A man without a world to call his own
Trip Start
Apr 21, 2008
1
97
225
Trip End
Apr 20, 2009
Pag,
Croatia
Saturday, July 26, 2008
After having breakfast, I made my way to Krec Beach which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches in Croatia. When I got there, I walked up and down the beach looking for groups of young people to sit next to as I was tired of sitting in the middle of families. Because I got to the beach at such an early time, the young people were no where to be found. It was 1030 and most of them were probably still sleeping considering this island is known for its nightlife. I settled on a spot next to the water and continued reading Banco and my Middle east book. Towards the end of the day, I asked myself if I wanted to stick around for another 24 hours in Pag. I really didnt see any reason to stick around. I wasnt meeting any people and at the end of the day that is what it is all about.
At 5 pm, I called it a day. As I was walking towards the bus stop, I heard some loud music on the other side of the beach. I decided to check it out. As I got closer to where the music was coming from, I saw more and more younfg people. Soon enough, it felt like a spring break atmosphere. Where were these people earlier in the day. It was like they all showed up at once. When I looked at the entrance of the beach, tons of young people were walking in. I noticed three massive beach bars. I went inside and people were drinking, dancing half naked to loud techno music and checking each other out. Total spring break atmosphere. It was as if I entered a different part of the country all together. On one side of the beach you had the calm created by the groups of families and on the other side of the beach everyting screamed party, party and party. The funny thing is that I didnt feel like I belonged on either side. I couldnt associate myself with either group of people (although the young folks looked like they were having a lot more fun). One side demonstrated a world I was more likely heading to (but still not there) while the other side represented a world I left quite a while ago. It is as if I am stuck in between two different worlds :). Maybe I can create my own group and solicit members along the way. But I have to admit seeing all these young people have fun was actually a breath of fresh air for me. It was nice to feel some energy. I suddenly was questioning whether I should leave the next day. Staying on the young side of the beach may be a good idea. It may allow me to meet other travellers. I decided that I would make my decision tomorrow morning.
I then headed back to the center of the island. I took a bus back and stopped at te grocery store close to my accomodations as I wanted to get something to drink. However, while there I saw this nice juicy looking watermelon that I just had to have. I wanted to just buy a quarter of it but the best they could do for e is sell me half a watermelon. So I walked back to my place with this great looking melon and had a bit of a feast once I settled in.
Later that evening, I just took another stroll through the town. I was surrounded by young people everywhere. You could sense that they were just waiting for the nightclubs to get going. Again, I was without a fellow traveller to share drinks with so I just observed from a distance. I thought that there were probably 50 other people just like me on this island who were travelling alone and would like some company during the evenings as well. We just werent running into each other. It made me think of a potential business opportunity. I could create a web site called Wingman.com. If people go somewhere on their own, they could search for local wingmen (or wingwomen) that they could hang out with. Maybe it would be a non-profit entity. I could create it out of the goodness of my heart so that people like me dont stay wingmanless unnecessarily when they are travelling alone.
Anyhow, it is times like these where I try not to think about what I dont have and focus on what I do have. I think I sometimes take it for granted that I have this whole year in front of me to see the world. I have to make sure I make the best out of every day. I know there will be days where I will be in lively places that just wont be happening for me. But rather than get down, I try to think of it as a rite of passage. Sometimes you need to go through some quiet periods before you arrive at some adventurous points. There will be more days like this and I just need to make the best of it.
During my stroll, I came across an Indian man from South America. He had a spot on the boardwalk where he was singing traditional Andes music. The guy was excellent and he had a pretty good crowd watching him. I watched him for about 30 minutes. I wondered what his story was. Here is a guy who probably grew up in a small remote village and in his older years finds himself in Croatia singing along the Adriatic sea. I wonder how that all happened. It made me want to ask him how he got here but I didnt as he was busy performing and selling CDs and Indian artifacts. I could have waited but I didnt. Perhaps if I did wait, he could have ended up being a good wingman :).
Later on during my stroll, I came across a Rock and Blues bar. There was a live band performing so I watched them from outside. It ended up being a decent way to spend the night as the band was pretty good. After 90 minutes of listening to some head-banging music, I called it a night. As I walked back to my place, I had to pass through some pretty packed clubs. One question came to mind as I looked at everyone having a good time. Do I stay one more night? My answer was "Sure". I think I have one more day of this atmosphere left in me. Even if it will be spent wingmanless.
