Entering Baščaršija square

That night when I walked around in Baščaršija, I didn't know where to lay my eyes on. I looked at its shops, glanced at its people, glimpsed at its bright full moon, and stared hard at its mosques. The lights coming from everywhere along our path made the scene overwhelmingly pleasing. Putting pieces together, I can only conclude that if Rijeka Neretva in Mostar was the most beautiful, this old town was the most exotic.

Knowing that we would come here again tomorrow with Adnan, we didn't bother ourselves to look for any souvenirs. This walk tonight was intended to give us the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful night scene of Baščaršija- which we really did. However, being mortals, after a while we were overtaken by exhaustion, made worse by the oversized bagpacks we were carrying behind our backs. Sanadin had a plan, a 'final one' I secretly hoped- a stop at his friend's coffee shop.

At that time, I thought Sanadin wasn't acting in our interest- a thought that I would very soon regret and ashamed to have. First I wasn't a big fan of coffee, but that wasn't of too much concern. Neither Nubli nor myself had known him for long, we knew we should be prepared for anything slightly less preferable should it happen. I mean we should trust people because trust is nice and it holds us together firmly, but that shouldn't ease our vigilance and preparedness of unexpected, insidious circumstances when they develop. I didn't think too far as to being robbed or kidnapped, no those are too extreme and very much unachievable in the midst of the busy Baščaršija. The worst I had was,"Is he using us clueless tourists to enrich his own network of friends, while assuming all tourists are men of means?"

On our way there, we passed the Baščaršija square marked by Sebilj, a wooden-concrete fountain standing firmly and conspicuously in the middle of it. The structure was erected on a raised ground, giving it a slightly more majestic appearance. Water, as the word 'fountain' denotes, was flowing undisturbed from its two sides simply waiting for anyone to come for thirst-quenching. If my memory is correct, Nubli climbed the stairs to the Sebilj and drank from it, while I passed it thinking 'there is always tomorrow', if God so willed. Interestingly though, there is a legend behind this fountain. It is said that once you drink from it, you can never leave Bosna for too long- well let's see how Nubli copes with that!