Last night was an interesting one. I went to dinner with Sam the Canadian and Neil the Brit. We had a really cool dinner that went on for hours just around the corner from our hostel. Then Neil had to get his train ticket so we walked to Termini to get it. After that, you guessed it, we ended up in the bar back at the hostel.
I am pretty sure besides Big 12 or Harpo's I have never frequented a bar 3 times in 3 days. But it was a good place to hang out and chill and meet other travelers.
So anyway, the aforementioned bartender was there (already the night had improved) and we sat down and started talking. If you have spent any time with me on this trip you know my frustrations with the Canadian flag. It really irks me. But I had a nice long conversation with Sam about the differences between Canadians and Americans and why there is such animosity there. It turns out 2 other Americans were sitting next to us and so they joined in the conversation as well.
After a few more rounds, we had life sorted out. And that's when things really started getting interesting. Neil had left by this point but earlier in the night he was talking about the best bands in the world. I volunteered Dave Matthews as one of them and he said he had never heard of Dave. I was incredulous so then I looked for some DMB on Adrian the Bartender's iPod. Unfortunately, no dice.
The rest of the night was fun and uneventful for the most part. I headed off to Florence this morning. After I got slightly lost leaving the train station I found my hostel. It is built in a really old building, possibly an old castle. Oh wait, no. It smells, so make that the old castle's stables. And I ring this doorbell and open the medieval door. It is dark and I cannot find the light switch to save my life. Then, I saw it was supposed to be on the 1st floor. I ascended into the darkness. And there was no sign or anything. So I called out, Hellooo? and this small voice responded back, Hi. That was it, nothing about come up, go down, turn the lights on, yes you are in the right building, no you didn't just walk into a random old apartment complex... it could go on and on.
But I made it and the room is just about as bad as I imagined. Hopefully I can get the hell out tomorrow and go stay at a different one because it creeps me out thinking I have to stay there. First of all, it is just a huge room reminiscent of the ward they kept Nona in in Como. Second, it smells. Bad. Third, there maybe one other person in the room. Not a good sign that this place is nice.
So after I got settled in I headed out into town. I managed to find the markets, not hard, and more miraculously managed to not buy anything. I went to the Duomo and walked up it. 463 steps... creepy. But the view was amazing and I was glad I did it.
Alright, off to sort out what to do tomorrow seeing as how I need a new room...
My Nap In Ostia Antica
Arrival in Roma. Check.
Arrival at hostel. Check.
Exploration of the city. Check.
Meeting new friends. Check.
It seems the only thing I haven't done yet in Rome is go out. But that changes tonight.
The hostel I am staying at offers free pizza every night at 8:30. What poor traveller in their right mind could possibly pass that up? So I walk in to the bar, a somewhat crowded room, and pick a table with 3 friendly looking girls sitting at it. Apparently they really looked friendly because another girl who didn't know them had just sat down as well.
So, it turns out Abby and Emma are from Britain. They study classics at Birmingham Uni, a perfect match for my sight-seeing in Rome. So we had a great night of drinking somewhat overpriced beer and talking about their travels.
The next day we got up really early and went to the Colosseum. It was really cool to see but I have to say not as awe-inspiring as I thought initially. After seeing Aida performed in the Verona Colosseum, just walking around another one wasn't as cool, but still worth it to go. Then we walked all around the Palatine and the Forum. After that, we grabbed some food and headed off on the train to Ostia Antica, the old Roman port town.
I was extremely tired from getting back from Egypt and not sleeping much for a week. So, after we walked around for a while and then got food I decided to take a nap. The only problem was I had some criteria for the nap.
1. On a bench - not on the ground
2. Somewhat out of the way so as not to be disturbed
3. Not some place I would get yelled at
4. Half shade, half sun
After perusing through the streets for a few minutes I chose to lie on a stone block. It fit the criteria well and I settled in, putting my bag under my head.
And then the dream began.
I was a Roman citizen, walking around the city. I just wanted to buy some bread but everyone kept telling me that they didn't sell bread in the port. It was so lucid I swear I was there. And then I woke up to some German tourists walking by and I was so confused.
After we headed back into the city, the girls and I got ready for the night. We were all going to go eat dinner together but I got talking to the bartender whom I had joked with the night before. He is Aussie, from Melbourne... and he got his degree in journalism as well. He pretty much wants to do exactly the same thing I am doing down in Sydney. And as if that weren't crazy enough, he plays soccer. Defensive Center Mid. Crazy!
So after another busy day today where we went to see the Vatican here I sit. No free pizza again, tonight I will pay for my dinner. (Which will probably consist of pizza)
We got up early and went to the Vatican thinking we would beat the crowd. Turns out, no, we were in the middle of the crowd. After 2 hours of waiting we hustled through to see the Sistine Chapel. At least I can say I've done it. After that, a brief jaunt over to St. Peter's and then a leisurely lunch.
