Marty and I arrived in Budapest at about 3pm and had one last meal together before he went on another train and I set out to find a hostel.
I eventually found a place and after I was checked in I met some people hanging out in the lounge. After the usual "where you from? where you been? where you headed?" we all ventured out to an outdoor music festival that we had heard about. It turned out to be a bust, it was all kids and crappy music, so we moved on to a bar that was inside a boat on the river. To our surprise, there was a pretty good German band playing, so we hung out there for the rest of the night even though we didn't have a clue what they were saying.
Budapest was surprisingly chilly, I miss the beach!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Day 37 - Hvar/Split/Zagreb
We were all feeling a little loopy the next morning (at least I know I was) and slept late. Once we were all awake we sat around a bit drinking coffee and chatting. Marty and I had no real plan so we tried to figure out where to go next. He had to be in Poland to meet his mum in a few days and I was planning on going to Budapest, Hungary, next so we decided to head that way together. Marty would catch a train from Budapest to Poland and I would stay there for a few days. It was a sad goodbye with the girls. We had had so much fun together but it was time to part ways. Marty and I took the ferry back to Split and hopped on the train. We had to switch trains in Zagreb and we slept most of the way to Budapest. This is the crew one last time before we said goodbye.
Day 36 - Split and Hvar
After breakfast Marty and I rented some bikes to explore the town a little bit before we boarded our ferry to another island, this one called Hvar. We quickly realized that Split was very small and there isn't much to see there, so we were done with our bikes after about 40 minutes. While we were riding down the main street, the one with ALL the restaurant, shops, and people, Marty's daredevil spirit came back out and he had an amazing wipe out right in front of everyone. I saw it happening and it was like slow motion. I was laughing before he even hit the ground and kept laughing for about 3 days.
We caught a 3pm ferry to Hvar where we were to meet up with the girls. We had made plans to all stay in the same hostel again. Once we all regrouped we headed to the market to stock up for another big BBQ that night. We met up with some new friends: Jake from California, Marty's friend Brea from Aus, and another friend of the girls named Mandy. We all got drunk and went down to the water for a late night swim.
We caught a 3pm ferry to Hvar where we were to meet up with the girls. We had made plans to all stay in the same hostel again. Once we all regrouped we headed to the market to stock up for another big BBQ that night. We met up with some new friends: Jake from California, Marty's friend Brea from Aus, and another friend of the girls named Mandy. We all got drunk and went down to the water for a late night swim.
Day 35 - Dubrovnik/Split
It was our last day in Dubrovnik so we all had breakfast together and went to another beach for a few hours. It was another nice one that we hadn't been to before and we all just lounged in and out of the water for a few hours before we all had to catch our buses. Marty and I headed North to a city called Split. We met some other Aussies on the bus and went out for a few beers with them that night. There was a big soccer match that night between Croatia and England so everyone was out and about. Split is a pretty coastal city with one main pedestrian street right on the water. We didn't do much other than the soccer match, just walked around a bit and went to bed.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Day 34 - Dubrovnik
We all woke up late and decided to take a day trip out to a nearby island called Lokrum, which we had heard was a good place to swim and jump off some cliffs. We found this little pond and went for a quick dip
and then moved on to the beach, which was a rock beach. No sand. I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be a really good time. We all jumped off the cliff a few hundred times 
and had snacks and a nap. Later on Marty and I went exploring and jumped off a few more cliffs, getting higher each time. It was a very neat island and made for some interesting photos. 
You can also see a couple of cliff jumping video here. (turn your head sideways for the second one:)
Once back in Dubrovnik we had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the old town and then watched a movie in the hostel before bed. Another excellent fun day with my new friends.
and then moved on to the beach, which was a rock beach. No sand. I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be a really good time. We all jumped off the cliff a few hundred times 
and had snacks and a nap. Later on Marty and I went exploring and jumped off a few more cliffs, getting higher each time. It was a very neat island and made for some interesting photos. 
