Dave’s shirt lol~

Before our nearly five week stint in Santorini,  we had been feeling really confident about our traveling progression, thinking, yea now we’ve got the hang of this. So the 12am overnight ferry to Rodos was how we decided to put ourselves back into traveler mode and get the ball rolling.  We bought deck class meaning no assigned or actual seat, but ended up crashing in some reserved area. We didn´t even have to be sneaky about it since the ferry was so large and crew members can`t be bothered to check everyone’s tickets. We played it cool and passed out with garments (jacket for me, tech blanket for chels) over our heads just in case, figuring no one would wake us with our invisible cloaks on. Our theory proved correct and we both dozed off to la la land for about four and a half hours until the Ferry docked in Rodos.

Rodos (Rhodes)

Rodos is one of the largest islands in Greece and its main attraction is the old mid-evil city. A massive castle runs the length of the modern port and boasts some impressive sights. The remains have been well preserved thanks to large donations from the EU for the restoration. The old city is walkable and can be done within a few hours as long as you take a few breaks in the shade. After we walked in and around the city we found a nice little cafe with free internet and chilled out till it was time for our ferry.

Ferry service from Rodos to Marmaris Turkey runs twice a day and the cost is alarmingly disproportional compared with the prices from island to island. On top of that we payed a `Port Tax´ then had to buy a Turkish Visa.

Turkish tea!

Any negative feelings we had towards the costs were quickly turned around by the positive energy flowing from Marmaris. We had only planned on being here a few hours and catching the overnight bus to Antalya but decided we liked what we saw and checked into the Maltepe Pensyion. The owner was super friendly and before even discussing if we needed a room he was bringing us in to see his walrus cat. No exaggeration folks, the thing is bloody Massive! After wowing us with jaba the cat he made us some delicious apple (tea) and encouraged our overuse of the free internet… needless to say we liked the guy and the place .. and orca cat.

Second largest cat in Europe!

So after 4 weeks…we were still at Perissa Beach in Santorini…couldn’t seem to get away because now we had made all these great friends to hang out with and have drinks with! He had our favorite hang-our spots…Yazz when we went to the beach – and then mostly Atlas to eat and drink….occasionally we would make it to Beach Bar late night! We were starting to feel like locals!

Our quad!

With that said, we did finally get a chance to go out and explore the island…so some of the tourist things! On one of my mornings off, Brad and I rented a quad and went all the way to Oia at the other end of the island! It was really really nice, with a paved side walk where no cars (or quads) can drive, which makes it sooo much better!

The view in Oia!

It was filled with lots of little shops, which we did our best to avoid! But there were breathtaking views, and apparently Oia is famous for its sunset! Unfortunately, i had to get back to work, so we had to skip that! We headed to Fira, the capital, where we had a disappointing lunch, and were actually pretty disappointed with the town.

Red Beach!

We got out of there quick enough to find our way to the Red Beach! Some people said it wasn’t worth it, but Brad and I loved it. Maybe part of the reason for me was that there were lots of rocks to climb around and it felt adventurous! But i think it deserves the name! The sand itself it not actually red…it is black…but there are red pebbles everywhere and then of course, the red cliffs stand out so much! Apparently there is a white beach too that is only accessible by boat or by making an hour-plus swim! We really wanted to try it, but didn’t have time!

Relaxing at Red Beach

Eventually the day came around for my last night of work, and we decided to make it a big party! The Raki was flowing, and everyone showed up to party with us so i was really excited…then these white t-shirts were broken out that everyone signed for us! It was the best souvenir i could have asked for! Love gestures ike that! Eventually people started leaving, but it was hilarious….when brad and I left, we ran into 3 different groups of people at 3 different late-night food spots! They have these 24-hour bakeries here that serve little pizzas and ham-cheese pastries they warm up for you….the BEST after a night of drinking! But it was funny that we all had the same thoughts when we left without saying anything to each other!

Last night partying!

Our signed tees!

With 2 days left in Santorini and no work, Brad and I decided to rent a quad again and do the sunset thing in Oia! First we stopped in Kamari, which is similar to Perissa Beach….lots of restaurants and shops…very tourist driven. Dave (my boss at Atlas) has a t-shirt shop there, and we got Brad a shirt that says island boy. On the back its really cool though.

“…I guess its the sea…and the sun…you know when you can just hump in the water…dive in…and leave the streets and chaos of the city life behind…down there…just let is drown…the freedom of life…when you can do anything…climb the mountain…bump around the island…or just cruise in the caldera on a boat…yeah…that’s LIFE…that’s what REAL LIFE is all about!!!”

Love! After Kamari we drove to Oia to meet Hannah and Rachael aka “the Beach Bar girls” aka ” The flyhoes” at their parents AMAZING place on the cliffs with the most amazing view!! We had a couple drinks with them and chatted with Rachaels parents before heading out to see the sunset!

Rach and Han!

