Sunday, 27th of October, 2019.
I am a bit nervous about this hitchhiking day in particular. Why? Well, the reason is because today is the last of 90 days allowed by law for me to stay in the Schengen area. So basically, if I do not leave Schengen today, I might be in trouble. And to make it a little bit worse, there are not too many cars passing through me. Let’s hope the few ones which are will be enough.
When I see Karen (young lady with me in the featured photo) pulling over, I could see in her face how happy and determined to help she is. She looks very young, younger than she actually is, and even that she is coming back from her night shift at the hospital (she is a nurse), she is full of energy, like a brand new sunshine. She is from Slovenia, currently living in Maribur, but has to work in Austria because the economic situation there is better. We have some great time together, not just during the trip, but in Maribur as well, since she offer to show me a bit around, to have a coffee, and she buy me one of the most traditional Slovenia / Balkans baking: Gibanica. Karen has a sister who also loves to travel and is living in Wales right now. As a final gift, Anna gives me a Virgin Mary pendant, which she tells me it will keep me protected, keep the bad things away from me. With that definition, I gladly accepted the gift and tell her it will always be with me. She drops me a bit outside of town, in a great spot, where she tells me already had seen a lot of hitchhikers before. Perfect!
Now you are probably asking yourself why did I allowed myself spending so much time with Karen, something about two hours, if I was in such a rush to live Schengen? Well, I thought briefly about that when she first offer me the tour, because she offered, hãm? And it was very clear and kind in asking me if I was OK with that, if I wanted. And I realized that if I refused, just because I was freaking out about the time, I would be going in the completely opposite direction of what my travels are really about: other cultures. Someone so lovely like Anna and all she had to tell me and show me, could not possibly be out of my travels. It would be a huge waste! Besides, I had just to trust that what I was doing it was right and I knew everything it would end up fine.
It takes a bit more to the next car to stop but at least he is going to Zagreb! He is Slovenian and lives there, but is going for some business in the Croatian Capital. Perfect! Now I know for sure I will be out of Schengen still today. I cannot totally relax yet because I am not quite sure how things will work out at the border, but I am half away of putting myself in the legality. Which is quite obvious since I am Law. Joke which just the Brazilian Portuguese / English “understooders” can get.
At the border, it could not be more simple. I wait until I get an exit stamp from Slovenia and an entrance stamp from Croatia, and that is it. All of that from inside the car, hãm? No need for paper, pictures, prove of anything. Simple just like that. Yay! Now what ever come, come! Or not, in my case. Laugh. I think I get so happy and satisfied with that situation, that I attracted myself that absence of moving further that day. This young man helps even a bit more when he borrow me his phone to call Anita. I just tell her I am on my way to Zagreb and from there I will hitchhike to Slavonski Brod, where they should go pick me up. But even from the short call I could realize she speaks very little English. Would that be a problem?
He drops me in the highway (what?), but near to an exit from Zagreb. We both agree that is better there than from Zagreb City. But apparently nobody is going to Slavonski Broad or any other spot better than here to stop for me. It is not late… something around 3 o’clock in the afternoon? Maybe a bit more. But still, it feels like is already six in the evening. I feel so bad because nobody is stopping. Like I could not count with Croatian people. How can be that no one single person offered at least to drop me in the next service station? Which in the next morning I would figure not be so far from here? That is very mean and helpless of all these people. Shame on you! Shame on all of you! Laugh.
Helpless and very disappointed, plus without too much food apart of the delicious apple cake from Verena and two tiny apples I brought from her house, I walk away to make my camp somewhere near the road. There is a lot of space nearby a river, but it is all protected by a fence. So I do my camping in this side of the fence, quite close to the road, but since it is going down the hill a few metres, the cars cannot actually see me. I am a bit concerned about it. It seems too easy just be able to camp in there. My concerns get stronger later on, when the night lights are turned on, so bright and all in sequence, not giving me a chance of hide in the darkness between two of them. And my concerns get confirmed when later on, at 8 o’clock in the night (which actually sounded like 12 for me), two road workers come to me and tell me I cannot camp in there. The only reasons they give to me is that is too dangerous, because a car can come and crash on me. What? Ridiculous! Anyway, they say that if I was across the fence it would be fine but how the hell can I cross? I tell them I will need about ten minutes to pack my stuff and then I will leave. They are quite nice, you see? They trust on me and leave not before telling me that about one quilometre back there is a mall where I can camp around.
When I just finish packing, they are back and this time they offer to drive me to the mall. Fantastic! Once in there they show me where around I could camp. The options are not bad and since it is in the middle of nowhere, apart from the mall, it seems fine. The only problem is the grass: too fucking high. Probably full of spiders and snakes. There is a Circus on the back and I even consider the idea of going there and ask if I can camp around them. But it seems closed already, nobody around, and I do not feel very trustful about it as well.
So I first go to the mall, to get warm a bit and to think. I am hoping that the mall will be open until later but around 9.30 p.m. they close. I say – Let’s do this! – and get out to find a place to make my camp. Again.
A little bit giving the fuck, I camp, again, down the main road. The cars can also not see me here but this time there is no fence. If I could or not, I do not know. But at least no one came again to tell me that and very early next morning I was already hitchhiking to Slavonski Broad.