Distant Destinations

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I recently road tripped to some of the Balkans' hot spots. The first stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. My group then drove to Kotor and Perast in Montenegro. We concluded our journey in Ohrid, North Macedonia. While the locations we visited were so beautiful that I would go back, I did not feel like I was in the Balkans anymore. They did not reflect the Balkans that I have come to know. This was especially apparent as my friends' first impressions of the Balkans didn't exactly hold up with my perceptions. Now, I realize that there is great variation within every Balkan region. I may be ignorant on a couple counts, and I can't pretend to be an expert on Croatian, Montenegrin, or North Macedonian culture just because I've lived in Albania for 17.5 months. There could be multiple explanations for the dissonance between my PC Balkans and the road trip's Balkans. However, I think it mostly boils down to tourism. All of those locations were waterfront tourist magnets. Apparently, Croatia has pushed for Dubrovnik to become the "new Italy" and, in my estimation, they succeeded. The city was immaculate, but the locals don't seem to live there anymore. Kotor was beautiful, but they're building a new hotel right on the waterfront. Time will tell just how much of that gorgeous bay is going to become plastered by resorts. Additionally, the old town was bursting at the seams with trinkety cat stores. In fact, cats are practically a selling point for Kotor. That struck me as particularly odd because cats are largely seen as pests in Albania. Given this discrepancy, I consulted a Montenegrin PCV. She says that, aside from a few seaside towns, cats are also seen as pests. While I think there is certainly a true cultural difference between those seaside towns and the rest of Montenegro, the cat obsession does seem incongruous with typical Balkan attitudes. Last but not least, Ohrid was the closest experience to the Balkans that I know. Geographically, it was also the closest city to my site. Additionally, it is comparatively less accessible, so the tourism remains mostly regional. Still, most of the local population has moved to the capital city, Skopje, or abroad. A hostel owner complained to me that only a handful of his friends remain in the city. 

Of course there are positive aspects to tourism. I was a tourist myself, and I feel honored to have seen such gorgeous parts of the world. What a privilege. However, the experience also put into relief the downsides of tourism in a way that I have never before experienced. What do you sacrifice to become a tourist magnet? I tried to express to my friends what exactly constitutes the Balkans that I know and have grown to love, but I found it difficult to describe. How do you explain the mountains, the beauty in the dilapidated, the intense hospitality, the parties, the people I love, Turkish toilets, the often exciting furgon life, the language, no A/C or heat, random animals in the road, no shower curtains, slippers galore, and the appreciation of food that might be different from yours but its in your life every day so you might as well love it? At our Swearing-In ceremony, the US Embassy's charge d'affaires said that, out of all US expats affiliated with the US government, PCVs receive the most authentic experience living in a new country. I believe that's true, and I will thank Peace Corps for the rest of my life for giving me such an ineffable, real experience. 

All that said, here is a list of the best parts of the trip: 

1. Cliff jumping in Dubrovnik. My friend wanted to go cliff jumping. Once there, the height and the rock's shape spooked us. We were straddling the precipice of "will we, won't we" when I noticed that there were only guys lined up on the rock. Would I jump off a cliff for equal representation? Consider it done. I climbed myself on up there and jumped twice. 

2. Getting out of the water in Dubrovnik. The water in that area of the world is beautiful. In many locations, you could just jump into the water off the side of the city. For those of us used to designated beaches, this aspect of Dubrovnik took some time to sink in. My friend and I experienced this liberating epiphany on our first day. After our revel of freedom and endorphins, my friend was the first to get out. I hadn't seen her get out nor was I wearing glasses, so I went in blind. As it turns out, leaving the water was unexpectedly challenging. It was a mix of me not being able to see the uneven rocks below me, the water coming in and out, and slipping. I had to try a couple times, and I left the water bloody. My friend saw me afterwards and exclaimed, "oh, no! I was going to come warn you that getting out was surprisingly hard! I beach-whaled on the rock!" As climbers, we truly left our dignity on those rocks, but it only got worse. In front of an audience at cliff jumping, I face planted on a rock when exiting the water. 

3. The nature and the architecture. That area of the world is unbelievably beautiful. The Bay of Kotor looks like a fjord (or at least what I imagine a fjord to be). The pictures don't capture just how intensely the peaks of the Dinaric Alps jut out of the water. The bay must have been significantly deep because a cruise ship docked right on the edge of town. Additionally, the Italian-esque architecture was beautiful. 

4. The Bell Towers. In Dubrovnik, one of their bell towers was set up so that two jacquemarts - mechanical bronze figures dubbed the "Green Men" - ring the bell. The Green Men currently installed are replicas because the originals stand in a museum. Kotor also had a cool bell tower, and they sell tickets to enter. Climbing to the top was interesting since it's an operational bell tower. Beware, tall people - the climb is an experience made for the vertically challenged. 

5. Kotor's Festival. On June 26, Kotor celebrated some sort of nautical holiday. We lucked into being there for it. The holiday began with a parade through the old town. A band played a medley that included the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Then, a bunch of men and women in traditional outfits gathered outside one of the main gates. Standing in front of me, the men shot off rifles. One guy's gun didn't fire on cue, and that made everyone chuckle. Everyone then filed back into the city walls to watch the men dance. Their dance was super neat, and I've never seen anything like it in Albania. They held hands in a long line - typical - but they weaved in and out of each other in different patterns.

6. Two priests in Kotor's Serbian Orthodox church gave a small but excellent singing performance. I was lucky enough to be present to enjoy the incredible acoustics.