The main reason for me wanting to go to Croatia was actually due some photos I saw on the photography forum that I usually post on. It was a picture of Plitvice Waterfalls in Croatia. From there I googled Croatia waterfalls and from those pictures I knew instantly that I needed to add this stop to my itinerary. Plitvice Lakes National Park is located between Zadar and Zagreb, our destination for exiting Croatia. Thus it worked out perfectly as far as route of travel.

From Kevin’s advice we booked a night’s stay at the Bellevue Hotel. We arrived late so the first night we were unable to buy tickets to see the park. After eating dinner, I hear rumors that you can actually walk around the park at night. And since we are in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing to do at night, Mark and I venture towards the trails around 9pm, sunset

The road goes downhill to where a ferry picks up people and walking trails begin. As we walk on this trail there is still ample light out and we are able to see everything clearly. The sounds of rush waters comes and goes as we walk past steady streams of clear water. We finally reach one of the many entrances of the park and start walking along the uneven wooden paths. At this point it is pretty dark and the light starts to play ticks on our vision. I see a person run off into the forest up ahead in the dark part of the trail. A sign post looks like a person standing in the darkness. At this point we decide to turn around as this park is huge and we would rather not get lost here. The entire way back we start to talk about ghost stories as we are walking through the spooky forest. It probably sounds pretty dumb now that I am writing about it now, but back at that time in the middle of a pitch black night where we could only see about 5 feet in front us it was one of the spookiest situations I had been in.

The next morning, we buy regular adult tickets to enter the park because the lady at the ticket desk only accepts ISC cards. Her excuse is that there is no way to tell that the cards we have are actually student cards, even when the word student and university are written on both of them. The first thing we noticed when we arrived at the park grounds are the do not do this signs. They include but are not limited to camping, camp fires, kids jumping around, unleashed dogs, swimming, fishing, damaging nature and walking off of the path. The park is massive and there are multiple routes that you can follow to explore it. They are separated by the amount of time you want to spend at the park and Mark and I pick the 7hour path.

A bus takes us to the top portion of the park where we walk by foot. Then after walking next to the lakes, waterfalls and streams we arrive at a ferry crossing. At the crossing there are tons of fish following next to the boat as we cross the massive lake. Even in the middle of the lake you can see far into the water as it is crystal clear. On the other side we continue along the walking paths and then up a gorge to have bird’s eye view of the main waterfall area. I’ll let the pictures do the talking now.

Mark and I return to Split from Dubrovnik roughly an entire afternoon of travel we arrive in Split around sunset and more importantly dinner time. As we are looking for our new hostel we randomly run into the Melissa who we hung out with in Budapest. She is still traveling with Marie, but Gab had already went back home to Canada. We all went to grab dinner at the restaurant that Mark and I first went to when we first arrived in Split and it like the previous time did not disappoint. After dinner we realized it was the 4th of July and naturally we tried to find things to blow up. However after the lack of success with setting things on fire and compromise with a night swim. It was one of the most non-explosive 4th of July’s I’ve ever spent, none the less I had a fun time reuniting with our Canuck friends and swimming in the Mediterranean sea. The next morning we awake early and catch a bus to Jezera.

After returning from Montenegro night we all head out to old town to hit the club. On our way there we randomly meet these two French girls that turn out to be sisters. They both speak excellent English so I was pretty impressed with that after living a Paris for a while that seems well outside of the bounds of normal. Then out of nowhere Rose, the older sister, starts to speak Chinese. On top of that its not regular non-Chinese person trying to speak Chinese, I’m talking James Kaylin Chinese where all the pronunciation actually sounds legit.

Just after the club we all decide to go for a swim, which after I think about it I’ve swam at night for 90% of the days I’ve been in Croatia. There is a club on the beach that we hang out at first and then we start to wander towards the beach only to be caught by security. So with that plan canceled we walk down beach about a block or so and swim near the bay at old town. That night we stay out to watch the sunrise and to wait for the buses start to run again. Back at the hostel we crash for a few hours before catching the bus back up to Split. The buses run every hour so we don’t worry much about which one we catch. After saying goodbye to our hosts we head back to the bus station.