Off to Firenze tomorrow and probably a crazy night tonight.
Arrival at hostel. Check.
Exploration of the city. Check.
Meeting new friends. Check.
It seems the only thing I haven't done yet in Rome is go out. But that changes tonight.
The hostel I am staying at offers free pizza every night at 8:30. What poor traveller in their right mind could possibly pass that up? So I walk in to the bar, a somewhat crowded room, and pick a table with 3 friendly looking girls sitting at it. Apparently they really looked friendly because another girl who didn't know them had just sat down as well.
So, it turns out Abby and Emma are from Britain. They study classics at Birmingham Uni, a perfect match for my sight-seeing in Rome. So we had a great night of drinking somewhat overpriced beer and talking about their travels.
The next day we got up really early and went to the Colosseum. It was really cool to see but I have to say not as awe-inspiring as I thought initially. After seeing Aida performed in the Verona Colosseum, just walking around another one wasn't as cool, but still worth it to go. Then we walked all around the Palatine and the Forum. After that, we grabbed some food and headed off on the train to Ostia Antica, the old Roman port town.
I was extremely tired from getting back from Egypt and not sleeping much for a week. So, after we walked around for a while and then got food I decided to take a nap. The only problem was I had some criteria for the nap.
1. On a bench - not on the ground
2. Somewhat out of the way so as not to be disturbed
3. Not some place I would get yelled at
4. Half shade, half sun
After perusing through the streets for a few minutes I chose to lie on a stone block. It fit the criteria well and I settled in, putting my bag under my head.
And then the dream began.
I was a Roman citizen, walking around the city. I just wanted to buy some bread but everyone kept telling me that they didn't sell bread in the port. It was so lucid I swear I was there. And then I woke up to some German tourists walking by and I was so confused.
After we headed back into the city, the girls and I got ready for the night. We were all going to go eat dinner together but I got talking to the bartender whom I had joked with the night before. He is Aussie, from Melbourne... and he got his degree in journalism as well. He pretty much wants to do exactly the same thing I am doing down in Sydney. And as if that weren't crazy enough, he plays soccer. Defensive Center Mid. Crazy!
So after another busy day today where we went to see the Vatican here I sit. No free pizza again, tonight I will pay for my dinner. (Which will probably consist of pizza)
We got up early and went to the Vatican thinking we would beat the crowd. Turns out, no, we were in the middle of the crowd. After 2 hours of waiting we hustled through to see the Sistine Chapel. At least I can say I've done it. After that, a brief jaunt over to St. Peter's and then a leisurely lunch.
Off to Firenze tomorrow and probably a crazy night tonight.
This May Be A Stupid Question But Is That The Nile? and My Price in Camels
Okay, here are just a few funny stories from the 10 days that were Egypt.
Day 1. After arriving via the "Death Cabs for Carla" to the hotel, I met with Mom. We went to this guy named Ali's shop because he had every tour sorted out. Mom had made friends with him when she was waiting for me to arrive. We went and bought cartouches at his store. A cartouche is the Egyptian symbol of your name in hieroglyphics. He wanted us to buy pretty much everything in the store but we needed to get back to the hotel and we didn't want to buy everything the first day. Let me tell you that Ali had some weird disease where he had no body hair. And his eyebrows were tatooed on. He looked like Yule Brenner as Ramses in the 10 Commandments.
We go to the meeting and who greets us but Shady, our tour leader. He is about 6'5'' and very handsome. We sit down as the only people at the meeting so far and I looked out of the rooftop view. There was a river. I was tired. It was hot. Stupidly or rather, Carla-esquely, I asked if it was the Nile. Insert snort of indignation from Shady. Then, I ordered a Coke. Our waiter seemed to be missing a few screws and though we were virtually the only people in the entire restaurant, it took him about 20 minutes and 5 requests for the Coke for it to come. Shady already had one sitting on the table, unopened and gave it to me. There was a Coke. I was tired. It was hot. I opened the Coke with one hand not realizing the pop top lids are different. The Coke went flying all over his paperwork and me. Fantastic, already off to a great start.
After that, the night was quite uneventful. The next day we went to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
I went into the tomb of the second Pyramid. Let me set the scene for you: It is about 100 degrees, there are tourists everywhere. Far off (or not so far off) a camel bellows. There are Egyptian men and children selling everything. You are accosted by the smell of some sort of feces. And then, you go into this tiny little shaft with hundreds of people in front and behind you. So, I'm walking down into the darkness and I don't know why but I expected it to be cooler under the ground. So. Wrong. As I walk, my head is dangerously close to a Spanish man's butt. I hope he hasn't had enough time in Egypt to eat anything disagreeable. And we walk. And walk. And we are stooped over at a 90 degree angle. The steps finally level out and you can virtually stand. Then the smell hits your nostrils. It is something between sweaty tourists, mummified organs and barley. Not exactly sure where the barley is coming from. Then, we have to walk uphill. The butt is getting closer to my face and I am terrified he will abruptly stop and I will have to apologize profusely. Finally, the passage opens into the main chamber. It is tall and dark. But still, 150 degrees. Scrawled on the wall is the name of the Italian who discovered countless relics in Egypt... Marco something B_____. Funny, huh?
