Day 7: Peja, Kosovo

Chinese Version / 中文版本

Before we went to bed last night, R checked the weather in Kotor and began to feel grumpy as it would be going to rain tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Then he asked me what had I done in such rainy weather while I was traveling? Good question. Did I ever travel on a rainy day? I could only think of the day when I was in Kathmandu when he asked me, but all I had done there was just sleeping and hanging out in the hotel for the whole day, that seemed to be quite pessimistic. 

If he asks me now, I can tell him the day I spent in Budapest 8 years ago. It was raining for the whole day, yet I managed to grab the time and went to the must-see places as much as possible in the rain. Although the grand atmosphere in Budapest was somehow ruined, I still had a good time there.

NEWBORN monument

The ugly stadium in the background

I totally understood why R was upset about the weather, because we are the same kind of person. I used to feel the same when I was traveling in Turkey, always worried if there's blue sky the following days. Nevertheless, I don't know since when I have become more magnanimous in terms of travel. Perhaps I have changed after the experience in Tibet. When I was there, I got to realize that every cloud had a silver lining. No matter how harsh the weather condition is, it will always be sunny after raining. It's just the matter of time. 

Despite R wanted to give up the idea of going to Kotor, I unceasingly encouraged him that the weather might change and he should go there, while he's already in the Balkans. What are the chances? Seriously? When I woke up this morning, I got the note R left me. He left earlier at 7 a.m. and decided to continue his journey to Kotor. Hopefully he will forget about the rainy weather and have a good time there.

The main square in Peja

The building in Peja also looks absurdly ugly

Mother Teresa's statue

Street scene in Peja

Although it's raining today, I still took the bus to Peja. When I left the hostel, I discovered that I forgot to bring my umbrella. Maybe I was too lazy, I didn't bother to climb those staircases of 4 floors and left to the bus station regardless. 

The bus from Pristina to Peja took around 2 hours and cost 4 EUR. Comparing to the taxi price, the domestic bus fare is very cheap.

River Lumi Bardhi

River Lumi Bardhi

Peja is famous for its beer

Local butcher shop

When I arrived at the main bus station in Peja, I had no idea which direction I should head to. The city of Peja is quite thoughtful, there are direction signs of every popular sights on the street. I followed the sign to head to the bazaar, meanwhile, it started to rain slightly. As it was only a light drizzle, I continued to walk to the main square in the city center. After being advised by the tourist information center, I decided to find a monastery, which I could never find it out. The longer I walked, the heavier the rain became. At last, I couldn't walk in the rain anymore and bought an umbrella on the way.

Imported cigarettes

Kosovo's newspapers

He is an auto mechanic

Seemed like the rain wasn't going to stop any sooner, and there's nothing special in town, thus it was time to say goodbye to Peja. While I was walking back to the bus station, the heavy rain made it hard for the sewage to drain the water away. The road was overflowed with a swamp of water. I couldn't cross the road, as the car was quickly passing by in the water. While I was feeling so helpless, a giant truck stopped and let me cross the road. Eventually, I could carefully cross the tiny river without soaking my shoes in the water. What a heartfelt gesture of the truck driver!

Was following to find the never-been-found monastery

I felt like I was trespassing some private properties

Goodbye, Peja!