The end of that day....

First off all thank to all of those who post encouraging comments, or messages on facebook, or mails!! Adli, i m sorry i checked before choosing the address but i still got it wrong.... So that everybody knows, it is Delhi not Dehli...

Now to the end of that day...
The drive with the guy from Rijeka... why does my memory have to fail that often with names... If you reed this, what was your name?? Anyway we spent the drive listening to Drum n Bass, talking about Berlin, Amsterdam, London, about the "Tresor" and other meccas of electronic musics:) He then dropped me at the entrance number two of the parc, since Marco did not mention the existence of two entries, i just piked one on random... It was all readz 8pm and since he told it ll take an hour and a half, i had a look at the map there, said goodbye to my ride (thanks again for dropping me right there!) and decided i had an hour and a half beforeit got dark and that i would make it to the hut in time (it was about the time Marco told me it would take). And anyway i m well equipped, it is not going to rain in the next day so i can sleep outside in the worst case i told myself... Since the office was closed, i wanted to make a picture of the big map, not to get lost. Surprise, my camera did not work anymore, i remembered now dropping it right after the last pictures you saw... So no picture of the map and no pictures of Paklenica...
I decided to go anyway, this is a tourist destination, i got food, something to sleep, there are water points all over the place so no reason to wait for tomorrow. And it ll save me the entrance fee since nobody is there. Five minuits on my way i just made it over that greenish 50cm snake without stepping on it... I v seen Aussie black snakes this tiny one is not gonna make me turn around :) The light is beautiful, i have no camera so i have to describe a bit of this, sorry if it gets long.... Its beautifully orange as it gets at sunset, the reddish clay and white rocks are just stunning.
The way up that creek, actually its more like a canyon is great. Slightly challenging with my 14kilo backpack in that dry riverbed. The stones are all washed, the track nicely marked, in fact it seems like stones have been arranged to make the way easy and comfy. To bad i m in a slight hurry because of darkness and that i have no camera to immortalize this. I keep making my way up the steeper and steeper path to that hut i still believe is within reach. Light gets dimer and the scene is unreal, the white stones reflect so much of the moon light and the marking remain well visible. After about an hour and a half walk it gets darker, and still no sight of a hut, i keep following the marks but see no signs with names... I get out my torch and decide to keep looking for the hut, it must be close! The scene gets surreel in that darkness with my led torch creating this whitish blueish light around me...
I have to face it, i have been walking for two hours, well over a normal rhythm despite the heavy pack, i m getting tired and wont make it to the hut. Even though i was prepared to this possibility i did not expect it to happen and it does not make me feel safe to be alone in this park, on a track but not exactly sure on which one... So i keep walkin and try to learn my lesson from this experience. As i hear a river sparkling, i decide this is the place to stop, i finaly found some water and a nice place from where i can see the stars and find 2 trees to put up my hamac. After getting of my completely wet clothes, putting on something warm, cooking up a hut dinner, i make myself comfortable in my hamac and keep thinking about lessons i could learn from this. I don't feel completely safe i have to admit, so i think about positive things, exhausted i rapidly fall asleep in the middle of that park sourounded by wilderness...

Sorry Mom and Dad, sorry Judith if this made you worry, believe it i learned my lesson. Though thinking back about that (now about 3 weeks later) i think the only thing i have done wrong was to be in a hurry and have an empty phone battery...

The longest day

I did not know this but this was about to be the longest day since the start of my trip. After a short ride taking me just out of the city, a nicer spot where i could watch the sunrise and wait for a better ride. This ride comes pretty soon. Jermio works in a refinery, he does 12h work, 24 h rest then 12h work, 48 rest and this all over the year. When he gets one of those breaks, he goes fishing. Harpoon fishing, apnee fishing. Its his passion and he indeed speaks very passionately about it. Very nice person. He is about 45, he tells me about fishing, a little about family and a lot about Credence Clearwater Revival. which he puts on as loud as it gets in his Renault.

He drops me at the point where he goes down to the see. It is still very early, about 8-9. I m hungry so i decide to drop my stuff and walk a little bit up on of those arid hills around. No track it s a bit like climbing among razor blades. Very nice. I have some of the bread and delicious sausages from the Rijeka market and take a couple pictures..

Shadows... :) The island in the back is pag, they make excellent cheeses there ! the sea was so calm you could see th reflection of pag in the sea !

I the got down and rapidly got an other ride closer to Nin, a place i wanted to visit 2 years ago but didn't have time to. Dont remember why but it was still there in the back of my head. Got to the right crossing with my ride, a cargo ship captain, with an ank tattooed on his arm -for real!- nice man no has a ship for tourists and drives them around. The next guy how will bring me into Nin is owner of bouchery and has 300 kilo of dead meet in the back of his car!

