We have been visiting mum's friends in Athens over the last two days and I have to be honest and say its not exactly the way I wanted to end my holiday. I've been listening to three widows debating each other over who's got the most pains, who's taking the most medication, who's children don't care about them the most and who's the most alone in the world. *sigh*
The last week in Crete was over in a flash. We had all these last minute things to take care of and before we knew it, we were having our last meal in the village with my Great Uncle Chris (my maternal grandfather's only surviving sibling of 13) and Great Aunt Katina. He is 81 years old and all of us held onto a piece of the sombre and dampening feeling of dread as the time approached to leave them. Tears and well wishes flowed like the natural drinking springs we found all over Crete and with a heavy heart, Great Uncle Chris acknowledged that due to his advanced years, this was the last time we would ever lay eyes on each other.
When left Crete, mum and I wrestled for window real estate on takeoff to watch the mountains and coast of Crete disappear behind us. Without a word, we looked at each other when the island was no longer visible and with tears in our eyes, silently acknowledged our sadness that we may in fact never return and if we did, too many things would be too different.
Now, I am just looking forward to the upcoming fights and the last few hours in Athens. Its horrible wishing days away now but I just want to get home. There is nothing more to be done here. Nothing more to see and no one else to greet with big bear hugs.
London tomorrow for an overnight stay and then onto Sydney and a third summer in a row!! Gawd help us with the heat!
Thanks for dropping by and reading my rantings over the past 2 months! I hadn't anticipated being anywhere near a computer but its been fun recording (albeit sparsely) and sharing my experiences with you.
Cheers!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A word on Egypt Air.... >8-(
Subtitled: Cranky Pants time.
Undoubtedly the worst airline on this earth.
Going to Egypt:
1. Chaos getting on and people bringing on hand luggage that eerily resembled loosely wrapped goats and bee hives.
2. Pilot decided it would be a good idea to make the roughest turns he could possibly do in the air without a wing coming off.
3. During the "meal" from the most unfriendliest female flight attendant with attitude... "Oh you want vegetarian, never mind" and walked off.
4. The same attendant opened a big bottle of lemonade; spraying its contents all over me... "Oh, never mind, its just like water!" I was half expecting to be inundated by the above-mentioned bees once they got a whiff of all the sugar contained in the "water" that I had just been bathed in.
5. The plane was taxiing for both take off and after landing and passengers are strolling around the plane, opening overhead luggage compartments.
6. My personal favourite: the guy from the last row; overhead bags in hand heading to the front of the plane just as the wheels touched the ground so he could be the first one off.
7. I am vindicated in my comments about the pilot because everyone on the plane clapped when we touched down.
Leaving Egypt:
1. Same chaos, same goats, different looking beehive type packages!
2. This time grumpy male attendant who didn't bother with cooler lemonade. Instead, he decided to splash what was left in the coffee cup of the person sitting opposite me all over me and then walk off without acknowledging my baptism.
3. Same same when the plane landed... Everyone was up and about whilst the plane was hitting the ground and not a single word from the flight crew.
Traveller beware... DO NOT FLY EGYPT AIR.. EVER!!
You have been warned
Undoubtedly the worst airline on this earth.
Going to Egypt:
1. Chaos getting on and people bringing on hand luggage that eerily resembled loosely wrapped goats and bee hives.
2. Pilot decided it would be a good idea to make the roughest turns he could possibly do in the air without a wing coming off.
3. During the "meal" from the most unfriendliest female flight attendant with attitude... "Oh you want vegetarian, never mind" and walked off.
4. The same attendant opened a big bottle of lemonade; spraying its contents all over me... "Oh, never mind, its just like water!" I was half expecting to be inundated by the above-mentioned bees once they got a whiff of all the sugar contained in the "water" that I had just been bathed in.
5. The plane was taxiing for both take off and after landing and passengers are strolling around the plane, opening overhead luggage compartments.
6. My personal favourite: the guy from the last row; overhead bags in hand heading to the front of the plane just as the wheels touched the ground so he could be the first one off.
7. I am vindicated in my comments about the pilot because everyone on the plane clapped when we touched down.
Leaving Egypt:
1. Same chaos, same goats, different looking beehive type packages!
2. This time grumpy male attendant who didn't bother with cooler lemonade. Instead, he decided to splash what was left in the coffee cup of the person sitting opposite me all over me and then walk off without acknowledging my baptism.
3. Same same when the plane landed... Everyone was up and about whilst the plane was hitting the ground and not a single word from the flight crew.
Traveller beware... DO NOT FLY EGYPT AIR.. EVER!!
You have been warned
Athens and Ferry Boat to Crete
I arrived back in Athens on the 16th August and travelled by bus, train, bus and feet to a family friend's house to stay; recover and head back to Crete.
As soon as I slipped inside the apartment, all gloves were off:
OK Tina... you will now have a shower and when you finish you will sit down and eat 7 times your body weight before bedtime. I have every kind of food known to man in the fridge and by the time you shower and change into your jammies for the designated afternoon snooze, it will be laid out on the dinner table in front of you.
Hello!!!! All I want is a cup of tea and a biscuit.
You can have that after you eat everything on your plate.
Oh God help me!!
That conversation was repeated for two days until I was scheduled to leave on an overnight ferry cruise to Crete.
Overnight trips to Crete are actually quite lovely. You leave when all the lights at Piraeus come on and watch them fade in the distance as you set sail south. Then if you're lucky and have a smooth sea, 9 hours later you're heading into Souda Bay at dawn and watch the coastline in the dim light come into view. If you got up early enough you can be sipping a coffee from the many food stores on board whilst watching the boat dock and everyone offload themselves and their cars, trucks and packages that again look like loosely wrapped goats... hmmm!
I'm back home!
As soon as I slipped inside the apartment, all gloves were off:
OK Tina... you will now have a shower and when you finish you will sit down and eat 7 times your body weight before bedtime. I have every kind of food known to man in the fridge and by the time you shower and change into your jammies for the designated afternoon snooze, it will be laid out on the dinner table in front of you.
Hello!!!! All I want is a cup of tea and a biscuit.
You can have that after you eat everything on your plate.
Oh God help me!!
That conversation was repeated for two days until I was scheduled to leave on an overnight ferry cruise to Crete.
Overnight trips to Crete are actually quite lovely. You leave when all the lights at Piraeus come on and watch them fade in the distance as you set sail south. Then if you're lucky and have a smooth sea, 9 hours later you're heading into Souda Bay at dawn and watch the coastline in the dim light come into view. If you got up early enough you can be sipping a coffee from the many food stores on board whilst watching the boat dock and everyone offload themselves and their cars, trucks and packages that again look like loosely wrapped goats... hmmm!
I'm back home!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Egypt Highlights and Summary: 5 Last Days including Sinai.
Not going to even bother with the day in Cairo. Noise, smells, pollution, noise, haggling, noise and my shoulders making their way up to my ear lobes from stress! :-)
We managed to go the largest mosque and the Coptic area which were both interesting but in truth, my mind was firmly on the 7 hour trip the following day to Sinai and languishing in the hills and on the beaches of Egypt.
The next day, we dutifully left early in the morning.. I think we managed to get away by 8am. The drive was uneventful and was mainly filled with word games (our favourite was naming famous people in turn and the next name had to begin with the initial of the previous celebrity's surname...) At least it wasn't "I Spy"... that would have been limited to something beginning with 'S' for the entire 7 hours!!! We also spent time playing card games. The group favourite here was Kings and Arseholes. Don't ask!!!
A few smelly toilet breaks along the way and we managed to get to the Hotel for our lunch (around 1:30). That was all nice and civilized except for the rock that had found its way from the buffet's bowl of lentils onto my plate and into my mouth! My tooth is still reverberating as I recall the crunch. And what did I get in return for pointing out the Ayres Rock sitting on my plate to the head chef?? A free coffee thank you very much!
