Thursday, December 29, 2005

Austria

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videoblog (low res - high res)

I was able to take off one full workweek and two weekends over the Christmas holidays and visit my childhood friend Igor, his wife Mateja and one year old son Luka. Since it was little difficult to find a good connecting flight to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, I’ve booked a flight to Vienna, Austria. Igor offered to pick me up in Vienna so I booked my ticket without much hesitation.

videoblog (low res - high res)

The flight was quite comfortable. For some reason I always get excited about the in-flight movie program and must admit that Austrian Airlines have excellent in-flight service, food and entertainment. I watched couple of movies and as I was about to start reading the Da Vinci Code when the captain announced landing. I was very excited to meet up with my Slovenian friends.


videoblog (low res - high res)

Washington - Vienna flight gets in very early, around 8am. Since I had no additional bags to wait for, I quickly cleared the Austrian Immigration. As soon as I walked out to the arrival section, it felt like I walked into whole new world. Well, this world comes with “all-inclusive” clouds of tobacco smoke with a taste of heavy roasted espresso coffee.

videoblog (low res - high res)

Luka, Mateja and Igor were already on the airport waiting for me. Despite the cold and rainy weather, we’ve decided to spend the entire afternoon in this beautiful city. Vienna is the largest city in Austria and main cultural, economic and political center. We focused on the Cathedral of Saint Stephen and the local coffee shops. The Stephansdom (Cathedral of Saint Stephen), is a beloved symbol of Vienna and the site of many important events in Austria's national life. This is where I captured a father and son – mirror reflection moment. Austria is always fun during Christmas. The area around the cathedral was buzzing with people buying last minute presents.


videoblog (low res - high res)

I realized that I could use this opportunity to meet up with another good friend, Teodora. Last summer, Boris, my “kum” from Toronto got married and he honored me to be his best man in the wedding. His wife Sladjana’s counterpart, Teodora, lives in Vienna suburbs with two Bosnian girlfriends, Irma and Sofia, for the last couple of years so I rang her up to join us for lunch. Teodora was working that day but she invited me to Vienna on my way back to Washington.

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On the way to Slovenia we stopped near Graz to have some famous Austria stew and amazing strudels for desert. Luka was sleeping in the back seat as we were crossing the border to Slovenia.

videoblog (low res - high res)

Next: Slovenia

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Sunday, August 14, 2005

Republika Srpska Bosnia & Hercegovina


(w/rs)(w/ba)

PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)
VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

TESLIC: Now is time now for me to tell few things about the trip back to my dearest hometown of Teslic. Teslić (Теслић) is a small town and a municipality in Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southwest of Doboj, west of Tešanj and southeast of Banja Luka. So, as I have returned back to Washington DC couple of months ago, I think now is time to focus and try to get inspired to finish up this part of my traveling story.

So, Milorad and I were pretty much getting sick and tired of constant partying in Montenegro so we decided to make a move and escape the mighty state of Montenegro. It took us only about 30 minutes to pack our bags and find our way up the countless old-town stairs to the bus station in Herceg Novi. Milorad and I are like brothers, and this was just another fun life episode we were sharing together. We agreed to meet in Guca within the next week or so.

At this point I was still unsure where I was going. I did not have a good feeling about Teslic at this time of the year and quite frankly subconsciously I was trying to avoid going there. Why? Well, it is a very complicated matter and I will try to explain in detail in my up-and-coming autobiography blog.


teslic (w)

PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)

VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

Anyway, both my brother Goran and my dad Janko still live in Teslic. Goran works as an interpreter for Polish army forces as a part of European Union for the last few years. It is always nice to spend some time with my brother. He has grown into a true gentleman and I am so proud of him.

For the last few years I visited Teslic once or twice per year but only for few days at the time. It is a very emotional experience and I get goose bumps every time I drive across the town’s main bridge. This is some sort of a love and hate relationship between my birth town and me. All year long I think of my dad Janko, brother Goran and all people I grew up with, people I know.

I always get so excited when the time comes for me to visit but as soon as I get there things change. As soon as I get there I feel like I get into a constant anxiety state of mind and something makes me think I must not stay long. I get to feel like I must leave as soon as possible and run as far as possible and never look back. I guess I should talk about that stuff some other time.


PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)

VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

So, on to the more fun stuff...an overnight bus to Banja Luka from Herceg Novi and I was on my way back to Republika Srpska, Bosnia & Hercegovina and Teslic. Cold morning it was that day. Goran was waiting for my at the bus station with his WV Golf. Goran loves driving and he takes good care of his vehicle. The drive from Banja Luka to Teslic takes about an hour, depending on the rush hour; perfect time to catch up and learn about the latest news from Teslic.

As usual, the plan was to stay for few days and then take off to Italy, my last European destination before I head home to Washington. The town was quite in the morning. We parked at my brother place to drop of my stuff and went to have some breakfast and coffee. My brother owns a cute studio at the main town square with the beautiful view of the new Orthodox and a recently rebuilt Catholic Church in the town center as well as the surrounding hills in the background.


PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)

VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

The next 10 days were probably the best time I’ve ever spent there. My brother and I had a blast. The month of August is the time when most people working abroad come back to Teslic to visit. The town was full of familiar faces, people were happy to be back visiting family and friends and I felt like the war was totally forgotten. We’ve spent many nights at the Usora river front drinking local beer and fine vine, sang old nostalgic tunes and ate tons of good food.



PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)

VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

Then it was time to leave again. This time I was not running away. This time I felt something new has happened here and I was very happy with myself and everything that surrounded me during my stay in Teslic. Now, I had to make my way back to Serbia to see Guca, I think the most amazing music festival in the world. When he visited the festival Miles Davis said "I didn't know you could play trumpet that way".



PHOTOS (1) (2) (3)

VIDEOBLOG High Res 50mb - Low Res 10mb

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Monday, July 25, 2005

Montenegro

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PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

Short flight from Belgrade to Tivat (airport) and here I am, Montenegro (Crna Gora). This land is my land. My dad says that our family migrated from the Podgorica area, fleeing Otoman (Turkish) invasion, north to Lika region of Croatia in the early 16th century. My family then settled in the Plitvice Lakes region of Croatia on Mount Kapela. My predecessors have lived here until the ethnic cleansing by the Croatian army ‘Oluja’ (Storm) operations in 1995 and even now, 10 years after, only few of my family members have returned back home.

My dad finished college and got a good job in Sarajevo, Bosnia where my sister Simela was born. Then my family moved to my birthplace, a small town in the cental Bosnia (Republika Srpska), Teslic, some 200 kilometers north of Sarajevo. Here is where my life story begins. How did I end up here in Washington? Well, that part of the story will be posted soon. This blog is about Montenegro.

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

So, even though my last name is mouthful in English, people here in Montenegro treat me like I’m one of their own. Vlaisavljevic is a quite common last name in many regions of Montenegro. I love it here. Feel like I belong in so many places in this small world. If you’re interested to learn more about the history and current affairs of this amazing country click on a (w) right next to the main picture of the blog.

One of the reasons for coming back to Montenegro was to shop for an old stone house and possibly turn it into a small B&B or a restaurant in the next year or so. I’ve been dreaming about it for years. My prediction is that Montenegro will be the next 'hot spot' and its tourism industry and geo-strategic location might trigger dramatic increase in real-estate value, similar to the northern neighbor, Croatia. Basically, I think this is a great place to invest, sooner rather then later. I've connected with few agents and atorneys in Montenegro so if you need real-estate guidance or want to partner up for a property in Montenegro send me an email.

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

One of my best friends, Goran Milivojevic, was vacationing with his family in Sutomore, about 45 minutes south of Budva. Goran’s wife, Marijana is a very proud ‘Montenegrina’ from Mojkovac region and her parents have a summer home in Sutomore. Few days later, my christening best-man and childhood neighbor Milorad would come by from Kragujevac.


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

We woke up fairly early, had some coffee and a quick breakfast. Goran and I were figuring out the best way to get to Boka and the famous village of Perast. The thing is, there are not to many roads in Montenegro and frankly, it is not easy to get lost. Anyway, Marijana’s dad, Milojica let us use his beat up Golf and we were off to buy a property in Perast.

On the way, we passed by Sveti Stefan, Budva, Tivat, and Kotor. The sightseeing was of the hook. I was glued to the window trying to get a decent shot. We took a short break in Kotor, had some coffee and had lunch at the famous ‘Stari Mlin’ restaurant.

