Dubrovnik robbed

The Airbnb which we booked at old town Dubrovnik was not easy to locate because there are no address on the doors of these old buildings.  With some help however we managed to drag our luggage on and down the narrow stone steps to the right wooden door leading to the apartment upstairs. We were still pondering and getting help from a girl when a fortish lady came out of the door and rushed pass us. The girl who was assisting us pointed at the lady and said that was the hostess we were looking for. I then called out the hostess’ name whereby she turned around and just pointed upwards signalling we should proceed up the stairs having been given the keypad codes in her mail to us. We thought she would return shortly to make sure we are settled in but no she did not.

During my one week stay in Croatia I have noticed that most of the customer service workers are not particularly friendly. If you have a query the best they can do is to provide accurate and brief answers without adding a smile. In fact they often make you feel you are intruding. I have suspected some racial bias against Asians but dismiss that after observing similar behaviour towards whites.

Croatia is a very popular tourist spot and the country is heavily dependent on tourism. Yet you feel people resent tourists flooding the country but persevere for the sake of livelihood. It is not uncommon for local residents in cities overwhelmed by mass tourism to feel frustrated. In Dubrovnik where each cruise ship dumps 2 thousand tourists into the streets of the old city, it is reasonable for the locals to be resentful that their city has lost the old charm .

From my room which overlooked the main street in the Old City, the sound of the band playing English evergreens late into the night and the loud chatter from the guests in the pubs and eateries make the town like a playground. Only when I was wakened at 6 in the morning by the bells of the clock tower and church and looking out of the window at the deserted street below did I notice how much we the tourists have robbed the locals of their beautiful town.