I boxed my bike and sent it off the Sydney along with most of my meager wardrobe of clothing and panniers.
I had booked my flight from London to Santorini with EasyJet with very low expectations. The base fare was very low. I also travel very light with a ‘wheelie’ bag to which it possible to attach a small backpack. This means that technically I can have one cabin bag. Easyjet have the most confusing conditions regarding cabin baggage. They say you can carry baggage of certain dimensions. You may carry larger baggage, but this cannot be guaranteed and you may have to put it in the hold. This is all too confusing. I ended up paying the extra GBP 30 to put the bag in the hold. You then have to pay for food and drink on the flight. This, and the baggage charge, adds almost 50% to the cost of the fare. I am still a fan of ‘budget’ airlines – especially for short haul flights. I can recommend Easyjet.
First Impressions
Santorini Airport is basic – who cares. I caught the local bus (EUR 1.60) into Fira. After asking about 10 people I found my Hostel, which was conveniently located about 200 metres from the town square. The Hostel came with great raps from the on-line booking site I mainly use. The ‘dorm’ was very small and packed with the luggage of the other two people with who I was sharing. They were nowhere to be seen. I headed off for a meal an initial look around the place. The town in perched on a high hill. There is a gentle slope down to the airport side of the island and a cliff on the other. This cliff side looks across the the famous volcano is land of Nea Kameni. The water between the island and the volcano is where the visiting cruise ships moor.
I had a reasonable meal in restaurant a block back from the cliff and the view. Meals with a view come at a premium price. After the meal I wandered around the lanes and alley ways. They are packed with souvenir, jewelry and women’s clothes shops. There are also ice cream parlors and trendy bars and night clubs. In other words, it is just like any other tourist village or town.
Serious Snoring
I headed back to the Hostel and hit my bunk. I was woken in the morning by the sound of very load snoring emanating from both of my fellow roommates, whom I was yet to meet. I decided to get up, shower and have breakfast.
The breakfast was served in the courtyard of the hostel. I got chatting to an Australian bloke of my vintage from Brisbane. He was travelling with his daughter and son. He told me that he was of Serbian extraction and was heading there for the first time since leaving the Yugoslavia at the age of 4. This was his “first trip outside of Australia, although he had been to Sydney twice”. Hmmm. He said he was interested in the result of the election, but was frustrated the he “couldn’t by a copy of the Courier Mail. When he left us briefly to go the men’s, his daughter told me: “Dad is a pity old fashioned and doesn’t trust the internet”.
When I returned to my room after breakfast, the snorers were essentially silent, but comatose. I had formed an impression of them – piss-head yobbs.
Overrated Beach
I decided to look around the town and go to the ‘Red Beach’ which can be reached by local bus. If you believe the Trip Advisor and the local tourist guides the Red Beach ranks along other beaches such as: Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, Cannes on the French Riviera, Waikiki in Honolulu and our own Bondi and Byron Bay Main, beaches. Take from me it doesn’t.
How Many Donkeys Do You Need?
In the afternoon, I returned to Fira and walked down the steps to the ‘Old Port’. An option to walking was to take one of the donkeys that at your disposal. The other option is a cable car.
There seemed to be far more donkeys than were required, given that most were just standing around. There was, however, plenty of evidence to prove that a number of donkeys had made the trip up and down the steps. This evidence was there despite the efforts of bloke with a big broom and pan type thing – serious shit.
Meeting a Smart Yobb and the other Yobb
When I returned to the hostel, my roommates appeared to be still comatose. One of them stirred. I made the comment: “now that’s what I call a serious night out”. The response was “it is not as bad as it looks, we have been up and about”. Both blokes turned out to be Australian. The first to wake up told me he was doing a PhD in Holland. His area of expertise was the use of stem cells in the repair of the brain after severe trauma. He was in his last year and was heading back to Amsterdam to start writing this thesis. I refrained from suggesting he focus on the “serious trauma” caused by getting seriously pissed in pubs in Santorini.
The other bloke was from Newcastle. He didn’t volunteer a profession. He did however extol the virtues of the following an Contiki Tours around the Greece Isles – “ picking-up chicks off the tours is like spearing fish in a barrel”, he told me. I told him I know nothing about that.
Volcano and Tepid Springs
The next day I booked by self of tour of Nea Kameni which is the sort of active volcano just off the main island of Santorini. I had heard on ABC’s Radio National (so it must be true) that there is a 20% chance that the volcano will erupt. I can’t remember over what period though.
I walked down the step to the old harbour again. This time I got to see why there are so many donkeys. Two big cruise ships were in the harbour. None of the passengers has any chance of walking up the steps. A large number appeared to exceed the weight limit for the cable car. What are Americans and Germans eating?????? All the donkeys were going to get a gig this day. Some may never walk again.
I boarded the boat and we headed across to the volcano. I sat near a ‘younger middle aged woman’ with a stern expression on her face.
The volcano island (Nea Kameni) is completely bare and very dusty. We were greeted by a guide who took us up the mountain and told us a bit of history as we went. At top you can look down into the dormant crater. The molten rock is however fairly close to the surface (apparently 2000 metres is close) and as a result the ground is actually warm. If you sniff hard you can smell sulphur. I asked about the 20% chance of an eruption. She told me no to worry, the “volcano has sensors that are monitored by Government Officials in Athens.” I asked “what was the probability they were working?”. Some in the party laughed – she didn’t.
On the way down, I chatted with the stern faced woman. She turned out to be South African.
Next stop was the ‘hot springs’ . This is a spot near a second island where the water is allegedly warmed by a volcanic fissure on the sea bed. The boat moored off the island and, if you wanted to, you could swim the 50 metres or so into the warm water. It could be identified because it was brown.
The South African woman, now known as Christina, joined me for the swim to the brown water. When we got there, we found the water brown, but not warm. Other people were making similar comments. A bloke with an unmistakable ascent told all that “he could make the water warm if we want”. His female partner exploded – “ Barry shut – up!!!!”
After the swim we returned to the boat to be taken to another island for lunch. I ate with Christina. She was in lives in Capetown, where she and her husband operate a ‘labour hire company’. She was in Santorini for a week on her own so she could have a break from “problematic 17 y.o. daughter. We chatted about lots of stuff.
After lunch, we walk along the beach to another restaurant for a coffee. We were joined by Barry and his wife. It turned out the he was a ‘Fly In Fly out’ gold miner from Western Australia. They had been in the South of France for a week and were having a week in Greece before flying home. A two week overseas trips based on a 12 days ‘off’ was not unusual for them. How things have changed compared to travelling Australians in the 60’s through to the 00’s when the AUD was soft.
People Who Seemed to be Witnessing their 1st Sunset
Last stop was Oia which is a small village on the north coast of the Santorini Island. It is famous for its sunsets. It is a favourite place for weddings and receptions.
I left the boat (which was returning to the Old Port) and walked up more steps (and donkeys) to the village. It was about 5 p.m. and there were very few people around.
About 6.30 p.m. buses started to arrive. The placed was filling up fast, Groups of tourists led by flag carrying guides were colliding in the small alley ways – it was bedlam. They were all heading to the best vantage points to see, and photograph, the sunset.
See the Flickr link to the photos of people taking photos of the sunset.
Flickr Link
billrider2013 