I took one more glance at the beautiful canal at Villa Divine before I said my goodbyes to the group. I was sad to be leaving and hoped that Matt and I were able to meet cool people at our next hostel. I quickly packed up my belongings and Mia ordered us a cab. Mike and Andras walked me out to the taxi. They hugged me, said to have fun in Split and to tell the Irish girls hello. Michelle and Sharon left for Split yesterday and we would be meeting up with them tonight. Mia squeezed me tight, told me to be safe and that she was really glad she met me. She ran back in the hostel returning with her camera to take a picture together. I thanked her for everything and that I had a wonderful trip. Matt and I climbed in the cab and high fived each other for the next adventure.
Riding to the bus station, I was relieved I had a travel companion. Now I could relax and wouldn't have to worry about getting lost upon my arrival to a new city. To have someone to rely on was clutch to ensuring your travel was stress free.
We arrived to the bus station and each paid the driver forty Kuna. We waited in line for a ticket and the woman was very rude. I felt like most people were in Croatia. Maybe I ask too many questions. All I asked was if we could pay separately since Mia called in our bus reservation together. "No! You pay together- one reservation!", she yelled. Matt handed me 140 Kuna and I asked her to put the balance on my credit card. "No! You pay with Cash only!" She yelled again. I handed her the Kunas and we walked over to the benches. There were no seats and we still had a half an hour before boarding. I had to use the toilette and read the sign beside the door. It was 3 Kuna to use their restrooms. That was the annoying part about Europe. Most places you had to pay to use a public restroom. I saw a coffee shop across the street and asked Matt if he wanted to grab a cappuccino before we boarded. He nodded and recommended we use the zipper. I had no clue what he was talking about. Often things he said, I would get confused. Aussies use a lot of different lingo than us. Thongs, zippers, mates, Uni. He explained a zipper was the cross walk.
We ordered our cappuccinos and took a picture together celebrating our next stop, Split. I told Matt I was so glad we were traveling together because I didn't want to get lost again like I did going to Villa Divine. I asked him if he had the directions from the bus station to our new hostel in Split. He nodded yes and that we were all set.
After taking our last sip, we made our way across the zipper, back to the bus. It was now loading so we walked over to the compartments on the side of the bus where the driver was collecting 7 Kuna for luggage. I handed the driver my backpack and my ticket. He tossed my bag in the compartment and reached for Matt's. While reaching for Kuna, he reminded us to have our passports ready for the first border patrol stop. We would be passing through Bosnia on the way to Split. Matt pulled out his passport from his pack and my heart sank. I had a flashback of handing my passport to Pero upon check in at the hostel but no memory of collecting it before I left. Matt read the expression on my face and asked where I left my passport. My head fell and I told him I left it at the hostel. The bus driver shook his head and reached back for my bag under the bus. Matt went to grab his too and told me he wasn't going to leave me. I told him there was no way that I was going to let him miss the boat for Split as well, It was my mistake. "Julie, I'm not going to leave you!" I argued with him, it was incredibly sweet that he would consider having to cab it all the way back to the hostel but our tickets were non refundable and there I was not about to let him ruin his day over my mistake. I grabbed my pack and shooed him on the bus. " I'll figure it out- I will make my way to Split, I will meet you there! Don't worry!" I assured him as I ran back to the ticket counter. I stood in line antsy, there was a long wait and the bus was pulling away with me not on it. I was so frustrated with myself, My eyes began to fill up with tears but I wouldn't let myself. This was all fixable. Surely, there was another bus to Split. I was trying to think what would be worse to make myself feel better. I suppose if I had made it to the Bosnia border with no passport that would be a worse scenario.
