Enroute Trikala, Greece

Trikala is a town just half an hour away to Meteora where the hanging monasteries are located. Now, Meteora wasn’t initially part of my plan. I recall receiving an email from mr.G telling me that he had a location for me to hike in Greece. And voila, Meteora got into the list. The photos looked amazing and that was enough to convince me. 

The train ride had 1 change, so it was on its way to Kalambaka but I had to get off and then continue on to Trikala. The whole day of traveling just made me feel so exhausted. I was getting a little bit grumpy by the time I got on the second train. 

If I remember right, It was around 5ish am when we arrived in Trikala. Not knowing my bearing and woozy with the lack of sleep, I was trying to ask the guy at the train station if he knew how to get to Hostel Meteora. I think he was as confused as I was. After a few minutes, I arrived to an understanding as to what I was actually asking. 

I found the street that led me to the square. After a few blocks, I was just about to faint with dizziness. A bakery across the road was prepping up for the days’ sales. I, on the other hand, found a bench where I dozed off for a few minutes. I was just dead tired. The bakers from the shop were giving me a weird look, I might have come across as a homeless girl. Yeah, tell me about it. 

After the power nap, I collected myself and walked on. The sun was rising and the temperature board read it was 25C at 6 am. Man, I thought, it was too early to have that kind of temp. I crossed the small bridge in the square and walked on. There was a park across the road where I slowed down a bit. A black patched dog suddenly came out of nowhere and walked beside me. It was really friendly and for some reason it felt like it was drawn to me. I started talking to it and from time to time it would give me a look with perched ears. I was starting to think that it was angel in the form of a dog. Even to this day I’d believe that it was God sent coz it sort of alleviated the thought of fainting. 

I passed a few more blocks and finally arrived at Hostel Meteora. The garden and benches outside were charming. I quickly put down my backpack and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. No answer. Okay, so at that point I thought, there was no reception so that meant id need to wait for opening hours. The dog lingered around and looked at me. I was famished. 

The benches were calling out to me. I sat down, took out a loaf of bread and scuffed ¾ in and shared the rest with the dog. It was happy to munch it all in. We were both starving. It lazed on the road while I slowly got the position of lying down on the bench using my backpack as my pillow. The neighbours were all giving me the weird stares and I tried not to look suspicious. The heat was starting to creep in for the day as I dozed off. I slowly slipped off the bench. By the time my back ached I told myself, “That’s it! I’m ringing the owner”. A grouchy voice said Hello on the other line. I woke Dimitris up. I assumed that he had a hangover (to be confirmed later on). 

He suddenly appeared around the corner, rubbing his eyes and giving me the look. I was a little bit moody too. I guess we were on the same boat. He unlocked the door and walked me in to the dorm. 2 guys were asleep in the room. I tried to be as quiet as a mouse. Dimitris pointed which bed I’d be on and asked if I’d be going to Meteora that day. I said No, I just wanted to sleep. He said okay and see you in later. I quickly took a shower and dozed off.

Ferry ride from Thira to Athina

It was a good decision to catch a different ferry back to Athens from Santorini. It was the high speed one instead of Blue Star Ferries. From the moment we started boarding the ferry, I knew for sure I’d make it in time back to Athens for my midnight train to Trikala. 

It was scorching hot as I walked up the flight of stairs of the Helenic Ferry. My sigh must have been loud enough to be heard coz a tall guy looked at me and said “It’s quite hot ey”. I looked at him and automatically asked, “Canadian?” He answered back, “Aussie”. “Oh okay”, I answered and didn’t continue on coz I wasn’t really in the mood to have a conversation. He blurted, “and you, American?”. I bluntly said “Nope” then ended the exchange after that. 

This ferry was very much organized. No roaming outside, no smoking and everyone had a designated seat. As usual the heat outside just dragged me down. By the time I found my seat, I just dumped my bag down and settled in looking forward to an afternoon nap. I took out my music and drowned out the noise. 

I woke up to the blaring sound on the speakers that we were stopping by one of the islands to drop off and pick up passengers. Quietly tucked in my seat, I just watched groups of people get off and the new batch wandering around figuring out the seat allocations. 

It was 45 minutes before we reached Athens when the same guy looked at me from afar. I didn’t fully smile but did acknowledge. After a few seconds, he walked towards and me and that’s how we got to start chatting. 

