Bus Trip to Mostar
No hockey for a few days which means things will get a little bit hazier over the next few days . I’ve put a good bit of money down to attain a hangover so I probably should get some hair of the dog but before resorting to that I try my luck with coffee and breakfast . That did not work . So I then call front desk at hotel and opt for taking a nap with a later checkout . That didn’t work either . I have to get my ass in gear to get my bags packed up so I take a shower and yes I still fill like a flaming pile of burning shit . Oh well , it’s my fault .
Saying good bye is the absolute worst part of travelling . I made a really good friend here and his name is Nermin ! What a solid dude . We really got along well and he did absolutely everything I needed and didn’t ask for anything in return like true friends do . Unfortunately he is probably the busiest person in the hockey community here . I was hoping to give him a big hug and sadly say bye but he was working on the other rink and left me instructions to get into the locker room to pack my bags , which I’m leaving in Sarajevo while I head off to Mostar to watch Aston Villa . So we didn’t get to say our goodbyes .
After I packed my bags and left them at the rink I tried to call a Crveni Taxi . Remember avoid Sarajevo Taxi at all cost ! The red cab showed up promptly and I headed to the airport and had a great conversation with the driver . That hangover I spoke of is still hanging around and I had time to kill as the Dubai Lions are due to arrive so I took the last resort and grabbed a beer and waited . If you don’t know , I am an Aston Villa supporter and I always try swinging a game here and there on my trips . The match is in Mostar and I am waiting for the fellas from Dubai to jump in their ride out of town .
During the day people who arrived in Mostar early had the chance to purchase tickets at the ticket booth . Villa tickets sold out in the away end and I didn’t get one but I was lucky enough to get a ticket from my goalie friend Dino Pasovic who has organized a ticket for me and I have to pick it up from one of his gas stations on the way into Mostar . Yes I know everyone I’m with thought it was dodgy but trust me , I got the hook ups .
Let me rewind this a bit …. During the max scramble for tickets a fellow Villa supporter I’ve been chatting with offered to grab me a ticket and it took me a second to wonder if I should grab a few for the Dubai Lions but they are on a plane so I can’t reach them so I made the executive decision to buy 6 tickets in hopes of helping these guys out . When they arrived I found out they were already sorted so I am just selling them off at their face value as I’m not here to make money , especially off fellow Villa supporters . Those tickets are all spoken for now as a few guys I met in Sarajevo needed some so it all works out in the end !
The Dubai Lions arrive at airport , we had a few beers while the responsible ones like Mark Forrester went to get our vehicles sorted and we all piled in and drove to Mostar . It was a 2 hour drive , only made one piss stop and then was harrassed about having to take a very very minor detour to grab my tickets from the BP EOL Petrol station where my ticket was waiting . For some reason the Brit’s love to take the piss out of me , or are they pissing on me ? Does that mean I’m being pissed on ? If one is the pisser then what’s the person accepting the piss or having the piss removed from them …. Anyways we’re having a good time mostly at my expense :)
When we got to the hotel we ordered some cevapcici , so delicious ! Grabbed a couple beers then hit the pub for some fun and met other Villa supporters like my old friend Phil Fellows who I’ve been to many Villa matches with over the years . His daughter is with him and she’s living in Dubai now but hasn’t really settled in with the Dubai Lions yet so we need to get her introduced so she can go enjoy matches in her new surroundings . I’m sure she will fit in just fine with these fellas . They are good people !
There is one particular person that seems to hold celebrity status amongst the Dubai Lions and he goes by the name Sniper . What an absolute legend this guy is . On the bus he was singing and making funny remarks the whole way and is quite entertaining and a really friendly person . Not to say the others aren’t but when we got in the pub I heard people yelling out SNIPER many times and even Phil knows him . Apparently everyone knows him and if you didn’t you sure will by the end of this trip .
The pub we were at was called Shankly’s and it was a nice pub but it started to quiet down and we headed back to our hotel which is Hotel Carpe Diem which is a bit out of town but nothing too harsh . Some of the lads aren’t exactly feeling it here but the service is good , the food is good and most of all they gave us beers in the middle of the night when we got back . Yeah it’s a bit rough around the edges but overall I’m not disappointed as it’s a good place to rest my head .
Today is game day so I probably should get a bit more rest before I crack open my first beer . UP THE VILLA