Week 10: Pick up the pace
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| I went and sat here to scare kids, what a cool idea. |
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| There were 5 of these birds just sitting there looking insane. |
It has been a long and fun-filled week. I spent a few more days in Zagreb, Monday dropping off my computer and getting the news that it would be almost 700 Canadian dollars to fix the screen (Almost 70 percent of what I paid for the computer). That hurt a lot, and what hurt more was when I took the computer back unsure If I wanted to pay that repair cost, the technician had done something and now the entire screen was broken, rendering the computer utterly unusable. Eventually I caved and paid the cost (apple will be getting countless complaints from me over the next few months until they hopefully choose to stand behind their brand and refund me the cost of the repair or do something. If they don’t it will be the last mac product I purchase as I treated this thing carefully and 4 months in the screen should not just break. Either way on Monday I was left with little choice and so I returned it to the store and was left without my computer for a period of about 72 hours . It honestly scares me how annoying that proved to be, sadly or wisely, a massive parts or rather many parts of my life are built around a computer.
But to make myself feel better I went to the zoo which was a strange mix of depressing and awe inspiring as Zoo’s tend to be as you get older. Still the lions there were pretty crazy and there was some crazy looking birds walking around loose.
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| Atop Samabor at the castle ruins. |
Luckily the hostel where I was staying was fantastic and recommended lots of things to do in and around Zagreb while also providing lots of good conversation too. Hostel Swanky mint, definitely one of the best hostel staff’s I have ever experienced. On Tuesday I was sent to Samabor by Jelana. It was a small town in the country near the border of Slovenia and was definitely a great place to go. I wandered the town, sampled a cake they are famous for and then hiked up to an old fortress in the woods. I spent a few hours there, writing by hand and on my Ipod, and amazingly was utterly alone in these amazing ruins until the moment I chose to leave. It was a wonderful day and also gave me time to finish my non judgmental read through of Disappearing Eyes. I’m still very pleased with it but there’s certainly work to be done. Hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll get that done and then send it on to anyone willing to read it and feedback.
On Wednesday I headed to Plitvice lakes as finding affordable and effectively located accommodation was just too tough this time of year. It’s strange to say but I’m very glad I did not have my computer there, I’m sure it would have inspired incredible writing, but spending the whole day hiking at a good clip and exploring made the trade off worth it.
Plitvice is stunning, awe inspiring and somehow it just kept getting better and better. Countless waterfalls running between amazing lakes all in the beautiful forested mountains of Croatia. One of a kind and I doubt I’ll ever seen anything quite like it again, it is certainly unique.
It was quite chilly and overcast which was a shame at first but it kept me moving effectively and in the end I’m so glad it did because after the initial loop I took the electric boat transfer and hiked over to the big waterfall, which is the tallest outside of Niagra I have ever seen. Plitvice, even so late in the season was certainly crowded, but to it’s credit it was just too beautiful for the countless tourists to bother me much. I only broke the rules and left the boardwalk twice, once finding some incredibly fresh blackberries before stumbling on a good size waterfall and doing some real exploring and climbing around it, until I reached around the edge of it and realized I could be seen by the boardwalk, still it felt nice to get some at the falls even If it left me pretty damn cold. Next it was onto the big waterfall which was absolutely incredible . It was hugely crowded around the fenced off area, luckily I managed to hop that fence and make a cheetah like dash (picture it and enjoy, Luke low to the ground, maximum stealth and speed, dashing towards the falls) I think two or three people saw me before I got to cover and spent a delightful hour sitting behind a rock completely alone before this incredible waterfall, completely blocked off from the others, I ended up jotting out a quick poem in the notebook as I felt I had to write something there. Eventually I fought the urge to go actually jump in the pools as it looked quite dangerous and there was no path with proper cover and turned back. I skipped the boat transfer feeling energized and hustled back to catch the last bus back to Zagreb. I must say it feels good to be in somewhat better shape, hills and climbing still get me, but I hiked at a good pace for 7 hours and felt great doing it, definitely would not have been possible just a few months ago. Below are some of the photos of Plitvice.
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| The big falls, much more impressive in person. |
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| Fall has arrived. |
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| One of hundreds of waterfalls. |
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| This duck became my friend. |
I met a couple of retired medics from near Bradford on the way back and snuck onto the trams with them bringing them back to my hostel. Again it was odd as I felt like an adult talking to other adults and this year is the first time that’s really happened. Guess I’m growing up. Come on Peter Pan, what’s the matter, I’m not as hot as Wendy?
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| My reaction to losing my computer: Buy New Shoes!!!! (ruby slippers) Seriously the only pair in all of downtown Zagreb that fit. |
Thursday I got my computer back and felt complete again. I’ve never lost an arm, so I’m sure I’m exaggerating but it really felt like losing a limb, which makes me nervous. Honestly it kind of felt like the summer I couldn’t walk because of my blood clot. Minus the crippling pain and oxycodone.