His name was Peter, born in Greece, lived most of his life in Australia and now starting up a business in Beijing. He was tall and definitely and fit but his accent was so Aussie. We got to talk about the different islands in Greece and about the party scene that’s been happening in Mykenos. I chose not to go there at all even though people said it was so cheap. Apparently, it was known to be an Aussies destination for those who wanted to get wasted, stoned or get laid. Go figure, I realized as I write this, that there are heaps of islands around the Balkans and Aegean Sea that has the similar reputation (that’s another story yet to come). He explained that he’s very embarrassed about the horror stories of Aussie behavior on the island which was why he didn’t go there at all on that holiday. 

We got to talk about the business that he and a mate stared up in Beijing. A pub in one of the night scenes of the city, he said he’s been enjoying it. He did tell me though about the competition and also gave me an idea on how the students were during a drinking session. It was interesting to hear it from a Westerners perspective. But for sure, he did notice the amount of respect that the guys had for the girls. 

By the time we arrived in Athens, I was already panicky if I was going to get to my next trip considering that I still had to catch a local train before I can get on the national one. I only had less than an hour to do that and I wasn’t really impressed with Greek train systems. 

Peter was supposed to be collected by his cousin, but he found out that the cuz forgot about it. So we both crossed the road together to the Pireaus train station. He did offer to have a quick dinner but I had to decline coz I was in a rush. 

We still had the chance to chat on the train. He said so many nice things and did blurt that he noticed I’m a confident solo traveler. I just laughed when he said he could see me and him having good chemistry if we traveled together. Oh boy, he just didn’t know about my moods. 

He took my number and gave me his calling card, reminding me that if in any point in time I’m in Australia that I can contact him. He even joked that if I become famous in the future with my music, that he’d be happy to be my bodyguard. It was a far-fetched thought if you’d ask me. 

I said goodbye to him when we approached my train stop at Larissa. He asked me to text him once I’ve arrived at the national train station, just so he knows I’ve made it safe and sound. I’d say that was a sweet gesture. I said yes and waved goodbye. I was true to my word and did send him a message. 

The train to Trikala was delayed for almost half an hour. Oh yes, Greek time indeed. In Africa, you’d plainly say, Hakuna Matata.

Hangin' in Thira

The mix of lone time and good company, combined with the amazing views and charm of Santorini, was the

whole reason why my trip to that island became memorable. 

Ashley and Shannon, sisters from the US and Kirsty from Queensland were heaps of fun to hang out with. I met them right after we docked off the delayed Blue Star Ferries. We were all waiting for the shuttle to the hostel and I asked them “We finally made it huh?”. And that’s how we started talking. I really liked how I found it easy to talk to them. 

Kirsty

After I explored Oia, the girls were already energized from the day’s sleep. I was so woozy coz I didn’t have a shut eye. Kirsty and I were laughing when we realized we were in the same room and I was on the top of her bunk. She invited me to join them girls for dinner and maybe a swim. I said yes and walked along with them to Perissa Beach. 

We decided to have dinner at Tranquillo which was right at the corner of the alleyway leading to the beach from the hostel. There was a long list of options for dinner and everything sounded yummy. For starters we all ordered the beer Mythos. After a long day, I was so up for a beer. For dinner I ordered seafood paella. Ashley and Shannon were so cute trying out the hammock beside our table while Kirsty and I chatted at our table. After some time the girls joined in as we made our orders and chatted away. 

That night, despite my wooziness, I appreciated the discussions we had. I’d say that part of the highlights of my Santorini trip was talking to the girls. We all shared moments of traveling, experiences, some horror stories and what our perspectives were. Kirsty has been working in England for a while and was at the end of the journey, homeward bound. The girls were very young and that was their first trip overseas after saving up for a while. Kirsty and I were saying that they should be really proud of themselves for working it out and taking that leap at their age. Travel indeed makes us more open minded and changes us as a person because it gives us that opportunity to see for ourselves the different cultures and environments outside our comfort zone. 

At some point, there was something that I’d never forget ‘bout what Kirsty said. And she was totally right. A lot of people think that traveling is always a walk in the park and a perfect kind of “holiday”. What they’re not aware of are the challenges and struggles that one can encounter on the road most especially when one is backpacking for a couple of months. And that’s where I shared with them the different modes of sleeping that I’ve experienced through the months. 

We also shared our ideas on how sometimes it can be different when you go back after the travel. Instances where people couldn’t relate would be more apparent only because you’ve been away and experienced something different. Unless of course the people you talk to are travelers themselves once in their lifetime.

