Safe Return Doubtful

I’m already looking back at Masna Luka and thinking I should have spent more time there. Hiking is the main reason, and to do anything decent requires several hours, and quite a bit of climbing, which I’m not up to at the moment. I settled for 90 minutes out and managed to get some good views of the mountains before heading off for the 120 kilometre journey round to Lukomir and the Bjelašnica mountains. It’s not very far, but it takes a three hours. There are few fast roads in Bosnia, there’s not really that much traffic to require them, but mainly the lengthy time is because of the last 20 kilometres.

One might take the advice of web mapping. This would be wrong, as it takes you a much shorter route, but over a 4WD road from Konjic. Instead, it is necessary to go almost into Sarajevo, just 20 kilometres away, and then come at it. This way the climbing is done on a sealed road, and only the last 20 km on a rough road, crawling, in a van, at around 15 km per hour.

The attraction of Lukomir, is chiefly that I didn’t get here last time, but have heard a lot about it. It is on the the southern ridge of Bjelašnica, with a steep drop to the south, and, at 1,495 m, it’s the highest inhabited settlement in BiH and the only one above 1,300 m.

Most of its original residents come from Podveležje, an arid plateau in Herzegovina. The semi-nomadic tribe of shepherds would move here during the summers with their large flocks in search of water that could be found on Bjelašnica’s rich pastures. Most of them settled permanently in Rakitnica Canyon and then later in what is now Lukomir.

That now makes up about half of the population of 60 in the summer, quite an increase on the 13 of ten years ago, mainly due to the increase in tourism. All residents though, decamp at the onset of snow, spend the winter elsewhere, and return in spring.

I stayed at Na krovu svijeta (or ‘On top of the World’), which is space for a few campers. There was no one others around though. They are expanding, and building a bathroom, but its reputation for cuisine is a good one.

Unfortunately I was in a state where I couldn’t appreciate it. I’d had a bad stomach most of the day, though it appeared on the surface to be nothing, brought on maybe, I thought, by the ibuprofen I had taken this morning.

I went into the bar for a beer in the early evening, and that didn’t help. When they guy asked what food I wanted, the sound of lamb or chicken put me right off, so I reluctantly opted for bean soup. He brought me a shot of a dubious brandy, claiming it would help my stomach, though it had the absolute reverse effect.

I actually felt better later in the evening and was able to watch the rugby, though not eat anything. I’ve looked back at what caused it, but can’t think food, and just wonder that it actually wasn’t that bad until that dreaded brandy..

Though I felt much better this morning, I was greeted by just about every one of the population of 60 using their chain saws to cut winter wood. I begged my leave, and have retreated a few kilometres back along the rough road to the incredible plateau.

This is the place to be. It’s almost silent, just the passing or a shepherd and his herd and dogs this morning, and the odd car. There’s a summer shepherd’s hut a hundred metres or so away, a couple their 6 huge dogs and the sheep. They’re not long back from their day of wandering and always give a wave when they pass.

I’ve adjusted position slightly so as to get what I hope is decent enough 4G for the sport, something I really didn’t expect, and will probably stay here for the weekend therefore. It was a very short malady of the stomach, I’m almost back to the per cent I was previously.. I’m not sure the pictures will do it justice, but it is one of those great places that you are able to stop at with the van.

It’s clear skies at the moment and for the next days, an afternoon temperature of about 20C and a minimum of night of about -2C, and just under 1500 metres asl.