Santorini

As an addition to "My Greek Retreat" where it was about Athens, I shall attempt to continue to elaborate on the second part of my trip on Santorini Island. Some of the highlights in this part of the trip includes our daily dosage Pita Souvlaki and Greek salad, the colors of Santorini, the thousands of steps of Fira (Thira) and Oia (pronounced as Ee-ya), the pothole and the black cat, ATV exploration, and a Santorini wedding.

It is best to catch the first ferry leaving for Santorini early in the morning (around 7am- 7:20am) and be the first so you can occupy a couple of seats in Goody's, which is at the back of the ferry, to yourself. It will be a six hours journey so you may need the seats to sleep. Note that the seatings are divided into smoking and non-smoking section in this back part. There 4-6 people who laid out their sleeping bags on the top deck (sheltered) of the ferry and slept through the first 4 hours of the journey. They occupied seatings that would otherwise accommodate for 30 people. It's never wrong to be early!

The Blue Star ferry berthed at Pireas lefft for Paros, Naxos, Ios, and finally Thira, Santorini.

The Blue Star ferry.

The Blue Star ferry's mid deck.

First sight of our final destination where everybody has been waiting with full anticipation. All took their camera's out and started to snap away of this sight... including me.

Of Pita and Salad
Kebab stores/shops/kiosks where everywhere on the island and everything that Greeks eat seemed to be grilled. It didn't take long to realize that that could and would most likely the type of food consumed both here on the island and on mainland. However, I never leave my traveled destination without having tasted or experienced a piece (or a slice) of local culture. It may as well be food and/or tradition. This is what I would, usually, go after if it's reasonably priced. Perhaps this may not be the best way to discover a local culture but it is definitely the gold pot of experience that I could bag up as souvenir. After all, as I have always told myself and HF, there is absolutely no point in your travel if you deny yourself to the pleasures of enjoying what you could peculiarly enjoy only in that locality even though you could enjoy the similar experience elsewhere-- it would be different and you know you would not be as satisfied.

At this moment, I very well recalled the time when we were in Venice hunting down to the last narrow streets of Venice and crossed over many canal bridges that dominated the city on water just to have that very special Spaghetti made with squid sauce/ink, otherwise known as Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia.

Spaghetti with Squid's ink, an Italian cuisine, a Venice's specialty.

We had pita's and made Greek salad simply because we didn't want to blow our budget. If it was a honeymoon vacation, having pita and Greek salad would most probably not be a daily ordeal unless, of course, I was going to let my newly wed wifey to pick a fight on topics such as stinginess, penny-wise pound foolish, or the famous 'you don't love me enough'. I don't expect to have veal-sliced-for-you-on-your-plate kind of dinner every day either.

The colors of Santorini is, essentially, the colors of the flag of Greece -- blue and white. In and around the island, buildings are predominantly white whereas the color blue is, perhaps, a privileged color that are usually found painted on domes -- chapels and/or monasteries. There are only a handful of these buildings and, in my limited opinion, I think that is the reason why these white-buildings-blue-dome stands out.

To stand out in your photos, it is perhaps best to wear bright colors (red, sky blue, pink, etc. no yellow please) to contrast the bright glaring background over midday's sun.

Landmark colors of Santorini

Click here for more photos from Santorini.

Getting around

One stretch of the hundreds of steps of Fira.

Fira and Oia is a reasonably sized city on the island that one could explore from end-to-end within a day. You have to be averagely fit as there are hundreds of steps to climb and sloping pathways snaked throughout the city. But otherwise it is not too difficult to get around. I had a theory in which I proposed to HF that we will not get lost because there are no dead-ends and every paths are connected to each other. So, we deliberately "lost" ourselves in one of the pathways and continued on the uncharted paths which led on to another more obscured way. I was right. We ended up back to a main path and threaded back to tourist hotspots.