At some point there was also discussion about racism, and knowing me, that’s a bit of a sensitive topic. That’s when I shared with them my perspective on things and how I felt about it. Of course, racism in the whole context of the word doesn’t just involve color. It actually goes beyond the black and white thing. Through the years of my travels, I’ve experienced and seen this so many times. It’s inevitable and will always exist in all cultures. Sad but true. 

Kirsty shared a few things about Australia and described the different animals/species that the huge continent

the plunge

had. Majority of the stories were about spiders, snakes, crocodiles and kangaroos. Not to mention the funny discussion about “Joe the Kangaroo” with the boxing gloves. The sisters were giggling while listening to Kirsty’s stories. Yeah, Aus can offer such diversities and dangerous creatures. Definitely something to check out. The girls then had it on their list to visit for their next holiday stint. 

By the time we finished our food, we were all full, happy and couldn’t stop raving about how awesome their cuisine were. Kirsty couldn’t finish the bowl, but yeah, everyone had the same reaction when we tried it…. SUPER YUM! 

After some time we decided to check out the water and go for a swim. I guess it was just too cold for the girls. It ended up only me going for the splash. But yeah, I was shivering in the night’s cold breeze. It didn’t take us 10 minutes before we put our clothes back and headed back to the hostel, giggling.We got back to the hostel and lingered for a while at the common area, checking facebook and emails. After some time we said our goodnights and called it a day. 

On my last night, we heard back from Ashley and Shannon that they were moved to the other building…and how cool was it that it had a swimming pool. So we bought ourselves some booze and food from the nearby dairy store. Kirsty and I were so impressed when we saw the place. It looked more like a hotel coz they had their own room and it was an ensuite. We found out though that the pool closes at 9 pm so the swimming part was out of the equation for that night. Hangin’ for a while was the night’s thing but had to hit the bed soon after coz the girls were so tired from their day’s adventures. It was so cute and funny when they told me about the donkey adventure. They went on a day trip out and about. I also told them about the good news that the lady of the Irish Pub in Mallorca, Spain confirmed that I can go there and play music for a few weeks. They were so excited for me and wished me luck. 

Before I left Santorini, I had breakfast with the girls while staring out at Perissa Beach. It was a mix of yoghurt and fruits, YUM! After that, we decided to head back to the girls place and we ended up having a diving 101 lesson from Kirsty. It was really fun but yeah it seemed like my arching wasn’t working and gravity’s pull was more. Oh yeah, it did hurt. We tried taking underwater shots too. 

They walked me back to the hostel where I packed up my stuff. I hugged them and wished them well with their travels, as they me. 

I was back on the road.

Changes

I had a silent moment yesterday.

Coming back to England and visiting family made me realize I was doing the same thing 3 months ago when I started my Europe trip.

I asked myself am I still the same person as I was? I even asked Mum if there was anything that changed..or if she noticed anything? She said no. But she said most probably there are a lot of views now that would have changed.

Yesterday afternoon it took us over an hour as I walked her through my photos and told her the stories, people I've met and the history that I read about.

That was when I realized that I have changed in terms of knowledge and experience. I've gained so much.



Would you Stay

What's with the word "Stay"? Years ago I always told myself I'd settle in a place/country if I find Mr.Right there. Some of my friends told me that shouldn't be the case all the time. "Home" should always be found in your heart regardless if you have a partner or not. 

Through the course of my travels, there were some realizations. Yes, that statement can be true if I choose it to be. For happiness is a state of mind, it's the decision to accept where you are and be one with what's around you, contented..... knowing that it's the place to be.

Also, years ago I always had this dream that I'd meet someone and find true love and then he'd say "Would you stay?"... and yeah, okay..... slow motion movement... like the movies...eeek. okay, STOP right there.

Reality of the matter is at the end of the day, its only you who can decide where your STOP would be. Catching up with my friend last night made me also evaluate a few things. you only STOP for someone if you know it's "real" and "genuine".. else, don't settle for anything else. 

Then again, happiness couldn't be found in anyone/anywhere else...but within. A certain peace of mind can be achieved. It's hard to look at things from a different perspective when you've lived with a certain mind set. Yet, I find that life is too short sometimes....to grasp everything that it can offer. All you can do is to live it to the fullest, embrace the experience, move on with more wisdom (or maybe not). 

