The city of Sarajevo, the city of the longest siege in modern history. This might be my favorite place I have traveled through despite the small set backs like bed bugs. I found a new hostel after one miserable night with the bugs and now I am in the nicest and cheapest hostel that I have found in Europe. Sarajevo is different than I thought it would be. The people are all friendly, the people speak English better here than they did in Italy, and the city is remarkably safe. Much safer than all the big western European cities. I came here with the impression that I would have to be guarding my stuff and guarding my life, but no. Despite the bleak building shelled and charred, the Muslim Bosniaks, the catholic Croats and the orthodox Serbs are all very welcoming of foreigners. The point I'm driving at is that everybody should take a tour of Croatia and Bosnia. Hope summers are going good!

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

So I am coming up on the last 2 weeks of my epic journey south through Europe. I’m in a city called Mostar in Bosnia that bore the brunt of the war. The buildings are still in rubble and the walls of peoples stores still have huge artillery craters and holes speckled throughout the black charred foundations. The city was laid siege to for 18 months nonstop and the citizens had to live in secret underground bunkers and basements in order to avoid blasts and snipers. So it’s still a scary looking place. Even the cats that live in the dumpsters kind of scare me. I came here because there is a UK prosthetic mission center that I will visit tomorrow.
Now onto a lighter subject. Croatia is my favorite country. In the couple days I was there, I kept living with the British guys and we camped just outside of Split. We all went whitewater rafting, rock-climbing, spelunking, swimming, kayaking and met some pretty girls from Switzerland. One of the most beautiful places i've ever been and definitely action packed. The British guys headed south in Croatia not wanting to leave the beautiful coastline, and I don’t blame them. I will be in Sarajevo still when they meet back up with me though. It’s really been fun, and now I have to catch up on some work. I’m going to miss the easy going beach lifestyle of Croatia, its even more laid back than the Galapagos. Bosnia is just too riddled with tragedy to really relax. The people are too poor and the infrastructure is still in shambles. I really hope Sarajevo is better off. Either way, I really hope that I learn a lot at the Bosnian prosthetic mission outpost, should be a little eye opening. Pictures on the way. Over and out


So today was the biggest break through in my studies since I was in the Ossur factory in Iceland. The political structure that has erupted out of the post communist Bosnia and Herzegovina is soo absolutely interesting. I went to a British NGO that helps out here to learn about the finances, third party payers and welfare, and I came out with a new idea for a new thesis. The bureaucracy is so corrupt here that the large amounts of children here have to pay the authorities to tap into the health fund and then the German company Otto Bock has bought the right to be the sole provider for prosthesis in this country. The people can’t even go to neighboring Croatia to get better and cheaper ser vice because they can’t leave the country without a visa. A prosthetic leg costs more here than it does in the states and the service they get is garbage. I came to Bosnia to study how the people had adapted to the staggering number of young amputees, but instead all I found was how corrupt the government is. The people in a country that can barely feed everybody actually charges more for healthcare, and it has to ultimately come from your pocket unless you can pay your way through the many branches of the government. I’m going to spend an extra few days in Bosnia to figure out how Otto Bock has bought the right to a monopoly in an advertised free market economy. Something just doesn’t make since, and this German company is making a fortune off of cheap components in a place with 6000 child landmine accidents. I’m Sherlock Holmes and I will be here till I figure it out. Till then Ill dodge the landmines and rabid cats.

on to the Balkans

The past two weeks have been smooth backpacking. It has been simple and relatively cheap train tickets heading south from Germany and into the hot Italian sun. Right now I am in route to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently in Split, Croatia, I am getting my first glimpses of the forward progressing people in a war torn region. I came into the Balkans to see how they cope with the recent massive amount of young veterans who are in need of prosthetic care to maintain a young active lifestyle. I have already seen the “warning landmines areas” signs. In Florence I met up with four British guys, and we had similar itineraries heading from Italy into Croatia. I’m actually camping with them and saving a ton of money by splitting a tent with one of them. Split is a cool ex roman city with beaches and cheap fresh seafood. I’m fairly certain that from here on out it will be nothing but 4 dollar meals and even cheaper drinks! Finally!
It is nice camping on a beach right outside of the main city center. By spending no money on accommodation, it’s allowing me to enjoy the city a little more. Although, I have to balance the pros by sleeping on a hard floor in only a light sleeping bag. Life is good, and I hope it is for all of you too.
Adios!