We had a bit of a rest after lunch and got ready to climb Mt Sinai. The usual way was the camel way. The other typical route was the Steps all the way to the top. Our guide having done the area often told us about the way of the 40 Martyrers which took you around the back of the mountain and wound its way up to the last 900 steps. Sure we all said. Let's be Intrepid travelers!
This area was where we first encountered the Bedouins. They were installed as guardians of the Monks and St Katherine the Monastery. Initially, in the beginning of Christianity, they were christian converts but slowly over the ages had become Muslim so it was kind of funny to have a Muslim Bedouin guide called Moses. He was shy, sweet and had a nice face with a wide smile. I developed a bit of crush which wasn't hard to do following a butt that had climbed the mountain around 3 times a week for the last 10 years! Am I going to hell???
The climb was tough and included an over-stay at a Bedouin village situated along the way (more tea; more shopping) so I ended up missing the actual sunset by a whisker but it was still lovely at the top. Peaceful, colourful, tranquil. Our "team" sat up there and drank in the achievement before Jo and I decided to head back down the stairs before night time fell. My torch was totally shite and I wanted to be down the most treacherous part before I had to rely on the useless equipment.
We got down around 9pm and helped along by a long, hot shower, pain killers and anti inflams, I slept like a baby till morning.
The next day was visiting the actual Monastery. Being Greek Orthodox and being named after that particular saint, I thought I'd be a shoo in to see the vaults, tombs and other secret things they have there. Ha, silly me! I joined the rest of the cattle being herded around the place. Straight into St Katherine's chapel and back out again in a blink of an eye. When I realised I was heading for the exit without any special treatment I hit the breaks causing a bit of a bank up behind me. I fought my way to the nearest Bedouin security officer dragging two fellow travellers with me (thanks for the back up Jo and Angela!) There I negotiated, chatted, became indignant, timid and finally insistent that I speak to one of the brothers of the monastery before I leave. You have to go out! But I'm Greek Orthodox!!! Hmmm... I could tell that he knew that was a problem. Three guards later (one crankier than the other two) I and my two friends were swept back against the tide to meet the Brother on the other side of the barricade.
I introduced myself and chatted about the place, my pilgrimage and the offerings I needed to leave at the church. To my delight, he took my icons and told me they would be placed in St Katherine's tomb. He also gave me 4 silver rings inscribed with St Katherine's name and some olive oil from the burners in the tomb. Right now, I will declare upfront that I am not a religious person, but I have to admit, I acted like a teenager meeting their pop-idol when I received these gifts from the Brother. I recall this now with much amusement. Think lapsed Catholic meeting Pope. My Greekness also got us into the Museum for free where Christian scriptures and icons from as far back as the 5th Century are kept. Apparently, this place is second only to the Vatican with regards to holding early Christian records and writings.
I left that place with a mix of serenity and excitement. I won't say I found religion but I experienced a great sense of history and reverence of the place.
The day just got better from there by meeting a lovely spruker whom we didn't argue with (must have still been experiencing a serenity glow from the monastery) and bought lots of nice stuff. He called us angelic (cynically, he may have just wanted a sale...) which I took as a reflection of the effect of my visit to Mt Sinai.
We soon after piled back into the bus and headed to the beach resort area on the Red Sea. Our beach huts were called Sawa camp and it was 2 more relaxing days of beach, water, eating, lounging with a late afternoon game of beach volleyball with fellow guests and backgammon. The resort is frequented by Israelis who's border is nearby and it became the norm that when the net went up, we all just automatically congregated to play an international game of volleyball. Hand slapping and goading soon took hold as high stakes and reputations were on the line. I thought Aussies were competitive but I wasn't a patch on the Israeli guy and his wife who were on my team. All in vain though. We kept losing very close games.
This was a perfect wind down from a hectic and hot trip to Egypt. The next day we went back to Cairo and whilst on the road, continued all our favourite travel games. We ended the trip with a group dinner, followed by a shared apple shisha and recalling our experiences.
Egypt was a different experience; full of highs and lows. Once the Government there installs a mute button on the population of sprukers and tourist vultures, I would gladly return to revisit my favourite experiences.
Cheers!
We managed to go the largest mosque and the Coptic area which were both interesting but in truth, my mind was firmly on the 7 hour trip the following day to Sinai and languishing in the hills and on the beaches of Egypt.
The next day, we dutifully left early in the morning.. I think we managed to get away by 8am. The drive was uneventful and was mainly filled with word games (our favourite was naming famous people in turn and the next name had to begin with the initial of the previous celebrity's surname...) At least it wasn't "I Spy"... that would have been limited to something beginning with 'S' for the entire 7 hours!!! We also spent time playing card games. The group favourite here was Kings and Arseholes. Don't ask!!!
A few smelly toilet breaks along the way and we managed to get to the Hotel for our lunch (around 1:30). That was all nice and civilized except for the rock that had found its way from the buffet's bowl of lentils onto my plate and into my mouth! My tooth is still reverberating as I recall the crunch. And what did I get in return for pointing out the Ayres Rock sitting on my plate to the head chef?? A free coffee thank you very much!
We had a bit of a rest after lunch and got ready to climb Mt Sinai. The usual way was the camel way. The other typical route was the Steps all the way to the top. Our guide having done the area often told us about the way of the 40 Martyrers which took you around the back of the mountain and wound its way up to the last 900 steps. Sure we all said. Let's be Intrepid travelers!
This area was where we first encountered the Bedouins. They were installed as guardians of the Monks and St Katherine the Monastery. Initially, in the beginning of Christianity, they were christian converts but slowly over the ages had become Muslim so it was kind of funny to have a Muslim Bedouin guide called Moses. He was shy, sweet and had a nice face with a wide smile. I developed a bit of crush which wasn't hard to do following a butt that had climbed the mountain around 3 times a week for the last 10 years! Am I going to hell???
The climb was tough and included an over-stay at a Bedouin village situated along the way (more tea; more shopping) so I ended up missing the actual sunset by a whisker but it was still lovely at the top. Peaceful, colourful, tranquil. Our "team" sat up there and drank in the achievement before Jo and I decided to head back down the stairs before night time fell. My torch was totally shite and I wanted to be down the most treacherous part before I had to rely on the useless equipment.
We got down around 9pm and helped along by a long, hot shower, pain killers and anti inflams, I slept like a baby till morning.
The next day was visiting the actual Monastery. Being Greek Orthodox and being named after that particular saint, I thought I'd be a shoo in to see the vaults, tombs and other secret things they have there. Ha, silly me! I joined the rest of the cattle being herded around the place. Straight into St Katherine's chapel and back out again in a blink of an eye. When I realised I was heading for the exit without any special treatment I hit the breaks causing a bit of a bank up behind me. I fought my way to the nearest Bedouin security officer dragging two fellow travellers with me (thanks for the back up Jo and Angela!) There I negotiated, chatted, became indignant, timid and finally insistent that I speak to one of the brothers of the monastery before I leave. You have to go out! But I'm Greek Orthodox!!! Hmmm... I could tell that he knew that was a problem. Three guards later (one crankier than the other two) I and my two friends were swept back against the tide to meet the Brother on the other side of the barricade.
I introduced myself and chatted about the place, my pilgrimage and the offerings I needed to leave at the church. To my delight, he took my icons and told me they would be placed in St Katherine's tomb. He also gave me 4 silver rings inscribed with St Katherine's name and some olive oil from the burners in the tomb. Right now, I will declare upfront that I am not a religious person, but I have to admit, I acted like a teenager meeting their pop-idol when I received these gifts from the Brother. I recall this now with much amusement. Think lapsed Catholic meeting Pope. My Greekness also got us into the Museum for free where Christian scriptures and icons from as far back as the 5th Century are kept. Apparently, this place is second only to the Vatican with regards to holding early Christian records and writings.
