hey
Once we arrived in Corfu a bus took us to the place we were staying. Pretty much everyone on the bus was either American or Canadian, it was weird to finally understand what people around me were saying. The island was very mountainous, and it took the bus a while to complete its winding route to the other side of the island. Once we arrived a girl gave us an orientation and we packed our stuff in our rooms. The hostel we were staying at was huge, more like a resort. It was right on the side of a mountain and was very close to the water. There was a small village a block or two away and the rest of the hillside was covered in green, except for a giant rock cragg that shot out the side of the mountain. The first thing we did was walk down the path to the beach. It was kindof pebbly in some places but not too bad. The water was cold at first but got nice fairly quickly. We hung around and played frisbee all day. We also journeyed into the small village further down the beach and bought sandwiches and things to drink. Everything was very cheap there, sandwiches for 1.50 and beer at .60 a liter. Included in the already inexpensive hostel price was a huge dinner every night. It came with a soup, salad, roll, and a large entree and side. The food was very good and we were always hungry. Breakfast was also included, toast, nutella, coffee or tea, then a choice of cereal (that got soggy almost instantly) or eggs, pancakes or some standard breakfast entree. Buying lunch there was also cheap, a gyro and fries was just 2 euro, a hamburger and fries for 2.50.
The next day we went on a cruise around the island the hostel offered. It was on a medium sized boat with maybe 40 other people on it. It took us to some tall rocks that were sticking out of the water for cliff jumping. Me and about 20 others jumped off the boat and swam towards the rocks. To get to the top you had to climb up the other side which was pretty steep. The rocks were really sharp so we needed to bring shoes or flip flops. One of my flip flops got stuck in the rock face so I had to go back and get it. The jump was about 50 feet above the water, the guide assured us that the water was 80 feet deep all around so there was no danger of hitting something. He also said we should step off the side rather than jump so we wouldnt go sideways or bellyflop on the water. It was alot of fun jumping off. You would just keep falling and falling faster and faster and would wonder when you would hit the water. And then the hitting part came, and it kindof hurt. I landed well so it was not that bad. Other people would land wierd so thier face or back would slap the water and everyone on the boat would groan. John, a bigger guy in our group, landed practically sitting down creating a giant splash. We could tell by his face that he was hurting.
The boat then took us to a remote pebble beach. There were cliffs on all sides followed by trees and bushes going up the mountain sides so the only way to get to it was by boat. It was prettier than any post card I have seen. The water was a blueish green color and extremely clear. There was a small rock Andy, Mike, and I climbed that was about 8 feet above the water and hung out with some other people. It was so clear we could see the bottom perfectly even though we couldn't touch it if we tried, at least 20 feet deep. We jumped off the rock a few times and played some frisbee before it was time to go again. We were then taken to a cave that we could swim into. The water was pretty chilly but it wasn't anything too exciting. afterwards we went to a small monastary on an island. That concluded our cruise, which was alot of fun. We would've done it again if we had the time.
The next day we rented ATVs. There was a choice between going on a guided safari or just going off on our own. Yusuf, John, Greg, Marko, Andy, Benson, the 2 Mikes and I decided to go on our own. The 2 girls and the other John in our group went with the safari. Luckyly someone at the front desk gave us a map and circled some interesting spots on the island. The day was treacherous, but probably the funnest thing I have done on this whole European trip. Because of the large changes of elevation most of the roads zig zag up the mountain sides. Most of the roads don't have guard rails so if you happen to go off the sides you will end up 100 feet below. This made going downhill especially interesting, you would drive full throttle down the road, then nail the brakes and take the sharp turn narrow enough that you would not hit any cars coming the other way. If you took the turn too wide you could jab the throttle and lean in so the tail of the ATV would swing out pointing you in the right direction. We ended up loosing John Haio and Mike Mcelroy in the first 5 minutes. The rest of us in the group were also lost as we tried to find our bearings on the map. Once we figured it out we took off towards our destination. The island is a decent size. Along the way we hit a long flat stretch where we drove our ATVs at their top speed for 10 minutes to get to where we are going. If you have a chance to rent ATVs or scooters when you are traveling I highly recommend it. You really get a good view of the country you are in at the street level. You go through the streets and alleys of the real small towns, not just ones built for tourism. It is also a big adventure. We were flying through narrow streets in villages, driving on paths through tiered vineyards, it felt like a movie at times.
We came to our destination, a small touristy village with a picturesque beach. The beach was a small cove between two mountains that jutted inwards creating a small path for the ocean waves to flow through. We did some doughnuts in a gravelly parking lot, then parked our atvs. We explored some of the shops there and got some icecream, then headed out. As we were leaving and sliding around in the parking lot Yusuf's ATV caught traction and flipped over. In a James Bond-esque move he did a barrel roll on the ground, got up, and stopped his ATV that was rolling towards him before it hit a parked car. Besides a few cuts on his palms he was fine, so was his ATV. We drove off in no particular direction. Whenever we saw a path leading somewhere off road we took it and saw some amazing scenery. At one point the path stopped and we were in what looked like a giant bowl created by the mountains covered in low brush. We took off driving through the brush until most of our ATVs got stuck in the bushes. We pulled them out and went back. In greece there are alot of incomplete buildings, essentially a 2 or 3 story cement frame. Driving past one on an offroad excursion I saw something very eerie, a giant sitting clown. It was made of plastic and cloth and was huge, its head was hitting the ceiling. We took a few pictures and left in a hurry.
