To experience this kind of magic on these hot days, you have to travel to the end of the world. Not far. The “Household at the End of the World” is located at the end of the road in the village of Pljeva near Šipovo, near the source of the river Pliva.
And whoever came here did not regret.
Slobodanka Vasić (46), a housewife, says that it is not easy to work and survive in this business, especially during the pandemic, when the number of tourists dropped down rapidly and epidemiological measures have brought new challenges.
– It’s not easy, but it’s nice. A lot of work, love, dedication, but also money was invested in this household. However, all that pays off in the end – says Slobodanka.
A blessing
She speaks quite loudly, otherwise no one would hear her, because in her house and yard, Pliva roars day and night, a river noisy and strong from the very source.
Being on your own and living in harmony with nature is a blessing, says Slobodanka, which cannot be bought with money.
– Living in this beauty and earning a decent living on your property is much better than working in a factory and waiting for your employer to pay you – says Slobodanka.
She knows what she’s talking about. Although for most of her life she was “only” a housewife in her house and took care of her husband and two sons, she also worked occasionally in the textile industry, without health insurance or “on a temporary basis”. For a really low salary, of course.
In the last two years, Slobodanka has been a “busy housewife”, one who welcomes tourists.
She does everything: she cleans and prepares apartments for guests who spend the night here, prepares food for them, she even prepares food by the guests’ wishes. Some are vegetarians, some cannot eat dairy products, some have small children who eat different food than adults.
Everything is possible, Slobodanka is always ready: both for regular guests and for “passersby”, who visit unannounced.
We saw what it looks like when two powerful SUVs with six unannounced guests from Serbia suddenly appeared. They drank coffee, ordered lunch and red wine, and went for a walk.
Always there for her guests and family
In about twenty minutes, while the guests toured the nearby watermill and the source of the Pliva, it became colorful and fragrant. Ćevapi were made in a homemade bun, pie with cheese and greens, swimming trout, tomato, donuts … All homemade, delicious…
– I have traveled the world, but I have never experienced something like this anywhere – says a citizen of Belgrade, who, following a recommendation of a friend, brought his friends on a trip to Pliva.
Slobodanka says she is not doing “anything special”.
– I prepare food for my guests in the same way as I would prepare it for my children. From fresh, homemade food, with minimal fat or oil, in the way my mother and mother-in-law cooked – says Slobodanka for Srpskainfo.
And that is exactly what guest are looking for and appreciating, guests from all over BiH, from Germany, Austria, Slovenia… Even the Americans visited Slobodanka.
– My Slobodanka is a real housewife. She is always there, and we take her for granted, but without her we would all be hungry: both the guests and the locals – says Slobodanka’s husband Slobodan Vasić.
During summer, for the weekend, Slobodanka’s house is visited by 50 tourists and excursionists next to the raging river. In such situations, two women from Šipovo come to the rescue.
These women, thanks to the hard-working Slobodanka, earn some money, at least during the season.
Project
Slobodanka’s contribution to women’s entrepreneurship and environmentally conscious approach to small communities was also recognized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in BiH, which included her in the project “Women Guardians of the Green Krajina”.
– It is unbelievable how much some women, who are not on the front pages of newspapers or TV, do not only for their families, but also for the survival of marginalized parts of BiH, preventing emigration of young people in small rural areas. They showed us by their personal example that both development and employment are possible without destroying nature and that natural beauties are a treasure worth defending and preserving – says Merima Ejubović, a research associate of the Foundation.
FROM RUIN TO HOLIDAY OASIS
“Household at the end of the world” was founded two years ago, within the Vasić’s old house. Just six years ago, there was only a ruin here. The fire, which accidentally hit them, burned down the old house. And then Slobodanka’s entrepreneurial son Nemanja Vasić built holiday apartments, a kitchen, a terrace and founded a “Household at the end of the world” in which he “employed” his parents and named their business with this unusual name.
Nemanja is always there to step in and help, but he admits that the alpha and omega of the household is his hardworking mom. Slobodanka and Slobodan Vasić live in their household near the mountains and forests even in winter. They say that it is beautiful to live in nature, by the fire, and they are there in case some tourists come across their household, to welcome and entertain them.
