Sunday, August 11, 2013

Croatia and Montenegro suck too.

So, I decided to have a little trip to the Adriatic coast.  wrong decision.  General impression of Croatia:  a country of people reluctantly forced into the tourism industry - desperate for your tourist dollars, but wishing you would just fuck right off after you've given it to them.  Like Serbs, expecting that you'll loooooooooooooooove their little country because it's self-evidently the best place on earth.  You're swarmed by toothless grandmas at the bus station who want you to stay at their "hotel" who then get furious if you don't take the room because it includes their chain-smoking deadbeat son hanging out in the livingroom ("don't worry, he sleeps on the balcony").

They are fundamentally arrogant, like Serbs.  They don't accept credit cards at major transport hubs.  Why would they?  They've already deigned to allow you into their wonderful country to take your money.  Their bus station, their rules.  now give me your cash and fuck off.  The way-inflated prices for visiting another balkans dump is another symptom of this arrogance.  No, you're not Italy or France or Monaco.  I predict the free market will eventually crush Croatia (after a brief up-tick after EU ascension).  People will visit once but not bother returning for a second visit.

Also, they are hypersensitive about the nomenclature of the language they speak.  Croatian and Serbian are different languages like New Hampshire English and Louisiana English are different languages.  Maybe you could make such a case, but it would be stupid to stamp your foot and insist that they ARE different languages.  Anyway.  If someone tells you "you speak Croatian wonderfully", don't tell them, "thanks, I learned it in Belgrade".  Just a heads-up  :)

Montenegro is Croatia on food-stamps.  Same shit, but with a little less corn in it.

If you're in the region, skip Croatia, nevermind Montenegro.  You get a better bang for your buck in Turkey, especially after this current political situation there dies down.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

"If you don't like it, get out"

If you find yourself about to click 'reply' on one of my posts and have nothing to say but "if you don't like it, get out", I suggest you save your energy.  Many half-wits before you have posted the same, so you're not really adding anything.

Same with "why are you here".  I've answered that question a few times in various comments.

If you really can't see how someone could get satisfaction out of the projects they are doing yet still hate the surroundings they are in, then you are suffering from poverty of your imagination.

Even if I didn't actually hate it, which I do, there is so much in Serbia that is objectively ridiculous, why wouldn't I post about it for the amusement of myself and others?  As if there aren't enough syrupy expat blogs out there.