At the end of a road we were on was a restaraunt and steps up to an old fort. We parked our ATVs and climbed up a long path to the top of the mountain where the fort was. It was very interesting with some great views, including a sheer drop off several hundred feet to the crashing waves. When we got back down some tourists were sitting on our ATVs taking pictures. They said they were tired from walking joked saying wanted to borrow ours for a ride up to the main road. I told them I would glady give them a ride if they bought us lunch. They declined and we went in the restaraunt. I ordered spaghetti bolognese and Andy got a similar dish but with lamb. Everyone else got cheese pies which were pretty good. Overall the food was great, we were all really hungry.
Later driving on an offroad path Greg's ATV flew off the road right in front of me. He didn't fall very far, into some bushes, and he was alright except for his sandal which broke. We pulled it out of the ditch and after a few minutes of riding his throttle broke. We worked on it for a half hour or so trying to fix it but something in the actual lever mechanism was broken. The hostel told us to give them a call if we get lost or something breaks but we were in the middle of nowhere on some random path into the wilderness. There were alot of nets hanging in the trees so we cut a cord from one down and using my long unused boy scout skills I tied several together between the broken and a working ATV so we could tow it out. It worked great except for going up steep hills where it needed some pushing help. We got to a small tourist village and called the place from a restaraunt and we waited for about 45 minutes. During our wait several busses full of people came and checked out the shops. They sold a variety of things, a lot of olive oil, vases, ash trays and other knickknacks with greek art on them. The ATV guys screeched to a halt in their van and picked up the broken bike. They were really easy going about the whole thing and didn't charge us, the throttle didn't break until a few minutes after Greg flew off the path so we neglected to tell them about that. Greg rode with them, and they were crazy drivers. One was a native to the island and knew it like the back of his hand. Apparantly they reached 120 km/hr in thier rickety van on the way to the village. They drove with us for some of the way back. They were behind me for part of the time and tried to scare me by speeding up and stopping hard so their tires would squeal. Passing through a village on the way an old lady stopped us in the middle of the road. It turns out she was trying to sell us some of her homemade wine. Andy bought a bottle for 2 euro. When he asked her if she crushed the grapes with her own bare feet she just laughed. When we got back we told some of the people there about the wine and asked them if it would make us blind, they also just laughed and didn't say anything more which wasn't very reassuring. It had an aftertaste of burnt ham, so I let everyone else finish the bottle.
The next day was very windy and large waves exposed huge rocks on the beach so we relaxed next to the large hot tub. It was pretty uneventful. Yusuf, John P., Mike Mcelroy and I left that night for home. Some people went to Athens first and then flew home, others stayed for the hostel's legendary toga party and got back on monday night. It was a fantastic week off.
The next day we went on a cruise around the island the hostel offered. It was on a medium sized boat with maybe 40 other people on it. It took us to some tall rocks that were sticking out of the water for cliff jumping. Me and about 20 others jumped off the boat and swam towards the rocks. To get to the top you had to climb up the other side which was pretty steep. The rocks were really sharp so we needed to bring shoes or flip flops. One of my flip flops got stuck in the rock face so I had to go back and get it. The jump was about 50 feet above the water, the guide assured us that the water was 80 feet deep all around so there was no danger of hitting something. He also said we should step off the side rather than jump so we wouldnt go sideways or bellyflop on the water. It was alot of fun jumping off. You would just keep falling and falling faster and faster and would wonder when you would hit the water. And then the hitting part came, and it kindof hurt. I landed well so it was not that bad. Other people would land wierd so thier face or back would slap the water and everyone on the boat would groan. John, a bigger guy in our group, landed practically sitting down creating a giant splash. We could tell by his face that he was hurting.
The boat then took us to a remote pebble beach. There were cliffs on all sides followed by trees and bushes going up the mountain sides so the only way to get to it was by boat. It was prettier than any post card I have seen. The water was a blueish green color and extremely clear. There was a small rock Andy, Mike, and I climbed that was about 8 feet above the water and hung out with some other people. It was so clear we could see the bottom perfectly even though we couldn't touch it if we tried, at least 20 feet deep. We jumped off the rock a few times and played some frisbee before it was time to go again. We were then taken to a cave that we could swim into. The water was pretty chilly but it wasn't anything too exciting. afterwards we went to a small monastary on an island. That concluded our cruise, which was alot of fun. We would've done it again if we had the time.
