Bad dream

Here, mountains are not green or gray. Here, mountains display a patchwork of browns and ocre, with that occasional green sparkle when a few trees set out on a war against the burnt herbs growing between the rocks. This is not a friendly landscape anymore. Here, the land is wild and proud to be.

I climb a last hill. As I walk through the last few meters, a huge valleys seems to unroll in front of me. Actually, more like a full set of small hills and valleys circled by a large chain of mountains. Below, lying in three consecutives valleys, a handful of roofs and some smoke going up from some hidden fields hint the presence of Stolac. This is the only clue of human activity over the whole landscape: everything else is the same raw nature made of half-dead hald-wild hills and half-steppes half-rock vegetation. The view is so breathtaking that I have to recoil for a few seconds.

Enough to realize how silent is the place between the gusts whizzing in the rocks. No singing bird, no wild animal crossing the land. This gives the whole landscape an unreal look, like an interrupted dream in the last few seconds before the dreamer opens his eyes.

I slowly walk down towards Stolac, unexpected moving being in an immobile land. Then, as the road takes a small turn to the right, the dream suddenly collapses. On the side of the road, a dreadful sign hurls its red omen at innocent passersby: мине (landmines).

Avertissement, Stolac

In a few seconds, everything changes. The wild land becomes threatening. It used to be silent, it is now lurking. Every rock, every plant is suddenly a devious foe waiting for the careless traveler to set a foot at the wrong place to jump. Every gusts suddenly becomes a deliberate attempt to sweep him out of the road, in a world where even the ground cannot be trusted. Thus I walk, griping the narrow asphalt band like an aerialist.

Final note: it is definitely an odd feeling, walking along a minefield for the first time. It is not actually dangerous, as there are signs, and the road is always safe (and fuck those trucks asking you to move out of the way, I am so not putting a single foot out of the road in this area)


Avertissement, Stolac
Main minefields sign with the map of the area.

Avertissement, Stolac
A traveller and a sign. Webcam quality.