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

Well, if you ever decide to visit this beautiful country this restaurant should be on your list as well as Sveti Stefan, Perast and the old town Budva. I would like to suggest the restaurant 'Stari Mlin' (The Old Watermill) in Montenegro. The restaurant is absolutely amazing. The river Ljuta runs straight through the center of the restaurant powering the old watermill (just as an attraction).

The wait staff wares traditional Montenegrin costumes, local specialties are fresh, perfectly done and service is excellent. Even though the tipping is not required in Montenegro, I would recommend tipping %10 in this place. We actually asked what would be the appropriate amount. Anyway, the restaurant is located midway from Kotor to Perast. Reservations are welcome but not necessary. Here is the address

Ljuta bb
Dobrota, Kotor
Phone: +381 82 333 555


(cрпски)
PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

Then we entered a small town of Perast. This village is amazingly beautiful. Perast is an ancient aristocratic and seafaring community in the fjord of Boka Kotorska (Bocca di Cattaro). Most houses (300) are built from the local white stone and I would say at least few hundred years old. Perast is famous for its Naval Academy going back to the Venetian Republic.

Locals are very proud of the fact that many young men from Perast ended up as sailors and captains all over the world. Perast is also famous for its geographical location as well. The village sits on the opposite side of the ‘Verige’ strait of Boka. Additionally, there are two tiny islands right in front of the village with churches built on it. (see the picture above)


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

Few days later 'kum' Milorad Cvorovic took an overnight bus from Kragujevac to join my coastal explorations of Montenegro. We settled in Herceg Novi (Castelnovo), one of the coolest coastal towns in Boka. Herceg Novi has a great night life. During the summer time, rivers of tourists descend from the Serbia and Bosnia. Our apartment was in the prime location, right next to the old fortress and in front of the (in)famous slippery steps. Milorad and I had so much fun watching people fall down the steps from our apartment’s terrace. I know it sound weird but I never laughed so much in my life.


(cрпски)

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

There are few legends associated with the islands. An interesting fact is that Perast is said to be home to many famous people such as Goran Bregovic, Emir Kusturica, Rade Serbedzija, etc... I confirmed the information with the 'one and only' real-estate agent in the Perast who said that he personally sold the property to all of them. To learn more about Perast click here. Click here to see PERAST PHOTO ALBUM!


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (download low res - high res)

Next-> my hometown of Teslic…Serb Republic - Bosnia & Hercegovina

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Sunday, July 10, 2005

Serbia/Србија

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SEE Guca Trumpet Folk Festival VideoBlog 2005!!!

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes


English version coming soon...

Ovo je ziva istina. Cekam bukvalno pred ulaznim vratima u avion, tacno ispred ‘kokpita’ dok se ‘strucna posada’ JatAirways nije smilovala da smesti nas par nesrecnika koji smo bili na listi cekanja. Pored mene stoje par devojaka i jedan tip. Tip je ono obucen kao, sljokice, frisko ispeglane lanene pantalone, izvezena bela kosulja kratkih rukava I nosi neke opasne naocale.

Posmatram ja njega, posmatra on mene. Sve ono kao nesto napeta situacija. Na njegovoj desnoj ruci uocio sam Rolex sa dijamantima, zlatni lancuga visi oko vrata i jos je ukrasen tetovazama na rukama ispod ramena. Tip je kratko osisan, plave kose I verovatno negde u svojim srednjim tridesetim godinama.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac

VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

Ovo vreme protice tako sporo, osecam kao da prolazi citav vek. Postaje napeto. Vise nisam siguran dali cu uopste da letim u Beograd. Ovi ‘jatovci’ su stvarno bezveze, totalne seljacine. Odlucim ti ja onako instinktivno da se predstavim ovom tipu koji nervozno setka ispred vrata jer mi je neverovatno poznat.

Izletim ti ja onako lagano da se neutralizuje bilo kakav akcent, Gospodine, ja se zovem Sinisa Vlaisavljevic. Izvinite sto vas uznemiravam ali htedoh da se javim jer mi se cini da se znamo. Strasno ste mi poznati. Kako se vi zovete?

