There are friends, and there are “transient” friends.
All backpackers who travel long enough have experienced this: You visit a new place. You meet new friends. You have a good time. Then it is time to say goodbye. You might get a chance to exchange Facebook contacts with some of the new friends you meet, but not always: For people that you do manage to connect on social media, they have become your friends and you will have the opportunity to reconnect in the future; for others you have spent time with but for one reason or another did not get to exchange contact info, they have become your “transient” friends, because more than likely you will never see each other again.
When I first arrived in Croatia, I got sick for a few days after hiking in heavy rain in Dubrovnik (more on that story later). For the next few days, I spent quite some time recovering in my bed. When I did go out, I restrained myself from talking to people, so that to not spread my flu to others. After being socially inactive for a good part of the week, I recovered from my flu and met a couple of solo backpackers: One from Japan and the other from Argentina, both of them have been backpacking solo for 10 months! We visited Plitvice Lakes together during the day, shared some amazing travel stories, and had a wine/Uno night with some other guys and gals from Brazil and Canada in the evening – Our time together was probably the best time we all had in Croatia.
When it was time to say goodbye, some of us were able to exchange contact info, while some others inevitably became our “transient” friends – After having traveled for a month now, this has become the norm and we all seem to understand that this is part of backpacking culture.
Dubrovnik is the main filming location for the fictional city of King’s Landing in the American TV series Game of Thrones. The entire Old City of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a series of stone walls, towers, and fortress, protecting its citizens since the 7th century. Dubrovnik is the most expensive real estate market in Croatia.
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In order to have a good view of the entire Old City of Dubrovnik, I had to go somewhere high. So I decided to take a cable car to Fort Imperial, which was on top of a hill. Although I purchased a round-trip cable car ticket, I decided to not use the return portion and walk down the hill instead – I was told that the hike would offer a very scenic view of Old City. Unfortunately, that was the one time I did not use Google Map properly and went the wrong way: After walking 45 minutes downhill on a paved road, I realized that the road was merging to a public highway with no pedestrian walkway! At that point I was only 15-minute walk from Old City, but walking on a public highway was not really an option. So my two options were really: 1. Walk all the way uphill back to the cable car station and take the cable car back to Old City, or 2. Hitchhike and have myself dropped off at either Old City or the cable car station. While I was making my decision, it started pouring and very soon that became thunderstorms. I decided to exercise both of my options at the same time: Walk back uphill to the cable car station, while sticking my thumb out hoping someone would let me hitchhike. I didn’t have an umbrella with me, so very soon I was completely soaked – No sane person would take a wet body in their cars, so my hitchhiking plan wasn’t really working despite after a dozens of thumb-ups. I ended up walking in the rain for 45 minutes back to the cable car station, and eventually took the cable car back to Old City.
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Lesson Learned: Make sure a highway is not part of your walking route; it would also be helpful if Google Maps could program a monster of some sort jumping out to warn me when part of the route is not walkable. (On a side note, Google has marked April’s Fools Day (today) by bringing Pac-Man to Google Maps: When I opened Google Maps today, I was being transported to a random area of the world – Mine was showing Pac-Man running around inside the Taj Mahal building in India!).
@Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is the main filming location for the fictional city of King’s Landing in the American TV series Game of Thrones. The entire Old City of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a series of stone walls, towers, and fortress, protecting its citizens since the 7th century. Dubrovnik is the most expensive real estate market in Croatia.
//
In order to have a good view of the entire Old City of Dubrovnik, I had to go somewhere high. So I decided to take a cable car to Fort Imperial, which was on top of a hill. Although I purchased a round-trip cable car ticket, I decided to not use the return portion and walk down the hill instead – I was told that the hike would offer a very scenic view of Old City. Unfortunately, that was the one time I did not use Google Map properly and went the wrong way: After walking 45 minutes downhill on a paved road, I realized that the road was merging to a public highway with no pedestrian walkway! At that point I was only 15-minute walk from Old City, but walking on a public highway was not really an option. So my two options were really: 1. Walk all the way uphill back to the cable car station and take the cable car back to Old City, or 2. Hitchhike and have myself dropped off at either Old City or the cable car station. While I was making my decision, it started pouring and very soon that became thunderstorms. I decided to exercise both of my options at the same time: Walk back uphill to the cable car station, while sticking my thumb out hoping someone would let me hitchhike. I didn’t have an umbrella with me, so very soon I was completely soaked – No sane person would take a wet body in their cars, so my hitchhiking plan wasn’t really working despite after a dozens of thumb-ups. I ended up walking in the rain for 45 minutes back to the cable car station, and eventually took the cable car back to Old City.
