? I cannot say that there is a lot to see there. I did
travel by bus several times between Sarajevo and Belgrade,
and that I did find interesting, just because I have read so
much about the Bosnian conflict, and the journey took me
through many notable cities (notable for the deaths of many
Muslims). Obviously, given the current situation, this is
not a trip that you would do now.
When traveling between Zagreb and Sarajevo by bus, you do
travel through a sliver of the RS, but you would never know
it, as there are not any checkpoints or anything.
Another potential problem of traveling in the RS, or
anywhere "off-the-beaten" path in Bosnia is accomodations.
There are not many 'tourists' getting to these areas, and
many towns having suffered a great deal of destruction, and
still dealing with refugees, either do not have
motels/hotels/hostels, or they are filled with refugees
living there.
These are just some things to keep in mind, not to dissuade
you from going to these places. I did have places to stay
when I went to the RS.
I did take a trip on my own and ran into some small
problems. It is a very long, and somewhat amusing story
involving NATO tanks, UN policeman, blackmarket dealers on
the border between the RS and Bosnian-Croat Federation,
myself, a lot of beer, my sleeping on the floor of a hotel
filled with refugees (in the RS), and my eventually being
denied entrance to Yugoslavia (I had received some
misinformation concerning my visa...). But, I must say that
the trip as a whole (it took me to a bunch of small cities
in the RS/Bosnia, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Belgrad, Pristina,
Skopje, and Ohrid), was one of the best times I have ever
had.
But I digress, back to your questions.
>Otherwise, is Bosnia particularly expensive for foreigners
'just >passing through' ? (going from Zagreb to Sarajevo,
then >Sarajevo to Split ?).
No, Sarajevo, and Bosnia are not particularly expensive for
foreigners. The buses are relatively cheap. Food, not that
expensive, but really depends upon yourself. A VERY nice
dinner out in Sarajevo will run you 15DM (about $9), plus
10DM ($6) for a decent bottle of Croatian wine (my favorite
being Dingac, pernounced 'dingach'). For a pizza and beer,
about 10DM ($6). There are two discos in Sarajevo, the
Labrynt (5DM) to get in, and the Senator (10DM). Your
biggest expense will be the hotel/pension. I am assuming
you ahve the latest LP. That gives you some good
information on how to find places to stay. Unfortunately,
there is not a hostel in Sarajevo (if I find out different,
I'll let you know. I know someone who might be changing the
situation). If I had the money, I'd open one... So, I think
that LP says that it costs about 40DM for a pension, or
something like that.
Be sure to buy tickets if you decide to use the tram in
Sarajevo (you buy them at the magazine/cigarette kiosks).
The sporadic collectors will single foreigners out. The
fine is 10DM.
Zagreb is also a fantastic city. Make comparisons between
the Austro-Hungarian dominated Zagreb and the Ottoman ruled
Sarajevo. There is a decent hostel in Zagreb. Split is
good,have you also read up on Dubrovnik - a beautiful,
beautiful city. If you are heading to all of these areas
soon, I think that you will have the fortune of not having
to deal with many tourists. Albeit for no reason
whatsoever, the war in Kosovo/Yugoslavia, has scared
everyone away. You should get some very nice treatment. If
you visit any smaller towns in Croatia, don't be surprised
if some mother trys to set you up with her daughter (it
happened to me twice). Not that this is a bad thing, as
Croatian women are beautiful (no kidding, you will see this
very quickly in Zagreb).
Hope this helps some. If you have read up on the conflict
in Bosnia, and know something about Sarajevo, I think that,
like myself, you will find it to be a very special place.
Definitely take time to soak up the atmosphere. Maybe meet
some locals - they are very friendly. Don't bring up the
war, let them do so if they want to. They often do, but
it's best to let them do it on their own terms. If you take
pictures of any of the destroyed buildings left over from
the war, try to do so discretely.
Have a great trip, and if you have any other questions, feel
free. Unfortunately, I am not headed to Australia or
Vietnam in the immediate future, although I might visit some
friends in Bangkok next year.
cheers,
Matt