I left that place with a mix of serenity and excitement. I won't say I found religion but I experienced a great sense of history and reverence of the place.
The day just got better from there by meeting a lovely spruker whom we didn't argue with (must have still been experiencing a serenity glow from the monastery) and bought lots of nice stuff. He called us angelic (cynically, he may have just wanted a sale...) which I took as a reflection of the effect of my visit to Mt Sinai.
We soon after piled back into the bus and headed to the beach resort area on the Red Sea. Our beach huts were called Sawa camp and it was 2 more relaxing days of beach, water, eating, lounging with a late afternoon game of beach volleyball with fellow guests and backgammon. The resort is frequented by Israelis who's border is nearby and it became the norm that when the net went up, we all just automatically congregated to play an international game of volleyball. Hand slapping and goading soon took hold as high stakes and reputations were on the line. I thought Aussies were competitive but I wasn't a patch on the Israeli guy and his wife who were on my team. All in vain though. We kept losing very close games.
This was a perfect wind down from a hectic and hot trip to Egypt. The next day we went back to Cairo and whilst on the road, continued all our favourite travel games. We ended the trip with a group dinner, followed by a shared apple shisha and recalling our experiences.
Egypt was a different experience; full of highs and lows. Once the Government there installs a mute button on the population of sprukers and tourist vultures, I would gladly return to revisit my favourite experiences.
Cheers!
Egypt Highlights and Summary: Part 2
Feluccas and floating the Nile has got to be one of the best parts of my trip yet it was the part I dreaded the most. Why? Because traditionally I hate cruises (think Sydney Harbour cruises). I can't get off when I'm done or bored. This experience instead became a meditative blessing. Peaceful, using the wind to move along or against the currents, eating gourmet food on board made by our huge, balding, smoking Egyptian cook.
Not all went smoothly as I had the pleasure of sleeping next to our chef on deck and he at times sounded like a bull elephant with asthma when he snored. Even my deeply inserted ear plugs couldn't drown him out but it was countered by the crisp morning day light of sunrise and nature's bird sounds so I forgave him and his loose pallet.
One night was spent in a Nubian homestay. A huge room greeted us that was laid out with mattresses and sheets and a massive air con unit again set to "freeze". If there were more than curtains on the arched doors, they could have set the temperature lower.
Again, we had a great meal laid out for us. One of the children who knew 4 languages and wanted to be a doctor when she grew up took us for a tour around the village. She proudly showed us her house which consisted of a courtyard, a two roomed building (4 family members slept in one room and the other was used for storage). The kitchen was in a separate building in the courtyard and for very hot nights there were 2 double beds in the middle of the courtyard. This reminded me of my previous African trip where the people had nothing but they were always happy because they had family and community. I again witnessed how the older children looked after the younger children regardless of whether they were related or not.
One more day on the felucca and we arrive at the disembarking point to head to Luxor. Bus is slightly bigger than an After Dinner Mint box but then again the trip to Luxor is no more than 2 hours. We stop for a toilet break and are fleeced for 2 drinks for 30LE. We have been paying 5LE for cans everywhere else. When I return the drinks, the guy brings his price down to 15LE. Very nice of him.
At this point in time, I need to make a comment about toilets. Again with the bowel movements!! I thought I had budgeted quite well for Egypt but I hadn't counted on paying for using toilets and toilet paper EVERYWHERE!!! Usually 1LE per visit, at one point the guy wanted us to pay 2LE each for a water logged floor, no lights and no paper. We finally rebelled and gave him 1LE each and a serve of what we expected for our money. I felt I needed to shower in antibacterial hand wash but I knew in my heart of hearts that there was no wash currently available that would rid me of the germs I collected with each toilet stop. I would have to wait until the 22nd century to see such a miracle product. Another word of advice for our Arabic friends. Westerners have a strange habit of wiping their bottoms after toilet visits. Humour us, we need the paper!!
Luxor was great as was the Valley of the Kings, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak temple. Again, temperatures soared and we did everything we could to not expire during the days. Our tours were organised for early morning so we could be back in our hotel before the real heat of the day hit. But regardless of what time of day it was, we expended rivers of sweat each day. The horse and cart rides saved our souls as we took those back to our hotel in the afternoons.
Our tour guide in Luxor was knowledgeable and again, we went to his house for a meal and a shop from his collection of jewelry (it seems traditional to return a meal with hard earned cash!). I have to say the biggest highlight of this leg was visiting Animal Care Egypt which was an organisation that educated Egyptians about the proper care of their pets and work animals. There were horses and donkeys and cats and dogs galore there. The highlight was the baby donkey that followed us everywhere. It came to the centre as an orphan and they decided to keep it and use as a teaching tool in classrooms to show children how to check the teeth, legs, back etc of their own donkeys. I was happy to donate there.
WE left for Cairo the next day and the molasses of dread returned.
Chat soon
Cheers!
Tina x
Not all went smoothly as I had the pleasure of sleeping next to our chef on deck and he at times sounded like a bull elephant with asthma when he snored. Even my deeply inserted ear plugs couldn't drown him out but it was countered by the crisp morning day light of sunrise and nature's bird sounds so I forgave him and his loose pallet.
One night was spent in a Nubian homestay. A huge room greeted us that was laid out with mattresses and sheets and a massive air con unit again set to "freeze". If there were more than curtains on the arched doors, they could have set the temperature lower.
Again, we had a great meal laid out for us. One of the children who knew 4 languages and wanted to be a doctor when she grew up took us for a tour around the village. She proudly showed us her house which consisted of a courtyard, a two roomed building (4 family members slept in one room and the other was used for storage). The kitchen was in a separate building in the courtyard and for very hot nights there were 2 double beds in the middle of the courtyard. This reminded me of my previous African trip where the people had nothing but they were always happy because they had family and community. I again witnessed how the older children looked after the younger children regardless of whether they were related or not.
One more day on the felucca and we arrive at the disembarking point to head to Luxor. Bus is slightly bigger than an After Dinner Mint box but then again the trip to Luxor is no more than 2 hours. We stop for a toilet break and are fleeced for 2 drinks for 30LE. We have been paying 5LE for cans everywhere else. When I return the drinks, the guy brings his price down to 15LE. Very nice of him.
At this point in time, I need to make a comment about toilets. Again with the bowel movements!! I thought I had budgeted quite well for Egypt but I hadn't counted on paying for using toilets and toilet paper EVERYWHERE!!! Usually 1LE per visit, at one point the guy wanted us to pay 2LE each for a water logged floor, no lights and no paper. We finally rebelled and gave him 1LE each and a serve of what we expected for our money. I felt I needed to shower in antibacterial hand wash but I knew in my heart of hearts that there was no wash currently available that would rid me of the germs I collected with each toilet stop. I would have to wait until the 22nd century to see such a miracle product. Another word of advice for our Arabic friends. Westerners have a strange habit of wiping their bottoms after toilet visits. Humour us, we need the paper!!
Luxor was great as was the Valley of the Kings, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak temple. Again, temperatures soared and we did everything we could to not expire during the days. Our tours were organised for early morning so we could be back in our hotel before the real heat of the day hit. But regardless of what time of day it was, we expended rivers of sweat each day. The horse and cart rides saved our souls as we took those back to our hotel in the afternoons.
