Serbia’s Uvac Canyon is spectacular: incredible landscapes, dramatic cliffs, rare wildlife and an experience I will never forget.

I wanted to see an ordinary Serbian town so I went to Knjaževac. After a beautiful bus ride I arrived in a town where no one was expecting a young Australian backpacker. Now what?

As it’s become more popular, CouchSurfing has changed – and not for the better. But my faith in the project was restored when I spent a week in Niš, met some wonderful people and explored the city through the eyes of the locals.

Before I landed in Belgrade, I knew nothing about Serbia that would be useful to a tourist, so my time here has been eye-opening, educational and a lot of fun. Here’s a snapshot of my first two weeks of my Balkans adventure.

When I arrived in Belgrade I thought it was ugly. It was a rash judgement, but not entirely untrue. Much of the city is in various states of disrepair, but there’s beauty to be found here. If history had been different, perhaps my photos would be of gorgeous historical buildings instead of graffiti and bomb sites.

Nine times out of ten, when someone presents you an offer you can’t refuse, it is easily turned down. But then the tenth time, it’s an invite to the World Testicle Cooking Championship in Serbia. How do you say no to that?

While walking around the Belgrade, I started to form some very uneducated opinions. I say uneducated because I really have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ll be back in Belgrade in about two weeks, and by then expect I’ll have a much more informed idea about Serbia and its capital. But I want to capture my first impressions so I can look back and see how my opinions have changed.

I had no idea what to expect of Prague. I’d seen enough pictures to know it was beautiful. But plenty of places in Europe fall into that category. What would set Prague apart?