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Bears, bears, and more bears.  Working hard at the bear refuge. Much work to do from picking plums, packing bread, hanging bread, or filling honey jars (honey to sell not for the bears), cooking, greeting visitors, and minding the shop (store).

After touring with a group of around 60 Croatians… I’m just observing not talking. I ended up painting all afternoon, planks.  It was nonstop and many planks, but we finally finished!  Work is not hard, but a bit tedious.  All of the work needs to be done, and the more hands, the easier.  The bears consume so much food, and the work is endless. 

The other volunteers left or are on a day off so it is just me and Slavko.  I am in the shop all day long.  It is getting easier to talk and greet others even if they are from another country.  We got lots of visitors today from Germany.  Finding it actually nice getting to know others from other places in the world.  Met some from Malta so it was great to talk about the country where I will be visiting in November. 
A couple from Germany was interesting as they quit their jobs and have been traveling for 2 years to visit different countries.   It is very nice that people who live in the Schengen area can drive or travel through the area without a passport.
Makes it really easy to travel to various countries.  No hassle and many do it in a camper.  So we get a lot of campers/volunteers.  There is a camper parking lot and they can camp for free and volunteer and get meals that we cook together. It is nice to meet people from around the area.  Right now there are 6 people from France, and Belgium.  The other long-term volunteer from France left today.

Aurelien was so nice. I will miss him as I will the other long-term volunteer, Elena, from Otocac ( the nearby town). 

There is so much work to do.  Nice to have strong young volunteers who can carry, bend over, lift, and pick up many things.  I can do it, but I am very slow and can’t lift too much… but they found a job I can do.  I am in the shop (store).  I greet visitors and explain the refuge.  When they don’t speak English it’s quite a challenge.  Sometimes, I make mistakes when I talk to them, but I think I have it right now.  I used to say there was a restaurant, but there is only a bar, and I used to say Bruno has been here for 20 years.  Incorrect he has been here for about 6. Needless to say I get confused.  By the time I get things right, I will be leaving. 

Right now there is one other volunteer from Zagreb.  A young lady who is here for a week.  She wanted to get away from the city and be with nature.  It is very quiet and peaceful here that is for sure.  We went to bury a 6-month-old cub in the bear cemetery.   He was in a plastic bag and very light.  After digging the hole we covered him with dirt and a pile of rocks to designate his place.  He was found dead, possibly due to starvation somewhere nearby in Croatia.  They gave it to us knowing we had a cemetery for bears.  He has been in the freezer till now.  The cemetery is a very serene place.  There are other graves for bears that have passed away. 

We went to pick mushrooms.   I still cannot tell an edible one from one that’s not.  I rely on Slavko to instruct me.  I sautéed them in cream, garlic, and a little shoyu. They were yummy. Saved some for another day.

We got some more mushrooms.  This time I just sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and a little milk.  It is so good.  Can’t wait for the upcoming truffles in Motovun.

Children are children no matter where in the world they are from.  The school visitations are fun. The boys are rowdy and the girls are reserved, somewhat.

Quite an impressive park.  Waterfalls abound as the water cascades gently down the massive limestone cliffs.  There are many trails one can take to view the upper and lower lakes.  The water is pristine. 

Fish swim carelessly in the waters as the birds visit at leisure.  No swimming, fishing or human impact.  The lakes are preserved with the utmost care.

It is impressive.   The water is so clear you can see the fish swimming in the water.

I took the H trail which took me to the upper and lower lakes since I had time. The whole trip took about 5 hrs. With stopping to take pictures.  It was 5.5 miles. 

Kevyn, a volunteer with me, was able to drive me there from Kuterevo as he was going to the same place.  We met for lunch and went to Bistro Petra.  The waitresses were from Nepal, India, and the Philippines.   It was awesome!  I loved the diversity.  We had a great time talking.  A company brought them from Dubai and they will stay for 1 year.  Told them to come to Hawaii next.  They were lovely and very hard working.

Yummy.  Haven’t eaten meat for some time.  The lamb was best, though I am not normally a meat eater.  I did love the coleslaw, beans, and potatoes.

The hotel had a sauna and steam room, so I took advantage of that.  I relaxed for the evening ☺️.

The next day, a short walk in the park, then off to Deer Park, where I saw native Red Deer and Fallow Deer, originally from Africa.  Learned from the visit that they let nature take its course.  The dominant deer becomes the alpha while young bucks may battle to the death to take over. They only have 2 herds of each as they don’t have room to have more than that.  They shed their antlers each year and make magnets and other things from them.  They also keep some horses and pigs.  These animals are free to roam, and it seems like they have the space and can live their lives as they normally would.  It’s a good thing.

In the afternoon I walked to the upper lakes.  Beautiful and so pristine.  Amazing how the lakes and waterfalls have formed.  Kudos to the humans who have maintained the integrity of the place.  A massive amount of tourists and visitors come daily.  They have it organized and maintained well.  There are various paths you can take that are well marked and there are always informationsl guides that can assist.  Entry fee at 40 euros is quite steep and I hope that goes to pay staff well and to keep the grounds maintained. 

I’m heading back to Kuterevo Bear Refuge tomorrow.   Going to take a number of buses.  Should be interesting, but I have all day to figure it out.  It’ll be fun!

Made it to my Volunteer location in Kuterevo.   It is about a 3 hr drive from Split.  Quite a quaint little village.  The sanctuary is a charming place.