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

Njegova face se u istom momentu ukoci. On zastade citavih tridesetak sekundi i napokon se predstavi. Ja se zovem Matjaz ……., zaboravih mu prezime, ali nije ni vazno. Ja onako, ni pet ni sest, aaaaa “ Da niste slucajno iz Teslica?” Mislim se u sebi, “kakav sam ja manijak da pitam facu dali je iz mog malog rodnog grada”. Matjaz pocrveni u faci, odmeri me od glave do pete, pridje mi na nakih metar i tiho rece, “DA, JA SAM IZ TESLICA”, taj I taj. Ma koji crni Matjaz, ne zelim da objavim njegovo pravo ime ali facu znam od malena.

Neverovatno! Prepoznao je i Matjaz mene. Posle tolikih godina sam i ja nekog prepoznao. Izgrlismo se i izljubismo se nas dvojica ko braca. U isto vreme i nas predivni Jat se smilovao da nas pusti na let I cak nas ubaci u prvu klasu jer nigde drugo nije bilo mesta. Skoro dva sata leta smo Matjaz i ja pleli konverzaciju I koliko toliko se ispricali.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

Pazi, on se naravno ne zove Matjaz, negoooooo....faca je "sredio" Slovenske papire, koja je evo vec duze u EU tako da se odlucio da zivi i radi u Amsterdamu, kao Matjaz. Koje su to kombinacije:) I tako ti ljudi moji pocinje opet nova avantura, sada u jednoj od najlepsih zemalja sveta, zemlji pecenja, rakije, kafana I cigana, Srbiji.

Jako tesko sletanje, umalo smrtonosno, mislio sam moje zadnje. Kapetan "Mikula Mali" kao da sad sa broda ili kapira da vozi svinje ili vozi pilice. Mislim ono prednji tocak aviona je odskocio par puta i jako udario da su neki ljudi poceli da vriste. Ja pomislih, sva sreca pa nista nije zahrdjalo inace bi sada vec svi putnici bili u planu za put sest stopa ispod zemlje.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

Milorad, (orle) moj najmiliji kum me sacekao da ‘ladnim pivom i krenusmo mi odmah u Kragujevac. Bio sam u tom lepom gradu vec dva-tri puta i uvek sam se lepo proveo. Kumovi mi zive u “potoku”, deo naselja kad se ide od centra prema “aerodromu”. Olja, Miloradova sestra, uspesno nosi na ledjima “beauty salon” koji je dugo bio lociran u centru grada blizu autobuske stanice ali je sada radnju prebacila u poslovni prostor njihove rezidencije. Miloradu trenutno radi na nekom ekoloskom biznisu sto je pokrenuo sa ujakom iz Soko Banje i u poslednje vreme se usredsredio svu snagu na salon gde je postao "equal partner":).

Pre rata u Bosni, Milorad i Olivera (Olja) su ziveli na cetvrtom spratu, u istom ulazu zgrade u naselju Jovana Ducica u Teslicu. Tu su se svi stanari doselili polovinom osamdesetih. Milorad i ja smo zajedno pdrasli, isli u istu osnovnu (Mladost) i srednju skolu (Djuro Pucar Stari), prvi put se napili zajedno u njegovoj garazi od neke ljute crnogorske brlje (rakije) koju smo pili iz ketchup flasica-prijatelj i kum kakav se samo pozeliti moze.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

Budimir i Mirjana Cvorovic, njihovi roditelji su sada vec penzioneri. Karijere su proveli kao profesionalci kulinarskog zanata u cuvenom Hotelu Kardijal koji se dan danas nalazi u Banji Vrucici u predgradju naseg malog Teslica.

Kragujevac=zurka. Mislim da se tamo covek nikad ne moze da odmori, nema sanse. Svako vece smo izlazili po kaficima, nocnim klubovima i u teske sate ubijali se neverovatnim rostiljom. Vrucine su bile nesnosne, a klima uredjaji su ipak jos uvek retkost tako da smo se preko dana sakrivali po hladovini a nocu lumpovali, uglavnom Akademija i Getho.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
VIDEOBLOG lowRes highRes

U isto vreme dok sam bio u Kragujevcu odrzavao se i muzicki festival u Novom Sadu. > EXIT je postao jedan od najposecenijih a ujedno u najpopularnijih festivala u ovom delu Evrope. Ipak, nisam imao snage da odem. Na kraju sam odlucio sam da malo pobegnem od Milorada i odem u Beograd da uknjizim par fotki.