It is about 12 and i find a nice camping and info about a beach where there is a windsurf rental. Go! The place is unfoirtunatlz closes so i go to chat with the guys kite surfing a little further... One of them turns out to be the owner. He has no windsurf gear yet... In 3 days the seasons starts ! shit :) anyway i chat a bit with him and his friend who just got back from windsurfing in Maroco. We talk a lot about ski, surf, and climbing. They recommend the place i past a couple km before. Paklenica, it is a national park, worldly renowned for climbing and one of the guys who was taking a kite lesson drives past it on his way back to Rijeka!

I quikly make up my mind, i will visit this park tonight and sleep in a hut there! But that is an other story, to be told tomorrow :)

Getting stuck in Novi Vinodolski....

I left Rijeka though it was not easy, lots of feeling on my heart..

After a ride with a gay (i think...) guy who wanted to take me to a nice quiet beach on Krk (which i refused with a smile of course) I got an other ride with an old crazy dude (about 80) driving his automatic Fiat panda quit dangerously... He dropped me in Novi Vindolski, it did not know that , but this was the place i d get stuck in today...

The view of smoggy Rijeka from the road.

Beautiful calm and warm Novi Vinodolski.

N.V is a beautiful little Riviera, nice and quite, warm watter, not to many people and this small island with a building on it...

The harbor at sunset, i m still here...

I ll have dinner in a small Konoba, some grilled squid, delicious. And after the snapss on the hous i make my way to the beacj to find two trees to try out my hamac. I find them but the spot is not very wisely choose, young people driving by in scooters all night, too much lights and way to many birds waking me up for the first time around 3-4 and them for real around 4-5... I get up, get my stuff pšacked and get back on the road to get to Split. I decided i have to do some sport, lets windsurf. The girl from the tourist info told me down there is the best spot to windsurf in Croatia. Its called Bol. Lets go!!!

More Rijeka

Rijeka Skys
Rijeka Fish market
Rijeka Delta, the blood river... former border and location af many fights.

I satyed about 5 days in Rijeka, mostly at Dejans Gran mothers place. It was a very nice stay, if you read this Dejan, Thanks again! your welcome anytime wherever i am! Thanks to you, after 5 days i could meet people i knew on the street, have a coffee or beer with them, get some great advice or have discutions i will remeber! Hi to all of you he read this and thanks for the great time in Rijeka!

Rijeka sightseeing

Footpath under the streets.
Slightly falling apart buildings with style.

Nice city with its old buildings, its artistic footpath under streets, and its castle (A castle again!) from wich the view is amazing. It has about 140.000 inhabitants (+270.000 outside) and feel a bit like lausanne, you got water and hills all over the place.

View from the caslte.

Rijeka with Dejan

The next day, i call Dejan, we meet after his day of work and go to his bosses place. Toma lives in a great house with superb view on the Rijeka bay. He and his wife Lana are parents of two recently borne twins, Max and Lu. Together with Dejan, they build very special parts for ships. And Lana who is a design teacher, designs interiors. They have a company named design Lab, you should check it out Erik for your boat! I ll give you their details if you want! Anyway, Lana designed the interior of their home and it feels very warm. We have a great meal of fish, a specialty, a stew of different fish and seafood with polenta. Delicious.

I had such a great time i didn't think of taking pictures of any of this...

The next day, Friday, we go to Zorans birthday, a nice party by the sea, next to the stadium. Music, vine and people from all over the place, including from Lausanne. Zoran is a film maker, and a pretty crazy guy!

Happy birth day Zoran!

Zoran s crazy car at the end of the night, begining of day. Siting one the road playing songs. Great night!

On the road to Rijeka!

Yea i had enough of this rain and greyness!

So i hitch hick my way to Rijeka, where i will try to meet Dejan my friend from Beli/Rijeka two years ago! The hick is not easy, i first say goodby to Goran and Marko who wait for a cab (1 hour!) A german dude gets me down the mountain to the lake, from there on a Woman (first woman) takes me for a couple kilometers. She makes me laugh, she is a doctor and she speaks non stop of horrible car accidents will driving 100km/h down that turning road. Next a truck driver will take me to Rijeka, he does not speak a word of english or german, language barrier but does not matter, we understand each other on the basics. After posting post cards and spending my last Euros, i stand and wait for a ride to Croatia...

I ll stand like this for about 2h...

A mixed guy (Croatian Bosnian Slovenian something wicked) pikes me up and talks to me in Italian :) He drops me at the exit for Rijeka. There a truck driver driving home in his small car after 3 days work takes me to the last village before the border. There i ll wait for quite some time again before a young guy in a german car picks me up. Tought this was the first time a tourist would pick me up but no, he is coming home from germany where he works, to Rijeka... He invites me home where we have a great dinner cooked by his mom. Thanks again for that Zvonko! He will also fix me a room in the red cross building, for 10 euros a night.

The view from my room, thought about you Arno seeing all these containers!

My illuminated face after a couple beers with Zvonko and his mat.