Santorini Day 2!

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HUGE BLOG ALERT.
May want to take breaks.

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May 7/09.

Today was a BIG day!
We paid for a tour to Nea Kameni (a volcano island), Palea Kameni (hot springs), Thirassia island (small port town), and Oia (most beautiful town in Santorini, seen in sisterhood of the travelling pants 1 AND 2).

BUT Karen is SUPER sick with a fever, so unfortunatley she had to stay back at the hostel.

We get picked up by a large tour bus, then off we go.
We head to the port via a sloping, winding, small road - half petrified at crushing oncoming, smaller cars, and half fascinated @ the driver's nerve and skill, we find ourselves safe @ the port.

We then board the boat ("I'm on a boat!"), and we take off to Nea Kameni.

Quick history fact:
The island Santorini was created by volcanoes.
End quick history fact.

Anyway, on the ferry we realize that we're probably the youngest passengers. NICE.
most were old copules.
So we cruise along the coast line, and my goodness. The cliffs are enormous, and it's amazing to see white houses built into the cliff.

WE reach the volcanic island, and start to climb it. We realize that to get to the volcano's crater, there's A LOT of uphill, step climbing. And when i say A LOT, i mean, A space LOT.
So annie and myself are half-crawling up the hill, while Michelle and Ruby quick walk up (i attribute their speed to their longer legs.)

Once we get ot the top, we realize that a volcano crater simply means a big hole in the ground.
It was cool - for a hole.
But it had great views of the sea and the cliffs.
The best thing was going around and finding lava rocks - which are all super light b/c it's filled with air bubbles. I definitely grabbed a couple of those! Free souvenirs! versus the lava rocks they sell @ souvenir shops for 3 euros.

Following hte volcano trip we head to the hot springs.
We were all excited for it, but THEN, we were informed that to get ot the hot springs we would need to swim roughly 100-150m in cold sea water to get to the actual spring.
This was b/c our boat couldn't get too close in fear of hitting rocks.

OUr jaws dropped when we saw how far we had to swim.
This was cold, sea water and of course no shallow section till the hot spring.
Now, i have only had a few years of swimming lessons, adn have not swam properly in years (clearly splashing around in the beach does not count.)
BUT, i'm only in santorini once, adn there was NO WAY i would passt his up!
My adventerous side definitely took over my logical "my-gosh-i-may-actually-drown" side.
SOOO i stripped down to my bikini and jumped off hte boat (whilst holding the bikini top in fear it would fly off my body once i hit the water.).

THE WATER WAS FREEZING COLD.
everyone who jumped off and who were next to me were muttering expletives right left and center.
Also, i was in the Aegean Sea, therefore, the water was saltier than anything! Everytime the water entered my mouth it was like drinking down a cup full of salt. Gross.

So there i was, in the sea, freezing cold, and drinking salt.

I start breaststroking, but very quickly realized that it was way too slow - and i'd never reach the hot springs. Frontcrawl was out of the question because of my contacts - head could not go down in the water. So ...backstroke it was. Slow but steady. Halfway through teh swim, i actually had a mild panic attacki thinkign that there was no way i would make it, adn i was too far from the boat to go back. Luckily, i looked around me and saw others struggling also. That encouraged me a bit (odd..but yes, other's ppl's discomforts seems to comfort me.) This gave me the extra push to go the rest of the way.
By the time i got to the spring i was thoroughly exhasuted.
What felt like half hour of swimming was probably only 10 min.

Once in the hot spring, i am sad to announce that no, the spring was NOT hot.
It was luke-warm. so the roughly15 of us who jumped off the ship (there were probably 70-80 ppl on the boat altogether), looked at each other slightly disappointed.
Surprisingly there were some older folk who had done the swim! good on them.

At one part of the spring, there were bubbles coming out, so we swam to those, and luckily they were slgihtly warmer.
THe tour described the hot spring experience as "swim in the green sulphur waters and bathe in the warm therapeutic mud."
What WE SAW was greenish brown murky water, and some weird soft mud that got into our toe nails.
Once we started to enjoy ourselves and meet each other (i met some dude from Montreal - i like canadians.), and warm ourselves up, we heard a whistle blowing calling us back to the boat.
We were literally in the spring for less than 10 min.