I spent the day catching up on things online and then exploring the incredible cathedral and some back streets of Zagreb. I ended up finding a thai place and had some pad thai, which while far from excellent, was a pleasant change from the huge amount of grilled meat I’d been having daily.
That night back at the hostel I’d planned to lounge around the computer but ended up spending the better part of eight hours talking to an awesomely interesting fellow traveller from Australia who’d spent the last few years working in a gold mine in western Australia as a geologist, (I still say treasure hunter or gold digger) It’s really nice when travelling alone to meet such interesting people and especially nice when there’s actually time to get to know one another and share a good conversation. Strangely I think I have way more of these when travelling alone then I ever really do when settled in one place. And for me almost nothing beats a good conversation.
The next morning I struggled to catch an early bus having stayed up too late talking but managed to make it just in time, leaving Croatia behind. (Take that Stu’s death bet) and heading to Belgrade.
Serbia was a very interesting place and I was sad to only have two days there, but I did enjoy several aspects, the massive park in the heart of the city among the highlights. I also enjoyed a pastry I accidentally ordered that ended up being like a cross of a cranberry muffin and a puff pastry, it was stunning and made me want to stay longer.
The dorm room I stayed in first had the unique distinction of having 3 sets of bunk beds and then a double bed, shared by a funny and friendly Australian couple. Still the temptation to wake them by standing over them in the darkness breathing heavily was almost irresistible.
At any rate the next day I went back to the park and to the Belgrade Zoo which was more depressing as the enclosures were pretty tiny and very concrete based, still their collection of Albino animals was cool (Lions, Tigers, Bears and Skunks Oh my!) I’m excited to get into parts of the world where I can see some interesting animals in the relative wild, it should be fun. Pictures of the Zoo below:
Just prior to the zoo I spent a few hours outlining the beginnings of a new book idea / magic system and world called storm breaker. It needs further development but another idea I’m excited to explore. The worry I’d run out of books to write during these 2 years is quickly fading from my mind which is good.
The next morning (Sunday and Vikings bye week allowing me freedom) I embarked on a 9 hour bus ride from Belgrade to Skopje in Macedonia. I really wish I had more time but my flight to Crete leaves Thessaloniki on the 11th so I’ll have to go back to Serbia one day, worst fates exist I suppose.
The bus was long and very tiring but I survived and arrived in Macedonia where, upon finding my hostel I was quickly invited out for some drinks by some fellow travellers, three of whom knew Bradford well and lived just outside it, and another guy at the hostel is from Halifax. While still others we discovered had been in Mostar in Bosnia at the same time as me at the same hostel though somehow we’d not met. The world really is a small place in so many ways.
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| One of many bridges with so many statues. |
A pleasant evening later and a much needed night of sleep (funny how sitting on a bus leaves you wiped) I headed out today to explore Skopje. Macedonia is insane, and I’m really regretting that I can only spend one extra day here before continuing into Greece, but I spent today wandering the city which has more statues than any other city in Europe per capita (Stu the pictures of living statues we could have made here…) or something like that, and also perhaps the most impressive fountain I have
ever seen. (I really want to be a fountain designer, but I need a partner who could do all the math and science, I just want to say crazy ass ideas and have people make them work and build them)
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| The fortress and the Millenium cross in the background. |
Next headed into the hectic and very charming old Bazaar (What a great word) before climbing up to the fortress which is where I sit writing this blog. Tomorrow it’s off to a lake and canyon nearby then on to Greece.
Life is fantastic and though I don’t know how its possible I’m enjoying traveling more and more week by week and am just so thrilled that this is my life. The only problem left Is I still can’t seem to book that flight to Nepal, which is endlessly frustrating. There’s an international call place here though, so I’ll try before heading to the lake tomorrow to ring the United Arab Emirates and pay them over the phone..
Also, this isn’t meant to be sexist or objectify women (I know it kind of does) but after a night out with six guys last night it just has to be said. Balkan women in general are wildly attractive. Mila Kunis’ everywhere! It was enjoyable to be with boys who weren’t afraid to point that out too because some of these girls are downright stunning.
At any rate, it’s been another great week and I’m looking forward to Greece soon. Bye bye,
Luke.
Song of the week 10: Oh Calamity All Time Low.
For whatever reason I’ve fallen back in love with this emo band and enjoyed finding all their old songs again, and this brand new one. It’s sort of sappy and definitely emo, but I love the lyric:
Always found my greatest moments in the sound of your hello’s.
New book being read this week: The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks.
Book two of the 4 book lightbringer series. It is fantastically good and making me very angry that the next two books won’t start to emerge until next year. Still for anyone who likes modernish fantasy I highly recommend Weeks after just starting to read him over this trip.