The Tuscan Sun

The Tuscan Sun
My time in rome was again spent with south americans. My brother from sao paulo brazil, Santos. My time in rome were great times and it seems that two of my favorite cities have been spent with people from the southern hemosphere. Anyways my point is that south amerians are the friendliest people in the world and make good tavel companions. My other friends from Rome were austrailians, and they are making a trip around the world and are doing a tour of the us where they said they would come and visit the carolinas. One of the best perks about this tour is the connections im making around the world. I have places to visit now in Dublin Ireland, Buenos Aieres, Sao Paulo, Perth Austrailia, Zemmer Germany and Munster Germany. Good contacts. I have since moved up north to Florence where I am actually staying in a camping park. I rented a tent and have the best view over the whole city from up in the mountains. Its cheap and near a bus stop so I can take a bus into the city any time I need to. The camping park has a market, bar and pool on location making it the most comfortable place ive stayed at yet despite the tent and sleeping bag discluding my comforts of Copenhagen, Gerolstein and Zemmer where I stayed with people. *Wich I appreciate very much* I realize that I deviated from my original schedule a little bit, but Ill be on track in two days when I head off for Croatia and Bosnia. I hope all is well,
PAZ Stampley

Carolina Panthers... ROME

So I met a woman wearing a pink panther’s hat and a grey panther’s t shirt in the Vatican City today. (By the way, I’m in Rome now.) So I said to her “Carolina Panthers!” and she about screamed “AMEN!” We got to talking and she was using her time in Rome to visit the St. Peter’s Basilica and pray for a good Panther’s season above the bones of St. Peter. This sounded like a good cause so I joined in with her and we prayed. We literally knelt down on the pew and prayed for a super bowl victory, no less. The Wendell’s Packers might have had a good draft this year, but we have St. Peter and the Pope on our team.
So I was feeling good about doing my duty as a Carolina fan in God’s House, and I was walking toward St. Angelo’s Castle and a pidgin pooped from a building corner and it partially landed on my shoulder… Most of it hit the ground in front of me, but I definitely got poop on my shirt. I am now thinking that it might not be a good season after all. The poop on the shirt was a complete disaster because it was my last clean one. I went into a Mc Donald’s and cleaned it off in the sink, looking like a bum while I was doing it, but at least it’s wearable now.
So I am Robert Langdon right now. I solved the Illuminati code. I don’t have an interview until tomorrow so I spent the day tracing his steps from Angels and Demons through all the Illuminati “churches”. It was fun and it was a good way to find my way around the city and see everything on that side of Rome. I also found the prosthetic shop where my interviews are tomorrow, so I was constructive. I have two interviews manana, and afterwards I plan on seeing some of the Ancient Empire part of the city. It seems from my travels that I spend almost as much time in churches or cathedrals as I do in the prosthetic shops, maybe I should have added religious architecture to my studies.
Mother told me yesterday that they went to a restaurant in DC that an Iron Chef founded. I’m beginning to think that I am an Iron Chef. I can cook mean pasta and a couple of hostel bunkmates added dishes and we had a feast tonight. A feast for fewer than 3 Euros. Beautiful.
I’m still sweating a lot, so between a lot of BO and bird doo doo on my shirt, I am now out of clean clothes. Maybe I’ll scratch my plans for tomorrow and do some laundry…
I hope all is well! ADIOS AMIGOS!