Sarajevo to Belgrade

There is one daily bus from Sarajevo to Belgrade. It runs at 6am for a cost of 47KM arriving in Belgrade around 1pm. The bus stops for breakfast in Serbia around 11am, the place will accept Bosnian Marks, giving Serbian Dinars for change and has decent food. 

Belgrade is a big city. The aging historic capital of Yugoslavia the city now in many ways symbolizes the internal conflict within the Serbian population over their past and the nation's collective future. The ongoing conflict can be seen in many places - in the Serbian national museum which has been closed since 1999 and today remains "under construction" except for an occasional small exhibit (when I visited it was "Serbia during the Great War.") It is visible in the ruins of the former ministry of defense headquarters buildings occupying key real estate but left standing following the 1999 NATO air campaign that destroyed both building across the street from the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And it's visible in the tension that arises with any mention of Kosovo, which is rarely discussed because it clearly raises a range of emotions. 

The city prides itself on its nightlife, there is no shortage of 'party hostels' and on any given night hoards of British and Australian travelers can be found on the floating bars on riverside. The parks  along the river including the large castle grounds are one of the biggest attractions, and the best way to experience them is by bike. Many hostels will rent them for E6-E7 which makes it easy to travel from the old part of the city to Novi Beograd to the Zemun neighborhood which has an outdoor market and some nice seafood restraunts (Kod Kapitan has good fresh fish from the river and though I had some concerns about eating fish from the river the Smuch (Perch)  wound up being pretty good) and cafes along the water, or to the beach area popular in the summertime. The food options were relatively disappointing. I had a decent meal at Hotel Majestic of roast lamb which the make on Thursdays and Fridays. The hostel - Hostel Goodtime Grooves - had Pizza burek. otherwise nothing to speak of. 

It's a great place to stay a while if you're looking to party. Two days in the city is enough to see the main sights and then head on to other parts of Serbia, or to Hungary or Romania. 

Pristina to Sarajevo

This is not an ideal route if you have flown into the Pristina airport or come in through any of the other border crossings which Serbia considers to be illegitimate. Direct buses run daily at 6:30pm going through Novi Pazar Serbia for those who have crossed into Kosovo from a Serbian border crossing. 

If like me, you entered Kosovo from another border crossing (or flew in) the other option is the daily 7pm bus to Podgorica Montenegro which arrives around 2:30am, sleep for a few hours if you can in the bus station, and then to take the Podgorica to Sarajevo bus departing at 7am. 

The good news is that the ride through Montnegro though slow is a beautiful trip, the road, cut into the mountains on the side of a river offers some incredible views and every five minutes there is another tunnel that looks as if it was chiseled through the mountain by hand. This will arrive in Sarajevo at the smaller bus station on the Serbian part of town around 4pm for a total trip time of ~20 hours. The local bus station is a five minute walk from here and bus 31e Dobrinja - Vjecnica stops just before the national library in the heart of the city. 

 

Sarajevo is a great city and easy to see nearly everything in a two days. The must-sees are the Tunnel Museum - which allowed arms and food to continue flowing into the city while it was under seige during the war and the Sebrenica photo exhibition. The food is great. Kibe Restraunt, a short taxi ride up the hill should not be missed for a great traditional Bosnian meal with a view of the city, and it's hard to go wrong with the various cebap places. The nightlife is more difficult to find, when Sloga has live music it's apparently the place to be. For a more laid back drink (sit in a rocking chair and drink Rakia) - - otherwise known as The Goldfish Bar is popular with tourists and locals alike. 

Both times in Sarajevo I stated at Pansion Lion which is right in the center of old town and run by great people who will help with everything you could possibly need. In my case they ironed a suit and called the bus station to confirm the time of my departing bus, which needless to say made me a fan. Book ahead though, on my first stay I booked a single for E15 - a great deal if you can get it. On the next trip with everything else booked I settled for a bed in their large dorm room for the same rate. 

Mostar to Sarajevo

Trains run twice daily to Sarajevo just after 7am and 7pm for 10.90KM and it's a very nice ride. In the summer the 7pm provides enough daylight to enjoy the views for most of the trip as the train winds through the mountains. Buses run more frequently to more places from the bus station next door. If you have some time to kill, Enigma Cafe across the street is a good bet for coffee or a beer. Good service - unheard of in the Balkans - and good wifi.

Mostar

Mostar is a tourist trap worth visiting but you can be in and out in a day.  The Old Bridge is the main attraction, no photo of it comes out bad, and during the day members of the Mostar Diving Club can be seen jumping off it. It's worth going to the main mosque - no longer a functioning mosque, and now a tourist attraction - where for 8KM you can go up in the minarette for an incredible view of the bridge and the city. But skip it if you're afraid of heights - the only way up and down is a spiral staircase wide enough for one, and there isn't much of a railing at the top. The bridge museum is worth a trip if you have the time and are interested in the history of the bridge and more recent reconstruction after it was destroyed during the war in the 90s. 