Our tour guide in Luxor was knowledgeable and again, we went to his house for a meal and a shop from his collection of jewelry (it seems traditional to return a meal with hard earned cash!). I have to say the biggest highlight of this leg was visiting Animal Care Egypt which was an organisation that educated Egyptians about the proper care of their pets and work animals. There were horses and donkeys and cats and dogs galore there. The highlight was the baby donkey that followed us everywhere. It came to the centre as an orphan and they decided to keep it and use as a teaching tool in classrooms to show children how to check the teeth, legs, back etc of their own donkeys. I was happy to donate there.
WE left for Cairo the next day and the molasses of dread returned.
Chat soon
Cheers!
Tina x
Egypt Summary and Highlights: Part 1
We spent the last night together reminiscing our personal highlights as well as lowlights of Egypt when we finally returned to Cairo.
I know I've been purposely slack about the internet stuff but I've decided to go through my itinerary and make some comments about each place we visited.
It should be no surprise to those who know me that I hated Cairo! Too noisy, too dirty, Disorganised Kaos (is it possible to be more disorganised than Chaos?) Tourist traps and hawkers charging you more than triple what the locals pay. Every time we headed back to Cairo during our trip, I could feel the dread wash over me like molasses. Thick and sticky. It didn't help that the hotel we kept returning to was central but in a really horrible part of town even though it was close to the Nile. There were piles of loose garbage just sitting on the street rotting and we had to walk past it every day to go get some water or something to eat. No wonder I hardly ate anything or when I did, I could feel the rumbling tum start protesting at the abuse I was dishing out to it.
Giza's highlight was spotting the Sphynx through the bus window and I froze in that startled rabbit kind of way. Finally seeing something in the flesh that I had been wanting to visit for many years was a great moment for me and all the noises, smells and weariness seemed to disappear in a split second. It seemed that I was the only one there and we said a silent hello to each other. I wished I could re-create that moment when all the noise returned at a seemingly louder volume.
Camel rides are overrated. Talk about a sore bum, back and inner thighs after only 10 minutes ride from the look out to the third pyramid. Let's not mention the 5698 requests for a tip from my 15 y.o. camel herder in that short 10 minutes. Far out... I was constantly looking for the off switch on every Egyptian I met.
The overnight train to Aswan saw me on the upper bunk, freezing me face off (I was perfectly lined up with the air con vent that seemed to be set to Cryogenic). The new morning saw us eating breakfast in our private cabin. When I pulled the blinds open to find out why the train had stopped, I saw we were at a station. During mid chew of bread and marmalade (time stood still again but for all the wrong reasons), I watched a man on the opposite platform jump onto the tracks, pulled up his traditional dress and do a huge crap on the railway tracks. Dear readers, you do not know the meaning of a "dry reach" until you have mistakenly watched a man poohing whilst you are attempting to nourish yourself.
Aswan, hot as hell (if there is a hell) but stunning. Our hotel overlooked the Nile and I loved the greenery of the river bank. Our room was on the upper levels and I could see the Nile wind its way to the distant horizon.
We went to a Nubian village where we were greeted with traditional music and children dancing. The little buggers asked us for baksheesh (tips) for dancing with us. Damn cheek! The meal was delicious and after some shopping for home made traditional loose change bags and necklaces and Arabic scarves, we returned to our hotel.
Our free day saw some of us decide to go to Abu Simbel. So, we set our alarms for 3:15am to be ready by 4am. Our bus collected us at 4:15. Did I say bus? Once everyone was seated, it took on an appearance of humans trying to travel in an After Dinner Mints packet. Not a huge problem unless you are travelling 3 hours in the searing heat with your knees up around your larynx. Was it worth it? Abu Simbel was amazing, stunning, huge, beautiful but I would have said it was worth it if we were travelling on a real bus... not in a chocolate box.
We arrived back to Aswan around 2pm and I took the rest of the day off to reacquaint my legs back into the straight position.
End of Day 5. Yes, there are 10 more days of the trip left! God Help Me!
Thanks for tuning in
Chat soon
Tina x
I know I've been purposely slack about the internet stuff but I've decided to go through my itinerary and make some comments about each place we visited.
It should be no surprise to those who know me that I hated Cairo! Too noisy, too dirty, Disorganised Kaos (is it possible to be more disorganised than Chaos?) Tourist traps and hawkers charging you more than triple what the locals pay. Every time we headed back to Cairo during our trip, I could feel the dread wash over me like molasses. Thick and sticky. It didn't help that the hotel we kept returning to was central but in a really horrible part of town even though it was close to the Nile. There were piles of loose garbage just sitting on the street rotting and we had to walk past it every day to go get some water or something to eat. No wonder I hardly ate anything or when I did, I could feel the rumbling tum start protesting at the abuse I was dishing out to it.
Giza's highlight was spotting the Sphynx through the bus window and I froze in that startled rabbit kind of way. Finally seeing something in the flesh that I had been wanting to visit for many years was a great moment for me and all the noises, smells and weariness seemed to disappear in a split second. It seemed that I was the only one there and we said a silent hello to each other. I wished I could re-create that moment when all the noise returned at a seemingly louder volume.
Camel rides are overrated. Talk about a sore bum, back and inner thighs after only 10 minutes ride from the look out to the third pyramid. Let's not mention the 5698 requests for a tip from my 15 y.o. camel herder in that short 10 minutes. Far out... I was constantly looking for the off switch on every Egyptian I met.
The overnight train to Aswan saw me on the upper bunk, freezing me face off (I was perfectly lined up with the air con vent that seemed to be set to Cryogenic). The new morning saw us eating breakfast in our private cabin. When I pulled the blinds open to find out why the train had stopped, I saw we were at a station. During mid chew of bread and marmalade (time stood still again but for all the wrong reasons), I watched a man on the opposite platform jump onto the tracks, pulled up his traditional dress and do a huge crap on the railway tracks. Dear readers, you do not know the meaning of a "dry reach" until you have mistakenly watched a man poohing whilst you are attempting to nourish yourself.
Aswan, hot as hell (if there is a hell) but stunning. Our hotel overlooked the Nile and I loved the greenery of the river bank. Our room was on the upper levels and I could see the Nile wind its way to the distant horizon.
We went to a Nubian village where we were greeted with traditional music and children dancing. The little buggers asked us for baksheesh (tips) for dancing with us. Damn cheek! The meal was delicious and after some shopping for home made traditional loose change bags and necklaces and Arabic scarves, we returned to our hotel.
Our free day saw some of us decide to go to Abu Simbel. So, we set our alarms for 3:15am to be ready by 4am. Our bus collected us at 4:15. Did I say bus? Once everyone was seated, it took on an appearance of humans trying to travel in an After Dinner Mints packet. Not a huge problem unless you are travelling 3 hours in the searing heat with your knees up around your larynx. Was it worth it? Abu Simbel was amazing, stunning, huge, beautiful but I would have said it was worth it if we were travelling on a real bus... not in a chocolate box.
We arrived back to Aswan around 2pm and I took the rest of the day off to reacquaint my legs back into the straight position.
End of Day 5. Yes, there are 10 more days of the trip left! God Help Me!
Thanks for tuning in
Chat soon
Tina x
Monday, August 10, 2009
Leaving Luxor
Its been an interesting few days with loads to do yet tonnes of time to chill out.
The constant noise and horns tooting is becoming tiresome as is the unwanted attention of the local men but the best choice is to ignore, ignore, ignore.
We've been to The Valley of the Kings and visited 3 tombs. for extra payment, some of us went into Rammasees VI tomb and Tutankaman's tomb which still has his mummy in it.
I was amazed at the colour that still exists in these places on the walls and ceilings. The carvings are brilliant and the stories behind them are just as fascinating.
Today was karnak temple. Huge and just as amazing for different reasons. Tonight we leave for Cairo via overnight train.
Life is noisy but good.
Chat soon
Cheers!
tina x
The constant noise and horns tooting is becoming tiresome as is the unwanted attention of the local men but the best choice is to ignore, ignore, ignore.
