My friend Neil introduced me to morning walks in foreign places. We were riding an overnight train from Delhi to Pathankot, India. It was about 6 am., perhaps July in the summer of 2005 when he invited me to walk the train with him. We sat on the platform between cars and watched people's morning rituals. The image that stays with me is people dotted across the fields, every 20 meters or so, squatting with no toilet.
So when I woke up this morning at our campground just north of the entrance to Paklenica National Park in Croatia, I decided to go for a walk. The tent is shaded in the pines while the sun bleaches the sea and rocks. After a good night of sleeping with the doors open in the tent, the cool morning feels good.
As I walk along the water, I notice the people. A few are fishing with huge fishing poles. A few swim. Three jog. I take a few photos that inspire me. I fin a wall in the sun and take a seat and watch the water.
The Adriatic is meditative. The waters are still, sheltered by any number of islands and peninsulas. I notice the clearness of the water. I ponder the ripples on the surface, wondering just how they form and remain so constant. The sun glimmers off of them. Then I turn my attention to the bottom. I notice the rocks. I notice some algae. Then a small fish. As I watch the fish lazily glide among the rocks, I notice another. Now three, four, five, six. They move as a school, zig zagging around together toward no place in particular. Then I notice a larger fish, the size of my palm. It is brown and white with vertical stripes, kind of like a zebra. I follow it with my eyes. Soon, I have discovered an underwater ecosystem just under my nose. Moments ago, it seemed to be a desert of rocks and water. It is the Adriatic's morning message. Be still. Pay attention. And much will be revealed.
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