#Whilst On The Beach_Part 2

In Ibiza one of the most common things you will see walking the beaches and streets, day and night are what are known as ‘Looky Looky’ Men and Women. These are men and women mostly from Nigeria & Senegal that sell all sorts of things and say ‘Looky Looky’ whilst showing you their loot.

The men generally sell sunglasses, hats, beaded bracelets and necklaces, glasses with a light up willy on them because we all need one of those for €15, weird monkey toys that have red eyes and looked possessed – again because we all need one of those! The women will usually try shaking your hand and asking you where you are from, next thing you know you have 5 bracelets on, one is braiding your hair whilst three others are robbing you…. Yes, the women are slightly more aggressive than the men but the men, the men are persistent and they don’t forget.

It was a really hot day and I had been busy all morning, grocery shopping and seeing people so I just wanted to chill on the beach and have some alone time. Now a day or so earlier on the beach Marina and I got chatting to a ‘Looky Looky’ and he asked me where I was from and I said Australia…… As I am walking along the beach I hear ‘Hey Australia’ it was the guy I had met the other day, shocked that he remembered me…. I go over and say hello, shake his hand and then head to sit on the beach…… You also don’t really want to get on the bad side of a ‘Looky Looky’ as some are known to be a bit naughty but most are fairly friendly, so I see no harm in saying Hello now and then….

I sit down on the beach for my alone time and it was clear that was not going to happen. In the space of 15 minutes, I am not exaggerating I was approached at least 6 times…. As soon as one left another would come over…. Now I tend to think I am a nice person I give anyone the time of day and I won’t be rude if it’s not necessary….So when the ‘Looky Looky’ men come over to me I just say no thank you, no thank you, no thank you……. But this one guy was not giving up.

‘I am a man from Gambia, I am very sexy, nice man, I come to your home and make good night for you’….. Me: ’Oh that is very sweet but, no Thank you’…… ‘Where you from, where you from’…….‘Why you no like black man?’….. Me: ‘What, it’s not that’… thinking geeez he’s gone and pulled the race card, smooth operator……. ‘But I love you, I see you, you very pretty, I nice man, I very gentle nice man’….. As he is trying to shove a beaded bracelet on my hand……. Me: ‘I’ve got so many of these bracelets and I really don’t need anymore, no thank you’…….

I wish I could say that was the last I have seen of the ‘I am a man from Gambia’ but it was not, he stopped me the following day on the street then would you believe that night in the West End!….. Each time I get the same speech ‘I am a man from Gambia, I am very sexy, nice man, I see you everyday, I love you’…….. I basically just brush him off and he goes away….. A few days later I was not feeling very well so Marina and I went and sat on the opposite end of the beach and I was just drifting off into a deep sleep when I hear ‘Lovely Jubbly’…. Wakes me up gives me the fright of my life and who do you think it is?…… ‘Man from Gambia’…… Here I am half asleep thinking how does he know that it is me?!….. ‘Give me your number’ he says…. Me: ‘No, I’m not doing that’….. ‘Ok’ he says and walks away……. Oh thank goodness I hope that is the end of that….. Though something tells me with another two months of living here I doubt it will be the last…….. As Marina and I walk back from the beach I hear ‘Hey Australia’…… I don’t think it will be the last I see of him either……

So in total that makes 3 ‘Looky Looky’ Lovers I have going, there is George whom I met when I first got here and he can spot me a mile away, hair up, hair down, straight hair, curly hair, sunglasses, no sunglasses, I’ve even had my back to him whilst under the beach shower and he spotted me…..then there is ‘I am a man from Gambia’ and ‘Hey Australia’…… My flat mates think it’s hilarious as they work along the beach and never have this issue…… So I am now taking a different route to the beach!