We've been to The Valley of the Kings and visited 3 tombs. for extra payment, some of us went into Rammasees VI tomb and Tutankaman's tomb which still has his mummy in it.
I was amazed at the colour that still exists in these places on the walls and ceilings. The carvings are brilliant and the stories behind them are just as fascinating.
Today was karnak temple. Huge and just as amazing for different reasons. Tonight we leave for Cairo via overnight train.
Life is noisy but good.
Chat soon
Cheers!
tina x
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Luxor and the Feluka
Just a list of words and phrases today.
1. Hot, hot, hot
2. Nubian village of lilac, burnt orange and sky blue colours full of lively children wanting to own us
3. Communal sleeping room for our group with sandy courtyard, arch doorways, lace curtains and air conditioning unit.
4. Waking up with the rising sun and sipping sweet Egyptian tea in the sandy courtyard whilst the children buried their glasses in the sand to keep their milky tea warm.
5. Sunset walk to the nearest hill to see the colours come alive
6. Sailing up the Nile and dipping feet into the cool water on every second tack.
7. Sunburnt knees!!! 8-\
8. Egyptian tea with one sugar
9. Sandy river banks for a stop over and a swim... or if you prefer, sipping tea in the shade of the feluka whilst standing waist deep in the Nile
10. Silly word games. 10 Push ups for each time you say feluka, hot, water, mine or Intrepid. Its been my day off the game since Tuesday.
11. Digging our own toilet and erecting a chest height curtain around it! :-(
12. Sleeping on the feluka
13. Arrive in Luxor
Chat soon
Cheers
Tina x
1. Hot, hot, hot
2. Nubian village of lilac, burnt orange and sky blue colours full of lively children wanting to own us
3. Communal sleeping room for our group with sandy courtyard, arch doorways, lace curtains and air conditioning unit.
4. Waking up with the rising sun and sipping sweet Egyptian tea in the sandy courtyard whilst the children buried their glasses in the sand to keep their milky tea warm.
5. Sunset walk to the nearest hill to see the colours come alive
6. Sailing up the Nile and dipping feet into the cool water on every second tack.
7. Sunburnt knees!!! 8-\
8. Egyptian tea with one sugar
9. Sandy river banks for a stop over and a swim... or if you prefer, sipping tea in the shade of the feluka whilst standing waist deep in the Nile
10. Silly word games. 10 Push ups for each time you say feluka, hot, water, mine or Intrepid. Its been my day off the game since Tuesday.
11. Digging our own toilet and erecting a chest height curtain around it! :-(
12. Sleeping on the feluka
13. Arrive in Luxor
Chat soon
Cheers
Tina x
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Original Crazy Taxi.
Well, I am writing this so that indicates that I have survived my first full day in Egypt.
We organised through Tommy (see previous blog) a day trip to Saqqarah. Its the necropolis close to Cairo and has the first pyramid ever built; the Step Pyramid but I am getting ahead of myself.
We turn up to Tommy's office and confirm that we want to go to Saqqarah.. No worries he says. He is up on all the Aussie lingo to make us feel at home.
So off we go. Its was like pressing the Start button on "Crazy Taxi: The Game" Wisdom or a kindly, saintly voice advised both of us (Jo and me) to sit in the back seat. What happened in the next 20 mins must have scored us top points and bonuses as our driver deftly dodged donkeys, dogs, pedestrians (we noticed a distinct lack of traffic lights... EVERYWHERE), cars, motor cycles and everything else that found its way onto the bitumen. Calling them roads here is being totally unkind to dirt tracks back home.
We see a black and white car whizz from left to right in front of us, and then dodge it again as it abruptly stops for someone who seems hell bent on crossing the road. Our taxi picks up more speed and begins to perform the same manouvres. Left to right in front of the bus, then right to left to dodge the donkey, hit the brakes to swerve around the pedestrians (women and children) then ecselerates to make it around a truck before it swerves in front of us to avoid a car. I would have thought the constant yelling, squealing and stream of "Oh Nos" coming from his back seat may have alerted him to our distress. He turns and tells us that we don't need seat belts in the back seat (they are firmly locked into place) only in the front. 8-/
On the way to Saqqarah, he decides that we need to stop at a Papyrus Shop, a jewely shop, a carpet shop and a restaurant... hmmm.. Jo and I look at each other thinking the other has requested this. No, we haven't, I think the shop owners must belong to Tommy in some way shape or form!!
We dutifully go into each shop, look around and walk out. Thank you for the lovely stop over... can we go to Saqqarah now. Of course he says as he pulls into the next shop!
To cut a long story short, we actually did get to Saqqarah in the end, saw the Step Pyramid, got fleeced by some dude that put he filthy scarf on my head for a photo opportunity (all I could think of was the cooties that I was about to catch), took us around the inside of a pyramid pointing at a fish and saying, look fish! Our unofficial tour guide took 5LE off us before letting us out. Live and learn.
Rating for that trip: 8/10.
It was a really good day!
We organised through Tommy (see previous blog) a day trip to Saqqarah. Its the necropolis close to Cairo and has the first pyramid ever built; the Step Pyramid but I am getting ahead of myself.
We turn up to Tommy's office and confirm that we want to go to Saqqarah.. No worries he says. He is up on all the Aussie lingo to make us feel at home.
So off we go. Its was like pressing the Start button on "Crazy Taxi: The Game" Wisdom or a kindly, saintly voice advised both of us (Jo and me) to sit in the back seat. What happened in the next 20 mins must have scored us top points and bonuses as our driver deftly dodged donkeys, dogs, pedestrians (we noticed a distinct lack of traffic lights... EVERYWHERE), cars, motor cycles and everything else that found its way onto the bitumen. Calling them roads here is being totally unkind to dirt tracks back home.
We see a black and white car whizz from left to right in front of us, and then dodge it again as it abruptly stops for someone who seems hell bent on crossing the road. Our taxi picks up more speed and begins to perform the same manouvres. Left to right in front of the bus, then right to left to dodge the donkey, hit the brakes to swerve around the pedestrians (women and children) then ecselerates to make it around a truck before it swerves in front of us to avoid a car. I would have thought the constant yelling, squealing and stream of "Oh Nos" coming from his back seat may have alerted him to our distress. He turns and tells us that we don't need seat belts in the back seat (they are firmly locked into place) only in the front. 8-/
On the way to Saqqarah, he decides that we need to stop at a Papyrus Shop, a jewely shop, a carpet shop and a restaurant... hmmm.. Jo and I look at each other thinking the other has requested this. No, we haven't, I think the shop owners must belong to Tommy in some way shape or form!!
We dutifully go into each shop, look around and walk out. Thank you for the lovely stop over... can we go to Saqqarah now. Of course he says as he pulls into the next shop!
To cut a long story short, we actually did get to Saqqarah in the end, saw the Step Pyramid, got fleeced by some dude that put he filthy scarf on my head for a photo opportunity (all I could think of was the cooties that I was about to catch), took us around the inside of a pyramid pointing at a fish and saying, look fish! Our unofficial tour guide took 5LE off us before letting us out. Live and learn.
Rating for that trip: 8/10.
It was a really good day!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Cairo... but too late to care!
Hi folks,
I made it to Cairo this afternoon and at the moment it's just gone 11pm. We've been hijacked by a friendly local (Tommy) who has taken us to every shop known to his immediate family to try and sell us something. I've so far successfully been able to fob him off but my resolve is waning. He is waiting at the coffee shop next door to buy us a mango juice after we've finished on the internet (I've met Jo from NZ who is on the same tour). Am currently trying to work out how to sneak past him so I can go to my hotel room and sleep. The state of the hotel is another story!!!
