OCTOBER 14, 2012
“Oh my God! You will
starve here!”
- Irma, my friend and
guide, upon hearing that I was a vegetarian in Bosnia
Another “coincident” relating my study of the Gita came
later in the day.
The weather turned foul last night with temperatures falling
and rain coming down in sheets. This
morning was still chilly and wet, though the rain subsided long enough for me
to log my Sunday long run. Though I have
referenced it very little, this trip has turned transitioned me from triathlete
to runner based on sheer lack of bike availability. My route planning for runs has been just as
lax as the rest of the logistics planning and I found myself running painfully
steep hills above the city. The run
lasted only 70 minutes but completely broke me for the rest of the day. There would be little sight seeing beyond the
500 meter radius surrounding my hostel.
Fortunately, there were other options.
The night before, I checked out the couple bars my guide
recommended. I’m sure they would have
been wonderful had I stuck around longer.
But I can get drunk, be ignored by beautiful women, and have smoke blown
in my face by over-collogned douchebags anywhere in the world and didn’t feel
the need to have that be part of my Bosnia experience. Out on the street, there was live drumming
somewhere near by. Despite my tinnitus
from years of concerts, it is one unmistakable sound I seem to be able to pick
out of a backdrop of city noise. The
drumming was coming from a three-piece Hari Krishna band that included a
harmonium (keyboard instrument), guitar and drum. I spoke to a couple of the devotees who were
hanging around and was invited to their Kirtan the next day (today).
With the possible exception of the Diamond Way Buddhists in
Minneapolis, I have never met such a loving group of people. It was my first time going to any kind of
Hari Krishna event and I had no idea what to expect and was a little nervous
about how many social, cultural, and religious protocols I would break. In no time I was welcomed into their group
and enjoyed a great evening of conversation, song, and the biggest vegetarian
feast you could ever imagine. It was
without question one of my favorite events of my travels up to this point.
Back at the hostel that night I aborted plans to return to
western Croatia to visit the Plitvice Lake National Park because of temps in the
40’s and 50’s with 80% chance of rain.
Instead, I am heading north as I type this. Transport to Zagreb is locked down. We’ll see if I can press on all the way to
Graz, Austria before the night is up.
Stay safe my friend.
ReplyDelete