In Fira, the restaurants are stretched to the ends of a path, while discos and clubs are placed on another. Souvenir stores are similarly located on another stretch of road but they are all next to each other. Most hotels are facing the Caldera (volcano) as with some 'posh' restaurants, where diners are willing to pay for both their food and the view while waiting to watch the sunset of Santorini.

Donkey & Pothole
It was such a bright and beautiful day to begin with on the 6/06 and we were were excited about getting on the boat from the Old Port. Tickets were bought and we were all set to climb to the summit of the caldera, swim in the hot spring of the salty Mediterranean waters, and cool off with platters after platters of fresh seafood which HF have been salivating since she stepped foot on the island. Octopus seemed to be the only thing she talks about.

Silhouette effect with sunset from Fira on June 6.

Silhouette effect with sunset from Fira on June 6.

As we descended the stairs towards Old Port, we let out excitement took over us as we have stadium-view of the entire beautiful scenery of the sea and micro islands. Well, taking pictures too. Six flights of stairs down and 10 minutes passed and we were told by people climbing up that there was going to be another 20 minutes before arriving at the bottom (where the Old Port is). Everything was going very well when my left foot took a dipping and wobbly fell into a 6 inch deep pothole, ankle in first as I descended another step down. It was analogous to deliberately twisting or dislocating your own limb. The force of gravity as I descended and "fell" into the not-supposed-to-be-a-further-six-inch-deep hole had the best of me. I thought I had dislocated, or worse fractured, my left foot. I thought I was okay but realized there I could not walk properly after 6 steps further as the pain got beyond excruciating and unbearable! Shock and trauma set in. Shortness of breath. Heart beat slowed that to the point where I thought it was ten beats per minute! Dizzy and thousands of cold needles like feelings felt in my head. HF pulled me to the side and sat me down on the donkey's poop-and-piss-ridden stinky steps. Didn't mind the skanky pungent any more than catching back my breath. Not so much of "fresh" oxygen though! But an air full of amonia oxide mixture come with bile cream of fibre (grass) wastes with distinct color that none could mistaken it for shit!

People passed by and witness my unfortunate mishap. Donkey "man" (the person who tendered to his donkey herd) passed us and did not even offer a sympathetic help. One stopped by and asked, "Donkey? Ten Euro! You two", as he pointed his finger at both me and HF and to the donkey he was to offer the ride. I said, "No, just ONE donkey. Me. One. Five Euro! One donkey!" He shook his head and raised his voice "No, no. You two. Donkey up! Ten Euro!"

We insisted that we only wanted ONE donkey for me as I could no longer walk the uneven and treacherous steps up. This donkey man walked away without regard. 15 Minutes later, the very same donkey man came to us and said, "You.. one donkey. Okay. Five Euro". I paid him and he helped me got onto one of his medium sized donkey. These donkey men are ever so persistent and pushy. When I was set to go up with his donkey, he looked at me and tried one last time, "She? Donkey? Five Euro? Donkey up!", he points upwards indicating we all should go back up to the donkey station with his donkey. We said no. So we started going up and he walked with my donkey reluctantly as though he has lost his bets on a roulette table.

We missed our rides to the volcano and other islands and the things we planned to do that day. At the Santorini Hospital was where HF was so convinced it was the black cat I played with last night that caused a bad (black) day, not just for me but for us all. I was not the only one with a twisted foot at the hospital. There were 2 others! The doctor advised that I should be able to walk again after 2 days (which will make it June 8). Fabulous! Rested for the remaining hours of day light and watched sunset from our room's balcony (silhouette pictures above).

The donkey HF was on took a very, very, very nasty beating on its ass and head till it bled.