Chat later
Cheers
Tina xx
I made it to Cairo this afternoon and at the moment it's just gone 11pm. We've been hijacked by a friendly local (Tommy) who has taken us to every shop known to his immediate family to try and sell us something. I've so far successfully been able to fob him off but my resolve is waning. He is waiting at the coffee shop next door to buy us a mango juice after we've finished on the internet (I've met Jo from NZ who is on the same tour). Am currently trying to work out how to sneak past him so I can go to my hotel room and sleep. The state of the hotel is another story!!!
Chat later
Cheers
Tina xx
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
How you know you're in Greece (well, Kriti anyway)
- You have a 3 litre bottle of home made wine in the fridge that has a tightly wound paper napkin as a stopper.
- You have a whole watermelon in your fridge that actually tastes like watermelon!
- You drink a Greek coffee; metrio (one teaspoon Greek coffee, one teaspoon sugar) in the morning instead of a soy latte.
- Your Aunt calls 45 times a day to find out where you are, what you are doing and when you are coming to the village for a visit (you just left!).
- You stand on the footpath and are in total awe that scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks actually get from A to B without totally wiping out the population of Xavia in a catastrophic car accident right before your eyes.
- Bus drivers have the kind of 'tude and makes you feel like the village idiot when you ask them where they going (a destination sign on the bus might help from time to time).
- The beach is full of Xeni...
- The Old Venetian Harbour is full of Xeni...
- Everyone who is not at least 48th generation Greek is a Xeno...
- The person sitting next to you (anywhere where you might be at the time) will get your entire life story (including how much your house cost you) out of you in polite conversation. Hmmm... whatever happened to "Nice day today, isn't it?"
Cheers
Tina x
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Village
Well, yesterday was a day in the village. We'd been there before for a couple of hours here and there but yesterday was a full day there.
So the usual routine started.. get up at 9am. Bum around for a bit until breakfast at 10am. Then my great uncle Xristo came and collected us in his UTE at 11am. That is mum, me and Uncle Xristo in a single bench seat ute going to the village. Only in Greece would mum and I put up with this. The roads are narrow and full of ditches and holes. Every one around seems to want to merge.. not into your lane but into your passenger door instead because seemingly, that is going to get them to their destination faster.
The village road to Skine is ok... but still a little scary. It takes us 15 mins to get to the village. All the while I am dodging the floor shift gear stick which seems to be about 5 feet long and ready to take my eye out when it gets into 3rd. My mum is pressed up against the door and i am hoping that it doesn't have a tricky lock which means we will have to make a U-turn into a ditch to retrieve her from an orange grove that she's rolled into after having bounced off the bitumen.
The crowd are there and we are force fed 3 times what our stomach can hold. Mum is ordered to bed for an afternoon siesta and they are tut-tutting me when I refuse. Instead I take on the searing midday sun and walk up the road to grandma's grave and sit there and have a chat. She's actually got a really nice view up to the surrounding mountains and she can even spot the Lefka Perga if she squints.
I then head off to the nearest village which is Fornes and is around 2km away along dirt roads. Its a nice walk but by now, I think I've broiled my skull cap and therefore head back to the shade of the tavernas on the "main road" and a cool lemonade. Mum's been given leave from her siesta and she's re-aquainting herself with old school friends and relatives who she thought were dead.
I've just received a call that the relos are on their way to our place which I have yet to describe... So have to head off now, get some yummy sweets and ran back to our sea side apartment and await their arrival.
Chat soon.
Cheers
Tina x
So the usual routine started.. get up at 9am. Bum around for a bit until breakfast at 10am. Then my great uncle Xristo came and collected us in his UTE at 11am. That is mum, me and Uncle Xristo in a single bench seat ute going to the village. Only in Greece would mum and I put up with this. The roads are narrow and full of ditches and holes. Every one around seems to want to merge.. not into your lane but into your passenger door instead because seemingly, that is going to get them to their destination faster.
The village road to Skine is ok... but still a little scary. It takes us 15 mins to get to the village. All the while I am dodging the floor shift gear stick which seems to be about 5 feet long and ready to take my eye out when it gets into 3rd. My mum is pressed up against the door and i am hoping that it doesn't have a tricky lock which means we will have to make a U-turn into a ditch to retrieve her from an orange grove that she's rolled into after having bounced off the bitumen.
The crowd are there and we are force fed 3 times what our stomach can hold. Mum is ordered to bed for an afternoon siesta and they are tut-tutting me when I refuse. Instead I take on the searing midday sun and walk up the road to grandma's grave and sit there and have a chat. She's actually got a really nice view up to the surrounding mountains and she can even spot the Lefka Perga if she squints.
I then head off to the nearest village which is Fornes and is around 2km away along dirt roads. Its a nice walk but by now, I think I've broiled my skull cap and therefore head back to the shade of the tavernas on the "main road" and a cool lemonade. Mum's been given leave from her siesta and she's re-aquainting herself with old school friends and relatives who she thought were dead.
I've just received a call that the relos are on their way to our place which I have yet to describe... So have to head off now, get some yummy sweets and ran back to our sea side apartment and await their arrival.
Chat soon.
Cheers
Tina x
Friday, July 10, 2009
Relos and Other Folks
My first thought on our way to Xavia (Chania) from mum's village is do I really have to go back to Oz? I mean... do I reeeeeeally!???!??!?!?!!
The weather has been phenomenal. Hot (30's), a little humid, but lovely. A real summer feeling. The harbour glisenes bright blue. The old houses seem to be teetering on their foundations ready to tople but are probably more stable and sturdy than your typical Masterton. The breeze off the ocean cools the sweat on our skin that develops whenever we decide to head outside for a walk.
Every man and his dog that we've met walking through the narrow, old town streets has stopped, had a chat, given us some local tips and waved us off like we were friends from way back.
We've sat in local cafes, a different one every day (I've redeveloped a taste for Greek Coffee; metrio of course) and ended up chatting to the owners just to pass the time. Mum even spent time at the Old Jewish Synagogue in Chania telling the curator her first hand story about one of the last remaining Jews after the Nazis rounded the rest of them up and put them on a boat headed for Athens and God knows onto where from there! His job was to collect as many stories as posible to piece together the story of Greek Jews on Crete. It was a really interesting afternoon.
Breakfast is at 9-10am... lunch if we can be bothered is around 3-4pm and dinner... if we are unable to fob of the relos and are still awake is at 11-12pm!!! And we walk and walk and walk.
Do I really have to go back?
Chat soon.
Cheers!
Tina x
The weather has been phenomenal. Hot (30's), a little humid, but lovely. A real summer feeling. The harbour glisenes bright blue. The old houses seem to be teetering on their foundations ready to tople but are probably more stable and sturdy than your typical Masterton. The breeze off the ocean cools the sweat on our skin that develops whenever we decide to head outside for a walk.
Every man and his dog that we've met walking through the narrow, old town streets has stopped, had a chat, given us some local tips and waved us off like we were friends from way back.
We've sat in local cafes, a different one every day (I've redeveloped a taste for Greek Coffee; metrio of course) and ended up chatting to the owners just to pass the time. Mum even spent time at the Old Jewish Synagogue in Chania telling the curator her first hand story about one of the last remaining Jews after the Nazis rounded the rest of them up and put them on a boat headed for Athens and God knows onto where from there! His job was to collect as many stories as posible to piece together the story of Greek Jews on Crete. It was a really interesting afternoon.
Breakfast is at 9-10am... lunch if we can be bothered is around 3-4pm and dinner... if we are unable to fob of the relos and are still awake is at 11-12pm!!! And we walk and walk and walk.
Do I really have to go back?
Chat soon.
Cheers!
