We Know a Guy

Well, our host knows a guy and he gave us his number. We had read stories of people being overcharged because they hadn’t done their research or agreed on a price before they got in a taxi, so we asked our host to tell us how much it should be and he hooked us up with a great guy. His name was Ante. He picked us up from the ferry and we got to know him a bit over the twenty minute ride. At one point Andre asked him if he was married or had any kids, to which he replied, “No, I’m not old!” He was only twenty-six. He is the only remaining person from his company still driving in the area. The rest have left for the season. So he currently works 24/7. Him and Andre got on very well.

We arrived at our place and walked up through the gardens. They had a fantastic variety of plants including pomegranate and citrus trees. As we walked up the first set of steps on the exterior of the building we heard the most beautiful symphony of birds chirping. I then saw that the sounds were coming from several small clear plastic containers attached up high to the sides of the walls. The containers were no larger than what a pair of work boots would come in.

I did not like this. I don’t know why these birds were being held hostage or what they could have done to be imprisoned here but I was very upset about it. Andre asked if I wanted to look for a new place to stay, but our friends were arriving tomorrow and we were only staying for 4 nights, so I held my tongue… and thought about setting them free on our last night. I turned my attention to happier things.

Our Friends are Coming!

We are super excited to have our friends join us! Morgan is a very close friend of Andre’s. He’s actually like a brother (Andre is an only child). They have known each other since high school, where Morgan will tell you they were not friends. Andre claims Morgan didn’t like the cut of his jib. It wasn’t until they ended up at a party together a couple years after high school where they engaged in a chin up competition (for reasons unknown, plus alcohol) and formed an unbreakable bond.

I met Joeleen through a close friend about 20 years ago, and her and Morgan recently met at my 41st birthday/our farewell party in June. Morgan lives in Victoria and had made it up to say goodbye to us and in the process he made a new friend. We had put out an open invitation to our friends and family to meet up with us during the year if they could. At the party Morgan had mentioned that he might come join us somewhere on our travels and we believed him. He’s just a cruisey enough guy to pack a bag and hop a flight to wherever we are with a pair of flip flops, swim shorts and a toothbrush. Maybe a shirt. Maybe. Unlike the Speedo and t-shirt situation I have spoken about, Morgan likes to see just how far he can get without a shirt on at any given time. Needless to say he’s a carry on only type of guy.

About a month ago He told us he was in. He was coming to Croatia. We knew he had been spending some time with Joeleen on visits to Edmonton and we asked if she would be coming as well. And what do you know. They were both in. So we began planning and booking two room accommodations, and ferry and bus transfers for four. By now you know that “we” means Andre.

Place Your Bets

The night before we were giddy with excitement. We speculated on which Morgan would be joining us. He had been working for 17 continuous days prior to flying out and had sent us a photo of his current state. The look was a combination of Doc from Back to the Future, Nick Nolte’s famous mug shot, and Beaker from The Muppets. Would we be seeing the new Doc Nolte, the old Larry Morgan (I’ll explain), or just Mo?

The new look was a bit rough. Even for Morgan. And it was definitely the polar opposite of his alter ego, Larry Morgan. Larry Morgan appeared a couple of years ago at a friend’s wedding. Mo had flown in and was staying with us. He and Andre stayed up all night visiting and drinking. I eventually went to bed and was woken up by hysterical laughter. I looked out the window to see the two fools doubled over laughing so hard they were crying. They were giggling like schoolgirls who had gotten into their parents liquor cabinet. It was fantastic. I went back to sleep.

The next morning I woke up and started getting ready for the wedding. I was almost completely ready by the time Andre came into the bathroom to grab his clippers with a ridiculous grin on his face that told me something wonderful was about to happen. I followed him to the deck where I found Morgan already missing a great deal of hair. Andre had roughly cut off the locks around the crown of his head and was now going to go to the scalp with the razor. He explained that they had come up with the idea to give him a “cul-de-sac” the night before. It sounded like the best idea ever (with less than an hour until we had to leave)! Andre got busy and then had me examine his work. I felt it was good but lacked authenticity. I told him it needed to have a more graduated edge at the top and that he should Google images of Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.

After a bit more work it looked outstanding. If you didn’t know him you wouldn’t question it. Of course we were going to a friend’s wedding where lots of people knew him and subsequently he was asked on more than than one occasion if he had lost a bet. His response was, “I won the bet.”

 

 

 

 

Morgan actually kept his hair that way for several days after. He went to visit his parents with his new hair cut and flew back to Victoria and went to work for a day before shaving it all off. What a legend.

The Night Before

So back to Croatia. We got settled in to our top floor suite and Andre got both the hammocks set up. I prepared the guest towels, making them into his and hers origami towels. We got a few groceries and beers and we were ready for our company.

