Hvar

To reach the island of Hvar we had to take a bus up to Split and then a ferry over. I knew nothing of Hvar except that sometime during the previous year I made a note to myself to check it out. The island is very undeveloped. There is the main city of Hvar which is the most built up. The rest of the island is pretty desolate. The main city is very picturesque. It’s built around a harbor populated with very expensive boats brought in mostly by people vacationing there. I came to realize that Hvar is a huge summer destination that attracts both the old and wealthy as well as the young and festive. Supposedly Hvar is a huge huge party spot. I would see no such craziness as I was catching the beginning of the low season. Thus the beaches were lined with empty beach bars that were once bustling with young partygoers trying to get their drank on. Now these bars would be occupied by 3 Americans who instead of partaking in the $140 Vodka RedBull Explosion Bucket would spend a full day reading, sleeping, and swimming. It was one of the most relaxing days I’ve had in what was one of the least relaxing spots just three weeks earlier.

The next day we rented a boat. No insurance or credit card was required. The boat guy got paid and let us drive it out. The three of us had no experience with boats but we were also with 3 other guys who had some boating knowledge.

The Dudes: Canadian fella, two bostonites, and yours truly (Off camera: Katie and Sarah)

We let them take it out of the harbor but we all got our turns driving it. Right off the coast of Hvar are the Palenki islands which are a string of uninhabited islands with beaches, natural harbors, and restaurants opened specifically for people boating. We went around to various spots and had beaches to ourselves. At the end of the day we found a cool spot to do some cliff diving and afterward drove back.

El Capitan

The next day we took off to Split for one night as we got ready to go our separate ways. I was en route to Mostar in Bosnia and the girls were headed to PlitVice (a national park with sweet lakes, so I hear). We had an interesting night in Split, which is a large port town, involving a hostel that was more like a cult and a nightclub that was dirtier than the town slut spending a week at the Pink Palace in Corfu. The next day we had our goodbyes (the girls had to fight hard to hold back tears) and I was headed to Bosnia…