The old town now really caters everything to tourists, and there are many so hostels and plentiful and english menus are the norm. For E20 Pansion Lombrelle offers a large private with a kitchen and balcony 5 minutes from the old bridge. In the center is a Bosnian restraunt where hosteses wear traditional costumes - this is supposed to have good food, but take the left just before the restraunt and go to Hindi Han which offers very good food at a very reasonably price and if it is any indication is usually bustling with far more locals. 

Around the outskirts of the city the remnanst of the war are very visible - bombed out buildings are left to decay, "Dangerous Ruin" signs warning people from entering. 

Lima

One of the first things you will read about Lima is not to trust the Taxis.  As I sit here drinking a Pisco Sour at the Gran Hotel Bolivar on the eve of my departure (48 hours after arrival) I have to say my taxi experience has been quite good. Four hours after arriving in Lima I was mugged. That must be some kind of record.

Upon arriving on a red-eye from New York at 7am, I paid the exorbitant rate of $42 (S. 110) to get to the Gran Hotel Bolivar in downtown Lima. A standard rate from the airport to downtown by the regulated Green Taxi stand after you exit customs, and other licensed taxis would have been under S. 50 (~$20) - a more reasonable fare, but so long since similar travel, and confronted by the mass crowd outside customs where Green Taxi is, I reversed course to arrange a car within the security of the customs area. For my $42 I got a Fiat driver in a suit, a private gated waiting area while he pulled up the car for me, and instructions that Downtown Lima where I was staying was dangerous at night.

The Gran Hotel Bolivar is situated on the Plaza San Martin historic center of Lima, once the choice of world leaders like Nixon and Jagger, it has faded over the years as newer areas of Lima like Miraflores and San Miguel have risen among the wealthy. Today much of the historic district has been reclaimed thanks to a heavy police presence, but it remains a relatively rough area, surrounded by poverty stricken regions like Rimac to the north.

The room was nice. Described on TripAdvisor as basic and fading but clean, it was sparse. But as described, large with high ceilings and clean. I crashed and after a few extra hours of sleep awoke, staggering out of bed disoriented. Lima is only 500 feet above sea level, it couldn't be the altitude. I would later learn that I was awoken by a tremor, Lima sits on a fault line and is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. I'd just felt my first earthquake.

I showered and hit the streets at around 11am. There are a number of walking streets in the downtown area so as I'm accustomed to from my New York and Boston upbringing I headed down Jiron de La Union and just started walking. I had been warned about the dangers of Lima and crime in South America so as I always do I carried my camera in a bag and was cautious. Most of the stores in this area are larger chains, but as I approached the outskirts of downtown Lima things got more interesting. Small carts served ceviche to the locals, men hawked motorcycle carts filled with strawberries and other produce.

I reached a bridge from which I could see a mountain covered in small homes, in front of which appeared to be a power plant spewing black fumes. Lured by the promise of a photo op I pressed onward though I knew I was entering territory out of my comfort zone (my smiles and holas to the locals brought no reciprocation). After snapping a few photos I looped around and turned back, over the next bridge to my right. Twenty minutes later it became clear I was lost.

As is my usual exit in this type of situation I attempted to hail a cab, but my lack of knowledge of Spanish began to haunt me in a large way. At first all of the prices seemed too high. Then no one could understand where I waned to go. Frustrated, I pressed on hopeful that I would find a landmark I recognized. I began to walk down longer streets that branched out into small alleyways. I saw fewer people along the way. A teenager in a red track suit approached me along with another, extending his arm to shake my hand and speaking words in spanish I didn't understand. My street smarts kicked in but my only options were to move forward or turn on my heels and run.

I pressed forward hopeful that they wouldn't follow. They did. A few more steps, one grabbed my jacket while the other went into my pocket for my wallet. I fought them off, yelling for help. This was broad daylight but in this area very few people were around. It was clearly a crime of opportunity. As I continued to fight I saw threes were walking in my direction and seeing the others coming toward us they ran off. A man, an off duty security guard or police officer (if my spanish was better I would know) helped me get a taxi. Finally I went back to the hotel, cleared my thoughts, checked my wallet and organized on my next plan of action. Tomorrow's plan, and dinner.

Lima is a food culture. Gaston Accurio, the celebrity chef of the Astrid & Gaston chain is the most popular figure to come out of the country since maybe ever. Malabar, owned by another up and coming celebrity chef was ranked one of the top 50 restraints in the world, and the country is immensely proud of this. Both are located in the "cool" and "up and coming" neighborhood of Miraflores so that was my next destination.