I arrived to the ticket counter and it was the same rude woman. I handed her my ticket and she said "This bus left!" I nodded that I knew but explained I forgot my passport and requested an exchange for a later bus to Split. She shook her head no and said "Non refundable!" I asked her when the next bus to Split was and she replied "12:45pm." I looked up at the big clock in the station and it read 11:10pm. I had just enough time to run back to the hostel, grab my passport and get back. I walked across the street in search of the city bus. There was no way I was paying the 180 Kuna roundtrip plus another 140 Kuna for a new bus ticket. The city bus ticket was only 30 Kuna round trip but there was a chance I would get lost. I crossed my fingers and waited for the 7 bus. For thirty minutes in the scorching sun, I watched bus 1A and 1B pass several times. The number 3 bus and 5, but no 7. I asked guy and his girlfriend if I was reading the chart wrong and they said the 7 bus only comes once per hour. I had already waited for 45 minutes so I thought I would wait for another 15 minutes. I would be even more upset if I finally just jumped in a cab as the 7 bus rolled up. I waited another twenty minutes and the girls from England from my hostel walked up to the station. Confused, they asked why I wasn't on my way to Split already. I explained to them what happened with my passport and they told me they hoped I made it to Split before jumping on their bus to Pile. This was the 5th or 6th 1A bus to Pile Gate and I was debating if I should just jump on that bus, then transfer back on the 6 bus. I had no clue why after an hour and twenty minutes, a number 7 bus never arrived. I started to get teary with frustration and was sweating through my clothes.
I walked up to the newsstand and asked the woman what time the seven bus arrives and she pointed in the opposite direction of where I had been sitting for the past hour. I had been across the street the entire time at the wrong stop.
Deflated, I nodded my head in disappointment and walked up to the taxi stand. I asked how much for a ride to Villa Divine and the driver confirmed 90 Kuna. I asked how much for a round trip and he squinted his eyes with confusion. I explained to him that I left my passport, he frowned and said "100 Kuna round trip- lets hurry!"
As I retraced the route back to the hostel, I did feel lucky that everyone was so nice to me(excluding the ticket clerk). The fact that Matt was not going to get on the bus because I couldn't go was so kind. The driver only charging me half the price because he saw I was so gloom. I guess in a terrible situation, it wasn't so terrible. It was 12:30pm and I would be cutting it close but I told the driver I would just run in the hostel, grab my passport and we would be on our way.
I arrived to the hostel, left my bags in the car and while walking to the door heard the car driving away. Panicked, I turned back around ran to the taxi pulling away with my bags inside. He stopped, rolled down the window and told me he was just turning around. Relieved, I turned around and ran inside. The other host was at the counter and her face sunk. I told her I came for my passport and had a taxi waiting. She paused and said "Your passport is not here, Julie." Her English was really bad so she spoke very slow and delayed. I shook my head confused and asked where it was and she gathered her thoughts and held her hand up to let me know she was trying to translate to English. "Mia went to bus stop looking for you. Mia bringing your passport to you because she realized she forgot to give you at check out."
I covered my face with my hands. I couldn't believe Mia would do that for me. The driver was beginning to grow impatient outside. He yelled for me to get going. The girl came out and explained to the driver in Croatian to wait and he shook his head and pointed to his watch. She ran inside for the phone and called Mia. Once Mia was on the line, she handed the phone to me. In a panicked voice, Mia apologized for keeping my passport and that she had been looking all over the bus station for me. I told her to not apologize and that it was my own fault. I could not believe that she would go to these extremes to help me and that she was so worried about me. I feel like any other place would shrug their shoulders and wait for the backpacker to realize on their own and return. She told me to have the driver leave and they would pay for my taxi and my new cab back to the bus station.
I handed the phone back to the host and she went back inside, returning with an envelope. She handed the driver 90 Kuna and he pulled my bag back out of the car. I walked inside and she said told me they were so worried about me. I was so touched that they would even care to help me. She guided me in and said to take a seat, asking if she could get me juice. I walked outside on the balcony and took a seat. It's funny this morning, I thought that would be the last glance of the canal and here I was yet again. A few minutes later Mia and the owners wife ran into the room and hugged me. They apologized over and over and I stopped them. I told them I could not believe they went looking for me and that it was really not their fault. Mia held her hands to her chest and said it was her responsibility to give back passports and that I was lucky the bus driver reminded me. They don't always remind travelers and once you reach the Bosnia border, I would have got in trouble.
