Broken radar

My first night in Zagreb was terrible, so i got up at 07.00am and walked through the streets of the city. At 08.00am i visited the open market and underground one, the early mornings were occuppied by old ladies carrying their fresh grocery. I bought radish, not because i like them so much, but they were very bright and every stand was selling them. My thought was that they must be really tasty then, and they were crispy, spicy and fresh! I ate also the famous strukli with cheese, honey and walnut.
The second night i slept perfect, using the earplugs the hostel provided, so no more sound of ticking traffic lights and snorring men.
I reckon that the most beautiful thing of Zagreb was the massive cemetery entrance. Groblje Mirogoj. A must see when you visit Zagreb!

The 10th of April i met up with Angela in Bled. I stayed 10 days with her and saw how she was living with her 5 year old son. She has an enormous busy life and that's why i offered her to help her out in july and august 2017. I'll tell you a bit more of her life. Angela is a woman who is 39 years old and lives alone with her son in Lesce. The hostel she manage to run for an irish ex-couple is situated in the touristic town Bled. 4 km from Lesce. She's been working for the hostel 9 years and with managing it by herself for the last 2 years, us as outsiders would think she's the owner. But she's not. Angela starts at 08.00am and works till +/- 13.00pm, she will do both reception and cleaning the hostel, then she will have a break and picks up her son from kindergarten at 15.00pm, she will cook early dinner and spent some time with him, then she drops her child with her mother and she will be back at the reception at 18.00pm till 21.00pm or 22.00 it depends on the season. In summer season she will run around the lake and will come back at 22.30pm to close the kitchen. It's a life with driving up and down the road. She's outside the season the only worker and she still gets paid the same amount as she started 9 years ago. Ofcourse there's a reason she still works here and that's that she can travel for a couple of months in the off season. Together with her mother and son she travels around the world. She is saying that even she has to work everyday from april to june, she can still see her son more often, then if she would work a fulltime job and has weekends off. Prices are going up in Slovenia, but the salary is staying the same.

As we all know by now, small children and me get along for a couple of hours. Then i'm glad they go back to mami. Max started shy on me, but after my monkey act, i became his best friend. One night i babysit Max, Angela had to go back to the hostel. Max was watching a cartoon and for me it were just pictures flashing by. We had a language barrier, i don't speak Slovenian language and Max is learning English. The whole 2 hours we didn't talk. I also had to take care of the lasagna in the oven, so every time when i had to go the kitchen and came back to the couch Max was coming closer and closer. We started on different couches, but he ended up next to my seat and eventually leaning his head on my shoulder. Aaaaaaah i had no idea what to do, uhmmm but eventually i hold him in my arms.
Do you remember when i told you about Emily, that she would be the only child in Europe running on purpose through waterpools ?? Well Max does the same, he's even running through pools when strangers passing by. Oeps.........

Wednesday the 19th of April i took the bus from Bled to Ljubljana. The busdriver was a woman. A beautiful woman, with long blond hair, long painted nails and she was wearing high heels. I had to look twice, before i believed it was real.

In Ljubljana i went to my favorite Chinese. I felt excited when entering the restaurant, "1 person" i said, the waiter pointed to the right. "Oh great, you're putting me in the corner" i said. He understood, but in case i offended him, i straight said, i'm joking. Stupid Dutch people, can't shut up. Hahaha sorry. My friends and family know me, they know who they are dealing with hahahaha.

The next day off to Zagreb, i would have a transfer night there, before heading to Korenica the next day. The hostel Falling Lakes at Korenica.

Korenica a small town, 20 minutes drive from the famous plitvice lakes. The first day at 16.00pm i did the sunset walk to Mrsinj Grad mountain. That would only take 2,5 hours return, but it had been snowing the days before, so i had a hard time walking up. From some distance i saw the rock already, but i couldn't find the sign how to get there. I took the wrong direction, so i had to climb up and i had to be back before the sun was going under at 19.45pm. So with my legs half way in the snow, and my hands freezing, i climbed on the hill. My hands were frozen, i really lost the touch of it and they were cramped in the same position. Still i had to reach the top, so i used my knees and hands to reach final destination. It was dangerous and i must say that it was the most dangerous and stupid thing that i've done so far in my life. But the view was amazing!!! The girl at the hostel told me to go the same way back, but that was no option for me, because i got lost in the end. After half hour on the mountain, i found the red and white dotted sign that lead me off the rock onto the path. There was still only me and the white snow. I followed the path that would lead me to Borje, and because of the sunset i had no choice then to take this route. Wow! With every step that i took, i went 50cm down under. My jeans were frozen, my feet where wett and so where my hiking shoes. There were no other footprints, besides animaltracks. I'm not sure how long it took me, but i ended up at the camping Borje, 2km away from Korenica.