We trek back up the shaft and I can say I was inside the Pyramids.
The next day we went to Saqqara and the step Pyramid. Nothing too exciting happened except for the two-toothed man on a donkey who wanted me to take his picture. He just kept saying, Hey! and laughing his horrible laugh. I was too horrified to take a picture, not to mention then I would have to pay him. I think I may have taken one off the hip shot and immortalized two-tooth for everyone to see. Lord knows I have his image branded in my head. Heh heh heh!!! Hey!
We were on a cruise ship on the Nile for 3 nights and somehow we got upgraded to a 5-star boat. It was great and took us out of the abject poverty for part of the day. We had a dress up party where everyone was supposed to wear traditional dresses. They are called galabrias and everyone sells them in their shops. So we all wear them, all the people in our group. Apparently, the rest of the tour boat didn't get the Memo because they showed up dressed normally. And they stared at us. Mom had gotten this beaded hat thing with tassles that hung down all around her head. She was having a blast as anyone who has ever gone to a wedding with my parents knows. Dancing all around and doing the crazy camel move from belly-dance class, she was a riot. Also there was Sandy dancing, doing a crazy version of the bop I guess. Sandy wanted some lessons in Bellydance and so Mom told her about a move where you put your arms up and paint the corners. After a while, Sandy asked Mom if she could paint the front, her arms were getting tired of painting the corners.
We all got a little too tipsy but had a blast doing it. Shady did a traditional bellydance for men and taught Mark the Pohm how to do it as well. It was crazy to think boys could move their hips like that. Look out, Shakira.
And meanwhile, during this whole escapade on the boat there was a character so lovable, so eccentric that we named her Miss Marple. She was elderly, alone and the cutest thing ever. Everytime she would see me, her face would light up and she had this funny little grin on her face. She was everywhere and nowhere at once. She always made appearances and we started looking for her around the boat. The best thing was, she always appeared! The night of the fancy dress party, Bingo was supposed to happen in the main room before dancing. Miss Marple was all set for Bingo but nobody else was. After an hour of waiting around they announced Bingo was cancelled. Her face looked as if she had just taken a drink of water from the Nile. And then she saw all of us and she was so confused the old dear.
We had 2 overnight train trips to and from Cairo. The first involved a screaming toddler (my favorite) and the second involved a snoring moose-man with a we-Pod. Both were memorable experiences which I think I will gladly no do again.
So after all of that, Mom and I ended up back in Cairo. We took an afternoon to go see Dave and Colleen Daughenbaugh, 2 expatriates living just outside of Cairo in Maadi. It was hellish getting there by taxi.
Mistake number 1, we took our cabs to the BAH-zar to try and get a nicer cab to go out there. Wrong. After we commissioned a cab that looked relatively nice on the outside, it was crap on the inside. My window was broken. It smelled and had no AC. The cab driver picks us up and then stops a few minutes down the road. In to the cab comes a large sack of potatoes, literally, and then 2 women resembling large sacks of potatoes. They start shouting with the cab driver and one of them is his mother. Egyptians always sound angry when they talk to eachother. They could just be saying, Hi, how is your day going? but it sounds like I hate you and you smell bad and I am sweating under my burqa! They continue this as we make a huge loop into the city. We eventually turn around a roundabout and go precisely past where we were picked up. Uugh! I am really getting pissed! Especially when suddenly the cab driver decides he has a problem with the phlegm built up for years in the back of his throat and decides to clear it out.
Spit. Yell. Honk. Hot. Stop the Car. Spit. Yell. Honk. Spit. Honk. Honk. Yell. Yell. Yell.
After we drop off the "ladies" as I will call them, we made it to Maadi and after several questions of direction, to Colleen's house. That was the most memorable cab drive of my life. Spit.
Not too much more, my patient readers. Just one last ditty about how I almost managed to get an Egyptian-Italian husband who lives in Addis Ababa? He sat next to me on the plane. He thought he knew me, yadda yadda. I told him I played soccer, and I think he fell in love right there. He asked if I had a husband or boyfriend. I lied and said I had a strapping Australian boyfriend meeting me in Rome. He still persisted and gave me his phone number in the off chance I will ever be in Addis. Little did he know, I am actually flying through Addis Ababa on my way to Kenya. Conveniently, that stayed out of the conversation.
When the customs officer in Cairo asked me if the man standing next to my was my husband, I replied no. He asked why not? After a brief pause, I said nobody could afford me.
I am worth too many camels.