They said they covered every inch of the station and couldn't find me so were driving around the city. I told her I had been waiting for over an hour across the street at the wrong city bus stop. She apologized again and told me that they would take care of everything. She told me they would pay for a new cab and buy my new bus ticket. She asked if I wanted to just stay another night here for free or if I still wanted to head to Split tonight since the bus was five hours. I told her that was very kind, but I did want to still make the trip to Split. I had a hostel booked and was eager to get going. She assured me she would get me there and went in the room to grab the bus schedule. She returned and there was a bus leaving for Split at 1:30pm so I would arrive to Split before 7pm. This would allow me to find my hostel before dark. She called the station and made me a new reservation.
I thanked Mia for everything and told her that this did not ruin my day. I did get a little stressed because I was I wasn't sure what to do. At the end of the day though, I assured her it could always be much worse and I was so grateful that she would go out in the city looking for me.
I relaxed on the couch for a while when Michele and Mike walked in with big grins across their face. They had just returned from the beach and Mia had told them she had a surprise waiting for them in the living room. They told me while they were disappointed it wasn't beer, they were glad to see me. I told them about my fiasco and Mike helped me map out my hostel in Split since I would now have to travel alone.
Mia returned to the living room and let me know my taxi had arrived. I hugged everyone once again and thanked Mia for everything. I now rode back to the station at ease. This little hiccup touched me that everyone was so incredibly kind. I always feel like everything happens for a reason. I already knew that these people were nice but to only know them for a few days and have them so worried about me- it left me feeling extreme gratitude.
I arrived to the bus station and waited back in line at a new counter. The woman asked for my name and she squinted her eyes as she typed in the keyboard. She looked up, shook her head and said "twenty-eight." Confused I asked "Kuna?" She shook her head and said again only "twenty-eight, not twelve." I looked at her with a blank stare and she pointed to the number twenty eight on the calendar. "Your reservation is for the twenty-eight, not today. Kastler right?" I told her there must have been a mistake and that I was needing to leave today on the 1:30pm bus. She shook her head no and typed back in the computer, raised her head back up and repeated "Mary Kastler, August 28 to Split" I shook my head and said "no, no- Julie. Julie Kastler" She sighed and nodded her head. "Oh, okay. My mistake, you are all set," as she handed me a ticket. This day was getting crazier by the minute.
I sat down on the curb and waited for the bus. I was still a little uneasy after yet another little scare so was just eager to get in my seat and take a nap. I would feel much better once I was actually heading to my destination. The bus arrived, I handed my bag to the driver and took a seat by the window. Driving along the coast of Croatia was a stunning ride. Every twist and turn down around the cliffs were beautiful. The sea is so still and the sun creates a glistening affect across the water. The eleven o'clock bus was packed to Split, this late afternoon bus had only ten people so I had an empty seat beside me. I sprawled across the two seats and took a nap. In five hours I would be in Split. I woke up for the border patrol check. The guard stepped on the bus and checked our passports. Within only fifteen minutes, we stopped yet again and another guard came on the bus to check our passports returning to Croatia.
After my nap, I began to feel nauseous. I never get car sick, but the winding roads around the cliffs and the stress of today was taking a toll on me. There was no bathroom on the bus and I wondered what I was going to do. I tried to distract myself by writing but that made it worse. I closed my eyes and laid back down but every big turn the bus made as it twisted around the curves of the coast line, I felt my stomach growing more queasy. I kept my eyes closed and when I woke up the bus had came to a stop. The driver shouted that we had a five minute break and I walked off the bus toward the restroom. There was a woman guarding the doors and said "3 Kuna for Toilette." I reached in my purse for money, handed her a few coins and ran inside. I threw up all the goldfish I ate for lunch but was feeling a little better. I was just glad it did not happen on the bus.
The driver honked the horn and I darted back outside and boarded the bus. I curled up back on my seat and fell asleep until the bus pulled into the port at Split. I pulled out my iPad and memorized the streets to reach the hostel. The sun was setting and I didn't want to get lost in the dark.