The next day at 08.00am i got the shuttle bus to Plitvice Lakes. I was lucky with the sun shining upon me. The upperlakes were the best and there was no one around. The afternoon was crowded. Like a bunch of sheeps we walked in a que on the wooden boards. We took the boat to the lowerlakes and big waterfall. It was beautiful too, but i prefer the upperlakes. Daniel and i walked back along the river to the entrance. It is on that path that we saw a blue- throated keeled lizard and not so much later an ermine. It was love at first sight!! Aaaaaaaaaah well, from my point of view any way. Seeing this little creature made my day even more perfect.

The third day i went back to Plitvice National Park, but not the waterfalls. No today i would do the hiking trail to Corkava Uvala a 21 km hike. At 09.00am i started at the upperlakes and at 09.20am i started the trail. The scenery started with the upperlakes from above. Next the forest, high trees without leaves. A Japanese squirrel was looking down on me. The weather was a bit cloudy, but perfect for walking. It was so peacefull and quiet in the forest. No cars, no other hikers, no... only me, myself and i, the silent trees, the wind and animal tracks. Who at that moment i had no idea from which animal it was. 2,5 hours later i arrived at Corkava Uvala. There were some abandoned houses and the forest changed into an open field with pine trees around. The snow blinded my eyes for a bit and i was thinking "what would happen if i got lost here?" I took a short break, more i couldn't stand, it was too cold to sit down, so not long after i was back on my feet again. From Corkava Uvala i had to go steep up, back into the forest. The snow made every step slippery and i had to grab the branches of the trees to hold myself. Of course they could break off, but that would be my second concern then, not something i should think about now. I made it to the top, without breaking a leg. And of course i had to go down again. I had 3 options. It was either crawling down on hands and feet. Running down or try to walk down, but with every step there was a possibility that i would slight down fall and break something other then a branch. So i chose running!!! With bended knees in a sit position i run down feeling like Sandra Bullock in miss congeniality, with one of her face expressions. I stopped myself with bumping into trees. It was exhausting. I had to do that exhausting activity 3 times in a row. After that i finally felt the real earth under my feet again.
Poeh poeh the snow was almost gone, when i made it down. And then the next thing that disturb me was a massive footprint of a bear! You have no idea what went through my brains and the shilling that i felt through my body. Thankfully the footprint was facing the opposite directions from where i was heading to. But the first 10 minutes with every step that i took, i looked left and right. Left and right, left and right and so on............ i kept in mind that i was almost back at the lakes, so in no time i was back in my own world again. It would only take me another hour or so, but of course Lai got lost again. I must have a radar, a broken radar above my head. I really couldn't find the damn sign, so i walked onto a path, that looked like it was going somewhere. The path was endless; no cars, no people, no dogs, no animals, only abandoned houses. I was not enjoying myself!!
I made all kind of scenario's, my head was full of them. First i would not make the 4pm shuttle bus, 2: i had plenty of food with me to survive and walk back to Korenica, or i would overnight in one of the abandoned houses. 4.... "Hey do i hear cars? Yes!! I was not crazy, i was hearing traffic!" Joepie!
I saw a road and people and entrances and signs and even the walkingtrack sign, but i had my own time schedule so no time to see what i had done wrong. I walked along the rocks, where below the lakes and the big waterfall was situated. I was able to see the other tourists on the opposite side. The sun was out and the water coloured bright blue and green. After 6 hours of haven't seen or meet anyone, i was glad to be on "earth" again.


Thank you for reading my ultra late update hahahaha

P.s due to private reasons Max and Angela are fictional names.