Two days later, knowing how much this trip meant to HF, I tried to bear to pain of walking just to make it up for The Black Day. HF did everything on June 8 and had her donkey ride up from Old port. I was on the donkey again, but this time there was another nasty twist! I was on the last donkey of the entire herd. But this was not it. All donkeys were leashed with a 10ft leash (EXCEPT for HF's donkey), and the donkey in front of me had a VERY gassy stomach! Nevermind the 30 minutes stretch of steps up to the donkey station stank with poops and piss, I got farted right into and at my face by that donkey! (Because we're all ascending, the donkey in front of me is always higher than mine. So, the level of the donkey ass matched the level of my head). To make matters worst, it was a 20-minutes of non-stop fart at my face... and it left an AFTER TASTE on my face and especially on my lips! My t-shirt was all gassed up similar to how perfumes stays on your clothes.

As for HF, because he donkey was THE ONLY donkey that was not leashed, HF's 20 minutes ride up was a real drama! Her donkey, rather small or in fact, the smallest compared to the rests of the herd, was totally out of control. The donkey man of this herd had to come off from his donkey and beat the daylight out of HF's donkey just to keep it walking straight and in the organized manner as the rest of it's colleagues. For 20 minutes, HF was screaming and shouting for her life because the stubborn donkey swinged from wall to wall that HF had to lift her legs up to avoid getting bruised by the walls and rocks. She was two donkeys ahead of me and I saw the donkey bled from the beatings it took!

Look who's talking now? It's Black and White here. The cat's got to be the culprit.

It was an experience. I asked HF if she had enjoyed her ride to which I received no comments... because she was too busy laughing at me, which was good as it took her horror ride away from her mind. I smell of donkey fart, donkey poop, and donkey piss.

The Island with ATV
The next day, I bore the pain just because I did not want to stay back and regret another day. Slowly but surely, with the help of HF I limped up and down the slopes of Fira to the nearest rental shop for an ATV. HF, at this time, went paranoid about me not able to operate the ATV. I was so convinced that she had absolutely no idea what an ATV was. Having repeatedly told her it's like riding a motorcycle or a jetski, her never-ending worry never fail to break the otherwise silent air until after we hopped on it and I drove us away. She asked, "DANNNIIEEEEEEEE!!! How are you gonna stop?! Where's the pedal?!!!?" At this point, I thought a response like "Sorry baby... no pedals here! We ain't gonna stop!"

Look! This is how I bring the ATV to a stop, like brake-flaps on the wings of aircrafts. Welcome to The Black Beach of Kamari.

After the visiting the majestic Red Beach, near Akrotiri.

Touring around the island with a bandaged feet. South of Santorini.

The ride so smooth. It never came across to me how easy it was to maneuvre and operate the ATV, except that there was no reverse function. HF had to push at the front to back up the vehicle!! I only need to steer. ;) Poor girl! With it, we visited the Black Beach (Kamari), and the Red Beach (near Akrotiri). The former is a very beautiful beach consists of black volcanic rocks (pebbles), and the latter red volcanic rocks. They're just marvelous! They are both a majestic site that must not be missed! Both beaches are almost like a nude beach. We then toured around the island from the furthest south to the tip of the island of Oia. The landscapes of Santorini are, indeed, breath-taking! Especially on a beautiful day.

We called it a day after sunset in Oia. It was a bad day for a beautiful sunset as it was too foggy and cloudy. We bumped into Ace Gordon the photographer, a funny chap whom we first met at the ticket counter of Acropolis, Athens.

Sunset from Oia. Sunshade as a substitute filter.

A Santorini Wedding
They say it was like a dream to have a wedding in Santorini island. The sunset view with the occasion was beyond any words in any language to describe. HF has been ranting about this since we landed on the island. Imagine. Just imagine. I would say we were quite lucky to have actually witnessed one such occasion. It stumbled upon us in Fira on our last day in town when we did wish to see one wedding. Violà!

HF thought the groom was a Malaysian. I do not know and I cannot confirm that until I hear him speak. They walked the streets of Fira and down the steps to where their hotel is. That was also where they exchanged their vows and rings. I could only look at HF staring at them with a melting heart.

That's that now. We flew back to Leeds from Santorini airport -- the smallest airport we've ever been to.