So a couple of important differences between Manitoba and
Croatia zip lining: Manitoba has big hills and stringent safety regulations.
Croatia has mountains and a “survival of the fittest” attitude in place of
safety regulations. We drove up into the mountains and the views were
breathtaking. We got our gear on and had a steep uphill hike to our practice
zip line. Another important difference? Croatian people don’t sugar coat
anything. They’re very to the point and quite abrupt. So when I had some
confusion over when to brake on the practice line, I was told in no uncertain
terms, “Brake or don’t brake. What part of that don’t you understand?” A
further hike into the mountains followed, ending with climbing a ladder over a
cliff to reveal our first zip line. It was a bit scary but the views were
absolutely breathtaking, and I did great on my first 8 zip lines.
At this point I was completely rattled and
basically done with the whole experience! The final zip line was also on the
side of a cliff and I could barely make myself walk along it. One of our
Croatian guides decided the Canadian girl needed some babying (wow, couldn’t
believe it) and took the rope attached to my harness and led me along like a
dog. It was kind of demeaning but it got me to the tenth and final line.
We returned to the boat just in time for supper and our
pirate party. Several large glasses of red took the edge off my frayed nerves
and we donned our pirate costumes. I looked more like a sailor, but we had a
great time playing King’s Cup (Sociables) and visiting the other boats docked
beside us who were also having pirate parties. Things shut down pretty early,
so English A, Aussie C, and I decided to head into town to see if anything was
happening. We found a few other pirates at a nearby bar and proceeded to order
our drinks. We were certain the bartender was one of our zip lining guides, and
when he said our drinks were free we thought it was because we had zip lined
earlier. Either we were super confused or the guy was messing with us, because
the night ended with him chasing us down the street demanding we pay for our
drinks. Oops. 
Climbing the ladder to get to the first zip line
Aussie L and I looking cute in our helmets
Optimistic that I was going to be able to handle it!
Stunning views!
I got the
hang of the whole braking thing and loved both the long and steep lines. Things
were rolling along nicely until night began to fall and everything got a whole
lot more scary. On the second last line, we had to clip our harnesses to a rope
and pick our way down the side of a cliff. I felt like a very terrified
mountain goat as I tried to navigate my way down the cliff—other than the
skinny rope I was attached to, there was nothing keeping me from falling off
the mountain hundreds of feet to my death. I finally made it to the zip line
which passed over a highway. 
The zip line I almost wasn't able to do
More cruise ship than Pirates of the Caribbean....
Some of the ladies of Ika getting their pirate on
We had to wear this pirate mask if we drew a certain card during King's Cup. In addition to spreading lots of germs, it made it impossible to drink without a straw!
Aussie C, English A, and I before we did the runner on our bar tab
For our final day on the boat, we sailed into Split. After an orientation walk with Naomi, we had free time. Since I’ve already been in Split, I decided to do some shopping and browsed through the markets, Guess, Zara, and Bershka, buying nothing but having a nice afternoon with a latte in hand (the best one I’ve had since I left Starbucks in Greece).
Aussie L, Canada (I barely remember my real name after two weeks on Busabout), and Aussie H
Goodbyes were sad the next morning as I had met so many
great people—this girl, Aussie J, definitely broadened my vocabulary of Aussie
slang (which I’d better not repeat in polite company at home) and the constant
banter between her and Aussie M (Madison Carter Official to her fans) kept me
laughing the entire trip!
And now it was time to really strike out on my own. The
pictures of Stari Most (the famous old bridge) in Mostar, Bosnia, beckoned me
to travel there by bus, so for $20 Canadian I set out on the 4.5 hour bus ride
into Bosnia. It rained almost the entire way, and still hasn’t stopped. The bus
trip was uneventful and I slept a lot of the way. A midway bathroom stop ended
in me NOT going to the bathroom as the toilet was literally a hole in the
floor. Thank goodness that as a kindergarten teacher I’m used to not peeing for
hours at a time! Solo travel was going reasonably well until I got off my bus
in Mostar. The bus station was dingy (I think they all are) and it was pouring
rain. I was directed to a taxi line to catch a taxi to my hotel and I stood
there forever as no taxis appeared. Then this creepy man missing many crucial teeth
approached me saying “Taxi? You come with me.” I ignored him as even this small
town girl knows that you never get in a car with anyone who approaches you, but
he continued to persist. Then throw in several begging gypsy children who would
not leave me alone and I really started to become unnerved. Fortunately a nice
Bosnian girl approached me and informed me that all the taxis were busy in this
torrential rain, but she had one coming and I was welcome to share it with her.
When a legitimate taxi arrived in a few minutes and the creepy man and gypsy
children were still there, I decided that was my best option. It was all good,
and I ended up at my hotel within a few minutes and things really improved from
this point on. 
Aussie J operates the camera for selfies... because she has a good side in pictures, and besides, no one does it better than a safety manager!
Going to miss these days on the top level of the boat!
I stayed at Hotel Pellegrino, which I booked on Expedia for
$45 Canadian a night, and it was highly recommended in my Lonely Planet
guidebook. As soon as I arrived, I was escorted into a beautiful lobby and
presented with a tray and told to help myself. There was a bottle of homemade plum
brandy (in a Canadian Crown Royal bottle of all things) and Bosnian sweets.
After several restorative swigs of plum brandy I felt much better and more like
myself again.
My room was absolutely gorgeous and huge—two queen beds, a little
kitchen and dining area, and a nice bathroom.
I spent the afternoon exploring
the old part of Mostar, umbrella in hand as it was still raining. Sadly, most
of Mostar (a Unesco-protected heritage site) was destroyed during the
Yugoslavian Wars 20 years ago. However, the bridge and old town were
painstakingly restored using stone from the original quarry and centuries-old
building techniques. There are still many bombed out and crumbling buildings,
and many of the gift shops sell all kinds of art made from bullets and shell casings.
I had a wonderful afternoon exploring all the little shops in the bazaar,
wandering along the cobbled streets, walking over the bridge, and hearing my
first-ever live Muslim call to prayer. I ate an early supper in a Bosnian
restaurant recommended by my hotel, and for $15 Canadian I had a local beer,
delicious tomato soup and bread, and chicken schnitzel with creamy mushroom
wine sauce. It was delicious.
The iconic bridge, Stari Most, in the background
View from Stari Most
The shops and streets in the old town were beautiful at night
Delicious meal!
My courage was exhausted by this point, and I decided the
most prudent idea was to return to my room before it was dark. I had a relaxing
night in my room enjoying Bosnian wine from the mini-bar ($9 Canadian, what a
high roller) and planning the next few days of my trip. A hot shower in a
proper bathroom and a great sleep in a luxurious bed were fantastic after two
weeks of hostels and boat cabins! The only bad moment was loud yelling from the
streets and what sounded like gun shots. I did some googling and discovered
there was a soccer game that night, so I told myself that no doubt it was rowdy
soccer fans and fireworks. Or a car back firing….a lot! Breakfast the next
morning was huge and included in the cost of my room. I couldn’t believe it
when I was offered shots of cherry brandy at breakfast! By the way...I declined!
As I write this post,
I’m riding a bus to Sarajevo where I’ll spend the day and night. There’s a
group of Aussies behind me so I feel very much at home! Now time to enjoy the
scenery as this is meant to be one of the most beautiful routes in Europe!
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