The bus broke down while driving to the port, leaving a group of us waiting around for fifteen minutes or so for another bus to come, while wondering if we might miss our boat.
Made it to the boat and we sailed into the beautiful blue Aegean, to a small island in the middle of the crater of Santorini called Nea Kameni, which formed in 1707 as a result of volcanic activity under the sea. We went hiking across the island of jumbled volcanic rocks, devoid of any life (other than tourists). Totally amazing. The views in every direction of the sea and the islands against the clear blue sky were stunning.
We then sailed over to another small volcanic island and went swimming in the sea where hot spring water merges with the cold sea water. You're swimming in the sea next to the island, but the water is both hot and cold. Really awesome. It was a little bit of a swim to get there from the boat and there were two older ladies swimming near me. One of them saw me swimming past and complimented me on my swimming. Then she said something along the lines of "It's good you're here, so that you can save us if we need help." In my usual manner of blundering honesty I replied "Well, I won't be helping anyone." I immediately felt like a jerk. But I was thinking in real life terms: trying to save someone who is drowning in open water with no flotation devices around can be a suicide mission, because often they will cling onto you and take both of you down. I once tried to save a friend who got sucked into a rip tide in Hawaii, and quickly had to let her go in order to save myself, and we both ended up fighting for our lives. Luckily we both survived. Meanwhile, the lady at the hot springs was most likely joking around I'm sure. So after that I compensated by showing her how to do the scissors stroke, which she appreciated.
From there we sailed across to Therasia, a small island just across from Santorini. They were both part of the same island until a volcanic eruption in 1600 BC blew the island apart. This is my fourth time to Santorini and I'd never realized there was a village on that smaller island. We sailed to the port there and then I hiked up a path to the top of the island and the village. Along the way I talked with a guy who it turned out was from the country of Saint Helena. Never heard of it? Me neither. It's a tiny island in the South Atlantic (there aren't many islands in the South Atlantic) and its closest neighbor is Asuncion island, which is more than 1,000 kilometers away.
I explored around the small deserted village. No people, but plenty of cats. Typical Greece.
There was one restaurant open, which I went to and ordered a beer. The restaurant was quite busy since the tour boat had come in. The manager of the restaurant was a very kind man who spoke very little English, but instructed me to sit wherever I liked. I sat at a small table. Then later he came over and asked me to move to another small table, and then he seated a couple at the table I'd been at, which had a nicer view. The table he asked me to sit at was the same size as the other one I'd been at before. Kind of annoying to have to move when you're all settled in and enjoying the view, but I guess there was some reason.
After the beer I walked back down the hill to the port and took a swim. The water was incredibly clear and there were a few fish.
We then sailed back across the crater to the main island of Santorini at the port below the town of Ia, where I left the group and hiked up to the town. Ia is the ultimate Santorini sunset spot and where a lot of the quintessential Greek photos are taken of the blue and white buildings perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. A sublime little village, but also packed like sardines with mobs of tourists. After spending the whole day as part of a group tour, I was really over the crowds. I walked around a bit and then went on a smoothie quest. I found a restaurant that had a mixed juice that looked good and went to sit down. The waiters standing there asked if I was there for dinner and I said no, just a juice. They looked around and said "Sorry, we don't have any room", even though I could see several empty tables. Oh well, I get it, they've got to do their business. A little dejected, I walked a little ways up the lane and found a juice bar, where I got a delicious mango, strawberry and coconut smoothie. I bet it was even better than the juice at the other place.
I then walked to the bus stop to catch a bus across the island to where my hotel is, and got there just as a bus was leaving. Waited for the next bus 20 minutes later and caught it to Fira, where I had to change to another bus to go to Perissa. The bus station in Fira is confusing because most of the buses don't have a sign with their destination and there's no one around who is specifically telling people which bus is going where. It's bizarre, considering it's one of the most touristy bus stations in all of Greece. So you have to bother random bus drivers sitting in their buses or washing the windows, and they're not very interested in answering questions about which bus is going where. It would save everyone a lot of hassle if they would just put the destination on a sign in the bus windows. But it is what it is. Eventually I found my bus and as we drove along I watched the sun starting to set into the sea across the volcanic crater, amazing sight.
So yeah, one of those kinds of days. An adventure in a foreign land in which stuff happens, good and bad and you roll with it to the best of your ability. Glad to be back "home" in my peaceful room. Tomorrow is another day in Greece. And that's a good thing (even if I have to change tables at some point).
1 comment:
Life as a traveler is just like life as the rooted: a bit of a mixed bag! It’s fun to read instead of watch and it’s good you’re getting enough of a break to write again. Peace.
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