Tina x
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Kriti
I couldn't believe how emotional I got when i saw, through the Aegean airplane's window, the mountains of Crete looming over the horizon. I figured there were a number of things going on. It was the emotional psychic pull of my past generations. It was arriving on the island knowing that my grandmother was not longer around to welcome me with tears and hugs that only grandmothers know how to execute to perfection to ensure you know how welcome you are. It was also relief that I finally managed to get mum half way around the world and safely back to her birthplace.
Tina's travel tip: Don't travel with elderly, immobile parents. In my opinion, its a freakin' nightmare!!
The plane was late leaving Athens so to make up for the delays we each got a free one way flight on Aegean. This was a total blessing and is now my connecting flight home for free!! I knew there was a reason why i didn't book that leg of our trip back home.
When we arrived at the hotel, my mobile phone started to ring. I got annoyed because i knew how much Optus was charging me to pick up the call!!! I relented and did anyway. THANK GOD I did. That one phone call reinstalled my faith in humans and how much someone will go out of their way for a total stranger. Anna, an Athenian at the other end, had called me to say she found my wallet beside a bin outside her shop in Monastiraki. Everything, barring the money, was in the wallet. She had called the Aussie embassy after she saw my Aussie drivers licence and credit cards. Having no luck there, she rifled further and found my counselling biz cards in a side pocket and called the mobile number (international rates on her side!!) What an angel. She is hanging onto it until I get back to Athens. When I find out what kind of shop she has, I will be recommending it to EVERYONE I know in this world.
So, I am happy. Today is a good day. I got a free flight and my wallet back in one day. Faith has been restored. What more could I ask for?
Chat soon.
Cheers
Tina x
Tina's travel tip: Don't travel with elderly, immobile parents. In my opinion, its a freakin' nightmare!!
The plane was late leaving Athens so to make up for the delays we each got a free one way flight on Aegean. This was a total blessing and is now my connecting flight home for free!! I knew there was a reason why i didn't book that leg of our trip back home.
When we arrived at the hotel, my mobile phone started to ring. I got annoyed because i knew how much Optus was charging me to pick up the call!!! I relented and did anyway. THANK GOD I did. That one phone call reinstalled my faith in humans and how much someone will go out of their way for a total stranger. Anna, an Athenian at the other end, had called me to say she found my wallet beside a bin outside her shop in Monastiraki. Everything, barring the money, was in the wallet. She had called the Aussie embassy after she saw my Aussie drivers licence and credit cards. Having no luck there, she rifled further and found my counselling biz cards in a side pocket and called the mobile number (international rates on her side!!) What an angel. She is hanging onto it until I get back to Athens. When I find out what kind of shop she has, I will be recommending it to EVERYONE I know in this world.
So, I am happy. Today is a good day. I got a free flight and my wallet back in one day. Faith has been restored. What more could I ask for?
Chat soon.
Cheers
Tina x
Stolen Property
OK.. now that I am over the annoyance of having been robbed in BROAD daylight, I figured I can write about it and use this as a cleansing therapy exercise.
The day started bad and went worse.
So I previously told you about the bank, the bougatsa and the lift etc. Well it was at this point that mum and i decided to go for our walk while we waited for the lift repairs.
Somewhere after mum did a check of my backpack zippers (at my request.. like I know something was about to go down) between the original Mitropoleos church near Monastiraki and sitting down at the cafe we stopped at for a drink, I noticed my pouch zip opened and my wallet gone.
I was so shocked and annoyed all at once and felt singled out (I know this happens to millions of people every day... I watch the American Express ads and did leave home without it!)
I ran back through the way we came and looked in as many bins as I could find. I know the buggers more often than not take the money and throw everything else away. I loved that wallet and quite fankly they could have the money, i just wanted my drivers licence back and some other cards that have a special meaning for me. Credit cards were easy to cancel as I thankfully took all the emergency number I could remember to jot down.
I got directions to the police station. They were helpful.. Not! Fill out this form and we'll stamp it for you. That's it. Purely a travel insurance formality. So i filled it out and they stamped it.
Next, back at the hotel and thankfully a working lift, I went up stairs and started with the phone calls. Cancel 2 visa cards and 1 travel card. Call RTA and get their out of hours message. "I'm sorry, we are unable to answer your call at this time" That is their idea of an out of hours, informative message!!
I spent the rest of the night, lacking appetite, sulking and imagining all kinds of Russian mafia making thousands of copies of my drivers licence and credit cards putting other peoples names and photos on them and selling them on the black market. At around 1am, I wondered where I could go to buy a copy of my own credit card.
Thanks for listening!
Chat later
Tina x
The day started bad and went worse.
So I previously told you about the bank, the bougatsa and the lift etc. Well it was at this point that mum and i decided to go for our walk while we waited for the lift repairs.
Somewhere after mum did a check of my backpack zippers (at my request.. like I know something was about to go down) between the original Mitropoleos church near Monastiraki and sitting down at the cafe we stopped at for a drink, I noticed my pouch zip opened and my wallet gone.
I was so shocked and annoyed all at once and felt singled out (I know this happens to millions of people every day... I watch the American Express ads and did leave home without it!)
I ran back through the way we came and looked in as many bins as I could find. I know the buggers more often than not take the money and throw everything else away. I loved that wallet and quite fankly they could have the money, i just wanted my drivers licence back and some other cards that have a special meaning for me. Credit cards were easy to cancel as I thankfully took all the emergency number I could remember to jot down.
I got directions to the police station. They were helpful.. Not! Fill out this form and we'll stamp it for you. That's it. Purely a travel insurance formality. So i filled it out and they stamped it.
Next, back at the hotel and thankfully a working lift, I went up stairs and started with the phone calls. Cancel 2 visa cards and 1 travel card. Call RTA and get their out of hours message. "I'm sorry, we are unable to answer your call at this time" That is their idea of an out of hours, informative message!!
I spent the rest of the night, lacking appetite, sulking and imagining all kinds of Russian mafia making thousands of copies of my drivers licence and credit cards putting other peoples names and photos on them and selling them on the black market. At around 1am, I wondered where I could go to buy a copy of my own credit card.
Thanks for listening!
Chat later
Tina x
Wimbledon Tix Tips
I have been meaning to share my tips for getting into Wimbledon since having been there and witnessing how the system actually works.
The caveat to this blog is that it will work for all the days up until the Thursday before the Finals. I can't guarantee this will get you into the grounds for the last 3 days (Friday, Saturday and of course Sunday's final) but i guess it depends who's left and how popular they are!!
1. Get there later in the morning.. forget the queuing!!! I was there at 11am and it was a walk up start straight to the ticketing gates
2. Get a general admission ticket which gets you into all the outer courts, the grounds, the big TV area, restaurants etc.
3. Around mid way through the days play, folks start to head off and if they have Centre Court OR Court 1 tix, they are encouraged to hand them in for resale. All the resale proceeds go to charity.
4. You can then revisit the ticketing office (make sure you get your re-entry bracelet just in case or maybe approach them from inside the ground) and buy a Centre Court or Court 1 ticket for around 5 quid.
5. Enjoy the rest of the games on those courts.
I was there till 4pm on the Thursday and people had started leaving way before then. When I left there were still a couple of double matches to be played on Court 1 and there was also another match scheduled for Centre Court that hadn't started.
Good luck with it!
Chat later
Tina x
The caveat to this blog is that it will work for all the days up until the Thursday before the Finals. I can't guarantee this will get you into the grounds for the last 3 days (Friday, Saturday and of course Sunday's final) but i guess it depends who's left and how popular they are!!
1. Get there later in the morning.. forget the queuing!!! I was there at 11am and it was a walk up start straight to the ticketing gates
2. Get a general admission ticket which gets you into all the outer courts, the grounds, the big TV area, restaurants etc.
3. Around mid way through the days play, folks start to head off and if they have Centre Court OR Court 1 tix, they are encouraged to hand them in for resale. All the resale proceeds go to charity.
