Changes

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Hitchgathering/2014

7,000 bytes added, 15:32, 15 September 2013
no edit summary
==Hitchgathering 2014 - Part II: Croatia, 2.8.==
patrick wants ===Location and how to add this part once he reach it=== The location is in Kupari, a small community of the '''Zupa Dubrovacka''' municipality, 10km south of Dubrovnik, where there are six abandoned hotels. Getting to that area is either along the Croatian coast or Monte Negro. If you're in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I would recommend getting to Croatia in Metkovic, even though there is a possibility of getting over Neum or Ivanica (small roads). Once near, reaching it is simple. If you start from Dubrovnik, just go to the south end of the city, all the traffic going south has time to go there as it is a small stretch of land between the mountains and the sea. Same applies for Herceg Novi in septemberMonte Negro. for now Just use google maps. In Kupari it is easy to find the hotels. ===About the area=== It is PRETTY. Southern Croatian coast alone is worth the trouble. The public beach in Kupari got the title as the prettiest one in Zupa Dubrovacka. One (or some) of the hotels have a "private" beach access, with no one around. No noise, no tourists. For those who haven't been to the Adriatic coast (Croatian side), the sea is mostly tranquil during the summer (no danger of dying, unlike the tides of the oceans), you can swim for hours, it's very very VERY clean and clear - you can jump because you see what's under. There is little sand, mostly it's rocks and pebbles, but no inaccessible cliffs, it's a friendly coast. Snorkeling is super-fun as there's tons of life and colorful algae and fishes and seashells and urchins (you can eat most of the sea monsters). Then there's the low vegetation and pine trees which you can smell a kilometer away... And the mountains are near. It's just so special. ''Writing this makes me miss it profoundly, I still haven't been to a more beautiful sea, ever.'' ===About the hotels===It is a 340 square meters area, including an auto-camping area and 5 abandoned hotels. They were used as a special resort place for Yugaslavian army. After the abandonment in '91 the army took what they could and burned up hotel Kupari (just one of them). In '98 the Croatian army entered the area and used it (3 hotels were still just fine) till 2001. Since then the area has been completely abandoned and neglected, aside from people breaking stuff down, stealing wires, metals, windows and door frames... I haven't been to all of them, but they are destroyed, rubble everywhere. It would take a lot of cleaning up. Apparently there's also a sixth hotel somewhere in Kupari, abandoned as the rest of them. ===Food and water=== As I wrote, all the hotels are pretty destroyed so there's no water pipes, but the tap in the area is not only drinkable, but also yummy. It shouldn't be much of a problem to bum tap water from somewhere. There are tourist beaches, hopefully with free showers and taps (I am not sure, as it really depends on the place, nobody can own a beach in Croatia so all the hotel beaches are accessible, usually you can go shower, nobody cares. On some public beaches they have the stupid coins system). I wish I could say something about the food but I have no idea. In Dubrovnik there are stores, markets, bunch of hotels and bakeries, might be a good idea to talk to them (10km north). Kupari is a really small place, something over 500 people so I don't know if they have a market. There might be. It is always possible to forage some fruit, grapes, oranges, lemons and figs mostly (cactus fruit as well sometimes). Some herbs grow around, like rosemary and lavender and the small succulent salty green plant that grows on the cliffs. Sea snails, clams, urchins and all the fish is there. Getting it out (even fishing just with a line) is illegal but that never stopped people. I would do it, but be aware of queer folk on small boats going very near the shore. ===Legal issues=== Wild camping in Croatia is, well, illegal. We wouldn't have to worry about trespassing as there are no guards, but if someone for some reason decides to call the police they have every right to kick us out. Which as all very funny as nobody can own the beach so in a way nobody can tell it's illegal to be on a beach. How can they prove that you're camping there? Maybe you're just relaxing one sunny day on the beach with your tent. More absurdity: It is illegal for me to camp on my own bloody land if it has no building permit. Explanation; there's no toilet and sanitation stuff, but even if you bring your toi-toi it's illegal. Anyhow, as well as many others in this group, I have camped on Croatian beaches (and parks and lived in a squat) and had no problems whatsoever. Once we invited some Italians to join us on one beach in Zadar (all together there was maybe 12 of us, it was not secluded and a bunch of local people and tourists would hang out there during the day and still nobody cared.) I would recommend trying to get permission, which does sounds futile to me, because I'm a Croat and Croatian bureaucracy is a symbol of non-efficiency. The complex is legally owned by the Croatian privatization fond (internet says the army still uses it but very rarely and just some bits, I'm not sure it is true). ===Weather=== Second half of June, July and August are very hot. September is ideal as it's hot during the day and chilly in the night. It can rain but usually just an occasional shower. Sometimes there's no rains and it looks like premature autumn with all the burnt leaves. Of course, hotels croatia" are sun and rain protection. ===Other stuff=== Just to mention if it matters to anyone, the prices are one of the most expensive for Croatia, but anyway the booze is not that expensive in stores. Cheap wines are bad though (Croats mix it with coke), cheep beer is fine, and there's rakija everywhere. If there's anyone who does not know yet, rakija is the strong alcohol drink made in the Balkans out of anything, simple grappa, any other fruit, herbs, nuts, honey... EU forbids it but people make it in their own homes so it can be really strong. (I write this due to the frequent mention of alcohol on the FB discussion). ===Discussion=== Patrick, I hope you have actually stayed there for a longer time and have more information. It needs more looking into, exploration of the best area, as well as figuring the water and food issue.Positive side is that it is beautiful and secluded, camping gear is not necessary and the figs are delicious.Negative side is the legal issues and being secluded (in means of food), but then again, hitchhikers can hitch around to get stuff.I would also repeat, it would take a lot of cleaning but setting up a squat is also fun. Unless someone finds a reliable water and food source, I would not recommend it as a hitchgathering, but rather as a pre or "kupari"a postgathering, preferably in September when the temperatures are more comfortable. The area itself has the potential to host 2000 ppl (ok, I just came up with the figure, but there is more than enough space), but a bunch of people in such a small community would get noticed, so unless it becomes public and accepted, it would not be suitable. A smaller group could enjoy it for a while.
19
edits

Navigation menu