Along with food, Miraflores is where most of the tourists go. Miraflores could be compared to Santa Monica, if there was an armed police officer or Security guard every five meters. While part of this was why I chose not to stay there my recent run-in with the less reputable of downtown locals pushed me to try some of the more touristic options. One of which was Lima Bike Tours. For $40 each Sunday they offer a 5 hour bicycle tour from Miraflores to downtown. The company offers similar tours of San Isidro and coastal Miraflores during the week. So I proceeded to take a Taxi (approx S. 20 to Miraflores from downtown) to book my Sunday tour.

After learning the hard way that you can't just drop in on a restaurant, I went to Restobar for a Pisco Sour and then hit up Malabar. If you arrive early, it is easy to get a seat at the bar. I had the Scallops in Bone Marrow, amazing, the best scallops I have ever had and the Fish of the Day.

A note on restaurants in Peru, their hours don't mesh with those in the U.S. The good restaurants open for lunch and for diner and are often closed one or two nights a week. Astrid & Gaston for instance isn't open on Sundays. Malabar opens from 7:30 - 11pm for dinner. Many restaurants close at 4pm or 5pm. Confirm times ahead.

Also, in many places the staff expect that foreigners are not accustomed to or won't like local cuisine. For this reason I was turned away from the Tuna and Salmon tartare for mediocre spring rolls at Bravo Restobar and had several sub-par items at the Gran Bolivar. Order what you think you will like and take your chances. It will be worth it.

On my second day in Lima I woke up early, had the hotel breakfast and took a taxi (S. 20) to Miraflores. Depending on where you're leaving from and where you're going the taxi fare can vary, but only by a few solas so I within reason it's not worth an argument. By the waterfront in Miraflores the rates are higher, if you speak Spanish well and can negotiate the rates are lower but overall taxis are reliable and trustworthy.

The bike tour which I highly recommend included Huacca Pullanya - a pyramid created by the original Lima civilization prior it the Inkas - and many other touristy places in Lima was an excellent way to experience the city. But Lima can be seen fast. After the tour, I headed to the Corner Bar in Miraflores to watch football and had already mentally moved on to my next stop, Puerto Maldonado.

A final note on Lima. It's an interesting place. Restaurants like Astrid & Gaston and Malabar are places the country is immensely proud of because they put Peru on the world map. But Lima is still a place where half the population lives in poverty. The two guys who tried to rob me did so because I was an easy target and it would otherwise take them months to earn that much money. Miraflores, where the wealthy in the city live is basically a police state. Well trained private security guards assist the local and federal police (and they're everywhere) to create a sense of security in the wealthy areas, but several miles away live hundreds of thousands of people that could never afford to shop there. Whether the city can sustain this is an open question.

In the meantime, Lima remains a city in transition. A place where the wealthy have made tremendous strides to position the city and the country of Peru as a global center. But where the vast majority of the population is forced into their place, which  seems unsustainable, to say the least.

Getting in: 
A direct flight from JFK takes approximately 7 hours 40 minutes and can cost as little as $800 for a round trip. Once you arrive your best bet is to walk outside the customs area and hire a green taxi in the baggage claim area.

Getting around: 
Everyone takes taxis. There are plenty of other options but for the uninitiated they can be confusing. Taxi rates are generally reasonable so there's no reason to do anything else, just make sure to agree on the rate (in Soles) ahead of time.

Basic taxi rates (as of Nov 2012): 
Airport to downtown S. 30 - 40
Airport to Miraflores S. 40 - 50
Downtown to Miraflores S. 10 - 20
Downtown to San Isidro S. 10 - 15

Lay of the land: 
The main business areas are downtown, the historic center of the city; San Isidro, a to the south of downtown

Halong Bay

If you want to go, get to Halong Bay soon. Because it's natural beauty is being devastated fast. The extent to which the area is being exploited is fairly shocking. Hundreds of boats operate in the bay, the water is cloudy and poluted. The boats and the locals show little respect for the area they operate in. So whil le a Halong Bay cruise is a nice little trip, worth doing for anyone visiting Hanoi, it may not stay that way for ling.

The good news is they make it easy to get there. Inquire at any hotel in Hanoi and they can book you on a trip including the four hour ride from Hanoi and one or two nights on a boat for $150-$250.

For those travelling on a budget or who have some time to search around for a good deal there are many low priced options. It doesn't hurt to have a tour company book your trip for you. I used Vietnam Travel Advisor, a company highly recommended on TripAdvisor. If you're looking to do both Sapa and Halong Bay in a short period of time as I was they're a great option because they arrange all of the travel details and remove the uncertainty that comes with travelling in an unfamiliar country.

