DAY 7: FRIDAY 5 AUGUST 2012
Camping Costs: Pension Basišiĉ 340.00 KN (Kuna) – 1 night (7KN = €1)
As we only had 1 tent to pack up, and we woke up earlier than our alarm, we managed to leave at a fairly decent time today. We didn’t have far to go according to the GPS so we had a nice drive. We had to purchase a Slovenian Vignette for the toll roads and then when we got to Croatia we had our first boarder crossing. The fantastic Hannah Montana GPS, routed us into the truck driver passport control!! If it wasn’t for some nice truck drivers letting us through, we probably would have been stuck there for a lot longer than normal. Passports were finally shown to stern looking Policemen. Once through border control we had to pay a toll. Wendy didn’t listen to Dan very well, and Dan wasn’t clear enough in his instructions to Wendy (I might point out that nerves might have been a little frayed), however, we lost €4 as the toll was only 68 cents and Wendy paid with a €5 note and got NO change!
So, we made it through the border, but had no local currency. Our next step was to find a bank. As we drove along, we saw countless birds of prey, Dan and I thought that they were falcons. They were all just sitting alongside the roadside on the fence. Cassie got very excited about seeing them. We finally arrived in Velika, but could not find the campsite that was marked on our map as well as on the tourist information board. We drove around, even attempted to ask a local. Eventually, we decided to head for a Pension we had previously seen. When we finally found it, we were lucky that there was a local man (circa 80 years old) at the Pension who spoke Australian English… and helped us with the Pension owner, who spoke no English. The same guy showed us to a local restaurant, it was very kind of him. We went back to the Pension to have a shower and then went back to the restaurant for dinner. Our phrase book was next to useless! Luckily, we brought along our guide book, that had a little phrase book at the end of the book that, fortunately, allowed us to be able to order us some dinner. Cassie had a pizza, Dan had a mixed grilled and Wendy had a grilled kebab. We went back to the Pension, and as we had to drive to the restaurant, we had a beer in our room. Cassie got her fix of T.V and watched something in Croat. Alarm set and to bed we went.
Wendy is a traveller, writer, and photographer with an insatiable curiosity for the world. Her journey, spanning South Africa, the UK, and now Australia, infuses her work with a rich tapestry of experiences. Join her on Getting Lost Again as she shares her creative perspective and passion for overland travel alongside Dan.