Day 1. After arriving via the "Death Cabs for Carla" to the hotel, I met with Mom. We went to this guy named Ali's shop because he had every tour sorted out. Mom had made friends with him when she was waiting for me to arrive. We went and bought cartouches at his store. A cartouche is the Egyptian symbol of your name in hieroglyphics. He wanted us to buy pretty much everything in the store but we needed to get back to the hotel and we didn't want to buy everything the first day. Let me tell you that Ali had some weird disease where he had no body hair. And his eyebrows were tatooed on. He looked like Yule Brenner as Ramses in the 10 Commandments.
We go to the meeting and who greets us but Shady, our tour leader. He is about 6'5'' and very handsome. We sit down as the only people at the meeting so far and I looked out of the rooftop view. There was a river. I was tired. It was hot. Stupidly or rather, Carla-esquely, I asked if it was the Nile. Insert snort of indignation from Shady. Then, I ordered a Coke. Our waiter seemed to be missing a few screws and though we were virtually the only people in the entire restaurant, it took him about 20 minutes and 5 requests for the Coke for it to come. Shady already had one sitting on the table, unopened and gave it to me. There was a Coke. I was tired. It was hot. I opened the Coke with one hand not realizing the pop top lids are different. The Coke went flying all over his paperwork and me. Fantastic, already off to a great start.
After that, the night was quite uneventful. The next day we went to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
I went into the tomb of the second Pyramid. Let me set the scene for you: It is about 100 degrees, there are tourists everywhere. Far off (or not so far off) a camel bellows. There are Egyptian men and children selling everything. You are accosted by the smell of some sort of feces. And then, you go into this tiny little shaft with hundreds of people in front and behind you. So, I'm walking down into the darkness and I don't know why but I expected it to be cooler under the ground. So. Wrong. As I walk, my head is dangerously close to a Spanish man's butt. I hope he hasn't had enough time in Egypt to eat anything disagreeable. And we walk. And walk. And we are stooped over at a 90 degree angle. The steps finally level out and you can virtually stand. Then the smell hits your nostrils. It is something between sweaty tourists, mummified organs and barley. Not exactly sure where the barley is coming from. Then, we have to walk uphill. The butt is getting closer to my face and I am terrified he will abruptly stop and I will have to apologize profusely. Finally, the passage opens into the main chamber. It is tall and dark. But still, 150 degrees. Scrawled on the wall is the name of the Italian who discovered countless relics in Egypt... Marco something B_____. Funny, huh?
We trek back up the shaft and I can say I was inside the Pyramids.
The next day we went to Saqqara and the step Pyramid. Nothing too exciting happened except for the two-toothed man on a donkey who wanted me to take his picture. He just kept saying, Hey! and laughing his horrible laugh. I was too horrified to take a picture, not to mention then I would have to pay him. I think I may have taken one off the hip shot and immortalized two-tooth for everyone to see. Lord knows I have his image branded in my head. Heh heh heh!!! Hey!
We were on a cruise ship on the Nile for 3 nights and somehow we got upgraded to a 5-star boat. It was great and took us out of the abject poverty for part of the day. We had a dress up party where everyone was supposed to wear traditional dresses. They are called galabrias and everyone sells them in their shops. So we all wear them, all the people in our group. Apparently, the rest of the tour boat didn't get the Memo because they showed up dressed normally. And they stared at us. Mom had gotten this beaded hat thing with tassles that hung down all around her head. She was having a blast as anyone who has ever gone to a wedding with my parents knows. Dancing all around and doing the crazy camel move from belly-dance class, she was a riot. Also there was Sandy dancing, doing a crazy version of the bop I guess. Sandy wanted some lessons in Bellydance and so Mom told her about a move where you put your arms up and paint the corners. After a while, Sandy asked Mom if she could paint the front, her arms were getting tired of painting the corners.
We all got a little too tipsy but had a blast doing it. Shady did a traditional bellydance for men and taught Mark the Pohm how to do it as well. It was crazy to think boys could move their hips like that. Look out, Shakira.
And meanwhile, during this whole escapade on the boat there was a character so lovable, so eccentric that we named her Miss Marple. She was elderly, alone and the cutest thing ever. Everytime she would see me, her face would light up and she had this funny little grin on her face. She was everywhere and nowhere at once. She always made appearances and we started looking for her around the boat. The best thing was, she always appeared! The night of the fancy dress party, Bingo was supposed to happen in the main room before dancing. Miss Marple was all set for Bingo but nobody else was. After an hour of waiting around they announced Bingo was cancelled. Her face looked as if she had just taken a drink of water from the Nile. And then she saw all of us and she was so confused the old dear.
We had 2 overnight train trips to and from Cairo. The first involved a screaming toddler (my favorite) and the second involved a snoring moose-man with a we-Pod. Both were memorable experiences which I think I will gladly no do again.
