Going Overboard

My deepest apologies for the lack of time and attention that I have put into the blog these days, as I have been quite occupied with travel arrangements and sightseeing. In addition to this, internet access has been limited at best.

Our time in Split, Crotia could not have been better, we basically allowed our days to revolve around ice cream, wine, and beach time, and narrowing down the best "UV hour" was pretty much the most stressful encounter we faced. We were lucky to stay in a great private apartment, which a kitchen, living room and bedrooms, so we were quite spoiled. It was nice to be able to make our own meals and hang out in front of the TV for a bit when we needed to unwind. Upon reviewing the future weather forecast for coastal Crotia, we decided to take a ferry to Bari, Italy in order to dodge some rain and follow the sunshine. Being the frugal travellers that we are, we decided to purchase the cheapest tickets possible, those being "deck seats", and feeling guilty about the added costs of spontneously sailing across the Adriatic, I insisted we take the overnight ferry to save on accomidations. That of course was mistake number one, of many.

Our boat left at 11pm, and was to arrive in Italy at eight the next morning. Cam and I raced up onto the ferry deck, eagerly anticipating the outdoor camping adventure we had in store. After spending a ridiculous amount of time laying our our sleeping bags right at the front of the boat where no one else was, and organzing our boat snacks, we were ready for our peaceful night under the stars as we sailed away into the quiet night. As we fell asleep we gasped in disgust at the other deck mates who chose to sleep indoors, "they are so dumb I cant even stand it" I remember mentioning, "Who wouldnt choose to sleep outside under the stars?" Numerous ship staff walked by giving us strange looks. We discussed how jealous they likely were at our campfire setup. "Sucks to be working", we joked. Cut to three hours later, say at 2 am, when we were shaken awake by the high seas which ferosiously attacked our mother ship. Our sleeping bags, now inflated like kites, were erratically flapping in the air, occasionaly whipping against our defenseless bodies. Our faces burned from the continued splashes of sea water, which were turning our flesh into delectable salt licks. I looked over at Cam, who had curled into a fetal position so tight, that I couldnt tell where were head was. I watched as the gale force winds mercelessly pounded against her which relentless force. "Cam!, Wake up! Its me", I felt the need to identify myself, so she wouldnt confuse me with Jesus Christ coming to take her away to a better place. "Im dying" she replied. "We must go inside! Immidietly!" I insisted. Cam slowly revealed her face, still, with visible caution, as part of her still believed that the evil hurricane wind had morphed itself into an identical version of myself.

We gathered the remains of our belongings, which had not yet been swallowed into the sea, and scurried indoors, and found a small remaining space directly next to the ships primary elevator. The next morning, we headed to the breakfast cafeteria to discuss our most recent brush with death, only to discover that almost the entire population of "deck" ticket holders, had created a shanty town inside the restaurant, which apparently, was allowed. As we sipped our boiling hot tea peering out the windows with pure rage, we watched as the well rested squatters awoke from their delightful sleeps. "Just slept like a rock", I overheard. I wanted to explain that we almost became rocks at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, to this delinquent. I kept my "Genius without a cause" attitude to myself, and continued to glare out the window.

After this dredful experience, we quickly learned that deck seats dont exclusivley insist on the outdoor deck. We wondered how much money the ship staff bet on how long we would last outside for.

B