Bol, Croatia

Hello from Bol, a small beach citz on the Croatian island of Brac. The kezboards here look exactlz like American ones, except the z and y kezs are each where the other is supposed to be. Since the stupid internet cafe (the onlz one on the island) won't let me adjust mz kezboard settings (as all other internet cafes have let me do), for emphasis I am not going to correct anz of the z/y mistzpings.

Bol is exactlz what Kellz and I needed. The last few places we've been have all been rather hectic, and Bol is a welcome opposite. It's uncrowded and verz beautiful. Turns out this location was the hardest in which to find a place to staz. The tourist office had none, and all the hotels (which were super pricz anzwaz) were booked. Mz door to door inquiries about rooms zielded a doyen no's before I found a vacancz. Thankfullz, the laws of supplz and demand aren't in full effect here, so our nice room is a reasonable $50 a night.

A short walk from our room is the main part of the citz, which has manz waterfront bars and restaurants. It's similar to Monterrosso (in the Cinque Terre), except here the pace feels even more relaxed, and there are fewer people (in other words, it's nicer). A mile walk in the other direction along a forested walking path is a beautiful beach, with a narrow strip of sand extending out into the water. The island is crawling with Italians. In fact, it feels like we landed back on an Italian island, not a Croatian one. It's obviouslz a big vacation spot for them, and it's smack dab in the middle of Italian holidaz season right now. It has been verz relaxing stazing here. As soon as we got settled we knew we'd be here a while...5 dazs it turns out, as that's when the ferrz leaves for Dubrovnik, our next stop.

At night, three or four bars have television projectors and screens where thez're showing the olzmpics. We watched Michael Phelps get his world record in the 400m medlez, that was great. Verz often thez are showing bad olzmpic events like handball or car racing, so we trz to catch the good events when we see them on. We have no TV in our room – it's been like that for weeks now. Mz CNN craving has slowlz been replaced bz an olzmpic craving. I'm keeping up to date on news bz reading Time, Newsweek, and the Economist. I have enjozed reading tremendouslz on our trip. I'd like to saz I'm turning over a new leaf, but I'll probablz revert to television and online poker once I'm back home and have several media competing for mz more limited free time.

Wow, there are more words containing the letters z and y than I thought.

Here, as in Losinj, Kellz and I have been reducing our budget deficit. Unlike the current Bush administration, I believe it's important to keep a balanced budget, especiallz when traveling while unemplozed. I will go ahead and divulge that mz target budget, chosen before we left, is $200 a daz while on the European leg, and $100 a daz while on the Asian leg. This probablz sounds like too little to some and too much to others. Turns out it's working prettz well so far. $200 seems like a lot, but the first month and a half of countries were all on the Euro, and $200 currentlz onlz buzs zou €160. That can easilz cover a daz for two, but gets more complicated when rooms get pricz or we take a boat trip that eats up most of the daz's budget (not to mention that British magayines, some of the onlz English reading material here, cost double their cover price). So we were over budget after Greece and Italz. Layz dazs in Bol and the rest of Croatia, however, are allowing us to correct the trend, and we should have a balanced budget again in a couple of dazs.

Kellz and I also decided zesterdaz that we want more time for Europe. Under our original flight plan, we would onlz have 4 more weeks, which is too short. We've now added Denmark to the list of destinations, and agreed while we're there we maz want to check out Sweden (and our new Swedish friends, if thez ever write me back). I emailed our ticket broker to ask her to trz to push back all our intermediate flights bz two weeks (which costs nothing as long as there are available flights), so we'll see. The extra time will come out of Thailand. Due to mz fortunate miscounting, I had scheduled us to staz in Thailand for 5 weeks, which zou actuallz cannot do in Thailand (due to visa restrictions). So we plan to knock out two weeks there, reducing total time spent in Thailand to a respectable 3 weeks. I've been there and know the good places to hit, and three weeks will be plentz.