Djordje Djukanovic, prijatelj iz Washington DCja, jedan od retkih uspesnih povratnika koje znam vec preko godinu dana zivi i radi u Beogradu. Djole me lepo ugostio u svom novom stanu tacno pored nove sportske arene na Novom Beogradu (sigurno me mrzi jer sam mu pojeo sav 'beef jerky:)'. Siroke ulice, lepo osmisljena arhitektura naselja i prostupacnost banaka i kvalitetnih prehrambenih prodavnica me stvarno podseca na Ameriku i zapadnu Evropu.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Jedno vece smo izasli na splavove, zujali po gradu i jeli najbolje palacinke sa nutelom na planeti. Mislim, Ameri imaju ok pancakes, Francuzi imaju superiska crêpe, ali Beograd i Srbija imaju stvarno 'do jaja', daleko najbolje palacinke. Par dana sam setao po gradu, slikao Hram Svetog Save (slika gore), prelepe beogradske ulice, Kalemegdan, Skadarliju i po malo i fantazirao o mom zivotu na Balkanu. Ko zna, mozda se jednog dana i vratim.

Srbija sigurno napreduje, vidi se na svakom koraku a ljudi su toliko zeljni boljeg zivota i sanse za sigurnijom buducnosti. Elem, za nekih 100 Evra nadjem jednosmernu kartu za Tivat, Montenegro i krenem malo na more da vidim kumove iz Kanade i usput da pogledam par nekretnina u Boki Kotorskoj. Sledi Videoblog...




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Thursday, July 07, 2005

Netherlands

(w)

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

After a short trip home to take care of some business I am back on the road. I used my return ticket New YorkCape Town via Amsterdam and got off the plain in Amsterdam. My childhood friend Almir was waiting for me at the Rotterdam central station.

Almir now lives in the suburbs of Rotterdam with his wife Alisa and son Alen. More than a decade ago, wore broke out in our homeland and both Almir and I have found our peace elsewhere. We grew up as best friends, sharing beer and vine during countless nights by the river beach in our little home town of Teslic, now in the Republika Srpska, a province of Bosnia and Hercegovina.


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

The night of my arrival, we had a nice dinner, went out to a local bar from some drinks. The following few days I’ve spent with Almir and his family. Frankly, the times spent with close friends from childhood feel like some sort of spiritual rehabilitation. Obviously, my generation in the former Yugoslavia did not grow up like most other “normal” kids. To me, these rare times with people who knew me before the war are very important and I am grateful for it. These times add another level of existence and awareness of my life and my well being. We were struck by the lightning of war during our teenage years and grew up instantly thinking how to save our families and survive. Well, that’s another story, which I plan to write in detail next year.

Anyway, this is not my first time in the Netherlands. I lived in Amsterdam for few months in the early nineties during the war in the former Yugoslavia as a refugee. The people here are very friendly and welcoming. I always thought that I would live here one day. The Netherlands is very populated, multicultural and unique for its "low-lands", flower industry and windmills. One of my favorite things to do in the Netherlands is to take trains to the country side.


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

On my last day in the Netherlands I went back to Amsterdam to take few photos for the blog and book a ticket for Belgrade, Serbia. Actually, this is not true. Almir and I were partying all night long and he decided, as a true friend to drive me all the way back to the airport.

Never fly Jat Airways from Amsterdam to Belgrade unless you have to. The Jat representative at the Amsterdam Schripol airport was very unprofessional, rude and an absolute “seljacina”. To make a long and unpleasant story short, I ended up staying one extra night in Amsterdam due to the fact that my seat was sold for a better price, I was put on a stand-by list, standing there for hours, trying to send some sort of invisible signals to the Jat freak that my boarding pass had a seat assigned to me and that I was suppose to be on the flight!


PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

Believe it or not, I overheard the conversation between the Jat rep. and the pilot discussing the last stand-by person waiting in front of the airplane door. The last passenger was put in the cockpit with the pilots. Unbelievable!

