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It was a ferry at 6AM. Six. AM! We couldn't believe that that was when the ferry left Jelsa for Split, but it really was the time. I think we even asked the ticket agent a couple of times if that was really true. I mean, what a painfully earlier time to get up to catch a boat that takes less than an hour and a half to get to Split. But, naturally, we did it because it was the only workable option. We really wanted to go to Vis or Supetar on Brač, but these options were not given to us.       We grumbled about the the time the whole way because we were that kind of tired that just hurts. But, upon arriving in to Split, we understood the logic of the time. There, our ship pulled in, surrounded by countless others, all bearing the dull, Jadrolinija letters across their sides. So, it became readily apparent that this was an attempt at giving people a hub from which they could transfer to any of the other ships that were there. This all makes sense, but in a Communist kind of sense because most people aren't transferring to another ferry line to continue their journey. If someone is in Split, then they will probably hop on to a bus, a train, or a city bus to go to the airport in Trogir. The real thing that people want to do is to hop from island to island, but this is really tricky with this company. For instance, to go to Vis, there is one or two ferries a week from the main port on Hvar to there. I think it must take something like a half hour to get there, since you can literally see Vis from the west end of Hvar. But no, if you want to get there easily, you need to go back in to Split and then take a ferry back out to Vis.       Jadrolinija has done a great job of centralizing their whole operation, but now they need to learn how to make it usable. They're certainly making enough off the cost of taking cars out to the islands (100 euros to Vis) that I would think someone could stop thinking in this "It's the customer's pleasure to use us." attitude that is thankfully, painfully, slowly dying out in these former Communist countries. The only problem with change at Jadrolinija is that they pretty have quite a monopoly over the whole coast, so you're left with little choice other than them. Yay. Way to go privatization.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the island of Hvar and it is a pretty place, but it has been way, way over-hyped. As you can see in my lavender article, people have been sold this idyllic Mediterranean dream of an island, when in reality, it's like a great number of islands off the Croatian coast as well as the Italian, French, and Spanish coasts. "The Mediterranean as it once was" slogan from the National Tourist Board of Croatia is something of a joke, since it's really the Mediterranean as it should never be; full of drunken tourists, expensive prices, and an economy that is based on functioning for four months, as opposed to maintaining a stabilized flow of tourism so that people could really have normal lives there, instead of being the equivalent of fruit pickers.       I suppose that's what really annoys me about Hvar. There is the mentality that it is okay to milk the tourist because that's what they are there for and well, you have to do it because the season is so short and you have to make money while you can. The irony in all of this is that if I went to an apartment in Hvar Grad in say, November, I would bet money that a great many pension owners would still try to get the high rate of 60 Euros a night and refuse to bargain on it. They would rather remain empty and get that prime rate two nights a month, than have a constant flow of people which would allow them to have a reliable income.       The Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulić talks about this a great deal in her book, Cafe Europa which is an excellent read. She is not popular in Croatia and it is obvious why, because she speaks the truth about the mentality of the people in her country after the fall of Communism. What is sad is that this book is from 1996 and 11 years later, the vast majority of it is still holds water. This is why I respect the tourism industries of Slovenia or Bosnia Herzegovina a great deal more. They don't have a massive coastline to export for immediate touristic consumption and so they have to work harder to develop their tourism industries. This is having them create a more sustainable type tourism in their countries.       Anyways, this has come a long way from talking about Hvar, but it is a small example that is indicative of a broader problem in Croatia that I may or may not go in to more in a later article. Suffice to say, don't go to Hvar looking to develop property, awaken your soul, lay on the "sandy beaches" (the panacea of British and Irish travlers), or find a dream vacation at bargain prices. It now costs the same as the rest of Europe and while nice, is not something to kill yourself to get to.

If you know the name, Hvar, then you most likely know the word, lavender. Those two have been forever linked through the tourist trade because to sell people on an island in Croatia that they can't pronounce required telling them about all the lavender that grew there, right?       Well, the Croats aren't stupid and they saw the tourists coming in to Hvar, asking about lavender this and lavender that, so they really pumped up the whole lavender thing. There are number touristic things all themed around lavender. There are places called Cafe Lavanda (Croatian for lavender.) The signs for the homemade wines and liquors that usually read 'Vino Rakija' read 'Vino Rakija Lavanda' on Hvar. It is everywhere so if you really want lavender, then this is your place. Except that it really isn't.       For one thing lavender is just a plant. Sure, it smells nice, but planning your trip around a plant is pretty nuts. And if I hear another person talking about wanting to run through a field of lavender in some post-pubescent daydream, I've got news for her, go to Slavonia. You see, I've been across all of Hvar. Really, I have. I've seen the whole island and while there are some hidden coves that I know I've not seen, there are no massive fields of lavender there. Sure, there are some and lavender still grows there, but there are apparently a greater number of them in Slavonia which is in that weird shape of the eastern hook of Croatia that touches Serbia. Whether or not this is being exported to Hvar is a matter I know nothing of. The moral of the story is: don't base a vacation around something in potpourri air freshener.

