Day 25 was our day to get stuff done. We explored the city a bit more, and gathered information for the next few days. The only truly blog-worthy thing that happened was another awkward dining situation. We sat down at an outdoor table of a restaurant that was way too expensive for us. Some of the plates were over $100 USD. We tried to save some face (and money) by just ordering some wine and cheese. It didn't really save us anything. The meal was over $20, and the waiter was judging us pretty hard core. But we ate our expensive cheese with dignity, paid our bill, and promptly ran away to find a much cheaper restaurant. We also felt bad about not having pictures from the beach in the previous post, so we went back for some photos.
The next day, we dragged ourselves out of bed to meet our rock climbing guide at 9. It doesn't sound like an early start, but trying to make sure we had everything for our trip was hectic. We didn't know if we had to hike to our climbing spot, or if food was going to be provided, or how difficult the routes were. So, we had to be prepared for anything and everything. Food, camera, gear, phones, passports, climbing shoes, hiking shoes, flip flops, bathing suits. It was a good amount of stuff.
We met our guide, Iris, near our hostel, and she walked us to her van. We talked a bit about our climbing experience level, and she talked a bit about hers. She'd been climbing for 20 years and climbing was her life. She told us about some of the trips she had been on, her favorite places to climb, and some famous climbers she had worked with. That list of famous climbers just happened to include Chris Sharma, one of the most recognizable names in the sport. Suddenly, Kaylea and I realized we were in the presence of greatness.
We arrived at the climbing site, a large limestone cliff face right next to the road, and met her partner who was going to be helping her for the day. We stretched out a bit, and she quickly set up some ropes for us to top rope. After she saw us climb, she decided she trusted us enough that her partner could leave. Apparently he was only there in case we weren't as good as we made out over email. The walls were huge, but our climbs only went up about 20-25 meters (65-80 ft). The routes were really easy, but with little recent outdoor experience, we were fine with it. There were lots of ledges to stand on and figure out where you were going next. We took it slow, and tried to enjoy the view.
While resting, we were enjoying the scenery and talking to Iris about the area. Somewhere during the course of the conversation, the word "zip-lining" got thrown out, and our day took a huge left turn. "You didn't know about the zip lining here? I can call my friend right now. It's maybe 10 minute away. Do you want to?" Kaylea and I looked at each-other. Truth be told, we didn't expect the offer, but we didn't have an excuse not to go. Aaron had never been before, and it sounded awesome. Kaylea didn't know if she would need hiking shoes, so Iris offered to lend Kaylea her shoes. This was definitely happening. She made the call, and 15 minutes later a guy in a green SUV picked us up and drove us into the mountains.
We drove up to a group of 8 people waiting on us. 3 guides and 5 nervous looking tourists. There was a German grandmother and grandson, and 3 super British teenage girls. We rushed to transfer some of our stuff into the backpacks they provided, and the green SUV drove away. After a short hike, a short training session, and another short hike, we screamed down a steel cable at 40 miles an hour between two peaks 500 feet over a forest. It was incredible. We got to zip down 8 different lines over about 3 hours. We didn't get any good video since both hands had to be on the break at the same time. But we got some nice pictures in between while waiting on other people.
After zip-lining, we made it back to the town of Omis. We were given general directions on how to get back to Split and set out to find the bus stop. We had no idea what time the bus would be there; only that the bus might be running every thirty-minutes or so. We found the stop with relative ease and decided that we wanted to get lunch near the beach before leaving. The views from the town were just too good to immediately leave. After lunch and a quick stroll along that sandy beach, we hopped the bus back to Split.
The zip lining and climbing made for an amazing day, but we have to get to bed. We have another day of climbing tomorrow!
The next day, we dragged ourselves out of bed to meet our rock climbing guide at 9. It doesn't sound like an early start, but trying to make sure we had everything for our trip was hectic. We didn't know if we had to hike to our climbing spot, or if food was going to be provided, or how difficult the routes were. So, we had to be prepared for anything and everything. Food, camera, gear, phones, passports, climbing shoes, hiking shoes, flip flops, bathing suits. It was a good amount of stuff.
We met our guide, Iris, near our hostel, and she walked us to her van. We talked a bit about our climbing experience level, and she talked a bit about hers. She'd been climbing for 20 years and climbing was her life. She told us about some of the trips she had been on, her favorite places to climb, and some famous climbers she had worked with. That list of famous climbers just happened to include Chris Sharma, one of the most recognizable names in the sport. Suddenly, Kaylea and I realized we were in the presence of greatness.
We arrived at the climbing site, a large limestone cliff face right next to the road, and met her partner who was going to be helping her for the day. We stretched out a bit, and she quickly set up some ropes for us to top rope. After she saw us climb, she decided she trusted us enough that her partner could leave. Apparently he was only there in case we weren't as good as we made out over email. The walls were huge, but our climbs only went up about 20-25 meters (65-80 ft). The routes were really easy, but with little recent outdoor experience, we were fine with it. There were lots of ledges to stand on and figure out where you were going next. We took it slow, and tried to enjoy the view.
While resting, we were enjoying the scenery and talking to Iris about the area. Somewhere during the course of the conversation, the word "zip-lining" got thrown out, and our day took a huge left turn. "You didn't know about the zip lining here? I can call my friend right now. It's maybe 10 minute away. Do you want to?" Kaylea and I looked at each-other. Truth be told, we didn't expect the offer, but we didn't have an excuse not to go. Aaron had never been before, and it sounded awesome. Kaylea didn't know if she would need hiking shoes, so Iris offered to lend Kaylea her shoes. This was definitely happening. She made the call, and 15 minutes later a guy in a green SUV picked us up and drove us into the mountains.
We drove up to a group of 8 people waiting on us. 3 guides and 5 nervous looking tourists. There was a German grandmother and grandson, and 3 super British teenage girls. We rushed to transfer some of our stuff into the backpacks they provided, and the green SUV drove away. After a short hike, a short training session, and another short hike, we screamed down a steel cable at 40 miles an hour between two peaks 500 feet over a forest. It was incredible. We got to zip down 8 different lines over about 3 hours. We didn't get any good video since both hands had to be on the break at the same time. But we got some nice pictures in between while waiting on other people.
After zip-lining, we made it back to the town of Omis. We were given general directions on how to get back to Split and set out to find the bus stop. We had no idea what time the bus would be there; only that the bus might be running every thirty-minutes or so. We found the stop with relative ease and decided that we wanted to get lunch near the beach before leaving. The views from the town were just too good to immediately leave. After lunch and a quick stroll along that sandy beach, we hopped the bus back to Split.
The zip lining and climbing made for an amazing day, but we have to get to bed. We have another day of climbing tomorrow!
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