It wasn't part of the plan that I extend for another 2 weeks here in the UK, but circumstances had to push it to that point in time. Yeah, I can blame it on my lack of preparation. But then again, maybe it's happening for a reason. Who Knows? Well, whatever the universe has in store for me... I'm going to welcome it with arms wide open.

Would I stay longer? Not sure. Uncertainty can sometimes be exciting until a good opportunity presents itself. And if it's bad, maybe I'm supposed to learn from that experience.

Let's see.... :) All i know is, something big and good is about to happen. And i'll hold on to that feeling....

Quad Bike Chic around Thira

Santorini was quite big for me to explore considering the short time I had. I didn't want to extend more days coz the island was a little bit expensive for my budget. 

sunset on the west side

The girls went on a full day trip that included the hike on the volcano, followed by a swim to the hot springs and sunset in Oia. I opted out because of the price and I wasn't into the big swarm of groups exploring the island. That day, after re-energizing, I decided to rent a quad bike.

Now the thing was, I've never really experienced driving a quad bike. So the guy who was renting out made sure that I was not just comfortable but 100% confident. It was but fitting that he gave me a low powered quad in yellow. It was my first time to wear my yellow top that I bought in Lake Bled, Slovenia. We crossed the road and he asked me to practice forming the shape of 8 and also coming back from a narrow stretched alleyway. By the time I was done with the exercise, he stopped the engine, stood in front of me, held on to the bars of the quad and looked me straight in the eye, "Tell me, how confident are you?". It was pretty intimidating at first but I was happy that he was a genuine and honest man, unlike those who'd prefer to have you on the quad because of business. This dude was plain serious. I smiled at him and said, "I'm good!". I might have had my usual facial reaction that usually implied a question mark coz his right eyebrow went up and he asked me again. That was when I firmly said "Yes I am!". Then he said, Ok, come on in and you sign some papers. It might have come across as a death wish for me coz I wasn't really confident with the turns, but I thought, hey four wheels is so much better than back in the days when I was motorbiking with a 250cc. So hell yeah, I was up for it! :) Around 12:30 pm, I was smiling with the wind blowing my hair as I maneuvered the yellow quad bike to Ancient Akrotiri. 

The first stop I chose was to get to the Red Beach, not because I wanted to go for a swim, but because the Archeological site of Akrotiri was in the same location. It was on the South West side of the island and just a few meters away from the beach. I did check out the beach first just to find out what their context of Red was of a different hue. I had my standards as the "red center" of Australia. Of course, this red beach was way too paler. 

Akrotiri was once a Minoan Bronze Age settlement in Santorini. Its presence diminished after the huge volcanic eruption around 1500 BC. Apparently it has only been excavated since 1967 and is said to most probably be the inspiration of Plato's story of Atlantis. 

I entered the site, it had an entrance fee of 5 Euros. It was a massive excavation site that was well preserved and protected from the public. Although these were all within reach the guardians were particular if anyone tried to touch the walls. Heaps of frescoes can be seen from a few steps away. Such artifacts added a certain classic and genuine feel to the whole site. Fresco is a technique of mural painting during those days. The etymology of the word comes from the Italian word affresco = "Fresh" , a style closely related to Italian Renaissance Painting.

After some time  of reading, I got back on my quad and had a quick ice cream in the small town of Akrotiri.

lighthouse of Akrotiri

You'd find that there are a lot of dogs wandering around in towns. Some can be intimidating, some owned but not leashed. This one was white and so friendly. However, there was an oddity going on. It seemed to be staring at something on the ground. I couldn't figure out if it was an ant or what. But it just stared for so long that we were scared it would get hit by the car. Well it didn't seem to be bothered. Around the town were vineyards too, and of course cactii and donkeys tied to the trees. It was really cute and charming, not as busy as the other towns. 

I moved on and decided to head for the lighthouse. This has been said to be one of the oldest lighthouse in Greece, constructed back in 1892. It was initially fueled by petrol but eventually used electricity in 1988, radiating a white light in 20 seconds of intervals. I stayed there for a while and hopped on the different rocks on the edge of the island. The colour of the sea, the far away horizon and the sound of the wind was enough to tell me to hand out for a while and savour the moment. There was a french family, a guy and his 2 kids. He was doing a little bit of photography, his son bored with the photo shoots and his daughter so happy to be the foreground. I just watched from a distance. 

views from the garden of the monastery

After my muni muni moments up the rocks, I hopped back on the quad and zoomed back towards town. I wasn't really sure where I was headed. At some point I saw an edifice from a distance and thought that it looked interesting. So I quickly turned right towards the village. To my amazement I found that it was actually the ruins of a castle, free and open to the public. I believe it was once the castle of Akrotiri. 

