As I huffed and puffed up that killer hill to my hostel (dang, I really need to get back in shape), Muslim prayers from the mosques echoed around Sarajevo. It brought me right back to my childhood/teens in Malaysia where I would wake up such sounds at 6.00am to get ready for school. My knowledge of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of fragmented memories from news broadcasts, of people running helter-skelter for their lives as the kerrump of shells and the clattering of bullets punctuated the air in the Bosnian War.
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| Headstones as far as the eyes can see. Date of deaths are between 1992 - 1995. There are tons of cemeteries like this one in Sarajevo. |
I remember that day very clearly. Everywhere, there were pieces of papers on fire flying around. The sky was black. How could it not be? 5 million books all burnt.
- Mustafa, our tour guide relating to us the day the bomb hit the national library -
What did I know about war and death back then? While I was busy sitting in front of the TV watching Captain Planet kick major butt to "Save the Planet", children of the same age were living their lives in terror on the other side of the world, wondering whether they would be able to live and see another day. Kinda ironic, if you ask me.
To see buildings with empty windows gaping like skeletal eye sockets, and lots still carrying the scars and bullet holes from years passed, I can only imagine the terror and devastation of the people during that awful time. How ignorant and naive a life I have lived; but how blessed. What an eye-opening experience.
Sarajevo will remain one of the most fascinating cities I have visited. It helped that they served great Turkish coffee in cute little copper mugs. Definitely gave new meaning to coffee "Oomph".
Turkish coffee rocks my socks
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