Canary in the Tunnels

Salko and volunteer Maya outside of Ravne tunnel labyrinth

Visoko, Bosnia
Friday, August 19, 2011

Salko is perhaps 80 years old, short, bent, and strong. Some time in the distant past he agreed to pull ancient carts full of rubble a third of a kilometer through the Ravne tunnel labyrinth, up a significant outdoor incline, and across a road to be dumped. On my first day in Ravne, I was shoveling at the head of the tunnel, far into the earth. There is room for only one shoveler here, and Salko waited patiently while I filled the first cart of the day, around 9:30 a.m. I was singing, and Salko said something in Bosnian to his cart-pusher, Maja, a lanky young bilingual woman approximately a third taller and several times younger than her wizened associate. Maya said, "Salko just said, 'Let's see if he's still singing at 3 o'clock.'" . . . Of course, I was. :)

Salko and volunteer Kayleigh outside of Ravne tunnel labyrinth

Salko and volunteer Kayleigh outside of Ravne tunnel labyrinth

Salko and volunteer Kayleigh outside of Ravne tunnel labyrinth

Salko and volunteer Kayleigh outside of Ravne tunnel labyrinth