One of the perks of staying at Dubrovnik Backpackers Club is that they have a many road trips that guests can sign up for. These vary depending on the day and usually hosted by the eldest son of the couple that own the hostel. They range from snorkeling, to day trips to Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro. I missed out on the snorkel trip, but since I had gone scuba diving just days earlier, I wasn’t too disappointed about that fact. Today we along with the three other people in our room signed up for a daytrip to Montenegro.

After getting up early and have a bit of breakfast, which is by the way included, we all jumped in a van towards Montenegro. The first stop was a bank, since we are all using Croatian money, the Kuna, while Montenegro operates on the Euro. This is quite strange since Montenegro is not part of the EU. However there are other such countries, for example Cambodia’s use of the US dollar. Regardless we had to exchange current and it was the first time I was actually not exchanging for the current countries currency. Kind of a strange feeling to walk up to a Croatian bank in the middle of Croatia to ask for Euros.

Montenegro is the world’s second youngest country. She declared her independence in 2006. We were able to drive through the border check pretty easily as our driver knows most of the border guards personally. However, during the last trip a girl carrying a Hong Kong passport was refused entry for reasons unknown. This time it was all US, Australian and New Zealand passports, so there were no problems.

Via car, we are able to visit several villages and towns along the coast. We also visit multiple beaches to swim and scuba dive. The prices here seem cheaper and the beaches, unlike most of Croatia, are sandy beaches. Tourist industry seems to be booming here and various languages are spoken as we walk along the streets. Our guide tells us that much of this area is influenced by various drugs cartels that specialize in smuggling. What kind of items? Cigarettes came up as the primary export. There are heavy taxes on cigarettes and as a result there is a black market for them. He also mentions that the Russian mafia has a lot of ties to this area as well as owning a lot of the businesses and lands here.

During my swim I were resting on the outer buoys when a girl on a float mat swam by and start talking to me in an unknown language. I started to speak English telling them that I don’t understand. Finally we decide to speak broken English and some Spanish, as she indicated that she had learned un poco in school. Turns out she was asking if I was Thai. I guess since I’ve been beach bummin’ it in Croatia, I’ve gotten fairly dark. Her family came over as well. Turns out she has a twin sister and a little brother, all on floating mats and small boat. They are actually Russians and they all started talking to me. They were very inquisitive, but unlike most of the people I end up randomly chatting with, never brought up the subject of politics.

Our trip to Montenegro ends with a coastal drive back to Croatia as the sunsets. Another daytrip has gone by and finally this one I am rewarded with another stamp in my passport.

Mark and I got off the bus and ran into Kevin, who was on his way back to Florida due an family emergency. He informs us that we have returned on the right date since the entire town is partying. The title means Happy Half New Year and as we arrived to Korcula from the other side of the island the entire town was celebrating. People were playing music on the streets and there was a live performers of all sorts on the beach. There were grills and food stands everywhere.

We decided to eat at the 40kuna restaurant that was directly across the main square from our hostel. There were so many people there that it took a while to squeeze through the hordes of people. I had no idea Korcula had so many people, but I was later informed that people from all over the islands come and visit Korcula for this event. That night I had fish; fish that was no de-boned. No matter, I am Chinese and we’re skilled at eating just about anything, boned fish is a walk in the park.

My original plan was to get some rest after two rigorous days of diving. However with the entire town in party mode that was not going to happen. I hung out in the crowd for a while until I got tired. Music started to play as the dusk set in and there were three main performance stages. It was great to hear live music. However late into the night around 4 or 5am they were still playing. The strange thing was that it was not just young people partying. There were plenty of parents and grandparents out as well.

The next morning we hop on a bus that is destined for Dubrovnik which is the peninsula at the south end of Croatia. The bus will take a ferry and then drive the rest of the way there.

