Balkans Experience - finale

12^th december

After breakfast, we leave for our final destination in Bosnia which is Bihac.

But we stop at Plava Voda Starri Grad. There is a school, which they call madrasa here.

For Bosnian students and its syllabus content is basically the same as ours. We go up a hill to a fortress and the view from there is spectacular.

All the houses on the hills and so remote just make me feel like staying there for good.

Sembang je la, kann hahaa

After lunch and solat we continue our journey.

It is raining by the time we reach Bihac at 5.30 pm. Dinner is at seven. Since it is our final day in Bosnia, chill with a mug of nestum watching movie till late at nite.

13^th december

After the usual, we leave for Crotia. The border is just 20 minutes away. We cross it and go to Lake Plitvic.

It is freezing cold outside. And light snow appears when we walk around the magnificent lake. Mother’s nature is so amazingly beautiful. The waterfall, the water in the lake, the hills, the serenity of the park.

They are simply beyond words. We even get to ride in a boat across the lake.

By 12, we head to a restaurant for lunch. While waiting for our meal to be served, snow falls from heaven. Alhamdulillah as it fulfills our wishes to experience snow fall. 

By 4.30, we reach Zagreb. Since it is still early, we do some shopping. And then it is the usual: dinner and boom boom time.

14^th december

Today is our last day in Balkan. A mix of emotions I must say.  A part of me says ‘stay here in Balkan, especially so Bosnia’ but another part of me long to go back to Malaysia: for the weather, the food, and most of all, for our loved ones. At 9 we go to Zagreb. It is a city infused with modern buildings and old ones.

But one thing that stands out is most buildings are simply not finished, in the sense that the wall would have patches where it is uneven and broken, here and there.

Like other town in the Balkans, I fall in love straight away with Zagreb haha

The old buildings, the beautiful people, affect my reasoning for this. After a guided tour, we are free to roam the place. We go to a part of town where it feels like being in a pasar pagi, the ones that we normally frequent in kampungs back in Malaysia. The people sell everything. The old market is colorful with all the flowers, vegetables and fruits sold there. 

My wife and I buy a cotton knitted sweater each. Konon2nya standby for next year trip la hehe

Then we buy the usuals: magnets, keychains and tshirts. For lunch, we are served mediterranean lunch at Leonardo, located at one of the narrow streets in Zagreb.

I enjoy it very much: pita bread, bowls of creamy soup, omelette filled with vege and lastly the unforgettable ice-cream dessert. Then my wife and I climb up a hill looking for St Mark Church.

At 330, we leave the city and head for the Islamic Center. After prayer, it’s time to leave. We say farewell to miko the bus driver, and Muhammad, the Bosnian tour guide.

After checking in our luggage, I treat myself to a cup of cappuccino and some light snack while waiting for the flight to Istanbul.

The flight is delayed and because of that once we reach Istanbul, the airline officers quickly usher us into the next aircraft. Adoyai, tak sempat langsung nak melunjur @ stretch the limbs.

15^th december

It is already past midnite. In the bus heading to the aircraft, chat with nurul izzah anwar, who is on her way home from Berlin. In the plane, we are served food. Again. Hentam saje la labu! Well, I enjoy the pudding dessert very much, sambil2 layan movie.

I try to sleep, but since this is the economy class, I manage maybe a couple of hours je. So here I am writing down my journal of this Balkans experience.

My time in Balkan is priceless: the moments, the memories, the people, the beautiful landscapes and views, the weather, the food, will all be cherished forever. Some things are not meant to be described, because, they simply can’t. they are to be embraced, felt, soaked in, captured, immortalized, captivated, by the heart and mind. And with that I thank God for this enthralling moments. Alhamdulillah

Balkans Experience - 3

9^th december

At 8 am after breakfast we leave under the rain, heading to Mostar and Blagaj. On the way we stop at Kravica waterfall. So picturesque. By noon we have lunch at Labirint restaurant by the river. Soon after that we reach Mostar. Just like Kotor, Mostar is another medieval town, famous for its bridge. 

I perform my prayer at one of the many rustic mosques there. The water is so cold that I tremble while having my ablution.

I buy a Bosnian lamp to hang it in front of our main door at home and a few t-shirts for the children. Since the drizzle comes and goes, we stop at a café for Bosnian coffee. The portion of the coffee is so little hahaa just a few gulps would finish the whole cup. The price? 1.60 euro!! Layan.. by three pm we head for Blagaj Hotel which is just a few kilometres away. Oh before I forget, there are many beggars around Mostar and one of them is Fatima, a cute little girl.

