Croatia–land of ancient mysteries

After leaving Bali a week ago and spending an amazing 24 hours in Singapore, which is very organised, clean and has every modern luxury that is needed to make life very pleasant, I have been cruising the Adriatic sea and exploring Croatia. This is amazing and if every you need a holiday, time to relax and really get away from the world, cruising on a small boat from Island to Island in beautiful turquoise water where you can swim, sleep, read, eat and rest is a wonderful experience.  Its been absolutely amazing and also spending time with people from South Africa, Denmark, England, USA and Australia and of course Croatia, each with their own story and itinerary has been so amazing for me.  And this country is so beautiful and has so much to offer as far as old, ancient towns and cities with such a rich ancient history going back to the year 600 BC and the ocean and rich natural beauty that is breath-taking.
                          And during this time I have been off line – unable to connect to the internet, so its been time where I am not constantly checking in and communicating – and I have realised how much of a distraction the internet is in my life, and how dependant I have become to this connection which I am travelling – I suppose its because I am travelling alone and there are so many moments where because I don’t have someone to instantly share my experience or feelings with, that I share via skype, facebook, email or my blog, keeping me connected and in tune with my loved ones and family.  Letting that all go this week, as I have had no choice, has been a refreshing shift and another step into me connecting with myself completely.

Before sharing more about what I am about to undertake on my journey, I will share a little about Croatia – its a mystical place with so much beauty and so many stories, both ancient and modern, and as a country and a people they have maintained their dignity and are working so hard on reaching their full potential.  There is a sadness about their recent war and hardship and yet there is a pride and self respect that is evident wherever you go – and they are beautiful people.

The cruise is on a vintage motor-sailing boat and the route goes along the Dalmatian coastline and islands.   We started in Split on Saturday 30 June and my cabin was on the first floor - with aircon and when the door is open looked onto the ocean.  It was so amazing to meet a South African couple from Melville in Jozi who were on the cruise - a good dose of home for me and I was so happy.  We set sail at 13h00 with a lovely lunch and sailed to Makarska Riviera where we spend the first night.


Now what I didn't know and was soon to find out is that these boats stay in various ports at night and are docked all together, which means a "suburb" is formed and there is very little privacy and certainly not much silence - and the ports offer much in the way of night life so there is pulsating music pumping well into the early hours of the morning, and then the revelers coming back to the boats at all different hours each night - perfect for partying and wild drinkers, not for me.

On Sunday we sailed to the island of Mljet,  with the first stop on the Peljesac peninsula for a refreshing swim. The whole afternoon was free to explore the salt lakes in Mljet National Park and enjoy the sun and sea on this peaceful island. In the middle of the large lake, inside the National park, there is an old abbey and church. This was lovely and swimming in the water was such a great relief as it was extremely hot - temperature in the mid 30's.

After breakfast on Monday we departed for Dubrovnik and the beautiful sights of nature along the way were towards “the heaven on earth" according to George Bernard Shaw. We arrived in Dubrovnik in the early afternoon where we had the whole afternoon, night and the next morning to explore and I joined a guided tour of Dubrovnik with an English speaking guide,  and here the damage from their war 1991 to 1995 was evident, seeing the places where mortar and bombs hit the city in various places.  There is deep courage in Croatia and there is a huge discrepancy in the numbers of women compared with men - so many men died in the war and this has affected a whole generation.
After a dinner at the oldest pizzeria in Dubrovnik, my Danish friend Signer and I returned to the boat, and I started drumming with the crew and a few guests, who all participated with clapping, and it was so great and much fun - they got a taste of drumming and they really loved it.  As usual it created joy and much laughter.

Signer, Maryanne (from England) and I decided to go swimming at the beach the next morning and we had to be back at the boat by 12 - we caught a water taxi and like idiots (and I say that because we were) paid upfront for the taxi to come collect us at 11 - well he didn't come back and we had to find a taxi in the heat and go through the stress of being late - I was so angry and when reflecting on this later I realised I was really angry with myself for falling for the best tourist trick in the book.

At 12 on Tuesday we sailed to the little town of Trstenik on the Peljesac peninsula.    Such a lovely town with a population of 100 of which 20 are children.  They make their own delicious wine, and most of the inhabitants are professionals opting for a more laid back life.  It was full moon on Tuesday night and watching the moon rise over the sea and seeing the moon reflected for much of the night was so beautiful.  It did create a bit of madness for everyone that night and lots of tequila and laughing took place.

After breakfast on Wednesday, we departed for Korcula, the suspected birthplace of MARCO POLO. Lunch on the board in front of Lumbarda (part of Korcula) and we arrived in Korčula late afternoon. This was my favorite town and although the parties were there noisiest that night and one of the girls from the party boat docked next to us,  fell into the water, and I was woken up around 2 and didn't get much sleep (which makes me extremely cranky).  This town is so beautiful and we had dinner overlooking the ocean, eating the most delicious fish and enjoying local wines.  And there are more legends, tales and monuments than anywhere else and full of stories and if you close your eyes and listen to the stone walls, which were being built over two centuries ago, you can feel and hear so much mystery.

Early in Thursday morning we departed for the Pakleni Islands for lunch and swimming and then set off  for Hvar after lunch.  Hvar is the longest island in the Adriatic with a renaissance cathedral with its original tower and the oldest community theatre in Europe founded here in 1612.  The town of Hvar offers abundant entertainment full of restaurants, bars and cafes that are open long into the night.  Celebrities like Beyonce, China's richest millionaire, Sheiks and Oil Barons, etc. seem to love this Island, which is understandable as its so beautiful and here we had a wonderful dinner with a live Jazz trio and I expected a night of major noise and it was much quieter and although many of the boats passengers from our and other boats did dance the night away it was still quiet and I had a good night's sleep. 

And on Friday we made a very early start to the the island of Brac to swim in one of the most famous beaches in Dalmatia – Zlatni Rat near Bol (the Golden cape - its gravel promontory shifts from side to side as the wind and waves constantly change in shape). Bol is a typical fisherman’s town turned into a popular tourist destination. After lunch we started our journey back to Split and on our way had our last swim-break in one of the many bays on island of Brac.  We arrived at Split in early afternoon. Split is a monumental city under UNESCO protection that belongs not only to Croatians, but also to you, as it is a part of the world heritage. It was very busy and very noisy and the town was alive  with so much going on it was like carnival time, with street performers and vendors, wonderful restaurants and architecture.  And thats it - next morning up early, saying goodbye to new friends, and packing and then I was on a bus to Zagreb where I was leaving early on Sunday morning for Riga, Latvia.

The cruise was wonderful and Croatia is a place that I would love to explore again with more time and in my own time finding peace and tranquility.  I keep accepting the parts of myself that I have resisted and tried to change and its a refreshing and wonderful to be me.  And now I am undertaking one of the most sacred parts of my journey, visiting the land of my ancestors.  I am emotional and a bit overwhelmed about visiting Latvia and yet as I research my hotels and look at what is on offer, the excitement grows as its such a beautiful country with abundant nature and so much to offer.


I know many of you have missed reading my blog and I am getting messages from far and wide wondering where I am - well I am here - and I will have much to share about Latvia soon.  

And the mysteries continue, I have reached the half way mark of my journey, and time is moving quickly - be blessed and be peaceful always, until next time ..........

Om Shanti Om