|
RAFTING WEEK IN BOSNIA
Roughing it out with nature is what I'll call
it. Imagine this; you're camping by the riverside, under an
amazing blanket of a thousand stars! Though camping may sound
like disaster for city dwelling people, but fret not, friendly
Bosnians will make you feel at ease from the first day onwards.
In fact, the whole week is about nothing more but taking it
easy.
About 30 people altogether was in this camp.
This was made up of mainly Bosnians, a hand full of Yugoslavians,
some Turks and us two Malaysians. Camp was a little cosy,
but it never deterred anyone from having great fun! Parties
at night was mandatory, like all other IVSA events, but in
a smaller version. And some people even sang folk songs throughout
the night.
First leg of the rafting took about 5 hours,
but it really was more like a stroll in the river. Not much
adrenalin rush here, which may be just the kind of warm up
we beginners needed. It rained halfway though, but the scenery
after that was breath taking. Words alone wouldn't do justice;
you'd have to be there yourself to appreciate it.
The next part of the rafting was for the more
adventurous. It began with our guide jumping off the waterfalls
from a height high enough to make you nauseous (probably about
5 storeys high). Though tougher, but there were parts where
we could just lie back and enjoy the sun while the river pushes
you along. There were some overturned boats, but just for
the heck of it, my guide overturned our boat on purpose, making
us all plunge into the icy cold water (which could turn anyone
numb in 5 seconds!). It was fun anyway, especially for us
Malaysians, where the only cold water you could get comes
from a fridge.
I must mention the Dean of the Faculty in
the University of Sarajevo for being such a sport and joining
us on the first leg of the rafting and the short visit to
the horse farm. He was a friendly man, and treated us for
dinner one night. He even invited me to stay on a few more
days in the university, but unfortunately time was not on
my side.
Ending always seem the hardest thing to do
after you get used to all the people you've become friends
with. But then, I returned home safely, with my aching arms
as a reminder of the fun I had in Bosnia. Now that I know
how much fun rafting is, I can't wait to concur other rivers!
Natasha
Lee natlee@yahoo.com
University Putra Malaysia
|