Groaning in disbelief, we set off for the cold swim.
On my way out of the spring, i see a familiar face, it's ANNIE!
I excitedly swam towards her - i thought they had all chickened out, but here was Annie, happily holding onto a floating doughnut.
Apparently she jumped in after i did, because i ahd yelled back that the water temperature was okay (i had followed that statement with "i lied, it's cold", but that went unheard), and she had swum halfway before losing breath due to the coldness of the water. So a small boat was sent to get her by a panicking Ruby and Michelle.
They gave her a flotation device and pulled her twoards the spring, where she found us leaving.
The small boat was still waiting for her to pull her back, so i decided, WELL - i COULD exert strength and energy and swim back, or i could free ride it with ehr. The latter option was more attractive.
So along with 2 other guys who decided to hitch a free ride, we held onto the donut and were pulled via boat to our destination.

Nearer to the boat, i let go to swim the rest, and right then my leg started cramping and spasming.
Mildly scared, i relied on my otehr leg to get me to the boat ladded and climb up.

We were met with appluase from the older Korean tourists on the boat, showering us with praise.
As tiring and freezing as it was, well worth the experience, fun and story.

Afterwards we headed to Thirassia.
There were a few restaurants/stores @ the bottom of the port, but there was also a small settlement on the top of the cliff above.
The trek up was a very long, very steep, winding stairecase road up. THe road was cobblestone, but so badly done that the stones jutted out making the walk wildly uncomfrotable. We walked a little way, then what do we find next ot us?
DONKEY RENTALS!

Without hesitation, we run for them, paying the 5 euros, to ride hte donkeys up the steep pathway.
Giggling like little girls, we get helped up to each of our donkeys.
It was a ton of fun!
There were laods of times when id di get slightly scared, i.e. my donkey walked way too close to the ledge, and i thought i would fall off. OR when the road became so steep i thought we would fall back a little. Also, using one hand to hold onto the donkey saddle, adn the other to hold onto a camera and take pics/videos....yea. not recommended.
But overall, it was an amazing experience!! Donkey riding in santorini, i could have never imagined i'd be able to do that!
My donkey was great - he/she kept the lead of the pack.
The montrealer i met @ the springs kept trying to race my donkey. So it was a Montreal vs. Toronto race, and the accompanying trash talk began.

I'm proud to say that Toronto won.

Once @ the top we realized that there was nothing there, so after a meal at the ONLY restaurant there, we hiked by foot down, back to port, trying hard to avoid the donkey poo strewn all around the road.
Poop and scoop, not popular here in Greece.

Our last destination fo the day was Oia - the most beautiful city in Santorini.
At the port, we were exasperated to see a whole bunch of steep stairs to climb once again to reach the town.
So we climb and climb and climb. Afterwards we were panting, grabbing our chests and grasping for our waterbottles. But my goodness, there was no way we could stay tired, because, it was GORGEOUS.
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

I ilke to think that i've been blessed to have seen a lot of wonderful, breath-taking views, but this one, on Oia, really took the prize.
It was like being in a dream.
THe buildings are basically built on a slope, so each building is built on diff. levels.
The steps all smooth cobblestone.
..man.
I wish is could descrbe the feeling you get looking at such amazing buildings, but it really is beyond my vocabulary.
We explored for a while through narrow streets, and went to a lookout point to watch the sunset.

Sitting on the brickwall with a great view of the buildings and the sun, i can't help but reflect once againn about how blessed i am to be here, to do all the amazing things i've done and see such incredible sights. I remember when i first watched sisterhood of the travelling pants, and seeing the buidligns and thinking to myself that i WILL one day go there and see all that myself.
And santorini was always that place i HAD to visit and see in the future. My dream place.
And now, i have visited it!
it was everything i expected and more!

After the sunset, we head back to karen, and luckily she's feeling better! so we order some takeout, and have a chill night.

END NOTE;
NOW, throughout the whole day, i had been using a hate to try to repair the sunglasses tan damage, b/c i figured if my face didn't tan then the darker portion would lighten to match, and everything would be okay.
BUT, when in oia, annie ever so nicely tapped me on the shoulder and informed me: "um, did you know that your hat only shades half your face... the top half."

I tear my hat quickly off my head - but the damage was done.

NOW, there is not only a sunglasses tan, but joining it, a clear shade division b/w the bottom half of my face and the top half.

WICKED AWESOME.

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Photos

View from the bus - winding road
Cliffs

Volcano Hole
it's a hole.

Post hot-spring Swim
yayy!
so proud of us!

Oia
Pictures just can't show it all...

Oia with friends
=)

Comments

[anil]

Oia
hi, we too had a similar exp. but i nvr jumped into the sea. i think they shd carry a small boat and send all of us to the watever Hot springs...not just sm. they charge all of us, and do not clear it dat time ...for the swim//?? we missed the sunset too, cos of bad weather. but we enjoyed a lot.the whole trip.