Traveling doesn't always bring good memories, but those bad ones illuminate the good ones.
I dragged my luggage on the cobble road from Tyn Cathedral to Mustek metro station. It is an agonizing trip. I haven't slept much and didn't have much appetite these days. Let me think, what have I eatten for the last three days? I had a baggute, a honey pie and latte, a bagal and latte this morning. That's all. The funny thing is I don't feel hungry nor tired.
I must say the trip from Praha to Krumlov is the most dramatic moments I had so far. First the info center in Andel told me that student agency is "opposite"(his word) the street.
Well, that's a no. The place to wait for the student agency bus is on the same side, only it's at the end of the street, 500 meters away from the info center. It proves one more time that Information Centre in Prague really don't help much.
Then I got the dirty looks out of the blue from a young lady serves in Student Agency (a bus company that does long traveling in Praha), she literally gave me that look in front of me! I was more shocked than feeling angry. What did i do? I don't bloody know!!!!
Then after getting off the bus in the dark on the remote road with snow covering everything, I realized that I have to drag my luggage for another 20 minutes, then prolong to 30 minutes, then 1 hour.
Krumlov is a castle city with countless stairs and bridges. It may gives the city a sense of layer but it is definately not good news for lonely travelers. Just imagine you have to lift your luggage when going up and down stairs, covered with slippery melted snow.
Have I been naiive about traveling alone? hmmmm
but here comes the most daring part of asking for help in my whole life.
After listening to a least a dozen of different direction from Czech locals, (including one that simply said no with a firm hand gesture and long face) I finally found the way to Hostel Skippy.
I was tired, frustrated and ....to tell the truth i want to go home.
Then I saw that note clipped on the door of the hostel. "I'll be back by midnight, skippy"
what?
Ah, my god!
It's only 8 and it's snowing badly and i'm cold and my mobile still doesn't work( ok, maybe I should have checked up on that before leaving but i didn't).
I left my luggage on the doorstep and start heading back toward the centre for public phones. I saw a chubby young man with a kind face walked in my direction so I asked him if there's any public phones around here.
He gave me that very shy smile and said something in Czech. I guess he meant he can't understand me, he doesn't speak English. I was desperate, I need help. I need my sence of security back. So i decide to push my luck.
I asked him if he can dial the hostel number with his mobile and I'll pay him.
He finally knew what I meant and start dialing up the number with his phone. I got to talk with Skippy on the phone and viola crisis resolved!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this shy Czech man's help. I offered to pay. He just walked away with that shy smile and say "no money, no money".
Thank you, Mr. anonymous. I've prayed for you.
Skippy helped me to move my luggage upstairs. My first impression fo Hostel Skippy is ...very homey.
The entrance is not spacious some may even describe it as crowded but I really couldn't care that much then. I just need a place to stay.
Skippy then showed me around the house. My room is pretty big for one person. It faces the river and the view is beautiful. Finally we sat down in the kitchen and she is definately a good listener coz I just poured out all the unpleassant things I experienced so far in Czech to her. She's an attentive listener and quite an artist herself. I was pretty talktive that night for some reason and later on I realize that she's a chatter box herself too!
I'd love to return to Hostel Skippy one day with W. The price is good. The double room is beautiful. The hosts, Skippy and Teresa are both wonderful, helpful and with interesting characters. Maybe that's why Hostel Skippy is famous around backpackers. The place has a character indeed.
However I do have some notes about Hostel Skippy:
1. No internet access in the hostel.
2. The shower is a bit unstable with temperature. It can be quite agonizing to have a shower in cold winter night.
3. It's probably not a good place to stay for people with bigger build.
4. The place is a bit challenging to find for foreigners. Do ask Skippy to tell you the easier way to get to the hostel. Don't take the hard road like me!
Here's a pretty truthful account of Hostel Skippy.
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