So after all of that, Mom and I ended up back in Cairo. We took an afternoon to go see Dave and Colleen Daughenbaugh, 2 expatriates living just outside of Cairo in Maadi. It was hellish getting there by taxi.
Mistake number 1, we took our cabs to the BAH-zar to try and get a nicer cab to go out there. Wrong. After we commissioned a cab that looked relatively nice on the outside, it was crap on the inside. My window was broken. It smelled and had no AC. The cab driver picks us up and then stops a few minutes down the road. In to the cab comes a large sack of potatoes, literally, and then 2 women resembling large sacks of potatoes. They start shouting with the cab driver and one of them is his mother. Egyptians always sound angry when they talk to eachother. They could just be saying, Hi, how is your day going? but it sounds like I hate you and you smell bad and I am sweating under my burqa! They continue this as we make a huge loop into the city. We eventually turn around a roundabout and go precisely past where we were picked up. Uugh! I am really getting pissed! Especially when suddenly the cab driver decides he has a problem with the phlegm built up for years in the back of his throat and decides to clear it out.
Spit. Yell. Honk. Hot. Stop the Car. Spit. Yell. Honk. Spit. Honk. Honk. Yell. Yell. Yell.
After we drop off the "ladies" as I will call them, we made it to Maadi and after several questions of direction, to Colleen's house. That was the most memorable cab drive of my life. Spit.
Not too much more, my patient readers. Just one last ditty about how I almost managed to get an Egyptian-Italian husband who lives in Addis Ababa? He sat next to me on the plane. He thought he knew me, yadda yadda. I told him I played soccer, and I think he fell in love right there. He asked if I had a husband or boyfriend. I lied and said I had a strapping Australian boyfriend meeting me in Rome. He still persisted and gave me his phone number in the off chance I will ever be in Addis. Little did he know, I am actually flying through Addis Ababa on my way to Kenya. Conveniently, that stayed out of the conversation.
When the customs officer in Cairo asked me if the man standing next to my was my husband, I replied no. He asked why not? After a brief pause, I said nobody could afford me.
I am worth too many camels.
Flumping and More in Egypt!
This will be the world's shortest blog entry.
Tonight we are in Luxor. We head on an overnight train (my favorite) back to Cairo. This week we went to the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Temple of Edfu and many many more. This morning we woke up at 3:30am and rode hot air balloons over the Nile and Luxor.
Internet is patchy which is why I haven't blogged but there are many crazy episodes to come including the night we all got a bit crazy at the "Fancy Dress Party."
Egypt is amazing, even amidst all the blazing heat and offers for anything under the sun. Great time, filled with even greater people.
Time to go buy some more cartouches!
Tonight we are in Luxor. We head on an overnight train (my favorite) back to Cairo. This week we went to the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Karnak, Abu Simbel, the Temple of Edfu and many many more. This morning we woke up at 3:30am and rode hot air balloons over the Nile and Luxor.
Internet is patchy which is why I haven't blogged but there are many crazy episodes to come including the night we all got a bit crazy at the "Fancy Dress Party."
Egypt is amazing, even amidst all the blazing heat and offers for anything under the sun. Great time, filled with even greater people.
Time to go buy some more cartouches!
Artemis Quotes
Because we loved Artemis so much, here are a few of our favorite quotes from her:
After eating, "Excuse mee. I just eat, so I burp."
On the phone when we have a question, "Iz okaay, just a friend. No important, I hang up."
On which restaurant to eat at, "All de same. All good. (same shit)"
To French customers, "I am so-ah happy becuz we don't-a c-have France peeple. I want to make-a the connection."
About her eldest son, "He iz my favorite."
On carrying the luggage to the car, "My husband-a do it. You are womans. He carry it for you."
After eating, "Excuse mee. I just eat, so I burp."
On the phone when we have a question, "Iz okaay, just a friend. No important, I hang up."
On which restaurant to eat at, "All de same. All good. (same shit)"
To French customers, "I am so-ah happy becuz we don't-a c-have France peeple. I want to make-a the connection."
About her eldest son, "He iz my favorite."
On carrying the luggage to the car, "My husband-a do it. You are womans. He carry it for you."
The World's Highest Man Made Cactus
Maggie and I rented an ATV and I can honestly say it was top 5 for my Greece trip experiences. The thing was blue and it was a trip to drive. We started out driving over to Kamari Beach and then up to Ancient Fira. After the first jaunt the road turned into rough stones, but Blue handled it just fine. Coming down was another story.
At the top we met a man who had just hiked up the mountain from Perissa on the other side. He set off as we stayed on top and took more pictures so he had a bit of a headstart but we caught up with him on the way back down. I didn't want to burn the brakes out on the ATV so I put it into neutral and coasted down. But this man was running down the hill and beating us on the ATV. He was my hero.