That night I went to couple of Cuban clubs, smoked some fine cigars and had a great Turkish kebab for dinner. I've always thought that the best Turkish food was in the western Europe. Anyway, the next day I came back to the airport and this time around I successfully boarded the plane and took off into the unknown, the land of Guca, Serbia...

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Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Namibia

(w)
namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

After spending few weeks in Cape Town with my childhood friend Neb, I’ve decided to take action and continue my trip as planned. Last few days were quite cold and it was raining almost every day. I went to a Flight Centre travel agency near Long Street in Cape Town and booked my ticket to Windhoek, the Namibian capital city. The flight was short, only two hours, and from the airplane window I was able to see some pretty rigid landscape and dry river beds. I was on the way to the land of the oldest and most beautiful desert in the world.

We had a rough landing but it was compensated by a very smooth immigration process. First thing to do was to get myself a local phone number and rent a car for my expedition. Shortly there after I was on my way cruising with a Toyota Corolla towards the capital city located about 50 kilometers west from the airport. Yes, I am not kidding, it was a brand spanking new, silver Toyota Corolla.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

First impression, the surrounding area was surprisingly mountainous but covered by a short steppe grass and few bushes scattered around. It looked rainless for the last few years. Just before I entered the Windhoek, I’ve noticed few baboons running across the road. I felt I was about to have some of the best times of my life. The Republic of Namibia is huge, like France and Germany put together. It is sparsely populated and situated along the south Atlantic coast of Africa. The roads are fabulous and some travelers even drive up from South Africa. Before the independence in the early nineties, Namibia was known as South West Africa. The oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert, (SEE PHOTOS- b/w, color and MOVIE) stretches along the whole west coast of the Africa and it ends in the south of Angola. Namibia is also famous for the Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast.

So, I arrived to Windhoek, got myself few local maps and set down in a German bakery to have some strudel and coffee. Namibia is very, and I mean VERY German. Some people said it is more German than Germany. I thought South Africa was great and major credits go to German shops that are all over the place. Same thing here in Namibia; bratwursts everywhere! Anyway, the plan was to drive up to Etosha National Park, spend 2-3 days in the park then drive south to Swakobmund to see the Namib Desert and have some fun ATVing the oldest sand dunes in the world.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

Etosha is about 500 kilometers north from the capital. I took off to try to make it to the park the same day. The roads were excellent, well maintained and on average people were driving 150kmph. I stopped by in few places for a break and to get some gas. The gas stations are no different from western counterparts. The Etosha Pan is believed to have originated over 10 million years ago as a shallow lake. The Etosha Park is also well recognized as being one of the last wild sanctuaries of the endangered black rhino which you may even find in my movie special. There are three rest camps, Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

While entering the Etosha National Park about 20 minutes before sunset, I’ve realized that I had to make to Okaukuejo ("the place of the women"), the western resort in the park before the sunset otherwise I would have to come back tomorrow morning. The thing is, no one can enter/leave the park at night. I stepped on my gas pedal after I signed the entrance sheet hoping to make it to Okaukuejo. This was the end of the pawed road and a great time for me and my Corolla. I was quite confident that we can pull this one together. On the way I’ve noticed humongous termite mounds, some small antelopes and wild boar. On my right I’ve seen six giraffes having their dinner snack. Immediately after, two huge lions jumped right in front of my Toyota and attacked my vehicle. My body instantly froze. I was alone in the car, scared as one can be, luckily with my windows rolled up. I thought if adrenaline was worth something I would be a millionaire by now. This was nothing like a ZOO, trust me.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

I did not have much time to get to the first camp. I was getting little nervous as I could see the sun already sinking in behind the bush. The lions were hungry and on the way out hunting for their next kill. I passed them on my right side and suddenly I have realized what I was getting myself into. I was here, my favorite channels, Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet all together. I was in a wildlife reserve territory and I felt very vulnerable.

Few minutes later I made it to the Okaukuejo rest camp and checked in at the reception. It was not as expensive as I thought it would be, so I had few beers and a cigar to celebrate nothing else but me. Yes, I was celebrating the survival of a lion attack and my reincarnation, or whatever. The interesting thing about Okaukuejo is that the camp has a lighted waterhole, meaning I was able to see the animals in action at night. This was so much fun. National Geographic live!