In the morning hours, Mark and I say good bye to Korcula and take the first bus across the island to Vela Luka. There we have arranged two dives with the local dive center. Upon arrival, the owner of the dive shop picks us up and we immediately start picking out our equipment. All the dives are do are boat dives and the boat is small inflated air boat. This requires that the dive a back flip dismount into the water. In previous dives I have always down the giant step, and the flip is much more fun. One of the first things I noticed when I got into the water is how clear it was. I could immediately look below and see school upon schools of fish swimming beneath me.

The day we dive Kitty’s Dock and Vranine and the following day its the Blue Hole and Saint Ivan’s Bay. All of these dive routes are made up and discovered by the local divemasters. For each dive the waters are crystal clear and thus visibility is exceptional. It is sad, but I left my underwater housing for my camera at home so I was unable to get any underwater pictures. The waters are warm, but at the depths we went to I was glad to have a 5mil wet suite. My favorite was Saint Ivan’s Bay. We drop off to about 18meters (60ft) and swim along the a cliff drop off.

The owner of the shop even let us stay at their instructors lodge for the night. It is about 45C (115F) in Vela Luka and there is no air conditioning. We decide to take a siesta after the first day’s dive. I am exhausted and at around 6pm I pass out and do not wake up until the next day. The night is bit cooler, but not by much. Mark sleeps outside that night. After the diving the next morning we hop on the next bus back to Korcula Town.

Split is a big central hub for ferries, catamarans, ships, buses and trains. From here is easy to access the rest of Croatia. Mark did some research on scuba diving and found that the island of Korcula is a good place to do it in. I booked a hostel that I found via a search for Korcula on hostelworld. Thus the afternoon we boarded a fast catamaran from Split to Vela Luka, a port on the island of Korcula.

The boat was smooth since it cuts directly through water. The body of the ship elevates above water when up to speed. However there was little ac so it wasn’t the most pleasant ride ever. We made a stop at Hvar another island that we heard had good nightlife. I wanted to visit Hvar, but unfortunately with San Fermin fast approaching, I had to make a few compromises.

We arrived at Vela Luka and after looking at the map it looked nothing like the directions that I got off of hostelworld. Turns out that the hostel is on the other side of the island, called Korcula town. Vela Luka is just a port city, while Korcula town is touristy places with accommodations. We hop on the next bus which takes about 45minutes to cross from one of the of the island to next. The bus winds up and down the mountain stopping in small rural villages along the way. The main source of jobs seems to be farming and vineyards.

Korcula town is amazing town. The waters that surround it are crystal clear, which is good because there are tons of sea urchins along he rocky bottoms. The good thing is that the edges drops off pretty fast so you can usually just dive or jump past the urchins. Getting out of the water without stepping on one is the tough part.

I feel like I am the only Asian person here on the island as I get stares almost everywhere I go. When we arrive at the hostel, I meet an Aussie in the hostel who is of Indonesian descent and he confirms that we are probably the only Asian people on the island.

Mark and I head over to a tower bar with Kevin who had recommended it. It is a cocktail bar in one of the tall towers of old town. It overlooks the waters and is a perfect place to check out the sunset over a few cocktails. In order to reach the top you have to walk up a flight of stairs as well as a small one way ladder. The bar is actually below the tower and the drinks are brought up to the waiter on top via a small pulley elevator system.

We only spend a couple of days here in Korcula town as the main reason for even visiting Korcula was to do some diving which is only available on the opposite side of the island.

During the day Mark and I explored the old town. Just north of the concrete promenade is the old city. The streets are narrower, some to the point that its single file. There are still people that live in the old part of town which is surprising as most of the ones I’ve seen have all become businesses and tourist attractions. Ice cream in Split is cheap. It is usually around 7 kunas (1.5USD) for a cone.

During the evening Mark and I along with some of the people from the hostel: Linnea, Joel, and Bridget all head over to the beach. After seeing all the people in the water, Bridget and I actually went swimming. The water isn’t deep and is only about knee to thigh deep for about the first 100 meters. We swam for a little bit while everyone else drank on the beach. There are large wooden posts pretty far out from the shore. I taught Bridget how to dive, but she ended up doing a belly flop off of one the posts. We head back to the group who all somehow managed to find beers along the beach. There, we all engage in philosophical debates and general exploration into deep thoughts that one can only have while traveling with no purpose.

