This page of my travel diary is one that made me sad – read about what I didn’t like about Naples and how a horrible AirBnB stay in a bad area caused me to change my travel plans.
In the morning, I spent some time sunbathing at Cala Major and then used bus 4 to get to Central Palma. The bus was so packed, I had to get off at one point. The next bus number 4 was right behind and empty – I was delighted. It’s good to note that the timetables on the bus stops I used, we not accurate and the buses I was waiting for came quicker than expected.
I had a Serrano ham and cheese sandwich and a massive pastry, which I washed down with coffee, while I was sitting on the walls surrounding the Cathedrale.
Shortly after midday, I headed over back to the airport. The airport in Palma has the new security scanners, so there was no need to get liquids and electronics out. RyanAir employees were actively checking everyone’s bag sizes but my small backpack didn’t attract any attention. The plane was only 2/3 full. So I managed to get a whole row to myself. So did the lady sitting behind to me and still she decided it was a great idea to put her feet on the armrest of my seat. This was the beginning of a horrible part of my trip.
In Naples, the Alibus (airport shuttle) must have been late because the queue was enormous. When the bus finally came, I felt like it was taking 5 minutes on average for each passenger to board, so I decided to walk to my hotel which was an hour away.
I heard not-that-great things about Naples and unfortunately they proved to be true, in my own experience. This is the worst place I have visited so far and it saddens me that I have to say it. Rubbish everywhere and dirt on the streets. Ugly graffiti (not the beautiful street art I have seen in so many other towns and cities), empty buildings in ruins. The army patrolling the squares and stations. Children driving scooters at high speeds.
Overall, in Naples I have witnessed the worst driving comparing to every other place I have visited! The drivers would drive over you even if you are crossing on a zebra crossing and even when the light is green for pedestrians. Everyone was ignoring the trafficking rules, beeping and generally – it felt like crossing the street was a border-line suicidal mission.
What really broke my heart was a small dog waiting outside of a clothing shop. The dog had a collar so I really wanted to believe he was not homeless, but waiting for their owner to come out of the shop. The dog’s fur was dirty, though. He was shaking and he had the saddest eyes I have ever seen. I didn’t know to do. Thinking about this dog still makes me want to cry. I wish so badly I was able to take him, wash him, feed him well and bring him back home with me! I choose to believe he was just waiting for their owner and I am still fighting the urge to get back to Naples and check for him in the area I have seen him!
When I finally made it to the AirBnB, things didn’t get better with hairs from different people all on the bed, suspicious stains all over the bed cover, the sheets and the pillows. I texted the property asking if I could get fresh sheets from somewhere but didn’t get a response. In the meantime, I found that the toilet seat was not installed properly and the lid couldn’t stay up; the window curtain fell apart when I tried to pull it; and the shower had two options – cool and boiling hot.
After all this, I was tempted to just get the 11:30 plane to Gatwick the next morning. I tried to find a place to stay in Sorrento (because I knew I wasn’t going to make it a second night in the AirBnB), but everything decent I found at a good price was too far away from the station and I would need a car to get there.
I was on the verge of breaking when I found the solution – to extend my stay in the next location I was planning to visit by a night. I spent an hour reading the reviews of the AirBnB there, to make sure I avoid the situation in Naples.
After midnight (over 3 hours after I texted), the AirBnB manager came back to me offering me breakfast and to clean my room, but I told them that I have already changed my plans and I will not be staying a second night. I found some clean sheets in the laundry room and covered some of the bed so I could have a few hours of sleep.
