From Bosnia to Serbia

I woke up early and caught a ride to the bus station. It just so happened that two Aussie sisters who were staying at the same hostel as me were taking the bus to Sarajevo also. It was great having them to chat with during the longer than expected ride through Bosnia. At times the scenery from the bus was gorgious as the roads curved through dramatic gorges and grassy hillsides, but also humbling as I saw buildings with bullet holes and hotels that had been struck by missles during the most recent war. The Aussies had made reservations at a hotel in Sarajevo so I decided to follow them and see if there was also room for me. For some reason their reservation was lost and the majority of other hotels were booked. Ended up at a hotel which cost 50 euro/night. Wasn't pleased withe price but felt relieved to have a place to stay. Went out for dinner but then found a few hostels in town that were only 20 euro/night. Went back to the hotel and did my best to convincingly (I don't have a good poker face) tell the man working in the lobby that I had miraculously met a friend at dinner living in Sarajevo who invited me to stay at his place. The hotel worker was somewhat sympathetic and let me leave after paying him 10 euro. All in all not a bad deal.

The next day I saw the city with the Aussies. Sarajevo was particularly interesting because it was the first country I have been in with a significant Muslim population (about 50%). It was a little startling at first to hear the prayers over the mosques' loudspeakers but I got used to it.

This morning I woke up at 4am to shower, pack and then catch the bus to Belgrade. Arrived in Belgrade this afternoon and met up with a couple Serbians who I met through the couchsurfing website. They were incredibly nice and showed me around the city and then actually brought me back to to their apartment where one girl's mother cooked us a typical Serbian meal which was followed by Turkish coffee. Later I am meeting up with them and their friends for a night out on the town...apparently Belgrade is known for its nightlife. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers!