Here in Croatia..the Dalmatian Coast...

''Night and day'' is the way to describe there and here. My bus ride from Bosnia to Split was uneventful and comfortable. The difference when we crossed the frontier was striking. Prosperous and well groomed Croatia is a long way from the rough and tumble Bosnian Wild West.

Tonight I dined well. ''Hobotnice salate'', Octopus salad, with fresh tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Then ''Škampi sa buzaru''--whole shrimp (head, claws and all) poached in a light and fresh tomato sauce with lots of bread to sop it all up. Amazing. After living on mixed grill, čevapi, and cabbage salad for almost three months, I was in heaven.

I am now in a Cybercafe and the Gypsy Kings are on the stereo; there is a rock band playing Croatian blues on the seaside promenade and people of every culture strolling about in the mid-evening night; the cafes are full, the seaport is hopping and life is better than good.

I was able to get to a meeting tonight around 5:30 which filled my heart as I also saw a couple of old AA friends from here. Great feeling and joy.

I had a bizarre conversation with a priest last night. He claimed that The Pill was responsible for almost all the divorces in the US, the gradual feminizing of men, and the rise in homosexuality. It all has to do with changing body chemistry in women leading to enhanced pheromones and estrogen in the water supply. For some reason I started thinking of Colonel Ripper in ''Dr. Strangelove'' with his obsession about bodily fluids and how fluoride in the water was a communist plot to undermine his natural essences. Crazy is as crazy does, as Gump would say.

On my way home never felt so good.

Johnnyboy