After that, we headed over to Akrotiri where the ruins are. But 2 years ago Akrotiri had a serious accident and I believe killed 2 tourists. So the sight is shut down at least for the season. After that, we tooled on over to what we thought was this really cool lighthouse. Turns out, not so cool of a lighthouse and then the gas light started flashing. We then headed down to the Red beach, black beach and white beach. I was concerned we weren't going to make it out considering there are hardly any petrol stations on that side of the island. The whole way after the trip to the red beach I was really concerned we would have to walk to get gas. Maggie said I became really quiet and got nervous. We ended up pulling in and filling up the tank... for 7 euros. And it was full for the whole next day. Thank god for small engines!
We then decided to do some wine tastings, but the really cool places were closed for the season. We passed a Mexican Restaurant named Senor Zorba's on the way down and decided to go back and have dinner there. We walked in and saw a small plaque stating this was the location of the World's Highest Man Man Cactus as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Only problem was, there was no cactus to be seen.
We ordered bean burritos and hoped for the best. I went to the bathroom and noticed inside the walls were covered in Colorado license plates. I asked the cook why they had them all the way in Santorini and he told me that his boss was originally from Colorado. Bingo, insert great tasting Mexican food all the way in Greece. And it was amazing!
We sat and watched the sunset and then headed back into Perissa to get cleaned up to go out. After a bottle of champagne between the two of us, we caught the bus into Fira. As of 3 weeks ago, Perissa was packed. Now, on a Saturday night we were the only 2 people on the bus. We weren't expecting much for the night. We decided to stop and have a drink on the way to Koo club, where the waiter from the previous night had recommended we go. We stopped at this bar called the 2 Brother's and had sangria. Not 10 minutes in were we sent over shots of Ouzo, yes, thanks, from 2 guys. I am pretty sure the guy talking to me had a tooth, but I couldn't be certain. Maggie's worked for the Port Authority and could have stepped out of SuperTroopers. We hiked it out of there and headed to Koo.
Wow, what a scene. Maggie and I marvelled where all these good looking, seemingly wealthy young people had emerged from. A night of dancing (I asked the DJ's bouncer if I could request a song and his reply was, No.) and then we headed back down to the bus at 4:00 am.
We got up the next day to check out and hang out around Perissa. Artemis lovely told us wherever we go for breakfast would be good. Same shit. (This quote stuck with us from our taxi driver in Lefkada who could have been Gene Simmons from Kiss, we aren't sure)
We spent the day hunting for my Bust that I wanted to send home and shopping in Fira. Getting the bus back to Perissa was a mess because we didn't hear the man eating the Pita Gyro say Perissa.
After that, we headed to the port at 9 to catch the ferry back to Athens. Apparently the only seats left were Business Class which is why it was so expensive. So Maggie and I, worn and weary from our adventures, slept in the BC cabin which was no different than coach except for it's fancy name. At 1 am we rolled up to Piraeus in search of our hotel. I was bound and determined to walk to it instead of taking a cab. But after we walked for 20 minutes and ended up in a sketchy ghetto area, we wanted to take a cab. Problem: nobody knew our hotel. Problem: we were too close for cabs to want to drive us. Problem: we had no idea where it was.
Finally this crazy cab driver (after getting yelled at by a car full of cops) picked us up. He had no idea where to go, or what the English language was. Dimotiko we kept telling him. Round and round he kept driving. Uugh, I was so pissed off at damn Greek cab drivers by this point I just wanted to get out but we had to make it to the Argo.
Finally we made it. Just enough time for Mags to shower in my room, head back to the airport and for me to get 3 hours of sleep. I woke up the next morning and headed for the hour long bus trip to the airport. Everybody in Greece had the same idea as me though and I had to stand the whole way, meanwhile trying to avoid puking from motion sickness and puking from the horrid B.O. somebody near me was emitting.
I made it to the airport, long story short. Then, I landed in Egypt. (Isn't it amazing how much faster it is to tell the story as opposed to living the story) I was supposed to get picked up by a man who lived in Rockford and now lives in Cairo. But I didn't see him. And I am a white, western girl traveling alone in Egypt. Smart, I know. After 30 or so Egyptian men approached me for a ride I made a friend. Not hard to do. I guess I semi-trusted him and so got a cab to my hotel. An hour later... we were still no where to be found. The name of the hotel was Pharoah's Hotel. I got dropped off at Pharoah's Egypt Hotel. After the cab driver left, I figured out it was the wrong one.
So, I got in another cab to my correct hotel. Get excited, my cab driver was straight out of Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh. He was quite eccentric and his car was even worse. Whereas my previous cab had air conditioning, doors and seat belts, this one had windows that wouldn't close, half doors and a smoking driver. 20 minutes later I was dropped off in front of the Pharoah's. I went in to check it was the right one before letting him leave.
Phew.
