Lurkers at the Threshold

The only things that drive me mad are The Lurkers. “Lurkers at the Threshold” we call the people who hang around the beach entrance of Quinci waiting for someone to cross the threshold and then they pounce. They used well rehearsed sales pitches such as “hello………watch” (watch seller). I have already mentioned that business is slack in the tourist resorts in Lombok so you can’t really blame them, but it really must be hard trying to shift some of this stuff. The “watch” guy followed me down the beach one day and his watches really are hideous bless him. They are enormous - more like arm clocks. I told him that I already had a watch and he suggested buying one “for your mother for your father for your brother for your sister”. Can you imagine? “Hi Mum, I got you something from Indonesia! No, it’s not for the wall….”. Other lurkers sell friendship bracelets, cheap sarongs, cheap t-shirts, plastic necklaces and god-awful weathered looking handicrafts. Of course, they never sell anything to anyone on this well-heeled part of the beach. They need to diversify and try again with something that we might actually want. And stop lurking and hassling people. I have bought plenty of things from beach vendors on my travels when not being pressured: in Brazil we bought sarongs, caipirinhas and grilled kebabs, in Spain we bought sunglasses and Fanta Limon, in Thailand we bought sunblock got massages, in Sri Lanka we bought coconuts, in France we bought peanuts, even in Barry Island there was the “Fresh Doughnuts” guy.

Somehow the lukers learned my name – probably from Saab and Noor – so one day I heard someone shouting “Jo? Sarong?”, “Jo – T-shirt?” This was very annoying. It’s Dr. Mynard if you don’t mind. And, no I don’t want anything. Let me read my book in peace.