Escaping the everyday maze, day 1

For starters, I had a long journey ahead: a flight to Dubai, 4 hour stopover and then another flight to Kathmandu. Till the bery departure I was checking emails and messages to see wether the last minute epic fuck up at work got sorted or not. So happy to leave this place! It reminded me of the good old times when leaving to a far away place would give me such a blissful feeling of relief. 

During the flight I couldn’t even take a nap. Not because of the children in the same row, playing and screaming for the entire flight duration but mostly because the tension in my head and neck would not leave at all. As if the adrenaline was still keeping me awake.

Stories from the movies that I watched during the flight  got all mixed up with the troubling  issues at work and the thought „what am I doing, going for a lonely trip to Nepal?!”. 

My eyes were stinging, my head was feverish, my cheecks and neck were sore. 

How will Nepal look like? What are Nepalese people like? Am I sure I want to spend 10 days in a monastery? 

And again: what am I doing...?!

Stop in Dubai wasn’t tiring at all. I hang around the Paul cafe and a duty free store, smelling each bottle of perfume until I could smell nothing and bored, went to sit at the gate and stare at the departure board. (I discovered very nice perfume called Loewe 001).

I purchased a syrup for allergy (I had no idea that Zyrtec is available also as a syrup!) just in case they put too much monosodian glutaminate in the food and I ate the biggest cashew nuts I’ve ever seen. 

The flight to Kathmandu was delayed by slightly  over 30 minutes. Not only was the information on the board very confusing but also there was no communication whatsoever. We just stood in line and waited, which at that point already felt quite familiar (ever travelled to third world countries?). 

The plane... well I have to say that the aircraft itself was very plain. Straight chairs, no screens, no foldable desks. But honestly at this point all I wanted was to finally fall asleep. I only remember being woken up by a steward, randomly offering a meal, which I equally randomly ate and went back to sleep.

In Katmandu I landed at 9:30 local time. 

‚The most dangerous airport in the world’, as they say. In the entire sanctuary-like arrivals terminal the automatic machines for visa application, requiring to hit ‚cancel’ button whenever the error appeared, seemed somewhat hilarious but I’m sure in a way, sped things up. My visa for 30 days was admitted.

The first day I spent entirely on preparing myself for the next 4 days in the mountains, starting from finding the agent to collect the ticket and detailed itinerary information, getting a local sim card, to visiting over 20 ATMs, ending up with all my cards blocked, having to have the money sent by my boyfriend via Western Union. 

My first encounter with Katmandu was therefore very hectic: the streets were full of dust and dirt, the motorbikes, rickshaws and cars all rushing through the streets like crazy made me feel dizzy. Finding concrete places and people in such inconcrete city, where maps can’t help (each looks different, the streets run at different angles and landmarks are marked in different spots), and streets carry no name signs, seemed like quite a riddle to solve. 

That night I went to sleep early, as I had a 4:15 am wake up alarm set up. Let’s see if my worried head will let me get a good night’s sleep...

Click II pause. Take a breath.

15 thousand years ago when we were hunter-gatherers, we would spend our lives (quite long and well lived by the way) meeting no more than 100 people. We would use little words and communicate verbally and by drawings.

Today, we communicate through so many channels, using and processing so much information, that each day equals reading two "Hamlet" books. Isn't it insane? Just think about your poor brain muscle! It must have a meltdown each day at around 4 pm already, if not earlier.

Sms, email, phone call, whatsapp, messenger, push notifications, discounts, newsfeeds, alarms... all of these ON TOP of people talking and laughing on the bus, tram, subway, at work, at home, in the shop - forcing us to constantly think, listen and process. Stressuful days and evenings at work seem not to be helpful at all, either.

Enough is enough.

I want to hear my mind. I want to know what I want. I want to know, what is it, that I like. Who is it, that I love. Each day feels like a struggle and I become wekaer, almost as if my energy is taken away by everyone, ripped off of me, leaving me senseless, numb. Overwhelming numbness is what I'm feeling at the moment. As if I am everything others want me to be, but not who I want to be.

Therefore, I am setting myself on a journey.
Journey closer to the highest mountain on Earth and a journey to the inside of my soul.
Will I find peace? Will I find passion? Will I become stronger and more tranquil?

If you moved Poland further south, you'd get Croatia. Feels like home.

Over the years I identified two types of travelling that usually happen to me: 
One, when you can't wait to go, you count down days, pack your bags a week before actual departure and can't stand last days of work... and the other one, when you don't expect too much, pack your suitcase three hours before you leave and pray on the way you didn't forget anything you can't live without, slightly annoyed that you have to move anywhere...

The former usually leaves you with a bitter taste of dissapointment, a bit of sadness or even a shadow of anger and you promise yourself that next time you won't set hopes on it so much. The latter  is full of surprises, exciting and leaves you breathless yet relaxed, promising to return to that place soon... very soon!

Croatia. Everyone goes to Croatia these years... I can't stand popular places full of tourists. It makes the place worn out and used, full of foot stamps and almost unattractive. But I've never been there! Time came for me to go where the others go and see for myself - maybe the devil's not so black ;-)




ZAGREB. Capital surprise

After ten-hour drive I find myself in Zagreb, Croatia's capital city. It looks like nothing I've ever seen. It looks somehow familiar, welcomes you with its lushing greenery, peaceful atmosphere and dark-yellow painted building facades. "Ideal place for afternoon jogging" - I thought. Indeed, running around Zagreb was just delightful.

