See the hot spots around The Balkans In 60 Days – Stop 22 Prizren, Pristina, Kosovo

10/9/2018. I was still heading south, en route to discover and uncover more of the Balkan countries. Some were not there when I was growing up, but have since emerged, each trying to take their own fate into their own hands. Some have to fight for this right.

From Albania, I moved on to Kosovo. This is in many ways an extension of Albania; the people here are mostly Albanians and of the same religious background. Like Albania, this is also a place of mountains and rivers. It used to be part of the former Yugoslavia. A war was fought as recently as the ’90s, then NATO came buzzing 3,000 meters above and dropped bombs, preventing more slaughter. Some justified it as bloodshed to stop the bloodshed. So, our animal instinct was still very much intact. Its independence today is recognized by some and not others. Its past has not passed.

I first stopped at Prizren. It is a small town that felt like Berat, finding the right fengshui in the foothills. A river flows through it, and mosques and churches coexist side by side. It did not boast the air of a city, just the same simple ambiance of a busy suburb.

The sun was retiring. I made a quick dash to the fortress sitting atop a mountain. These neighbors had differences, so they had to constantly keep a lookout for anyone who might be coming. Unfortunately, the fortress was now reduced to ruins, leaving a remnant barely maintaining a semblance of a fortress.

10/9/2018 阿尔巴尼亚后我继续巴尔干前进，有些国家以前不存在，进过战争洗礼后又冒出几个，下一个目标科索沃以前就是南斯拉夫一部分。科索沃貌似阿尔巴尼亚，同一民族，同一信仰，靠山依水的环境。科索沃为了独立在九零年跟邻居翻脸一战，导致北约从三千米投弹阻止厮杀，停止更多屠杀。虽已停火，科索沃的独立有支持的国家也有反对的，和赛尔维亚交界今天还是虚线，领土争议至今未结。很别扭，会擦枪走火吗？

第一站先到普里兹伦。一个小城镇，感觉像刚去过的培拉特，依山靠水，理想的风水，自享清静的小镇。清真寺，基督教堂随处可见，没见到任何干扰，听说对宗教也没太迷恋。

太阳快要告退了，我赶紧加马力使劲往山上爬，在山顶是个楚楚可怜的堡垒，可能是岁月和炮火齐攻下已面目全非，所剩无几，但残余的还是凄惨历史的有力见证。

Crossing the border with Kosovo 在科索沃过境处 — Scenery on way to Kosovo 往科索沃路上山水画面

11/9/2018. After a night at Prizren, I was on my way again, this time to Pristina, Kosovo’s capital.

In this town, one can see mosques, Orthodox churches, and Roman Catholic churches. Each has its place under the sun, as in the Albanian and Bosnian towns. This is how it should be, above and below the surface. This is how the world should be.

In the evening, while strolling, I came to a square in the city center, where an illuminated image of a big American flag was projected onto the building. It reminded me of a street in Tirana named after George Bush by appreciative pro-American politicians and the public, to commemorate the first-ever American President to visit Albania. The next morning, I asked a local what was that about. He explained they were grateful for the actions by NATO in the war of the ’90s. I remembered back then, when I was still a young shoot, I was surprised that Christian countries would come to the rescue of a Muslim country being attacked by another Christian country. That was telling. Maybe there are Western values worth learning. I come from Malaysia. The talk of religion comes out of my ears every day. We do not just do good for our kind. We do what is right. Love should be universal.

11/9/2018 在普里兹伦一晚后我又拎着包袱告别到科索沃首都普里什蒂纳。

巴尔干多国左邻右舍有回教，东正教，罗马天主教，一个市内有常见各宗教堂并存。期望他们的确表里和谐，不然总有一天又擦枪走火。

昨晚漫步时见到一面大美国国旗投影到广场中心一大厦。吃早餐时我问身旁一阿尔巴尼亚人这是为何，他解释九零那年代战争，亏欧美干预才阻止他们遭受更多屠杀甚至灭绝，因而心存感激。当年北约炮轰塞黑时我正乳臭未干，深感惊讶基督教国家既然攻击基督教国家以挽救一个回教民族。无论这是出于政治动机或人道理念，阻止了屠杀就是好事。这需要一个高尚理念。我来自马来西亚，各宗教之谈天天不绝于耳。重点是大爱无疆，不分宗教，不分种族，不分你我。这点我明白，我闻我腋下，我乳臭已干。