Hello travellers!

My son has sent some news of the more interesting things he has experienced.

Due to his age, his gender, his ethnic background and the company he keeps, he spends a fair bit of time visiting the 'clubs'.

This past weekend was no different. He and a few others went to one place last weekend and were refused entry. They didn't know why. This was a time where they didn't have any Serbians with them, and the group didn't know enough Serbian between them to understand what they were being told.

One of the Canadians, who was there with his wife, started to give the bouncer a hard time. The bouncer reacted...with his fist. He then started to give the fellow's wife a hard time, which brought the first Canadian back to action. The altarcation was quickly heating up as others in the group joined in the fray.

Then my son (generally cool of mind) and another fellow dug out the magic bullet...the EUFOR ID card.

The fight stopped dead. Apparently the look on the bouncer's face was priceless. I will remind you that EUFOR badges are almost a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Now there are a couple of interesting things to note here. At one point, anyone who spoke English here was figured to be a EUFOR employee and was treated with deference.

This English speaking group was apparently thought to be tourists. What this means is that there ARE tourists coming into B-L.

As recently as last September, a customs worker looked at us in puzzlement when we said we were going into Bosnia. She asked us why!

Now, eventually the Serbs will have to learn that you don't rough up tourists for know known reason...but still!

Anyway, incident reports were filed both with local police and with the EUPM (who monitor the local police).

There is a list of places to avoid published and circulated among the foreign contingent. Our son says this is how they pick the clubs they go to...

God Bless