de Jesus and his beer glass-theiving lady friend in Dubrovnik

Long Haired Asian Endorses Central European Coastal Nation

ZAGREB- Jij de Jesus, an American traveler of Filipino descent, recently made an official statement regarding the country he will be leaving later today.

"I endorse Croatia!" stated de Jesus, as he sipped water from the elegant Karlovacko beer glass his lovely wife Claire had relocated from a caffe bar the night previous. When considering why he would make such a formal pronouncement of affection, de Jesus had little trouble listing the reasons for his endorsement.

"Beautiful pebbly beaches lapped by brilliant turquoise waters, fantastic historical and cultural sights, terra-cotta roofed Old Towns surrounded by marbled walls, phenomenally fresh seafood, lovely accomadation, from private apartments to beachside campings, a fun language to attempt to speak with the friendly locals. I could go on."

Narrowing the reasons to just one proved more difficult. "I can't choose one. But I can do two. Pivo and Hobotnitsa."
(To clarify, Pivo is the Croatian word for "beer", a frothy beverage that de Jesus seemed to consume at every waking moment, usually from a 2-liter bottle made of the lower grade plastics that one would expect to find in Europe, often on the marble steps of an old historic church or other building. Hobonitsa means "octopus," which became something of an obsession for the skinny, sun-darkened fellow. Whether hunting it in underwater environs with a snorkel mask and a stick, buying 5 kilos of it at the Sibenik Fresh Market, eating it deliciously fire-roasted "under the bell" prepared lovingly by Kasia's dad, or consuming it in a ceviche-esque preparation of Hobotnitsa salad, de Jesus simply could not get enough of the oshem-tentacled sea creature.)

In the the end, while he is sad to leave this lovely land, de Jesus knows that it is time to move on. "In an hour and a half, I'm catching a train to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia and gateway to the Julian Alps." That leaves just enough time for 1 or 7 more pivos.

Hvala Hrvatska.