The majority of the boats going to Halong Bay include transfer service on a minibus from Hanoi to Halong City where the boats leave. It is apparently difficult to get a boat directly from Halong City so your best bet is to hit Hanoi first and go from there. The four hour drive starting at 8:30AM is fairly painless - they pick you up from your hotel, the only minor annoyance is a half hour stop off at a store where they try to sell you goods made in Vietnam. As with much of Vietnam a lot rests on the weather. It tends to be hazy which creates a kind of eerie effect akin to a scene from Pirates in the Caribbean, but in some ways this adds to the appeal.

I booked a room on the Paloma which was on the high end price-wise but offered amazing service and had a nicer room than I had at any hotel in Vietnam. They serve multi-cource meals, massages are fairly cheap, they have plenty of beer and it's a very nice way to do Halong Bay if you can afford it and don't mind the company that a higher price tag comes with namely families and older people.

Regardless of the boat, the thing to know is that they all have the same basic course regulated by the government, and it basically consists of a visit to a big over-touristy cave, and a few hours of kayaking around the bay. The two-day cruise offers a few more stops including more kayaking and a barbecue on a beach. The most important thing is finding a boat which meets your budget and which has the kind of people you want to hang out with for a few days.

Hanoi

At 8,092 miles CX841, the JFK to Hong Kong non-stop offered by Cathay Pacific is one of the longest flights there is. As I sat in the Hong Kong airport drinking Tiger Beer and eating Chicken Satay after more than 16 hours in the air I was fading fast. And still had another 6 hours to go before reaching my destination, Hanoi.

Luckily, Hong Kong's airport is pristine. Probably the nicest I've ever been in. They have great food and the fastest free wifi I've ever used. If I was stuck living there like Tom Hanks in that Terminal movie I could be pretty happy for a while. It accomplishes what airports so often can but usually fail to do - provides an environment where passengers can refresh after all those hours trying to sleep sitting up, have a decent meal, and catch up on life before the next leg of the journey.

Dragonair flight 295. Take off, fall asleep, awaken to eat dinner of surprisingly tasty airplane chinese food on Dragonair, doze again, touch down, clear immigration. Get my luggage. At this point I'm running on backup power. Walk into the waiting area. Not as many taxis vying for my business as I expected. No sign of the driver sent by the hotel who should be waiting for me either. Do another lap. Still nowhere. Get cash. The Vietnamese currency is the dong. How many dong is equivalent to $400? Try to do the math in my head. Get $200,000 dong.

Finally as I circle back through the waiting drivers a third time I see my name on a sign, point to the driver, since he's standing between two others holding signs. Is that considered rude here I suddenly wonder, knowing it's a large faux pas in Indian culture.

"Were you waiting long? I ask the driver?" Yes he responds briefly and spins on his heels saying only "with me." Outside still no sign of the army of taxi drivers I often expect to swarm upon exiting an unfamiliar airport in an Asian city. He walks me to the curb and goes to pull the car around. As soon as he's gone a police office approaches me and asks if I know him. Guess they're cracking down on taxi hard sells, another good sign.

The drive is surreal. I take the front seat and try to make conversation. "Are you from Hanoi?" "Yes" is all I get. My driver either doesn't speak English or still has it in for me for pointing at him. He puts on music which sounds like a Vietnamese version of Fleetwood Mac, and we listen to this in silence as we drive at an excruciatingly slow speed passed on all sides by motorbikes and large trucks, through the rundown outskirts of Hanoi into the condensed center, Hoan Kiem District or Old Quarter where I will spend the next 24 hours eating everything I can find.

After 20+ hours of travel without REM sleep there can be a nagging desire to shower, lie down on the bed and pass out. But you can't. You're in a new place and it's dinner time of Friday night. So I set off to get my bearings. There's something great about seeing a city first at night, and then letting the daylight fill in the gaps the next day.

First stop, Hoan Kiem Lake. Located in the center of Hanoi, it was the natural choice. A few wrong turns down winding side streets and eventually I came to it. Contrasted with the craze of Hanoi's dirty and compressed downtown where people and cars compete with motorbikes everywhere, Hoan Kiem Lake is an oasis of tranquility. It's one of those places which great cities almost always has that adds a balance to the madness. In most major cites you find this - Central Park (and others) in New York, the Mall in Washington DC, Fanieul Hall, Copley Square and The Esplinade in Boston) - areas that amplify the things that make that city unique. And immediately on visiting the pond you realize that this place, and this city are special.

Before I know it, it's 11pm. But despite my lack of sleep I have a second wind. Time to eat again. I take a random right down an alleyway and stop to buy what looks to be a hard boiled egg from a street vendor. Continuing on I pass my hotel, but I'm not ready to sleep yet. A few blocks further find a late night Pho vendor, exactly what I'd been waiting for. Along with a bottle of Bia Ha Noi it's the perfect end to one of the longest days of my life. But I've only been in Hanoi for 5 hours.