Croatia Day Two ((Peacock-ing))

Did you know that peacocks meow? It’s an odd thing…a very odd thing when you are expecting to see a cat around the corner, and out pops a peacock! Michelle and I decided to spend the day on Lokum Island, which should probably be called Peacock Island. For whatever reason, Lokum Island is uninhabited except for wild peacocks and the occasional lizard. It’s a beautiful place, not touristy at all, and we stumbled upon it through a friend who had traveled there the day before.

The entire island is made up of forest and large rocks. People bring towels and lay out on the rocks like sunbathing lizards, sipping their bottled waters and taking turns jumping into the Adriatic Sea. Michelle and I walked the entire island in about 1.5 hours, scoping out the best spots to sunbathe ourselves. We ate lunch at one of two cafés; a ham sandwich and ((Strawberry)) juice hit the spot.
The island also encompasses a watering hole, complete with a rope swing and cove. It’s nicknamed the “Dead Sea”, so of course I had to swim in it for a while. Afterward, we found the perfect spot to lay down our towels. Roasting has never been more fun. Coldplay and Jack Savoretti and Aqualung breezed through my headphones, my eyes closed and my face on fire.

As I drifted in and out of consciousness, my mind wandered. I needed to buy postage stamps. I needed to read for my travel writing class. I needed to email about 5.5 people. I needed to do something productive…

…that’s what flitted through my mind. And then I came to my senses. I was on an actual island filled with peacocks. I was lying on a giant rock, staring into the blue abyss of the Adriatic, watching the waves crash against other oversized rocks. And there I was, thinking about postage stamps, work that needed to be done.

I don’t think I know how to relax. It’s a problem I’ve suffered from for a very long time. There is always something that needs to be done, worked on, fixed, started, completed…there are always people that need to be talked to, people that need my attention, people…and the idea that the world is happening while I’m lying on a giant rock in the middle of the ocean is unsettling. I needed to be in the world, too.

I stood up from my sundrenched towel, stretched my sun burnt body, and walked over to the edge of the large rocks. A few guys were swimming around, splashing each other and disappearing under the waves.

Taking a deep breath, and thinking to myself that this was the Adriatic Sea that I’ve been staring at for hours, I let go of my postage stamps and people and cannon balled into the salty goodness.

Hvala,
A.