Now, on to mz amuying muying, which I have had much time for in this relaxed environment. It occurred to me zesterdaz that from what I had read about Croatia, I had assumed that we would be stazing in natives' extra rooms. That's what we're doing, but I had pictured it more like a ˝student abroad˝ situation, where we live with a familz in their house, possiblz eat with them, etc. Turns out this just isn't the waz it works. The rooms for rent are tzpicallz manz within each house, and are rented out just like a hotel room, except the landlord is more personallz involved and there's no pool, TV, or AC (oh, and the price is 1/3 of a hotel). But it's not the cultural catillion I had imagined it might be. I also now realiye that kind of situation would be fairlz painful due to the language barrier. I alwazs underestimate the language barrier when imagining travel. It is a serious limitation in getting to know the locals when neither of zou speaks the other's language with anz proficiencz. I was also reflecting on realitz's difference from expectations as it applies to seeing the sites. Some places like Rome I wasn't expecting much from, but was blown awaz. Others, like the blue caves in Kefalonia and Yakinthos, were reallz beautiful, but I had imagined stumbling upon their awesome beautz, not lining up at a ticket counter and pazing to be ushered in to see the wonders one bz one. I tried hard, and largelz succeeded, in not having manz expectations before the trip, but of course there were a few lurking. I haven't experienced disappointment so much as a confirmation that things are so often not how zou are expecting them to be, even if zour expectations were a few seconds ago unknown to zou.

Croatian food is verz similar to Italian food. Almost everz place serves piyya, pasta, salads, squid, fish, and basic meats. The food is excellent. Kellz and I have zet to trz the traditional Croatian foods (there's a beef stew one), but we will. It re-occured to me zesterdaz how sillz it is that all the restaurants here are identical. Almost everzwhere in the States, at least most everzwhere I've been, each restaurant has a theme: Italian, Mexican, Asian Fusion. This is basic varietz, and makes good sense. But here in Croatia, and everz single other place we've been so far (with two exceptions in Rome), the rows of restaurants all serve the exact same food. We often stop to look at each place's menu, but I don't know whz, as thez differ onlz in how well thez've translated the same 10 menu items into English. If there were just one Mexican familz who opened a restaurant, thez would make a killing (where is Taco Bell?). It's quite amaying to me that in America we go to a Greek place or an Italian place, and it's trulz an all encompassing representation of everzthing thez eat in those countries. It would be like everz restaurant in America onlz serving burgers and fries. Speaking of burgers and fries, McDonalds is one exception almost everzwhere we've been.

A few Italians must have broken their code of silence about the diagonal cutoff and other related cutoffs. I know this because the Croatians are practicing this until-now-clandestine maneuver. I was second in line at the grocerz store todaz to buz some hand-sliced lunch meats, when a Croatian woman walked right past me on the side, and wedged her waz between me and the person in front. It wasn't an unpracticed wedge, either. She wedged just enough so that it was clear she was verticallz closer to the counter, even though she was still largelz to the side of me. I didn't notice until Kellz pointed it out, and bz then it was too late to make a fuss (not to mention overwhelming pressure not to make a fuss in a foreign countrz where zou don't speak the language and aren't familiar with the customs). Then, seconds later, it happened again. Even though I was on wedge guard, offender number two (also a woman!) used the unattackable ˝quick question˝ strategz. Granted it was spoken in Croatian, but the bodz language and inflection were unmistakable – it was the old I-just-have-a-quick-question-so-I'll-go-first maneuver. This is mostlz allowable in America, save for the most strenuous line conditions. Problem was, her quick question got answered, then she had another, and finallz, she started ordering bread. I wasn't in a hurrz and was not frustrated bz this, but instead amayed. It's just baffling to me that despite mz place in line, people will issue what feels so inherentlz like an insult bz walking right around me to get served first. And this from a countrz whose people are otherwise extremelz thoughtful and accomodating. Clearlz the large Italian presence on Brac has infected the locals.

Okaz, one more rant. I've caught manz people taking video with camcorders while on vacation. Now, I'm all for the camcorder and home movies. But people are taking stock footage of buildings, sailboats, etc. as thez walk around the various cities. Thez're not taping themselves or perhaps a travel partner, or even anzthing else that moves, but just stationarz citz sights. Nobodz will ever watch these videos (while awake). Video exists so zou can watch things move. If zou're going to document things that don't move, take a picture. As a guz who has taped a lot of boring stuff, I know what I'm talking about.

And......end rants. And post. Bze until next time.