Before we even dried off we went to a club that was along the beach. With shorts that were still wet and sandals we had no problems getting in. Linnea and Joel taught us all drinking songs from Sweden, none of which I can remember, but I still have a videos of a couple of them. Somewhere in the night, Mark disappeared. He had been holding my wallet, money, and apartment keys since I went for a swim. We all head back to the hostel and I crash in another room. About 5minutes after laying down, Mark wanders back in. Some how he went to the beach and then got lost and started sprinting around Split between familiar locations until he finally made it back to the hostel. It is a pretty impressive feat if you consider that he could have just walked along to beach to get to the main street that goes to the hostel. Instead he managed to navigate the smaller streets.

Split is a coastal city and although I haven’t heard anything about it, I know for sure that it will be heaps better than Zagreb. The train station is near the water for easy ferry access to islands. To our left are the three beaches for swimming and to our right is old town and our hostel. We arrived at our Mediterranean Backpackers Hostel and unfortunately we were placed on the offsite housing. It lacks and hostel social scene and doesn’t have a/c, but the accommodations are much cleaner and nicer.

It is already late afternoon by the time we get there, so we head for the beach. It is a holiday here so the beaches are extremely crowded. On the walk over there we see a lot of people walking back, but I was still amazed at the number of people out. The waters feel so good after a day of sitting and walking around in the blazing hot humidity. Mark breaks his flip flops and a feeling a déjà vu sets over me. Last time Mark and I went to a beach was out in California in Malibu. We each took 20kg + of scuba equipment all the way down a cliff to scuba dive “the stairs”. After we put on and prep all of our equipment, Mark breaks his fin strap and we had to call it quits.

Since the beaches are rocky so Mark stays on the beach and just lays out. The waters here are clear to where I can still see the bottom at almost any point. I swim out to a small island area off the shore. There people take turns diving from the top. I do the same. During the climb I see a ton of sea life. There are soft corals lining the edges of the rock and then as I grab on to start climbing I see numerous crabs jump into the waters.

That evening I head over to the hostel to get on the internet. It turns out that it is Croatia’s national holiday and to celebrate the hostel owner has cooked a meal for all us. There was spaghetti, a seafood dish, meat dish, and bread along with cold beer and wine. Not a bad deal for free. We meet these two Swedish people, Linnea and Joel. Linnea breaks out her guitar. So the rest of the night we all chat and listen to the guitar. I can’t believe someone is traveling with a guitar, but I guess it’s a lot more short term compared to my traveling itinerary.

We arrived from Budapest to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is landlocked and thus far we have not heard anything exciting about the city. With that in mind I decide to just spend one night here to recharge and get some laundry done. We booked a single night at Hostel Lika which a ways off from where we get off the bus.

The public transportation system here consists of above-ground trams. They are each two carts in length and have no AC. The high temperature and addition of high humidity makes these moving ovens. On top of that we go towards the wrong stop. Slovenka and Slovanka are both on opposite sides of the city. After running around in the high noon heat we finally make it towards the correct side of the city. From there yellow footprints painted in the sidewalk lead us to the hostel.

On hostelworld, this place was described to have a/c. When mark went downstairs to the reception to get laundry done, the owner even bragged that this was one of the few hostels that actually has a/c and also instructed him to write a good review about this place. Well it turns out the a/c either doesn’t exist or does work because we slept in the heat in a string of 30minute intervals.

In the morning, hop on the tram taking us back to the center of two to grab a train Split. The train ride is about 4.5 hours. There are only two carts. The cart that we got seats for, again, either did not have a/c or the a/c just didn’t work. It was about ten folds worse than the hostel. Towards the end of the trip people were just moving to the baggage area since it had no windows and was much cooler. While in that area I discovered that the other second class cart had a/c. It was a freezer in there. It was amazing how differently people look when they are comfortable. In our cart people looked like they were melt. In the air conditioned cart, people looked relaxed and seemed to enjoy the ride and the scenery. It wasn’t longer before just moved my bags over and took an empty chair on the other cart.