So here is where I am. Cairo, connected with my Mom and so psyched to see the Pyramids and other ancient things I have waited my whole life to see. It is bloody hot and everyone has a friend/uncle/cousin who has the best deal on paintings/jewelry/internet. It's like Bangkok all over again...
Artemis quotes
At the top we met a man who had just hiked up the mountain from Perissa on the other side. He set off as we stayed on top and took more pictures so he had a bit of a headstart but we caught up with him on the way back down. I didn't want to burn the brakes out on the ATV so I put it into neutral and coasted down. But this man was running down the hill and beating us on the ATV. He was my hero.
After that, we headed over to Akrotiri where the ruins are. But 2 years ago Akrotiri had a serious accident and I believe killed 2 tourists. So the sight is shut down at least for the season. After that, we tooled on over to what we thought was this really cool lighthouse. Turns out, not so cool of a lighthouse and then the gas light started flashing. We then headed down to the Red beach, black beach and white beach. I was concerned we weren't going to make it out considering there are hardly any petrol stations on that side of the island. The whole way after the trip to the red beach I was really concerned we would have to walk to get gas. Maggie said I became really quiet and got nervous. We ended up pulling in and filling up the tank... for 7 euros. And it was full for the whole next day. Thank god for small engines!
We then decided to do some wine tastings, but the really cool places were closed for the season. We passed a Mexican Restaurant named Senor Zorba's on the way down and decided to go back and have dinner there. We walked in and saw a small plaque stating this was the location of the World's Highest Man Man Cactus as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Only problem was, there was no cactus to be seen.
We ordered bean burritos and hoped for the best. I went to the bathroom and noticed inside the walls were covered in Colorado license plates. I asked the cook why they had them all the way in Santorini and he told me that his boss was originally from Colorado. Bingo, insert great tasting Mexican food all the way in Greece. And it was amazing!
We sat and watched the sunset and then headed back into Perissa to get cleaned up to go out. After a bottle of champagne between the two of us, we caught the bus into Fira. As of 3 weeks ago, Perissa was packed. Now, on a Saturday night we were the only 2 people on the bus. We weren't expecting much for the night. We decided to stop and have a drink on the way to Koo club, where the waiter from the previous night had recommended we go. We stopped at this bar called the 2 Brother's and had sangria. Not 10 minutes in were we sent over shots of Ouzo, yes, thanks, from 2 guys. I am pretty sure the guy talking to me had a tooth, but I couldn't be certain. Maggie's worked for the Port Authority and could have stepped out of SuperTroopers. We hiked it out of there and headed to Koo.
Wow, what a scene. Maggie and I marvelled where all these good looking, seemingly wealthy young people had emerged from. A night of dancing (I asked the DJ's bouncer if I could request a song and his reply was, No.) and then we headed back down to the bus at 4:00 am.
We got up the next day to check out and hang out around Perissa. Artemis lovely told us wherever we go for breakfast would be good. Same shit. (This quote stuck with us from our taxi driver in Lefkada who could have been Gene Simmons from Kiss, we aren't sure)
We spent the day hunting for my Bust that I wanted to send home and shopping in Fira. Getting the bus back to Perissa was a mess because we didn't hear the man eating the Pita Gyro say Perissa.
After that, we headed to the port at 9 to catch the ferry back to Athens. Apparently the only seats left were Business Class which is why it was so expensive. So Maggie and I, worn and weary from our adventures, slept in the BC cabin which was no different than coach except for it's fancy name. At 1 am we rolled up to Piraeus in search of our hotel. I was bound and determined to walk to it instead of taking a cab. But after we walked for 20 minutes and ended up in a sketchy ghetto area, we wanted to take a cab. Problem: nobody knew our hotel. Problem: we were too close for cabs to want to drive us. Problem: we had no idea where it was.
Finally this crazy cab driver (after getting yelled at by a car full of cops) picked us up. He had no idea where to go, or what the English language was. Dimotiko we kept telling him. Round and round he kept driving. Uugh, I was so pissed off at damn Greek cab drivers by this point I just wanted to get out but we had to make it to the Argo.
Finally we made it. Just enough time for Mags to shower in my room, head back to the airport and for me to get 3 hours of sleep. I woke up the next morning and headed for the hour long bus trip to the airport. Everybody in Greece had the same idea as me though and I had to stand the whole way, meanwhile trying to avoid puking from motion sickness and puking from the horrid B.O. somebody near me was emitting.
I made it to the airport, long story short. Then, I landed in Egypt. (Isn't it amazing how much faster it is to tell the story as opposed to living the story) I was supposed to get picked up by a man who lived in Rockford and now lives in Cairo. But I didn't see him. And I am a white, western girl traveling alone in Egypt. Smart, I know. After 30 or so Egyptian men approached me for a ride I made a friend. Not hard to do. I guess I semi-trusted him and so got a cab to my hotel. An hour later... we were still no where to be found. The name of the hotel was Pharoah's Hotel. I got dropped off at Pharoah's Egypt Hotel. After the cab driver left, I figured out it was the wrong one.