We knew that they were coming in without SIM cards or phone plans so we arranged to meet them at the ferry and take them back to our place. We got there just as the ferry was unloading. We waited in eager anticipation. And waited. Everyone was off and they started loading up to head back. Where were our friends? Had they missed the ferry? Andre and I started joking that they had had a massive fight on the way and Joeleen had refused to accompany Morgan any further. Aren’t we great friends? Andre started scripting Alec Baldwin on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. “Fuck You Steven!”

 

But off in the distance was a second ferry and once it docked they finally trickled off with the last remaining passengers. There they were. Beautiful Joeleen and a tamed down Doc Nolte. So exciting!

Side note: The first evening Joeleen Googles “Larry Morgan” because she thought we had based his alter ego on a real person. We did not. Which explains why she did not understand the connection between this guy who popped up on Google and our story. Poor Joeleen. Just thrown into the mix with the three of us idiots. She just started dating Morgan, knows me casually through mutual friends, and has met Andre a couple times. What a good sport!

Three Days, Three Beaches

Our first beach in Hvar was not really much of a beach. It was very tiny and very rocky, but it was close to our place and Morgan desperately needed to tan his creamy thighs to catch up with Andre. The rocks/pebbles were not the most comfortable here but the way a few people were walking on them was like watching someone tight rope walk over hot coals riddled with syringes and land mines. It was way over the top, and wonderfully fun to observe. It was down by the monastery and served its purpose but we knew there were good beaches around so we wanted to explore those over the next two days.

The following afternoon we headed in the opposite direction and took a steep path down to a much more attractive beach. The path down to Pokonji Dol Beach was a bit rough but we managed in flip flops and it was absolutely worth it. This beach was much larger, quieter and had a gorgeous view. There was actually a hostel right down there and a place to eat. I think if we went back we would stay there. Our server Carmen had a super dry sense of humor and enjoyed all of Morgan’s teasing, such as him requesting an exact olive count on an entree. She said we were her favorite table of the day (with Morgan’s coaxing) and told us that some of her customers are so unhappy. “If I am in better mood than you, and I am working and you are on holiday, I cannot help you.” Amen Carmen.

We took the long way home rather than do the uphill climb, and the walk along the coast was stunning. Croatia is just a remarkably beautiful place.

On our last day we texted Ante to drive us to a beach that we had read about. It was about 20 minutes away. He dropped us off on the side of the road and we walked down another steep and rocky path to Dubovica Beach (also manageable in flip flops). This was the best beach yet. Again, stunning views and even less people. Just a little piece of paradise. The walk back up was good exercise! Once at the top we waited for Ante to come grab us and watched a few other people make their way up huffing and puffing, to which Morgan remarked, “You should have taken the escalator like us.” The one girl’s eyes popped out of her head and shrieked, “There was an escalator?!”

I Love Nature

I love the outdoors and I especially love animals. Any animal sighting makes me super happy. On our walk through the gardens leaving our place Morgan noticed some turtles. Turtles! I was extremely excited about this, but a part of my brain went to the caged birds and I hoped that turtle soup wasn’t a thing here. They were super cute, and we stood there watching them. Then we quickly realized that the one turtle was attempting to mate with the other one and she wanted non of it. The four of us watched the poor little guy chase her around for a little while and were surprised to hear the chaser make a little squeak sound in defeat as the other one continually ran, or rather speed crawled, away. As the days went on we realized that there were a ton of turtles in the gardens around the home and that they are common in Croatia.

Dining

We have had a lot of great meals in Croatia so far, and the night before Joeleen and Morgan had arrived we had been to a little restaurant called Eywa. Our server was a quirky guy who gave us some great recommendations and we really enjoyed our meals, so naturally we wanted to take our friends there. Our server from the prior night was not in but he had told us that both steak dinners were delicious, so Morgan went for one. The three of us loved our meals, but Morgan’s meat was terrible. He barely touched it and when our server returned to clear our table he explained that it was just really tough and not good. The waitress didn’t seem to completely understand so Morgan joking said it was like chewing on a leather jacket. This she completely understood and started to laugh. Morgan does not complain. For Morgan to say something it had to be really bad. She went and spoke to the cook but according to him there was nothing wrong with it… he had tasted it. It was unfortunate that his meal was awful but overall the place had great food and I would go back. Now we had to make sure we found a good place for our next dining experience.

As it turned out we did have a lovely meal the next night. I had planned a short Google Maps Tour By Stacey (Hvar is really tiny) but we only got halfway though before the group got hangry and the tour was cancelled. We ended up at a tiny little spot where everyone enjoyed their food and wine and we ended off the evening with some delicious pomegranate shooters courtesy of our server.

 

71 days in…

Let’s take our friends to Korčula.