I got up really early this morning, not because I had to set my alarm for 5 to get to the bus on time (even though I did do that) but because there were some drunken guys talking loudly as they were coming home at 3 or 4 in the morning. And, like most inconsiderate people, instead of going straight to bed, they decided to talk, outside and within earshot of the hostel, until past 4 am. By then, I was hopelessly awake and even more concerned about waking up the other people in the room now that the job’s already half done by the drunks. I managed to quietly slip out though and I got to the bus station with some time to spare, owing to waking up earlier than expected. The bus ride was a bit long, more than 6 hours, and the bus really filled up as it passed through Zadar.
Everyone headed to the national park got off at entrance 2 of the park, which was still 10 km away from where I was staying. Conveniently, there’s a shuttle from and to Autocamp Korana in the morning and afternoon, respectively. So, not wanting to waste my afternoon just waiting for that bus, I decided to rush through a part of the park instead. Now, the first thing that I noticed was odd about the park was that all the “trails” were pre-established and lettered for you. It was more of a sightseeing route than a hiking trail really. And, if you were to imagine the easy walking routes in some national parks, like Yellowstone around the various lakes, and replace the planks on the walkways with smoothed branches, you’d get walkways that are much like the ones in Plitvice.
The paths aren’t too wide (a good size for trail, but not for walking path), and this isn’t helped by the tendency for these Europeans to have the worst trail etiquette I’ve ever seen. I mean, who hogs up the entire width of the path, just so they can hold hands with their sweetheart or link arms with the family, meanwhile oblivious to the people behind them that are trying to get by. They barely even shuffle over if you’re headed in the opposite direction! On a regular path, this can easily be worked around, but a lot of these walkways were built on top of streams or parts of lakes, so that makes it even more annoying.
Anyway, I was trying to get a 3-hour sightseeing route done in at most 2.5 hours, not even knowing how accurate these times are. Needless to say, that amplified the frustration with the poor trail etiquette so much that I got to a point where I was weighing my desire to take a photo of something with the effort that I’d have to invest to get around certain people again.
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| The lakes, ... |
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| ... the waterfalls, ... |
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| ...and streams... |
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| ... of Plitvice Lakes! |
Even so, the section of the park that I walked through today was very beautiful. This upper lakes area was full of large aquamarine-colored lakes and trickling waterfalls. Since I was staying overnight, I could get a free ticket “renewal” at the campsite instead of having to buy another ticket just to see the lower lakes area. After the sightseeing “trail,” I headed to the bus stop, where the shuttle to campsite Korana was half an hour early. A bit odd, if you ask me, and it doesn’t really make me confident about trying to catch a bus here to Zagreb!
I checked into my little bungalow and headed over to the restaurant for my first real meal of the day. Then, I showered and settled in for a quiet evening at the campsite. No city noises, but I am a bit close to the main road that leads up to this place. As a side note, I had a lot of garlic for dinner to keep mosquitoes away. I think I’m going to have heartburn from so much raw garlic, but at least if vampires attack, I’ll be fine!
Day 20
Today was soooooooooooooo much better than yesterday! It was much less crowded, and I was comfortable wearing long pants in the daytime, for the first time this trip!
I did the lower lakes loop today, tacking on bits of the longest route to spend more time in the park. In retrospect, I should have spent even more time there, but I had heard rumors that getting on a bus to Zagreb was hard. I learned later though, that the route is so popular that there are buses that just make that route. I didn’t have to rely on only the buses coming through, from Zadar or even Split. Anyway, the lower lakes were even more beautiful than the upper ones. Part of that, I think, was because I could actually see the lakes and could stand there to enjoy them. The majority of the reason, though, was that waterfalls and cascades linked one lake to another - one expanse of blue sharing its glory with the next one down. The walkways were less hectic, the people more friendly, the air crisper - all because I found the lower lakes to be wonderful. Well, there was still the occasional staring person or the hiker slowed by the cigarette in hand - easier to ignore in a magnificent natural setting than the maddening rush of the city though.
After I finished the lower lakes, I bought myself a peach and cheese strudel and headed for the bus - three hours early! Luckily, the buses ran more frequently than I thought, so I didn’t have to wait more than two hours. We got dropped off at the train station, instead of the bus station, oddly enough, but that wasn’t too much further of a walk.
I threw my stuff down in the room (managed to score the double bed, since all the other beds were taken) and decided to check on my accounts. Ouch! I had forgotten that rent and deposit takes a huge chunk out of an account, so now I’m wondering how I might find cash to finish up my trip! I transferred money in, but we all know how long things like that take. Frick! I decided I had to eat something to make me feel better, but it took a while to find somewhere that claimed to take credit cards. And even then, the waiter lied and said they can only take cash because their machine was broken. I told him I had none, and out he came with a credit card receipt!
Tonight, I also got shouted at in various attempts at Asian languages and even just Asian “sounding” noises. It’s incredibly annoying. When I did acknowledge them, I just responded in English. I don’t think any of them were bright enough to understand the irritation inherent in my voice though. Oh well... Maybe I should give them the benefit of a doubt that they were just trying to be friendly and attempting to say hello in a language they think I might understand. Even then though, everyone here who doesn’t speak Croatian speaks English, however poorly, instead, so there’s absolutely no need to attempt an Asian language.
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