Alone But Not Lonely

Shivering. Wet. Giggling. I am standing naked in Split harbour, looking across at the lights of festivities being enjoyed by many. Cheers and loud laughter fill the port air alongside the music that seems to be ever beating without a break like the waves crashing on a beach. How did I end up here? That started 12 hours before...

Backpack stuffed with minimalistic clothing and bare essentials such as my vuvuzela, I arrived alone in Split, somewhat nervous yet bubbling with excitement. Not knowing anyone I approached 2 Australian ladies waiting for the bus. A quick ice breaker and short introduction, we both find out we are doing similar adventures of sailing the islands. Getting to know each other en route to Split, we spoke about travel experiences, always great to hear other peoples endeavours, logging them into the memory bank for future travel plans.

Upon arrival we settled into our respective hostels and decided to meet at the promenade to explore the harbour town. Not only did we see the eye catching architecture whilst walking the cobbled stone backstreets, slippery from the foot traffic, we got to scout the local market, buying some vital gear for the trip ahead (cue lilos and pool noodles). A thing to note is the tons of ice cream stalls aka Gelatos. There must be a reason for this, so we tucked into one and wow... It made me salivate for more. The sun was beginning to settle into the horizon and my two new acquaintances wanted to freshen up before the evenings pub crawl, hosted by the hostel I stayed in.

After we dressed to impress, we set off on the pub crawl, embarking on the night life that Split had to offer. It did not disappoint. Friendly smiles with some interesting dance moves, one can only feel they are truly amongst genuine happiness.

As the early hours of the morning crept upon us, we left for bed. Alas, whilst walking the ladies back to their hostel, an empty beach nearby pops up. With a grin to the ladies, I ran onto the beach, stripping every item of clothing faster than Usain Bolt and jumped into the warm Adriatic Sea. To my delight, the ladies followed suit and we "Cheekily" (pun intended) skinny dipped. After some time we decided it best to gather up our clothes before someone decided to steal them.

As I stand there naked on the beach, I look over at the distant lights of the party, thinking to myself "How did I end up here?". I can only imagine what lay in the week ahead, sailing the islands of Croatia. I cannot wait.