4. You can then revisit the ticketing office (make sure you get your re-entry bracelet just in case or maybe approach them from inside the ground) and buy a Centre Court or Court 1 ticket for around 5 quid.
5. Enjoy the rest of the games on those courts.
I was there till 4pm on the Thursday and people had started leaving way before then. When I left there were still a couple of double matches to be played on Court 1 and there was also another match scheduled for Centre Court that hadn't started.
Good luck with it!
Chat later
Tina x
Monday, July 6, 2009
Never on a Sunday
Hi folks,
Well, we're flying out of Athens tomorrrow morning and heading to Crete... Kriti for the locals and staying in Xavia (Chania for the kseni!)
I am astounded how much Athens has changed since we last hung out together. Granted, alot can happen in 20 years... but this much? I absolutely LOVE it here and am now wondering (hoping) if I've won any of the 90 million Oz Lotto prize pool since I've been gone.
All of a sudden (7,300 days to be exact) there are manners, helpfulness, mixed cuisines, cleanlisness, there is still 'tood but its mild and done with grace and humour.
The Metro is fantastic. We got around everywhere so easily and there is disabled access to everything on the Metro. Well almost... mum still has to walk up to the Acropolis which she actually managed to do in her own time. She was very determined and we had a little celebration on reaching the top.
The Parthenon was amazing on one hand and sad on the other. I have seen it before but this time around I seem to be experiencing a larger sense of appreciation for everything here. It is disappointing that its been so pillaged and raped over time. A shadow of its former glory so to speak but with extensive retorations going on, hopefully it will reclaim some of its beauty. At night, it remains stunning when you unexpectedly catch glimpses of it between the buildings around Monastiraki and where we are staying in Syndagma. I am glad that I will be doing some return visits to Athens. I also plan on staying a couple of days on my own when i return from Egypt just to really take it all in.
The Acropolis museum is lovely but missing some vital pieces to make it really worthwhile to visit... (see previous blog)
I was disappointed with the bougatsa here... so Xania's version needs to impress. Maybe my memory of it has been enhanced over the years. Here's hoping not!
Still haven't spotted or contacted relos. We've been too busy just reaquainting ourselves to the country.
OK, I won't lie and totally mislead. Today we also experienced Athens of the old. Is it just me or has anyone else gone into a bank lately, pressed the button for the queue ticket number and looked up to see that you drew ticket number 319 and they were currently serving ticket number 212 on counter 4? And yes, we did wait!!!! I take everything I've ever said about you back ANZ!
Anyway, the lift in our hotel is not working today (we're on level 8 and I am not carrying mum up 8 steep flights) so we are going for a walk through the National Gardens just up the road. The lift is suppose to carry a maximum of 4 people only (yes, that's right.. max of four) so i suspect someone tried to put a bag in too!
That's about it from me for now. Thanks for dropping by and having a read. Chat soon.
Cheers!
Tina x
Well, we're flying out of Athens tomorrrow morning and heading to Crete... Kriti for the locals and staying in Xavia (Chania for the kseni!)
I am astounded how much Athens has changed since we last hung out together. Granted, alot can happen in 20 years... but this much? I absolutely LOVE it here and am now wondering (hoping) if I've won any of the 90 million Oz Lotto prize pool since I've been gone.
All of a sudden (7,300 days to be exact) there are manners, helpfulness, mixed cuisines, cleanlisness, there is still 'tood but its mild and done with grace and humour.
The Metro is fantastic. We got around everywhere so easily and there is disabled access to everything on the Metro. Well almost... mum still has to walk up to the Acropolis which she actually managed to do in her own time. She was very determined and we had a little celebration on reaching the top.
The Parthenon was amazing on one hand and sad on the other. I have seen it before but this time around I seem to be experiencing a larger sense of appreciation for everything here. It is disappointing that its been so pillaged and raped over time. A shadow of its former glory so to speak but with extensive retorations going on, hopefully it will reclaim some of its beauty. At night, it remains stunning when you unexpectedly catch glimpses of it between the buildings around Monastiraki and where we are staying in Syndagma. I am glad that I will be doing some return visits to Athens. I also plan on staying a couple of days on my own when i return from Egypt just to really take it all in.
The Acropolis museum is lovely but missing some vital pieces to make it really worthwhile to visit... (see previous blog)
I was disappointed with the bougatsa here... so Xania's version needs to impress. Maybe my memory of it has been enhanced over the years. Here's hoping not!
Still haven't spotted or contacted relos. We've been too busy just reaquainting ourselves to the country.
OK, I won't lie and totally mislead. Today we also experienced Athens of the old. Is it just me or has anyone else gone into a bank lately, pressed the button for the queue ticket number and looked up to see that you drew ticket number 319 and they were currently serving ticket number 212 on counter 4? And yes, we did wait!!!! I take everything I've ever said about you back ANZ!
Anyway, the lift in our hotel is not working today (we're on level 8 and I am not carrying mum up 8 steep flights) so we are going for a walk through the National Gardens just up the road. The lift is suppose to carry a maximum of 4 people only (yes, that's right.. max of four) so i suspect someone tried to put a bag in too!
That's about it from me for now. Thanks for dropping by and having a read. Chat soon.
Cheers!
Tina x
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The London Leg
I love London. Things that I like:
- The architecture
- The flower baskets all around the city... it IS Summer
- The friendliness (folks will say hello... take note Noo Yorkers)
- The fact I actually got into Wimbledon and it was literally a walk up start.. no queuing, no crowds
Things that I don't like:
- The hotel we stayed at... everyone take note: Do not stay (ever) at the Shaftsbury Premier Hyde Park Hotel!!! Dump Dump Dump
To do list for London:
- Get Air Conditioned Trains
- Get Air Conditioned Buses
- Get disabled access in the Underground (it was so hard to drag mum around going up and down the stairs)
- Get Air Conditioning in hotel rooms that work!
Wimbeldon was great. First impressions was that is was manucred to within an inch of its life. I was so happy to get Court 1 tix but i spent most of the time wandering around ont he outside courts. It worked for me once at the Oz Open and again this time, I was sitting 10ft away from Roger Federer practicing on Court 16. What a treat! I also saw Pat Cash playing an invitational doubles match. Lots to see and do there and I think I saw and did it all!
We also took in a bus trip around London, did a Thames Cruise, went to the British Museum where mum disappovingly walked around the Parthenon Marbles declaring they be shipped back to their real home... I tend to agree.
As a final day visit, I went off to the Freud Museum where Freud spent his last year living with his daughter Anna. That was interesting seeing as his famous couch was there. At £12 a photo... I did what any intrepid traveller does and that is ignored the "No Photos" sign, snapped my own couch photo and ran.
All in all, four good days in London. Weather has been lovely, warm and humid; just enough to thaw out of the Aussie Winter weather. We're in the BA lounge right now waiting for our flight to Athens at 11:45am.
Chat soon.
Tina x
Monday, June 22, 2009
And so it begins..
Tuesday, 30th June; the end of the financial year; my adventure begins. A long awaited treat to myself for having the patience to complete my studies over the last two years.
I am also visiting a country that I have wanted to step foot into since watching documentaries as a young child.
The itinerary:
London: 4 days
Greece: mostly on Crete with side trips the mainland and other isles (no, not Santorini not Mykonos...)
Egypt: 15 days
Hopefully adding a final side trip to Turkey.
I can't wait!
I am also visiting a country that I have wanted to step foot into since watching documentaries as a young child.
The itinerary:
London: 4 days
Greece: mostly on Crete with side trips the mainland and other isles (no, not Santorini not Mykonos...)
Egypt: 15 days
Hopefully adding a final side trip to Turkey.
I can't wait!
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