Banja Luka (Js are Ys here so really it's Banya Luka) is the capital of the Republika Srpska, the autonomous (but still linked) Serbian part of Bosnia and Hercegovnia. I really didn't know what to expect when we decided to visit Banja Luka. Most people said there wasn't much to see there and it's where the "hard core" Nationalists live. Hopeful to leave tourist-dense areas, Banja Luka sounded wonderful to us.
Upon our arrival we met up with our couchsurfing host, Zeljko, who had with him a Turkish couchsurfer, Boli (who would later become our "perfect" Rakija-shooting travel buddy on our journey to Sarajevo.) Zeljko immediately gave us a quick walking tour of the city (quick is all you need) and then to get burek and a beer. In true Zack and Kat style we hadn't read Zeljko's profile all that thoroughly. He mentioned that he lived "outside the city" but as we drove out to his home, we realized that "outside the city" was more than we had expected. We seemed to drive forever, down winding dirt roads with no street lights, headed for some raping and murdering no doubt. Since we arrived late at night, we didn't see until the morning what splendor we had stumbled upon. Zeljko's family farm was so gorgeous (literally and figuratively). Zeljko's family were so welcoming and warm and they were clearly very excited to have a stream of couchsurfers coming to stay with them (In 2012 alone, the family had hosted more than fifty guests).
The daily family breakfast (which mom insists couchsurfers participate in) consists of bread, many types of vegetables, a grilled meet of sorts, eggs, cheese, yogurt, a delicious chilli sauce, watermelon, coffee and rakijia (the local liquor that everyone brews). I asked Zeljko if his family buys any food from the store. He thought for a while and then responded with "no but we buy salt sometimes." Imagine that! A completely self-sustaining farm. Images of our grocery stores, with expensive certified organic produce popped into my mind. This is the life. Thanks to Zeljko and his family our time in Banja Luka was full of my favourite type of travel memories...the human kind.
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| Republika Srpksa |
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| Old meets new. |
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| Three languages....suspiciously similar. |
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| Killing time with a Lithuanian and a Romanian....a playground in a castle will do. |
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| Life is good on the family farm. |
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| pigssssss. |
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| Everyday the whole family (and all the couch surfers) sit down for a big hearty breakfast....shots of rakija with Turkish coffee included. |
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