I eventually found my way to Pyrgos, a village on top of a hill which was once the capital of the island until 1800. It was very windy by the time I got to the start of the village. Along the way was a small restaurant that had views of the highway that led to Fira. I haven't had lunch yet so I stopped there to have a simple pasta meal whilst studying the map. I talked to the owner later on and asked about the mountain top and how I could get up there. Apparently, that's when I learned that there was a monastery. That got me so excited.

It was a challenging and winding road up the monastery. But the views were majestic. The whole stretch of Perissa Beach could be viewed from the top. Also, along the way were what seemed to me a replica of the rice terraces. It was just an awesome site to stare at. I didn't dare stop though because the wind was a little bit treacherous and blocking the traffic on a winding road wasn't the best idea at all. 

The Monastery of Profitis ilias stands tall on the summit, reaching 1856 feet above sea level. It was founded back in 1711 by 2 monks from Pyrgos and it was there that the Greek language and culture was secretly taught during the dark times of Turkish invasion. It was in honour of the Propher Ilias or also known as Elijah.

I lingered for a while and sang my favourite song Lead Me Lord in the small chapel inside the garden. There were a few people who suddenly showed up and payed their respects too. I just missed the saturday service. The lady was actually looking at what I was wearing, most probably thinking it wasn't appropriate for the church service anyways. 

By the time I found my way back down, the sun was starting to find its way below the horizon. I didn't want to go to oia and watch the sunset. I knew for sure it would have been crazy anyway, swarmed with people everywhere. Besides, it would be traffic I assumed. So yeah, I decided to stay on the west side and appreciate the sunset from a different spot of the island. It may not have had the blue domes, but who cares. 

I found myself a cliff and was joined by a few more people. There, lying on my quad bike, I watched the sun set on the enchanting island of Santorini. 

Santorini (Θήρα [ˈθira] - Thira/Thera)

Oia

Santorini is that place off mainland Greece that you see on postcards, where white houses erected on side of slopes are coloured by the blue round tops of such gorgeous architectural design. This island is what remains of an enormous volcanic eruption that happened centuries ago. It is located in the Southern Aegean Sea and is part of the Greek Islands where majority of the tourist would hang out and watch the sunset at Oia, a town on the western tip.

I've always wanted to visit this place. Years ago it seemed so far away. But during those weeks that I've been planning about Greece, I knew the world was my oyster so I grabbed the opportunity to get there and perhaps stay for 2 to 3 days, with the hope that I'd be able to explore the place properly and not just the touristy parts of it.

me & my tan

When you go through websites and try to book ferry tickets, you'll find that they still use the Classical or old Greek names. Santorini was once called Thira or Thera. It was initially named in reference of Saint Irene, the name of the cathedral in the village of Perissa where I've been staying. Perissa Beach is also known as the Black beach because of the black sand. The colloquial name Santorini was then used as the official name during the thirteenth century.

Around the island, you'll find that the map would just tag beaches by naming it as Black Beach, Red Beach, White Beach. All just to define the color of the sand. I reckon the Red Beach didn't live up to the name. I never got to the White Beach though.

The main village/town of the island is called Fira. However, the crowds would usually swarm around Oia, or also known as Apano Meria, the "upper side". It is well known through the postcard photos of sunsets, where the blue domed houses and churches stand still, elegantly against the last rays of the sun. They said you should go there earlier than sunset just to make sure that you find a spot.

The streets were so charming and there was a point where at the end of Oia, just a few blocks away from the windmill, that I got up a wall and sat there for an hour filling up postcards. I knew a lot of people would have loved getting postcards from there. The sun was scorching hot and my tan was getting worse. But I didn't mind at all. Shouldn't really  matter I thought. There were swarms of people, buses, bikes, scooters, quads, rental cars. Heaps of shops could be found around the town, offering a variety of souvenirs. The clothes shops were very tempting, not to mention the different jewelry stores as well. Of course, knowing it was Santorini, i was able to control myself and buying stuff.

The island was actually romantic and sometimes I thought, how great it would have been if I had someone special. But of course, it didn't linger that long coz I was just having a grand time in Santorini.