//
Lesson Learned: Make sure a highway is not part of your walking route; it would also be helpful if Google Maps could program a monster of some sort jumping out to warn me when part of the route is not walkable. (On a side note, Google has marked April’s Fools Day (today) by bringing Pac-Man to Google Maps: When I opened Google Maps today, I was being transported to a random area of the world – Mine was showing Pac-Man running around inside the Taj Mahal building in India!).
@Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is the main filming location for the fictional city of King’s Landing in the American TV series Game of Thrones. The entire Old City of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a series of stone walls, towers, and fortress, protecting its citizens since the 7th century. Dubrovnik is the most expensive real estate market in Croatia.
//
In order to have a good view of the entire Old City of Dubrovnik, I had to go somewhere high. So I decided to take a cable car to Fort Imperial, which was on top of a hill. Although I purchased a round-trip cable car ticket, I decided to not use the return portion and walk down the hill instead – I was told that the hike would offer a very scenic view of Old City. Unfortunately, that was the one time I did not use Google Map properly and went the wrong way: After walking 45 minutes downhill on a paved road, I realized that the road was merging to a public highway with no pedestrian walkway! At that point I was only 15-minute walk from Old City, but walking on a public highway was not really an option. So my two options were really: 1. Walk all the way uphill back to the cable car station and take the cable car back to Old City, or 2. Hitchhike and have myself dropped off at either Old City or the cable car station. While I was making my decision, it started pouring and very soon that became thunderstorms. I decided to exercise both of my options at the same time: Walk back uphill to the cable car station, while sticking my thumb out hoping someone would let me hitchhike. I didn’t have an umbrella with me, so very soon I was completely soaked – No sane person would take a wet body in their cars, so my hitchhiking plan wasn’t really working despite after a dozens of thumb-ups. I ended up walking in the rain for 45 minutes back to the cable car station, and eventually took the cable car back to Old City.
//
Lesson Learned: Make sure a highway is not part of your walking route; it would also be helpful if Google Maps could program a monster of some sort jumping out to warn me when part of the route is not walkable. (On a side note, Google has marked April’s Fools Day (today) by bringing Pac-Man to Google Maps: When I opened Google Maps today, I was being transported to a random area of the world – Mine was showing Pac-Man running around inside the Taj Mahal building in India!).
@Dubrovnik
Cute cats everywhere.
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Imagine everywhere you walk there are cats looking at you like this? If you love cats, this is paradise.
@Dubrovnik
Crni Rizot, a Croatian traditional food. Made with squid stewed in its own ink, with rice added at the end of cooking.
@Zagreb
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
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I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Walking the city walls to have a good view of Old City and Lokrum Island.
@Dubrovnik
Peeking through the window.
@Dubrovnik
Game of Thrones merchandise everywhere.
@Split
The Iron Throne.
@Lokrum
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
Plitvice Lakes, famous for their crystal-clear lakes and beautiful waterfalls.
//
I met two solo backpackers from the hostel and decided to hike Plitvice Lakes together. From Japan and Argentina, both have been traveling for 10 months. My friend from Japan has been to 51 countries in 10 months and counting!
@PlitviceLakes
View of Hvar from Hvar Fortress.
@Hvar
Climbing the Bell Tower in Diocletian’s Palace.
@Split
Zagreb Cathedral.
@Zagreb
Cevapi, a national dish in BiH, but is also common in Croatia.
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A day out with a business student originally from China who lives in France.
@Dubrovnik
Pasticada, another Croatian traditional food. Marinated beef with gnocchi dumplings.
@Split