The volunteers I have met are really nice.  2 are from Germany, 1 from France and the others from Croatia.  The staff are local and the head person, Ivan, speaks little English.  He’s quite funny though and I can tell I am going to like him.  He is probably in his 70s and started this program.

This sanctuary started in 2002.  Ivan, pictured in front, was known to be taking care of an orphaned cub and needed a bigger area.  It has grown since then to have 4 enclosures, a volunteer house, a store and workshops to hold necessary items. 

They rely solely on donations and volunteers.  They have received endangered or abused bears that can no longer live in the wild.  Now they have a total of 8 bears. The youngest, Matija, 6 and the oldest is Bruno at 50. 

They believe in living simply and in harmony with nature.  The volunteers provide the needed manpower for all the work involved.  That is what makes this place unique. 

Having a good time with volunteers from around the world, France, Germany, Croatia and America

My first workday here consisted of picking plums so they can use then to make brandy which they give as gifts or sell.  I never have picked plums before and it really was more like picking up plums after being shaken from a tree. 

I also worked in the store selling souvenirs and listened to the other volunteers explain things to the visitors.  Pretty soon it will be my turn to talk to the tourists.  

I also picked up plums and cherries from the ground and chopped down prickly plants from the bear enclosure.  That was hard.  Hope my back won’t hurt too much!

We had a “ceremony ” of sorts this morning with Ivan and the volunteers.   He emphasized how frugality, bear aura, and working together are the mission and dream of this place. 

There is a lot of work to keep 8 bears.  The quality of food they eat is enormous.   We have stockpiled massive amounts of donated bread, fruits and vegetables.   Twice a day they’re fed.  Manpower is needed for every step.  The grounds need to be maintained and volunteers need to be fed and housed.  I am staying with a family nearby in separate accommodations.   The volunteers also take turns cooking meals and cleaning up. 

This promises to be a worthwhile experience.   It is wonderful to be contributing to this project.  4 weeks is a long time, but some volunteers come and end up staying years.  Don’t think that’ll end up being me, but for this time I will enjoy the living.

The fast ferry to Brac Island was great.  Only took an hour and the ride was smooth. 

Once arriving at the city of Bol, I walked to Zlatni Rat Beach, aka Golden Horn Beach.  This beach is what I wanted to see.  It is famous because it changes shape due to the tides and its shape resembles a horn.

Relaxing on Zlatni Rat beach and enjoying listening to the Bee Gees and other American/English songs.  Guess good music is universal.

This is the life… just laying on a comfy couch with shade and sun with a lemoncello, great music and no place I have to go for awhile. 

The beach is made up of small pebbles and the water is cool, clear and blue.  Love the pebble beach. No irritating sand all over everything.  

Well.. finally walked back to the port and found an awesome place to eat.  Argentino’s. A bit of an uphill walk, but great food.  Had to try the local lamb stew with homemade ginochi.  Can’t say I am a fan of the lamb but the ginochi was great. 

While waiting for my ferry back just had to try this ice cream… pistachio and hazelnut.

Bol, or Brac the island, is famous for its stones due to their durability.  These stones went into the building of Diocletian’s Palace and even the White House. 

Tomorrow I begin my volunteering journey.

Well… off on my way to Croatia.   Long journey here stopping in Atlanta and Munich with long layovers.  In Atlanta I took advantage of Priorty Lounge and found comfort there.  I worked on beginning my blog and then was contacted by the coordinator for the Bear Sanctuary project and discovered she still needed some information from me.  A questionnaire, but it was rather detailed and had 16 questions.  So I worked on it during this layover and the next.

Took advantage of being in Atlanta and had to try the fried chicken, collard greens, and rosemary tater tots.  It was good, but the collard greens were alittle salty.  Probably the best thing was the biscuit which was buttery and crispy on the outside.

In Munich, I tried the sausage, sourkraut, and mashed potatoes.  The sourkraut was yummy. 

Long trips on the airplanes (8 – 9 hrs), I was very tired and able to sleep somewhat.  Flying into Split was on a smaller plane so it was a bit cramped, but only for 2 hours.  Upon arrival, it was easy, no immigration.  Guess I did that all in Munich. 
Took the shuttle from the airport and it took me right to the old town.  It was an 8-minute walk to my accommodation, which was inside Diocletian’s Palace.   

A little problem finding the right place because it was like a maze inside.  Corridors going all over the place.

Was suppose to do a boat ride to Blue Cave and 5 Islands, but it was canceled due to predicted thunderstorms on friday then again on Saturday.   It only rained alittle on friday.  Will see what it does today.  So I went on a walking tour, explored the town, went to the underground of the Palace and went to Game of  Thrones Museum. 

Today, I’ll walk up the bell tower, go to Diocletian’s Dream and walk to Marjan Hill (depending on weather)
Tomorrow I am taking the fast ferry to Bol.  I hope the ride will be smooth.  There is Zlatni Rat beach I want to see (aka Golden Horn Beach).  The shape of the beach changes due to the tide.  Upon return, the coordinator will pick me up and I will start on program.

Well, I visited the museums, the bell tower, and walked 30 minutes up Marjan Hill.  On my way back there was a downpour and I got soaked! 

So after visiting the sites and eating my way through Split I will leave for a day Bol to see Zlatni Rat then start my volunteering.