Evening visit to Gradec (old town) unveiled true beauty and warm atmosphere of the city. Town Square makes you think you are in Hague and the futher you go north, the more it feels like Bratislava or Prague. When you find yourself in Tomiceva Street you can't help getting into one of the local restaurants serving self-brewed beer and delicious meals. Quiet talks, glasses and cutlery twanging make a very pleasant ambient and it makes you feel very welcome and relaxed. Food is delicious, prices more than reasonable - you really feel like staying here forever.

Saint Mark's church is a masterpiece. Its roof makes you stare at it for at least a quarter: first you get to see it through the window of Lotrščak Tower, where they fire a canon at midday and then from St Mark's Square.

There are many interesting museums nearby. Forced to choose only one, I went to the Museum of Broken Relationships, which was awarded in 2011 for the most innovative museum in Europe. Make sure you don't miss the Museum of Naive Art - it's amazing how such beautiful and truly original art developed in Croatian villages.

ISLANDS of variety

Islands I crossed were very different from each other. Krk was full of forests, Rab rich in medieval heritage and Pag couldn't be travelled through without buying some local goat cheese.

On Krk Island there is a little town which must have been created by angels themselves: Baška. Surrounded by limestone hills, extremely quiet and undisturbed. There are some really good restaurants in the marina - there was nothing better than eating local delicacies (Šurlice, Ćevapčići, grilled calamari stuffed with dalmatian ham and cheese) and drinking Žlahtina (local wine) in these tranquile surroundings. This must be heaven. It's definitely a place off the beaten track and thank God for that, otherwise thousands of tourists would trample over it. I would say this place is very enchanting and it's an ideal place for relaxation.

Rab is famous for its four medieval towers lined along the coast. The further I travelled south, the more I realized that there are plenty of little towns and cities where history and heritage play such a great role. Marble, narrow paths, medieval remains - it all makes this place magical, almost as if you were taken back in time!

ZADAR. Venetian Zara


Zadar's old town is located on a small peninsula where everything is reachable within a walking distance. Walking around that place is a sheer pleasure, at any time of the day. The city is quite intimate in comparison with Split and Dubrovnik, however it has an undoubtful charm.
Elaborate net of twisting, narrow, marble paths makes you lose the sense of direction, especially when many amazing Roman buildings scattered all around attract your attention (like St Donatus' Church, Landward Gates). No need to panic though - sooner or later you will find the way. It is only a stone throw away from Pag island, which home to sheep's milk cheese (Paški sir).

SPLIT


As soon as you get there, you know straight away it's worth the effort. Dioclecian's Palace which is a UNESCO heritage site, ecompasses the entire city centre. With time it was turned into more modern city centre with bars, restaurants and plenty of little shops and is amazing especially by night. It's good to stroll through the maze of twisting lanes and feel the spirit of Roman Empire.

It's worth climbing up the Marian hill to have a spectacular view on the entire city centre and the bay. It definitely is phenomenal.

DUBROVNIK

Once you had travelled from the north and seen Zadar and Split, you don't believe that Dubrovnik can sweep you off your feet. It not only can, but it absolutely does !
Arrived there at night but couldn't resist the tempation and went to the old town... It's absolutely beyond one's imagination. It's huge, spacious, monumental! At night the lights reflect in the rocky pavement, which is made of marble, slippery blocks. By day, it is all as bright as the sun. The best way to sightsee the heritage area is to take a walk along the ancient city walls (about 2 km).

When the weather's nice, it's a good idea to take a ferry to a nearby island, Lokrum, also called an island of love, which is entirely a protected area (nature reserve). As you walk around the island, you may encounter  beautifully coloured peackocks.

LOKRUM

On a hot day this island is the best that can happen to a tourist. You can spend the worst heat (midday and early afternoon) cooling down on Lokrum island (there's plenty of little bays facilitated for swimmers). Walking around the walls is much nicer in the afternoon.

PELJESAC

The longest peninsula in Croatia, full of vineyards, wineries and boutique resorts. Variety of landscapes leaves you with a number of possibilities. Orebic turned out to be just fine at the end of the season.
Rent a bike, go to Mokalo campsite and chill out in a bar carved out in a stone wall or sunbathe on a little yet not crowded beach.
In the morning enjoy fresh veggies and fruit, during the day swim in the clear waters and in the evening stroll along the coast and have a dinner in one of the charming restaurants. Here you can definitely do nothing but spoil yourself. Be careful - it's hard to resist temptation of staying here longer than you planned!

Brač

You can get to Brac island by ferry from Split. This island is famous for the most popular beach in Croatia - pebbly, horn shaped beach called Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn). Windward side of the beach offers spectacular, large waves while the leeward side is calm and still, where you can float peacefully on the waters surface - that's where most tourists gather. There are nice bars with comfy sofas in the shades of pine groves, where you can cool off with a drink. Sun beds aren't free, but the prices are reasonable. Definitely worth paying only to avoid laying on pebbles (unbearable for more than 30 minutes).