The city of Split was very different than Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is very clean and historical. Split was an old port town and looked like after some sort of war, it was never rebuilt. The streets by the port were lined with booths of touristy hats, jewelry and souvenirs. The old buildings were all piled on top of each other like Naples in Italy. Laundry was hanging from all the windows and stray cats roamed the streets. I bought a meat sandwich from a stand and continued walking in search of Zagrebaca street. I got distracted from all the bracelet stands and did a little shopping. I bought a leather bracelet and continued on to the hostel. Once I reached Zagrebaca, I walked a few blocks and turned on the next street. Now I counted down until I reached the number 20. This didn't look like a hostel. It was an old building with a huge wooden door. I pushed the heavy door in and the foyer was dark. I followed the old broken tiled floor to the stairwell and walked up the stairs through the dark building. Every floor had a window with shutters that opened to a courtyard with laundry hanging from the windows. From the pictures on the website, I had assumed the hostel was more modern than this building. I reached the top floor and never found the hostel. I opened my pack and pulled out the saved image of google maps Mike stored for me. I was at the right number but on the wrong street. I shoved my iPad back in my pack and ran down the stairwell out of the dark building.
After one more block, I arrived to Hostel Emanuel. When I walked in, I felt like I walked in the set of Safe House with Denzel Washington. The modern hostel was hidden in an old building and when you walked in the foyer, there were four surveillance cameras outside and in the stairwell. You could hear the buzzing of the lights above and the only other noise in the quite lobby was the ticking of the clock on the wall. This was no Villa Divine. They didn't take you to the balcony for juice or have Pero breakdown all the city must sees. He handed me a key to the locker, showed me to my bunk and told me the bathroom was on the right. I threw my pack on my bed and went to the other dorm to look for Matt. He was talking to a girl and turned around when I called his name. He high fived me and told me he was relieved I made it. Matt introduced me to the girl from Guatemala.
I told Matt I wanted to freshen up before we met up with the Irish girls tonight. He went to grab dinner and told me he would return in an hour. I grabbed my shower bag and walked into the bathroom. They had several shower stalls at this hostel which was nice so you didn't have to wait. Once I got in my stall, I heard the girl from Guatemala walk in the bathroom. She jumped in the shower next to mine and asked if we were going out tonight. I told her we were meeting up with our friends we met in Dubrovnik and told her she was welcome to join. We talked through the walls as we rinsed off which sounds so weird but is another reason why traveling is so fun. I felt like I was at summer camp. She asked what I did for a living back at home and told me she was a professor on summer break taking a tour of Europe.
After my shower, I quickly got ready and Matt arrived to pick me up. He showed me around down town Split that he toured while waiting for me to arrive. We stopped at a gelato stand and I bought dessert. We walked around the markets, passing the live band playing on the water, the patios of people eating and drinking. We shopped around for souvenirs and I got to know Matt better. He is a really cool Aussie and uses the word epic a lot. I was enjoying his company and was happy to find a travel buddy.
Split was pretty lively at night. We reached an outdoor club right on the water with a DJ and ordered a drink. We had messaged Sharon and Michelle when we left the hostel but never heard back. A little while later, I felt a hug from behind and the girls had spotted us out in the club. We caught up on our trip to Split and asked the girls if they had planned to go to the islands. Matt and I booked for the ferry across to Hvar and would be spending a couple days out there. They were leaving in the morning for Hvar so we made plans to meet up.
As it grew late, I told the girls it was time for me to head home so we all walked down the old alleyways to our hostel. While walking through the busy streets, catching up with the girls- I felt like it was just another Monday night at home. It was so easy traveling with these people. You don't really feel like you're across the world when you're traveling in groups. We talked about what we ate for dinner, Michelle's boyfriend back at home- it felt like another day with old friends. Once we reached the fork in the road where we would split, Matt and I hugged the girls good nite and headed back to our hostel.
So another day in Croatia down. It was a rocky start today but I made it. I knew coming into this trip there would be hiccups along the way. I was due for a day of getting lost anyway. It happens but I know it's all part of the adventure. If that was the way I needed to find out that if you know someone for three days or three years, they will look out for you- well I guess it was worth it.