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

The waterhole had a stadium size lights and one can see the other side where the animals are coming from. Rhinoceros’, lions, elephants, zebras, antelopes, wildebeest, ostriches, storks, and giraffes and many other animals were trying to make it to the waterhole. It was amazing, that’s all I can say. Mosquitoes and other annoying insects were all over the place obstructing my observation of a Rhino face off and an unsuccessful lion hunt. It was already 2am; hyenas were cynically laughing in the background; exhaustion was kicking in so I decided to go back to my hut to get some sleep. This was one of the most amazing days of my life.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

Next morning I’ve checked out and left Okaukuejo behind. Again, try to imagine me driving this mid size Toyota Corolla through a park filled with all kinds of animals that I felt could break this little car into peaces. Some people said that Etosha has the tallest elephants in Africa, measuring up to 4m at the shoulder. Anyway, the plan was to get to Halali camp, about 100 km east of Okaukuejo and half way to Namutoni. While driving through dusty roads I stopped by many waterholes and seen some amazing wildlife. Zebras were all over the place and not in fear of my Corolla. I wanted to stay for a night at Halali but once I got there I decided to move on and drive to Namutoni. Namutoni is a former German fort and it has a good sunset view from the ramparts and tower. The resort also had a very nice waterhole for night viewing so I stayed for the night. Namutoni was a quite busy stop where I’ve met few European travelers, mostly Italian and German.

In the morning I paid my park dues and drove to a city of Tsumeb. There was not much there and it was quite early in the morning so I followed my gut feeling again and decided to drive straight to Swakobmund. After I purchased some petrol, water and some snacks for the road I was approached by a hitchhiker. This redneckish old man, an obvious pipe smoker with a checkered shirt and rough hands looked like he was a construction worker. I thought he definitely worked with his hands. His name was so long and complicated for me to pronounce that even after I politely asked his name few times I was still not able to remember it. Believe it or not, he was hitching all the way to Swakobmund. Later I have learned that he is 70 years old, car salesman and his grand-grand parents came to South Africa from Holland. He drove almost 600 km to sell a car in Tsumeb and now he was on his way back home to his wife.

I eventually agreed to his company and we were on our way to Swakobmund. He voluntarily chipped in N$100 for the gas and shared his stories of the wild Namibia which made the trip even more interesting. Some hundred kilometers later he took over my Toyota and drove all the way to Swakobmund with the average speed of 180 kmps (110mps)! This was one crazy old man flying through the desert. I dropped him of at the local gas station in Swakobmund and immediately took off to see the Namib dunes.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

As I was driving on a highway to Walvis Bay, some 30 km south of Swakobmund, I had an experience that I was waiting for my entire life. The Namib Desert on my left and the Atlantic Ocean on the right, working in perfect harmony with the wind blowing from the ocean. The dunes were huge, almost surreal, actually the only sand mountains in the world. If you use Microsoft Operating System such as Windows XP or Windows 2000 you’ve probably seen the Namib as one of the default desktop background pictures of the dunes. Well, this is where I was now.

I stopped by the Dare Devil Adventures to schedule some dune boarding lessons or any desert activity. Fortunately, there was a small group about to leave on a sunset trip to the Namib Desert interior. At this point I was out of cash. Thanks to my American Express, I was able to put in my credit card and had a blast cruising through these magnificent dunes. I was stopping whenever I could to take pictures and movies but this place I certainly recommend for a live visit. The desert is quite cold. My hands were freezing. The temperatures can drop down to almost freezing at night while it gets unbearable hot during the day. We encountered a well camouflaged snake while finding our way to the “Half an Hour” Dune to see the sunset. The sand was so fine, almost like powder. It messed up both of my digital cameras but it was worth every second of filming.


namib photos (black & white) (color)
etosha national park photos
namibia vlog

That night I’ve spent a in a German owned, well secured hostel and had some sort of antelope steak for dinner. In the morning I went back to Windhoek. The fog was so thick that at one point I had to drive 20kmph. Three hours later I arrived to the airport, hopped on a plane back to Cape Town and fell asleep before the airliner’s security demonstrations. Namibia was just like a dream. Hope to be back someday.