You can also see a couple of cliff jumping video here. (turn your head sideways for the second one:)
Once back in Dubrovnik we had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the old town and then watched a movie in the hostel before bed. Another excellent fun day with my new friends.
Day 33 - Dubrovnik
In the morning I met the coolest people that I've ever met on any of my adventures. Marty, from Sydney, and Kes, Liv, and Sally from Perth. They had come to the hostel the previous day and we all met at breakfast.
We decided to go to a beach that Marty had spotted the previous day. It turned out to be one of the cooler beaches I've seen.
We hung out there most of the day and got to know each other, although after 10 minutes it already seemed as if we had all been friends for years. Marty and I found a cliff to jump off of and you can see in the other picture that there is a cave that you can swim in to.
Once the sun started to set we were all pretty hungry so we decided to throw an Aussie BBQ. We all walked to the market and got all the food and cooked it outside at the hostel. We had great food and great conversation.
After dinner we all headed in to town for a little dancing. We started out at this really neat bar in the old town that was built on the rocks outside the city walls. On the way home we had to stop at every bakery in town looking for meat pies, which we ultimately found. It was one of the best nights, we all had tons of fun.
We decided to go to a beach that Marty had spotted the previous day. It turned out to be one of the cooler beaches I've seen.
We hung out there most of the day and got to know each other, although after 10 minutes it already seemed as if we had all been friends for years. Marty and I found a cliff to jump off of and you can see in the other picture that there is a cave that you can swim in to.
Once the sun started to set we were all pretty hungry so we decided to throw an Aussie BBQ. We all walked to the market and got all the food and cooked it outside at the hostel. We had great food and great conversation.
After dinner we all headed in to town for a little dancing. We started out at this really neat bar in the old town that was built on the rocks outside the city walls. On the way home we had to stop at every bakery in town looking for meat pies, which we ultimately found. It was one of the best nights, we all had tons of fun.
Day 32 - Dubrovnik/Bosnia
After the success of the snorkeling trip I decided to take Ive up on his offer of a day trip to Bosnia along with Shura and Louise from England. We left at about 10:30am and drove a few hours. The road went all along the coast and was very scenic. The first stop was a swimming hole in a river that looked like a real paradise. The water was pretty cold but it was a fun place to swim and they had a rope swing!
After the swim a hopped back in the car and drove to a restaurant the Ive promised would have a great lunch. He was right, it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten, the last thing I expected in Bosnia of all places. As we walked up to the door, we could see the lamb that we were about to eat as it was rotating on the split. It wasn't exactly the most appetizing sight, eyeballs bulging, tongue hanging out and fat dripping off, but when the meal was presented it looked and smelled delicious. In addition to the lamb we had several different kinds of bread, potatoes, and salad.
After stuffing ourselves we hit the road again and headed to the town of Mostar. The city was relatively small but had been hit hard by the war. There were bullet holes everywhere. There has been a lot of rebuilding, but you can still see remnants of war next to brand new houses and buildings.
From Mostar we headed home and arrived back at the hostel by late evening. Everyone was pretty tired so we watched a movie in the common area and went to bed.
After the swim a hopped back in the car and drove to a restaurant the Ive promised would have a great lunch. He was right, it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten, the last thing I expected in Bosnia of all places. As we walked up to the door, we could see the lamb that we were about to eat as it was rotating on the split. It wasn't exactly the most appetizing sight, eyeballs bulging, tongue hanging out and fat dripping off, but when the meal was presented it looked and smelled delicious. In addition to the lamb we had several different kinds of bread, potatoes, and salad.
After stuffing ourselves we hit the road again and headed to the town of Mostar. The city was relatively small but had been hit hard by the war. There were bullet holes everywhere. There has been a lot of rebuilding, but you can still see remnants of war next to brand new houses and buildings.
From Mostar we headed home and arrived back at the hostel by late evening. Everyone was pretty tired so we watched a movie in the common area and went to bed.
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