rijeka, pt 1

glancing out the bus windows, i was greeted with an amazing view of rijeka, the mountains and the sea. i already liked this place and couldn't wait to see it up from the mountains. but first i have to get there.

for today's hitchhiking adventure, i came prepared. i had looked up good spots in advance and was determined to make good use of them. the best case scenario would be me in a mountain shelter before the end of the day.

sadly, i underestimated winter again. by the time my bus arrived, the sun was already scratching the horizon. i decided to find a place to sleep first and try again with more time tomorrow. after half an hour of walking along the shore, i found an abandoned section of beach that condisted more of rubble and building parts than anything else. i think there was a mudslide of sorts and a building collapsed there, but for all things i care, it was perfect. also, it was right next not only to the picturesque port, but also to the hostel i would've stayed in if i hadn't found a camp spot. i managed to set up my hammock in between two big pieces of debris.

the sun was already down and i was optimistic about spending a night like this, that is until i checked the weather again. obviously, google expected a good bit of rain. i didn't give up just yet and managed to somehow secure my tent floor mat as a makeshift tarp above the hammock. then, some heave wind came in and i could feel that my little construction wouldn't last the night. after hours of consideration, i finally packed up, checked in at the hostel and devoured the rest of my premade pasta.

although the hostel was pretty cheap, i still felt beaten because i had literally just decided not to throw any more money into the wind and go proper low budget. it was either that, or to spend the winter working, probably in austria as a kitchen porter or lift boy or something. i decided against it though, because that would mean crossing the central asian desert in summer instead of spring.Read more