I’m always hearing horror stories during the summer months about pickpockets and robbers preying on tourists and unsuspecting locals but thankfully never had a bad experience myself in more than two decades of living here.
All that changed in Soller a few weeks ago when a man flagged down my husband in the street wafting a €2 euro coin and asking in broken English urgently for change. As I’m a speedy walker I turned to clock the scene and noticed a young woman creeping around from the other side. I ran over and told them to be off and the pair scarpered. Thankfully, a good local chum had warned about this pair doing the rounds in Soller town only a few days before, so I was on the lookout.
Following this incident, we were walking along Can Repic promenade in the port of Soller last week when I observed a couple of youngish tourists in beachwear walking towards the same car park we were heading towards. Maybe it’s the crime writer in me but there was something about the man that seemed odd. For one thing, he was exaggeratedly mopping his face with a large colourful handkerchief which looked ridiculously theatrical, and I saw from the corner of my eye that they slowed down behind a group of tourists, observing them carefully from behind. It seemed to me that they were assessing them for pickings, the handkerchief probably a useful prop and distraction tactic.
When the group stopped abruptly to take photos, they quickly turned direction and began following my husband who was dallying behind. As ever he was looking up at the trees, his old rucksack slung happily, if carelessly, over his back. In a trice the pair were up close to him. The man dropped the handkerchief and while pretending to pick it up, began slyly unzipping the rucksack. I was ahead, standing by our car and watching the scene unfold in the car’s mirror. I quickly ran back to them, yelling, and told the guy to stop what he was doing and to scram. He was shocked to be foiled in the act and the pair fled up the road. We did chuckle. In some ways I wish I had let them run off with the bag or its contents just to have seen their faces. All it contained was a crumpled used tissue and a practically spent bottle of insect spray.
What a scoop!
During the summer I get loads of silly press releases sent to me by increasingly desperate PR companies trying to justify their monthly client retainer fees. As there’s little real news to be had and so many people are away on holiday, they come up with all sorts of nonsense although some of it is good fun. One of the releases in my postbag was about the price of a scoop of ice cream in different countries. Apparently, Spain and the UK charge an average 3€ while Germany is a scoop at just 1.50€. Greece and Portugal average 2.50€ while France and Italy charge 2€. The data was supposedly lifted from TripAdvisor but it’s all pretty useless because nothing was mentioned about the quality of the ice cream or where it was purchased. There’s a world of difference between a cheap, fake ice cream scoop from a supermarket or mass producer compared to homemade gelati from Italy or ice made from natural, local ingredients in parts of Spain. It’s certainly not called the silly season for nothing!
Castaway Capers
Every time I read another castaway tale about an eccentric water babe setting sail for some distant land only to find themselves a cropper on the high seas, I am entranced. Indeed, I’m a sucker for stories about ill-equipped would-be sailors, even those incredibly experienced in navigating the oceans, who get into trouble while trying to achieve some hair brained sea quest.
The latest such adventure concerns the Australian, Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, who at 54 seemingly set off from Mexico to French Polynesia on a whim in a catamaran with his dog, Bella, in tow. It wasn’t long before he was stalled completely by atrocious weather and found himself drifting in the Pacific with little food and water with which to survive. His hoped for 3,700-mile ocean journey was completely derailed as he and his brave pooch survived on raw fish and rainwater.
So, what joy it was to see this veritable Robinson Crusoe with wild beard and bushy locks saved in the nick of time by a Mexican fishing vessel, some months after he set off on his journey. Most importantly for me, at least, is that beautiful Bella survived the ordeal and became a hit with crew on the ship that rescued them. One of the crew members even adopted her.
With misty eyes, I watched the film of Shaddock’s arrival in the nearest port and listened to his heartfelt thanks delivered to a hungry press. These characters could be viewed as irresponsible fools but for me they are valiant if slightly bonkers adventurers that take risks and live out their dreams. Shaddock knew the risks of his venture, but he still went ahead. How life-affirming is that? Instead of taking the safe route and spending his days cowering on a sofa in front of a Netflix screen, the man opted for adventure.
How important it is to grab life by the horns and look back on our experiences (however potty and ill-conceived) with joy. Fear of risk so often destroys dreams and prevents us from living life to the full. I have taken many risks in my life but I’m so glad I did. In this regard, two extraordinary men – Norris McWhirter, founder of the Guinness Book of Records, and explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, were huge influences on my life from my twenties and taught me about the importance of courage – both physical and mental - and the dangers of being fearful.
It’s wonderful to look back on times that made my heart miss a beat and made me tremble in my boots. By overcoming fear, we feel so much stronger, braver and lighter. That feeling emboldens and prepares us for the next life adventure. If we fail, that’s not important. It’s the journey that counts. And yes, if we die in the execution, that’s the price we knowingly pay. Even if Shaddock hadn’t survived, he wouldn’t have died in vain. His family and friends might have mourned his loss but would have known that he died ‘living in the moment.’
I hope once he’s recovered, this intrepid man will contemplate another trip. Maybe this time he’ll be better prepared but whatever the weather, may he keep sailing and proving to others that there’s a big and exciting world out there just waiting to be discovered.