While visiting the lovely island of Hvar in Croatia, we stayed in Jelsa. Prior to our trip there, a friend in Sarajevo warned about the drunken Lager Lads and other such morons in Hvar Grad on the far western point of the island. While a beautiful spot that city, we were told that we had better be ready for vomit in the water and broken glass on the sidewalk. Additionally most people seemed to emphasize that rather open gay couples had been flocking to the town as well. The last bit didn't bother me at all, being from San Francisco, but the locals weren't too in to it. The locals also happened to not be in to drunken Lager Lads trying to grope the local girls and so a group of these Brits got beat up badly last year, with the beaters not getting caught, which I do happen to be a fan of. Island Justice is tough justice, but sometimes deserved.       So, after hitchhiking from the pitstop of Sućuraj, we found a nice apartment at a good rate that had a terrace overlooking the bay and port of Jelsa. It also happened to have a really sweet older couple running all of it, which included appointing the apartment with everything we could need. A quick stop to the local store in the town and we were set for a few days, which actually turned in to a couple of days extra because we were so relaxed there that we didn't want to leave.       Around the town there isn't too much. The wine growing area is close by, but you need a car to enjoy most of it. The rather overrated Tomić has a tasting room in town, but that's about it. Just outside the bay of the town to the left there is a pretty good beach, which is naturally full, but not crowded and when boats don't illegally dump their sewage on a Monday morning, the water is quite nice. Overall, it's really the relaxing quality of the town and a lack of most of the drunken idiots you find in Hvar town that make Jelsa a very appealing alternative.       There is one down side to the town, which is which it earned a "nearly" in the title and that's the fact that the church bells drive you insane. Some people complain about the mosques calling for prayer five times a day, but really, clanging church bells at six in the morning that go on for an hour are much, much more unnerving. Toss in the fact that on a Saturday that we were there, Mišo Kovač was singing for all the town to hear. Badly. Out of tune. And until two in the morning. Those church bells are a real killer at six when you've had the crooning of Mišo the night before. Honestly, I think it's a revenge against the tourists, but even still, I highly recommend Jelsa if you're staying on Hvar.

There are really two access points to the island of Hvar and naturally both require taking the ferry. The main one is Stari Grad on the west end of the island and most people take this. It's really the only reason to go to Stari Grad as once I saw it, I was definitely not a fan. The other point of entry is on the east end of the island and runs from Drvenik to Sućuraj. These are both small towns and nothing special, although Drvenik seems to have a decent beach at it. The ferry runs quite frequently and is cheap, so we decided to go this route and avoid the whole mess of traveling up to Split to travel back down to Hvar at Stari Grad.       All seemed good until we landed in Sućaraj, for there are absolutely no bus connections from this town to the west end of the island, which is 77km! So let me just emphasize now, do not go by ferry to Hvar via Sućuraj unless you have motorized transportation! Actually, now that I said that, let me say that there is a bus connection, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The first is at 5:45, the next at something like 13:00, and I can't remember when the third was, but no local knew about this, so I'm guessing that they actually don't run or are such crap that no one bothers to take them. So I emphasize once again to run with the assumption that there is no bus out of here.       So, what did we do? Well, we were screwed. We bumped in to a British couple who were in the same predicament. There happened to be the oh so helpful taxi driver (the only one) who would give us a lift. When asked in Croatian by us as to how much it would cost, he said 500kn ($95)!!! When asked by the British, they were told 800kn!!!       This it appeared was the only option. Did we take it? No. No we didn't. The Brits did though and we just shook our heads as we headed to the road to do the universal fall back: hitchhike. Yes, we hitched our way across Hvar. Luckily, we found a great Italian couple after waiting about 15 minutes who gave us a lift all the way to Jelsa which was stellar. So, we felt pretty good with pride and wallet intact after all of this and set about to enjoy Jelsa.       On a side note, it needs to be mentioned that we ran in to the Brits again in Hvar Grad. They were jogging in 35C heat at 18:00, so you can guess how the conversation went, but I'll summarize anyways:       Them: "Oh hi there, you made it!"       Us: "Yeah, we hitchhiked."       Them: "Oh. Did you wait long?"       Us: "About 15 minutes and we got a ride all the way in to town [most roads on Hvar don't go directly in to the town, but bypass them with a turnoff]."       Them: "Oh, good."       Us Thinking: How does it feel to get the British Treatment from a Croatian Island Taxi Driver?       Them [Should Have Been] Thinking: Pretty bad, but I guess we learned for the next time and will pass on the word to other Brits not to fall for this crap.       Them [Most Likely] Thinking: God, what a barbaric way to spend a holiday. Hitchhiking... At least now we have a silly story to tell when we're back home about how much we paid when we were in this really backwards country on the Adriatic. Gotta keep running or the pulse will drop. Ciao!