The sunset in Oia is a funny thing. EVERYBODY is lined up on the walls and house tops and stairs to see this sunset that may or may not be extraordinary! It happened to be a clear night and very beautiful…but honestly i don’t know if its the best i will ever see. I think with a few clouds it would be nice as it would turn them all different colors. Nevertheless, it was still a nice evening shared over a bottle of white and salt n vinegar pringles! hahah. As soon as the sun is below the horizon, everybody breaks out in applause! Its pretty funny!

Sunset is Oia!

We had the quads for 24 hours so the next morning went back to the Red Beach with Drew and Dan. We spent a lot more time in the water this time and swam out to some of the rocks in the middle of the water. The water seems to be significantly warmer at the red beach than the black beach and i had a much easier time getting in! We all took turns diving off the rock and chatting before we left to explore more of the island.

Diving!

That night our plan was to leave on the midnight ferry but we were invited to the outdoor cinema to see Robin Hood with Rachael and Hannah, who then offered to give us a ride to the port….but we found out we wouldn’t make it in time, so switched out our ticket for Thursday night! The American crew from Seattle (Drew, Dan, Ashley, Brooke) offered to let us crash in their extra room for the extra couple nights! THANK YOU! We seemed to just not be able t leave the island ahh!!

The outdoor cinema was really really cool! Very laid back vibe, surrounded by trees, with a bar and snacks! Drew and Dan met us all there so we had a good crew! We also snuck in our own wine, and i am so embarrassed about this, but after 2 glasses…i FELL ASLEEP for the end of the movie!!! Im already turning into my Mum!! Ahh!! I’m positive it was me crashing after working day and night and going out afterwards…my usual reaction! I push it out til the end, but then i need to crash! Haha but the whole reason for staying was so we could “see the end of the movie”!! Oh well!

Outdoor cinema!

A Our next few days were spent relaxing on the beach, taking in our last moments at Perissa…the little town we have come to love so dearly! I gave in and finally got an AMAZING cocktail on the beach at Yazz (8 euros) but worth every penny!! We tried the food i have been dying to try at Atlas that i always served people….and had one more easy night out with the friends! It was a bittersweet goodbye, but we made sure to let everyone know how happy we were to meet them, so left some postcards with goodbyes on them! Confident though…that we will see each other again through out travels!

My tropical delight!

Goooodbye Perissa….we will miss ya!! (and everyone we met there too!)

The view of Santorini!

As we pulled into the port of Santorini it was clear why this is one of the most popular Greek Isles. The historic volcanic eruption that took place nearly 3500 years ago has carved out a dramatic coast with steep cliffs and caldera on the eastern side of the island. We got off the boat with the hoards of backpackers and quickly realized that we would not be able to hoof it to the beach like we planned. The port is located at the very bottom of the aforementioned cliffs making walking with packs hardly possible. Although it went unsaid at the time, we both remember thinking how inconvenient for us, but how convenient for the gangs of local hotel/villa
owners that were making their way towards the crowd of recently departed tourists. We didn’t want to pay for accommodation since there was a nice comfortable beach that awaited us, but since we needed a ride up the mountain we bit the bullet and ended up negotiating for a reasonable rate. We pulled in to Villa Demetri which is a peaceful place with flowering vines growing up the sides of the atrium walls and walking distance from the black sandy beaches of Perissa.

Our new home :)

Feeling like we made the right decision, we wanted to celebrate with a bottle of the local spirit, Ouzo. We whipped up some dinner in our little kitchen, which includes a hotplate, fridge and dishes then began the celebration. The best way to describe Ouzo is to compare it to Sambuca or black liquorish. It is intended to cleanse the pallet after a meal and after a few hours we had the cleanest pallets on the entire island. The celebration carried on into the night as we went around to a few bars and chatted up with the locals and other tourists. We apparently were such good company that we ended up landing a job with one of the bars! Full Moon Bar, hired us part time to walk around the beach handing out fliers, then make an appearance and talk with the customers at night.

Ouzo!

It sounded like an amazing gig and we were totally pumped about it! We got to wake up whenever we liked, go hang out at the beach all day…make a couple rounds and meet people and still go out and drink at night…so we decided we would work out a deal with Villa Demetri and stay for 3 weeks!

This did not work out for us. We spent about 4 days walking around annoying customers trying to coax them into the bar. Its poor location (away from the beach) combined with the bad specials and lack of tourists proved to big a hurdle. It was a mutual departure. Luckily the very same day we parted ways with Full Moon Chelsea inquired about a waitress job at the restaurant across the street from the hostel called Atlas (seen on the left) and walked out with a job. At the time of writing this we have been on Santorini for nearly 3 weeks. Chelsea works morning and evenings at Atlas and I, well.. here is a picture of what I spend most of my time doing…

Relaxation…

New Friends!

..just kidding. After two days of Chelsea working and me doing nothing I landed a job with a small pub called ‘Blues Bar’ handing out fliers during the day and waiting tables at night. Meanwhile i was falling in love with Atlas, the people i worked with, and the people i was meeting….so we decided to extend our stay!