She follows me around and begs me for money until I give in to her and present her with a few Bosnian dollar. If only I could bring Fatima home with me. Knnn..

At Blagaj Hotel, since it is located beside a river, trout freshly caught is served for dinner. Everyone gets a whole fish each. Luckily the sambal kicap provided by zai comes to the rescue to make our dinner bearable. We eat a slice of red velvet cake as dessert there.  At 10pm, I doze off.

10^th december

After breakfast, we walk to the nearby dervish lodge by the Buna river. 

I wish I could stay here for a few days to perform the suluk and khalwat. How I wish. Perhaps next time, in my private visit. Really!! Hahaa this lodge is frequented by dervish from all over Bosnia and some even come from other countries. There are two maqams inside the lodge and I am told by the caretaker, Ramiza, they are the graves of the two sheikhs who came here a couple of hundred years ago to open this lodge.

Now it is time for Sarajevo! Somebody mentions that snow fell the previous day in Sarajevo. I really hope we can experience it too. But before that we stop for lunch at a restaurant serving grilled mutton.

The restaurant is so cool because it is situated beside a beautiful river that is hugged by two mountains. Then we continue to Sarajevo and all along the road and hills and homes and vehicles, snow covers everything!! So white, so soft, so much!! Just like in the movie Narnia! Miko the bus driver stops the vehicle to let us feel the snow firsthand. It is my first time hahaa and I can’t help feeling like a jakun : ) I sit in the snow, throw it to my better half, until my hands can’t stand it anymore. Later at the outskirt of Sarajevo we stop at Vrelo Bosne, a park, which at this time of year is covered with snow and only snow.

So unreal!! The snow is so thick but we drag ourselves through it all so as to absorb the sensation. The surrounding is so white that the pictures we take look bluish. Ya Allah, I am so grateful for giving this opportunity to me and my wife because I do not know whether I can experience this again in the future. Sarajevo is not expecting any snow in the few days to come so this moment will live forever in my mind.

At 5 pm, we check into Hollywood Hotel, a grand place. It’s a big hotel. 

And for dinner, we are spoilt for choices coz there are too many dishes served in a buffet style. After dinner, I just chilled in my room. And the game between Man U and Man City is shown live. And Man U lose at home 1-2, after playing like a bunch of sissy!! Actually I want to ramble more about this game but I am afraid that I may be harsh with my criticism. Maybe some other time. Maybe. After the game ends, I have a drink with my missus and then it’s time for bed.

11^th december

My fever is getting worse. I felt it coming in Blagaj. But life has to go on, kann. So at 9 after breakfast, under the drizzle, leave for the war tunnel @ war museum. We have a first-hand experience on the remainings of the Balkan war of 1992. Then we go to the old town of Sarajevo. We walk in the drizzle and it is so damn cold. For two hour swe are free to do as we please. My wife and I buy t-shirts for the children (again!) and mementos (as usual!). then we treat ourselves to Bosnian chevab @ kebab and coffee at a local café. For 11 kuna, we get tila doner and a cup of coffee each. The portion of the chevab is so huge, I tell you. Before going back to the hotel my wife buys herself a ring (140 kuna).

After lunch we go to the nearby shopping complex to buy chocolate for back home. Hope they will turn out to be tasty. We go to Waikiki and I can’t resist the temptation to buy two shirts (untuk ngajo, okey!!). back at the hotel, after bath and dinner, get into bed early with the hope that my fever will disappear come tomorrow morning.

Dunya-

Dunya-

Lepaskan segala

Dan

Layankan saja

Let it go

And

Enjoy d show

Guala!

Malaysian politicians @ goonies

What is a politician priority?
Politicise every single thing?
Or help d rakyat overcome their problem?
Personally i am so fed up with d malaysian politicians, be it from d government or d opposition.
Everyday without fail, since the pru 14, either one of them will stir up an issue, prolong n provoke matters, n blame everyone else except themselves.
They, d politicians, r so selfish n materialistic n arrogant n vain,  n some r even envious of each other.
Can we, d masses, have a day free from politicised matters?
Some idiots r even behaving like spoilt children n to make matter worse, mocking n insulting others as if they know everything.
For one, can't d politicians sit down n think why they were chosen in d first place?
Serve d people la, not behaving like goonies.
Assholes!!

Be good!

Be good!!

For Goodness sake-

-nkc-