In Mostar, there is the Stari Most which was the old bridge that connected the two parts of the old town, thus the name, due to 'most' meaning 'bridge'. Yeah, I know, not very creative, but it works.       Anyways, a sport the kids do these days is to jump off the bridge and in to the Neretva River below, which is apparently freezing cold. They don't just do it for fun though and two of them will work the tourists to make a bit of money. One does the hustle and the other does the jump. I don't know how much they make, but I didn't have too much of a problem giving the kid two Konvertible Marks for the performance.       So, here you see it. He set up, then leans out and makes the plunge. It only takes a couple of seconds and as soon as he is in that water below, we gets out as fast as he can. A bit later, you'll see him back up on top, shivering, ready to do it again.

Međugorje is terrifying. It's this town located in southern part of Bosnia Herzegovina and is the second most visited pilgrimage site in the world for Catholics. It's all based on the fact that a group of kids had a vision of the Mary, Queen of Peace over two decades ago.       The end result of all this is that it is freakin' flooded with the most tacky Jesus and Mary knick knacks that you have ever seen. Just endless shops of them. I have never seen religion cashed in, on to such a degree and it is ugly.       But the weird thing is that people are just going to a spot where the Church hasn't even confirmed a miracle having ever happened. Some bloody their knees to make the walk by crawling. Others pray the whole way. I suppose that it's something different for everyone, but it is really just a spot and a group of locals that are cashing in on this.       Oh, but why was I there, since I am only technically Catholic? Simple. It's a massive wine growing region and I needed to taste the vino :) The cool part is that even though the people living there are extremely Catholic, they are still easy to talk to and not these zealots that you find in the US. They are secure in their beliefs and don't feel a need to change you. Sure, they may think you're going to go to hell for not being a Christian, but that's your business and I appreciate that!

These are a small set of waterfalls that are near Mostar. Much like visiting Počitelj, you'll probably need a car to see them, since there aren't any buses this way and they're really out of the way. But, if you do manage to find them, you can take a swim in some really fresh water as well as just relax. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, they do have a restaurant and a couple of cafes there, since the locals know this spot, as well as a great number of tourists.       We spent maybe just an hour there and enjoyed it a lot. While not nearly as expansive as Plitvice or Krka in Croatia, it's still cool and like most things in Bosnia Herzegovina, still free, unlike Croatia, where even city maps cost something from the tourist office these days...

It's a very small town somewhat near Mostar and while you need to drive to see it, a to visit Počitelj is a nice short trip. While ravished in the war, the town has been very well rebuilt and is apparently home to craftsmen, like stone carvers. You can see one of these guys in a promotional clip on the Bosnia Herzegovina tourism site.       There isn't a tremendous amount to do there besides climb the old fortress and wander through a town that is distinctly different with its white stone (as opposed to red tile) roofs, but it's really pretty. The Neretva River (which flows through Mostar as well) takes a delightful bend by the town and while really damned cold, if the day is hitting 40C like now, when I'm writing this, it would be a nice spot for a swim.

Mostar is a really neat spot to visit. It is full of daytrippers from all over, but I think you should easily spend one or two nights there so that you don't short shrift a visit to it. After all, they have great burek and čevapčići, so that warrants a visit to any place that supply those in great number and high quality. Don't get me wrong, they're not as good as Sarajevo, but they're still damned tasty, especially the burek and pita.       The old city is simply beautiful. The only downside is that it had to be heavily restored after the war when the Croats and Bosniaks were fighting their very deadly war down there which ultimately ended in no side winning, the old town in ruins, and the beautiful old bridge across the Neretva destroyed by assinine Croats.       So, this restoration effort has mainly focused on what I term, Tourist Alley that is the stretch that runs out from each side of the bridge. Beyond this, lovely old buildings still sit in ruin and some look like they're just going to crumble further to a point of obliteration.       The other sad point, which we learned from our pension owners while we were there was that before the war, 70% of the town was comprised of mixed marriages between Croats and Bosniaks. Now, while I assume those marriages must exist in some fashion somewhere, the town is divided. People have traded houses so that there is now a definitive Bosniak section and a definitive Croat section. It's all quite sad really and just stupid.       But for tourists, go to Mostar. It's ready for you and while the number one spot in the Balkans, in my mind right now, Mostar has a lot to offer as well.