So, I got in another cab to my correct hotel. Get excited, my cab driver was straight out of Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh. He was quite eccentric and his car was even worse. Whereas my previous cab had air conditioning, doors and seat belts, this one had windows that wouldn't close, half doors and a smoking driver. 20 minutes later I was dropped off in front of the Pharoah's. I went in to check it was the right one before letting him leave.
Phew.
So here is where I am. Cairo, connected with my Mom and so psyched to see the Pyramids and other ancient things I have waited my whole life to see. It is bloody hot and everyone has a friend/uncle/cousin who has the best deal on paintings/jewelry/internet. It's like Bangkok all over again...
Artemis quotes
Don't Ever Bet Against Me
Mags and I fiiiinally made it to Santorini. We took a ferry at the crack of dawn and made it down, sleeping the whole way. And by sleeping I mean curling up in obscure positions where some body part falls asleep at least 10 minutes in and you have to readjust, fall back asleep and repeat the whole process over again.
We made it to our lovely hotel/hostel which is really cheap and the owners are amazing. The woman's name is Artemis and her husband is so cute as well. She was giving us the low-down on what to do around Perissa and the island and she burped a few times.
In her broken English, "Exscuse mee. I just aaate. Dis is why I..."
Our kind of girl.
So then Mags and I got unpacked (We get to stay 2 whole days!) and walked over to the beach. We ate at my favorite restaurant again and realized we hadn't really eaten anything that day. I ate a whole pizza and it was dericious. We then headed back to the hotel to sort out how to get to Oia for the famous sunset.
After waiting for a bus for a long time in the sweltering, yes sweltering 40C degree heat we got on a bus. The buses here are a cut above; coach with air conditioning. How they maneuver through the streets is beyond me. We made it to Thera where we caught another bus to Oia and walked around to watch the sunset. Mags and I stopped at a cafe overlooking the sight and drank Vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine, and waited for the sun to set. It was special, again. We got some great shots of the sun setting through our small wine glasses which may be one of my top pictures I have taken yet.
After that we made our way slowly back to Perissa and went to the beach to go eat dinner.
This is where things got interesting. Our waiter was cute and could tell we sat down close to the tv projecting the AC Milan-Sevilla Euro Cup final. He asked me who I was supporting and I said AC because I have some Italian futbol loyalties. At that point, AC was losing 1-0. I said that AC would come back and win 3-1 and he agreed that if they did, our meals were free. If not, they were double the price.
If you know anything about me, you know NEVER TO BET AGAINST ME. 1 goal down, 2 and then the third from none other than my favorite player Kaka. He got a bit nervous and turns out our meal wasn't free. But, we did get enormous free Mythos (mythical) beers out of the thing. And we scored info on where to go out in Thera tonight.
Off to rent an ATV and tool around the island. I am sure it will provide plenty of information for the next blog...
We made it to our lovely hotel/hostel which is really cheap and the owners are amazing. The woman's name is Artemis and her husband is so cute as well. She was giving us the low-down on what to do around Perissa and the island and she burped a few times.
In her broken English, "Exscuse mee. I just aaate. Dis is why I..."
Our kind of girl.
So then Mags and I got unpacked (We get to stay 2 whole days!) and walked over to the beach. We ate at my favorite restaurant again and realized we hadn't really eaten anything that day. I ate a whole pizza and it was dericious. We then headed back to the hotel to sort out how to get to Oia for the famous sunset.
After waiting for a bus for a long time in the sweltering, yes sweltering 40C degree heat we got on a bus. The buses here are a cut above; coach with air conditioning. How they maneuver through the streets is beyond me. We made it to Thera where we caught another bus to Oia and walked around to watch the sunset. Mags and I stopped at a cafe overlooking the sight and drank Vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine, and waited for the sun to set. It was special, again. We got some great shots of the sun setting through our small wine glasses which may be one of my top pictures I have taken yet.
After that we made our way slowly back to Perissa and went to the beach to go eat dinner.
This is where things got interesting. Our waiter was cute and could tell we sat down close to the tv projecting the AC Milan-Sevilla Euro Cup final. He asked me who I was supporting and I said AC because I have some Italian futbol loyalties. At that point, AC was losing 1-0. I said that AC would come back and win 3-1 and he agreed that if they did, our meals were free. If not, they were double the price.
If you know anything about me, you know NEVER TO BET AGAINST ME. 1 goal down, 2 and then the third from none other than my favorite player Kaka. He got a bit nervous and turns out our meal wasn't free. But, we did get enormous free Mythos (mythical) beers out of the thing. And we scored info on where to go out in Thera tonight.
Off to rent an ATV and tool around the island. I am sure it will provide plenty of information for the next blog...
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