The next day we rented ATVs. There was a choice between going on a guided safari or just going off on our own. Yusuf, John, Greg, Marko, Andy, Benson, the 2 Mikes and I decided to go on our own. The 2 girls and the other John in our group went with the safari. Luckyly someone at the front desk gave us a map and circled some interesting spots on the island. The day was treacherous, but probably the funnest thing I have done on this whole European trip. Because of the large changes of elevation most of the roads zig zag up the mountain sides. Most of the roads don't have guard rails so if you happen to go off the sides you will end up 100 feet below. This made going downhill especially interesting, you would drive full throttle down the road, then nail the brakes and take the sharp turn narrow enough that you would not hit any cars coming the other way. If you took the turn too wide you could jab the throttle and lean in so the tail of the ATV would swing out pointing you in the right direction. We ended up loosing John Haio and Mike Mcelroy in the first 5 minutes. The rest of us in the group were also lost as we tried to find our bearings on the map. Once we figured it out we took off towards our destination. The island is a decent size. Along the way we hit a long flat stretch where we drove our ATVs at their top speed for 10 minutes to get to where we are going. If you have a chance to rent ATVs or scooters when you are traveling I highly recommend it. You really get a good view of the country you are in at the street level. You go through the streets and alleys of the real small towns, not just ones built for tourism. It is also a big adventure. We were flying through narrow streets in villages, driving on paths through tiered vineyards, it felt like a movie at times.
We came to our destination, a small touristy village with a picturesque beach. The beach was a small cove between two mountains that jutted inwards creating a small path for the ocean waves to flow through. We did some doughnuts in a gravelly parking lot, then parked our atvs. We explored some of the shops there and got some icecream, then headed out. As we were leaving and sliding around in the parking lot Yusuf's ATV caught traction and flipped over. In a James Bond-esque move he did a barrel roll on the ground, got up, and stopped his ATV that was rolling towards him before it hit a parked car. Besides a few cuts on his palms he was fine, so was his ATV. We drove off in no particular direction. Whenever we saw a path leading somewhere off road we took it and saw some amazing scenery. At one point the path stopped and we were in what looked like a giant bowl created by the mountains covered in low brush. We took off driving through the brush until most of our ATVs got stuck in the bushes. We pulled them out and went back. In greece there are alot of incomplete buildings, essentially a 2 or 3 story cement frame. Driving past one on an offroad excursion I saw something very eerie, a giant sitting clown. It was made of plastic and cloth and was huge, its head was hitting the ceiling. We took a few pictures and left in a hurry.
At the end of a road we were on was a restaraunt and steps up to an old fort. We parked our ATVs and climbed up a long path to the top of the mountain where the fort was. It was very interesting with some great views, including a sheer drop off several hundred feet to the crashing waves. When we got back down some tourists were sitting on our ATVs taking pictures. They said they were tired from walking joked saying wanted to borrow ours for a ride up to the main road. I told them I would glady give them a ride if they bought us lunch. They declined and we went in the restaraunt. I ordered spaghetti bolognese and Andy got a similar dish but with lamb. Everyone else got cheese pies which were pretty good. Overall the food was great, we were all really hungry.
Later driving on an offroad path Greg's ATV flew off the road right in front of me. He didn't fall very far, into some bushes, and he was alright except for his sandal which broke. We pulled it out of the ditch and after a few minutes of riding his throttle broke. We worked on it for a half hour or so trying to fix it but something in the actual lever mechanism was broken. The hostel told us to give them a call if we get lost or something breaks but we were in the middle of nowhere on some random path into the wilderness. There were alot of nets hanging in the trees so we cut a cord from one down and using my long unused boy scout skills I tied several together between the broken and a working ATV so we could tow it out. It worked great except for going up steep hills where it needed some pushing help. We got to a small tourist village and called the place from a restaraunt and we waited for about 45 minutes. During our wait several busses full of people came and checked out the shops. They sold a variety of things, a lot of olive oil, vases, ash trays and other knickknacks with greek art on them. The ATV guys screeched to a halt in their van and picked up the broken bike. They were really easy going about the whole thing and didn't charge us, the throttle didn't break until a few minutes after Greg flew off the path so we neglected to tell them about that. Greg rode with them, and they were crazy drivers. One was a native to the island and knew it like the back of his hand. Apparantly they reached 120 km/hr in thier rickety van on the way to the village. They drove with us for some of the way back. They were behind me for part of the time and tried to scare me by speeding up and stopping hard so their tires would squeal. Passing through a village on the way an old lady stopped us in the middle of the road. It turns out she was trying to sell us some of her homemade wine. Andy bought a bottle for 2 euro. When he asked her if she crushed the grapes with her own bare feet she just laughed. When we got back we told some of the people there about the wine and asked them if it would make us blind, they also just laughed and didn't say anything more which wasn't very reassuring. It had an aftertaste of burnt ham, so I let everyone else finish the bottle.
The next day was very windy and large waves exposed huge rocks on the beach so we relaxed next to the large hot tub. It was pretty uneventful. Yusuf, John P., Mike Mcelroy and I left that night for home. Some people went to Athens first and then flew home, others stayed for the hostel's legendary toga party and got back on monday night. It was a fantastic week off.