30 The Balkans have always intrigued me. The good, the bad, and the ugly—it has it all. Its history is both beautiful and painful. I look forward to feeling the vibes in the region. So from Kuala Lumpur, I flew…
2 What a blast to start off my visit to the Balkans in Prague. I then eased into my explorations with a move south to Pilsen, a small town with a big name, made big by its beer. I am…
3 I was planning to go next to Ceske Krumlov, but the hotels had no respect for my money. This being the weekend, they could not accommodate my wishes for accommodation. They had no wriggle room for one more room…
4 From Ceske Budejovice, I took an early bus, and after 40 minutes, I arrived in Ceske Krumlov. This was a little beauty with a big reputation, tucked away, coy, and perhaps scared, withdrawn into her own little world, seeking…
5-7 My plan was to go southward to go around the Balkans. That was my masterful master travel plan. After the Czech Republic, I discovered Salzburg was just next door. Oh, why don’t I just hop by? On the spur…
8-9 I left Salzburg this morning for Vienna, the capital of Austria. The train was packed full. I did not buy an allotted seat, so I sat on the floor, beneath everyone, though not beneath myself. Two and a half…
10-11 After two days in Vienna, I sped down the Danube in a flying catamaran to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It took only 75 minutes; the damage inflicted was 35 euros. It was a sheer simple pleasure. A breeze,…
12-13 After leaving Bratislava, I took a six-hour bus to Ljubljana. I could have dropped by Budapest, which was really the next natural destination on the route, but since I had been there, though many years ago, I gave it…
14-16 I was already salivating for my next destination: Croatia, part of the old Yugoslavia. It’s not a big country, but it comes with quite a reputation. The bus ride from Ljubljana was enjoyable, farmlands dominating the landscape along the…
17 After Zagreb, my next destination was Plitvice Lakes National Park, a two-hour bus ride to the south. There, I took another two hours to secure the entrance ticket and part with USD 40. Traffic bottlenecks after the entrance soon…
18-20 I continued my bus ride southward along the coast, four hours later arriving in Split, a must-see beach town in Croatia. The bus stopped at the city center facing the sea. While I came by bus, others arrived in…
21-22/8/2018 From Split, I took a large ferry to go to the popular island of Brac. Passengers fully loaded the ferry. I was eager, my spirit soaring. I felt like I was in my big yacht and my fans invited…
22-23 I continued island-hopping. From Brac, I sailed for an hour to Hvar, another enchanting island. It was fun to be traveling to Croatia at this time. The days were long, the sun was warm, the foliage was green, the…
24-25 You can’t come to Croatia and not visit Dubrovnik. So from Hvar, I took a ferry, arriving at Dubrovnik about three hours later. The first impression was: How crowded this place was! China and Korea also sent many representatives…
26 Time to tear myself away from Croatia. After a three-hour bus ride, I arrived in Mostar of Bosnia, one of only a few countries in Europe with a significant Muslim population. I expected the color tone, the style, even…
27-28 After a night at Mostar, I was on my way to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. Green mountains and beautiful turquoise waters accompanied me almost the whole way. My wishful thinking was that life’s journey would be as beautiful.…
29/8/2018 -1 After Bosnia, I set my sights on Montenegro. The first stop was Kotor. Google said it would take about five hours, but my bus took more than nine hours. We left at 9 a.m., arriving past 6 p.m.…
2-3 By now I had visited about seven countries, and countless towns and cities on this journey through the Balkans and surroundings. I had been almost at full throttle, always on the go, therefore sometimes feeling I swallowed more than…
4 Hiking in the Albanian mountains was too much hard work, so I went the easy way, to visit Komani Lake with other tourists instead. We started off by bus at 6 a.m, and one and a half hours later…
5-7 I can understand why there were many kebab eateries here. However, I scratched my head about why the pizzerias were so ubiquitous. I finally put two and two together. I did not know that Italy once occupied Albania. I…
8-9 After Tirana, I next went to Berat on my way to other Balkan destinations. Berat was only three hours away by bus. I arrived at about 4 p.m., but the day was long, so I headed straight to the…
10 I was still heading south, en route to discover and uncover more of the Balkan countries. Some were not there when I was growing up, but have since emerged, each trying to take their own fate into their own…
12-14 After Kosovo, I headed to Macedonia (now North Macedonia). This was part of the old Yugoslavia. The bus weaved through mountains and valleys, finally entering the capital of Skopje. I dragged my luggage from the bus station to the…
13 After hanging around Skopje for a day, I ventured out on a day trip to Ohrid, a lakeside town about three hours away. This was not just another pretty postcard face. It had crystal clear water, friendly hills at…
15-16 After a five-plus hours bus ride from Skopje, I arrived at Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Bulgaria seems to be a country of few words. It is seldom heard of and from in the international arena. I don’t know…
17 From Sofia, I took a day trip to the town of Rila. Along the way, fields of bright yellow dominated the color scheme. Bowing to the command of the sun, sunflowers opened up unreservedly and bloomed in unison. Finally,…
21-22/9/2018 and 25-27/9/2018 From Varna in Bulgaria, I would take the train, for a change, to get to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, about 6 hours away. It was a Friday when I arrived. The old town was abuzz with…
23/9/2018 I took the train early in the morning, departing Bucharest for Brasov, a city about a couple of hours away. This was not a big city, but it was the ideal place to take in more of Romania. The…
24/9/2018 After a night at Brasov, I proceeded to another old town, Sibiu, about 140 km away. It sure lived up to its tag as an old town. The signs of age were all over the buildings. Some of them…