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Published: July 18th 2015
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July 16, 2015 - Today is my nephew's 15th birthday. Seriously, when did that happen? He was just 6. This morning I woke up before my alarm, as always. Had my breakfast, packed up, and headed out at 7:25am for the 8am bus. I made it with no trouble, and even had some waiting time before the bus left. But it was already there when I arrived, and not many people were waiting, so I put my backpack under the bus and was the first one on, in the first seat with nothing obstructing my view. I read a little about Pafos, my destination, and then slept for a bit. It was a two hour ride, which was kind of nice. I like longer rides – I find them relaxing.
When I arrived, I wandered around with my map, trying to find the way to the guesthouse. It was harder than it looked. Like always. No roads were labeled, and no streets were straight. Eventually I found the info office, somehow, and asked some questions, including where was the street I was looking for? Luckily I was close, and it was easy enough to find from there. I checked in
and then headed back to the info office for another couple of questions, including if there was a shoe repair place nearby. Turns out there was! Right around the corner. I talked to the guy and went back to get my shoes, realizing it might be happening to the other shoe as well. And it was. So he’s going to fix them, ready for pick-up tomorrow, for only 6 euros! Very exciting. Especially now that my flip flops look like they could break at any time. Score one for me!
From there, I found the bus and headed down to the other part of Pafos. There are two centers, about 3 km apart. I took the bus to the harbor/beach area, and had some lunch, so I wouldn’t be hangry for the rest of the day. I had the same quick lunch as everyday – a kebab – and then bought some more water. It was another hot day with the sun beating down overhead.
Next I walked over to the Archaeological park, nearby, which is spread over a large area. There are many mosaics that have been found and preserved there, and that was the majority of
what I looked at for over an hour. It felt longer, in this heat. When I was done, I went to the air conditioned visitor’s center and watched the video about how they preserve the mosaics. Then I headed back into the sun. I thought it would be easy to find my next destination. I was wrong, but eventually stumbled upon the old basilica ruins. From there I found my way to a couple of tombs/caves I was looking for, and thought about taking the bus back, when I looked over and saw….THE MALL! Not usually my thing, but I headed there in search of better climate. I found it. And food. And frozen drinks. And the movies. I decided it was time to start my holiday. I got loaded nachos with ground beef from Taco Bell and paired that with a frozen green tea, lime and mint coolata type drink. I went to the movies and saw Minions. It occupied me until 7:00pm and then I went to the grocery store, in the mall, for yogurt and granola for the morning. Brilliant. Got the bus home and have been sweating ever since. Internet does not work in my room,
so I have been sitting here sweating in the common room, where a young Swedish has been talking my ear off. Now that he’s gone, I’m going to close up, go shower, and then sit with my fan directly on me to try to sleep tonight. Here’s to hoping. Oh how I miss my last room with my own bathroom, washing machine, fridge and a/c!
July 17, 2016 – This morning I got up and my back was itchy. It was a little itchy when I headed into my room last night, and I suspected that the mosquito I had seen had gotten me. I look at my back in the mirror, and there were several large red welts. I was a little nervous it was bed bugs, but since it was itchy before I got in the bed, I’m assuming it was not. I had some breakfast before anyone else was up, so it was quite quiet. I closed the shutters in the breakfast room, since the sun was streaming in and heating it up. After breakfast, I packed up for the day and headed out to the info office to make sure I understood how to get
to the Tomb of the Kings. Not an easy thing when the directions are “go down that one way street. There is a parking lot below. Go there. Then go towards the sea. Then you will be on the road to the Tomb of the Kings.” I really need more structure than that. But, it did work and I did get there without a problem. I also asked her about the bites and she said mosquitos, but that I should go to the pharmacy to be sure. There is a pharmacy pretty much on every corner, so I asked the ladies there, and she said she thought it was a mosquito also. I’ve never had a strong reaction to mosquito bites before, but maybe these are different. And meaner.
I got to the Tomb of the Kings around 9:30, which was a little later than I wanted to, since it was already hot. There are 7 excavated tombs spread over a large hot dry area. You can see the beach, and people swimming, but there is a fence, so you can’t get there. It is sad. The tombs are not really from royalty, but since they are so grand,
they were given this name. It was quite nice to visit them, as several required you to climb down steps and it felt like exploring. Hard not to feel like Indiana Jones, really. Fake exciting, but exciting. I stayed there just over an hour, and then came back to the show repair guy to see about my shoes. They are fixed! Heavily glued together, which is why it cost “so much”. But worth it, if they hold together for two more weeks.
I came back all sweaty, and in this shirt today it is far more noticeable. My stomach, where the camera hangs, and the straps from my backpack, and my whole backpack covered back were just dripping. Really attractive. At the guesthouse I had a drink with Koula, who runs the place. Then watched two of the three boys here wake up at almost noon and have breakfast. One is reading, the other went back to sleep. The third has yet to arise at 3pm, from what I can tell. I have just been here for several hours, waiting out the heat of the day, trying to decide if I should go swimming. Or back to the mall.
As it heats up inside, the mall seems like a popular choice in my head. The beach just seems like far too much effort. Bathing suits feel gross when you’re hot. I hate the idea of paying for a place to sit on the beach, and staying there all day? Boring. But how do I just go in for a swim without anyone touching my things? So difficult. And I always feel like I need my backpack, not just what fits in a purse, since it takes so much effort to come back to where my stuff is…traveling alone can really stink sometimes. Or at least, traveling alone as a neurotic over-planned woman. Actually, I’m pretty sure I literally do stink right now. Maybe a swim is a good option.
In the end, I did not swim. But at 4pm, I got on the bus and went back to the mall. Seemed like a decent choice, but ended up being quite hot inside and still uncomfortable. I ended up with a cold ice drink and then found myself ordering chicken fingers at Fridays again. They made me put my drink in their glass…so weird. After I ate, I decided
to walk home instead of take the bus up. It took about 25 minutes. It was hot, but cooler than earlier in the day. I spent the rest of the evening inside, relaxing and doing some research for the rest of the trip. Still haven’t booked anything for after Lviv, since I’m not sure how to get to Chisinau until I get to Ukraine. Frustrating. One of the Swedish boys here is a street magician, and I watched him leave in his little outfit to go to perform. He came home with 33 euros. Not too bad.
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