The conductor wore a three piece dark blue pin striped suit. Not only did he collect tickets and put luggage under the bus, he also helped fix the bus, drove the bus for a while, and helped the bus driver chose oranges from a roadside stand.
The bus conductor rides at the front of the bus, collecting tickets and selling tickets. However, there is also the formal ticket inspector who occasionally joins the bus to double check tickets. This man is also formally dressed in a suit and often wears a nice topcoat. After he checks your ticket, he sits in the front, reading the newspaper.
We took the coastal highway, which like Highway 1 in California, follows the coast. Incredible views of the sea, and steep inclines protected by low guardrails. We arrived early to Split after a hair raising ride. At one point we hit construction, and we slide across the wet dirt. There was the usual police check point but despite being stopped, the driver talked his way out of a fine. This dismayed the truck driver who had been pulled over on the other side of the road.
The border checkpoint was different leaving BiH than returning. Leaving, they merely looked at our passports, while returning they collected them and later returned them. The checkpoint was a series of white buildings, and a toll booth. Relatively quick stop there because both times, the bus was nearly empty. There are positive points about travelling during the off season.
As we left Mostar, we saw a young Roma father holding a baby, watching his other two older children beg from passengers. When one didn’t bring back enough money, he sent him back. He went right back to a young woman who had given his sister some money. This time, a young police man, who had been having coffee in the same coffeeshop we had, guided the Roma boy “ back to his mother.” He was quite gentle with the boy, who must have been 6 or 7. The father had disappeared from view.
Amy in Mostar 