On the way back to South Africa...

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Sunday, June 19, 2005

Mozambique

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Mozambique trip was not planned at all. Due to a constant rain and cold weather in Cape Town I have decided to escape north for few days. After looking into few options, the only available flights to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

Upon arrival, the customs process was very slow and unprofessional, what to expect from an ex communist country. The Mozambican Immigration officer took my passport and I had to wait for about an hour for a visa stamp. Lonely Planet recommends Fatima’s Backpackers in the city centre, so I decided to check it out. Fatima’s son picked us up at the airport and dropped us at the hostel. The hostel was very clean, people were friendly and beer was cold, I guess a world travellers dream. I had few beers at the hostel terrace chatting away with other travellers. It was too late for sight seeing so we stayed.

Malaria is sort of a big scare here in Mozambique. I covered myself completely with the mosquito repellents. All beds in the hostel had netting. It was pretty scary stuff and reminded me of a Travelocity TV commercial when a couple was shopping online for a vacation.


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Anyway, the next morning I took a long walk along the city centre streets, bought some awesome carved wood art and had some pizza. The streets were packed with street artists, fruit vendors and the one can hear Creole music everywhere. It felt like I was in Martinique for a minute. One of the funny things I’ve noticed was that the streets were named after communist leaders.

Mozambique is well known for its wood art. In addition to the wood art, Mozambique is famous for its prawns. The best seafood meals I’ve had in Maputo were in Costa del Sol, about 15 minute drivenorth of the city centre. Before I headed back to Cape Town, I went to the beach up north of Maputo and ate more unbelievable seafood.

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Republic of South Africa

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Where to start…In the early nineties, my childhood buddies Neb, Neven and I (Tuljan Group) decided to take our chances and try immigrating to South Africa. There was a major civil war in the Balkans at the time and South Africa was not as stable as well but after a pretty insane farewell party at hotel Kardial we went to Belgrade, Serbia to look for work visas. To make a long story short, Neb was the only one that made it to South Africa and he lives there since. Neven is back in our hometown of Teslic, happily married and running few small businesses.

Few years back Neb visited me in the States and we drove cross country from Washington to Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience. Now it was my turn to come to South Africa. To be honest, I was so happy to get out of India. The flight connected through Dubai, UAE where I had a 15 hour layover. The airport and its surroundings looked great and I agree with the saying that Dubai International Airport is probably on of the coolest airports in the world these days.


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Anyway, from Dubai I flew to Johannesburg and then a local flight to Cape Town. Neb was these waiting for me at the airport. I did not shower for days at this point and I have run out of luck since Neb was renovating his bathrooms so I had to stay at the Long Street Backpackers for the duration of my visit.

First impression: I could get use to this place. I guess, after India I could get use to any place on this earth. Long Street is one of the most famous streets in Cape Town and one can find numerous bars, restaurants and hostels. The street itself has this New Orleans look and feel. Victorian architecture mixed with modern glass high rises; one can instantly notice multicultural European influence. I checked in, showered and had few beers with Neb the first night. Next morning I took a nice walk, had some English breakfast with crispy bacon and took some local money out of the ATM. The weather was miserable; raining and it was quite cold.

Visit to the Table Mountain National Park, trip to the Cape of Good Hope and vine country were the highlights my travels through South Africa. Table Mountain was amazing. Short drive from Long Street to the Cable Car station was all it took to get there. The car can fit about 60 people and it spins around for a maximum viewing pleasure. The top of the mountain is simply flat with unique flora & fauna.


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What is so special about the Table Mountain is the fact that the “table cloth” cloud sits on top of the mountain creating a very magnificent view. Neb and I spent an hour on the top, took some pictures and the serene warned to boar the last car down otherwise we would have to hike down. While we were up there, there was a rescue mission. Rescue team and a helicopter were there to save few climbers stuck on the mountain cliffs.

The Cape of Good Hope is one of the south most points in Africa and the park itself was one of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen so far. The bottom of Africa is actually about 200 kilometers from Cape Town but this location does not have much of the historical significance. Neb and I climbed to the Cape lighthouse, checked out some cool beaches and on the drive back stopped at the farm.


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Then I went to Mozambique...

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fiji
argentina