LEAVING SUMMER CAMP & BLOWING THE BUDGET

Had an awesome time on Corfu. The Pink Palace was like a micro-community, a summer-camp-esque place, where faces were familiar after a few short days. Everyone got to know everyone else.

I thought having a less functional left hand would slow me down more than it did. I was unable to rent scooters with the others (probably not a bad thing) but got to see the amazing heights of Corfu on my own when I went for a painfully steep jog. Still went on the "booze cruise" which included cliff jumping and my first experience with free fall. The impact on the hand hurt but it was worth the leap and I soon forgot about that when I was inside a pitch-black bat cave.

A toga party, plate smashing and pink ouzo further enhanced the experience.

Long travel. 9am check out, a day spent with a french-canadian, 9 hours on a but, many more hours waiting idly, another bus, 5 hour ferry.... Finally in Mykonos.



Mykonos = Expensive. A typical day there saw the budget strained as follows (in $AUD):
- Accomodation $60
- Entry to club $30
- Water, bread and fruit $20
- Buses $6
- Ferry ticket $70
Trying to stick to $100 seemed completely unmanageable.



Buses, scooters and 4WD motorbikes dominate the narrow streets of Mykonos. Not a pedestiran-friendly place. Furthermore, a little invention called "the helmet" is yet to be embraced in this country. I confined myself to bus travel which turned out to be the right thing to do after seeing Fearny following a fall from his scooter - scrapes everywhere.

Australian DJ's command top-dollar when u wouldn't see them for free back home. There are people with money to burn on this island, some spending as much as $1000 in an afternoon. The convergence of long-term backpackers and those on 2 week binges make it hard to establish uniformity when it comes to partying.

Mykonos is still a beautiful place. Fresh fruit and Psarou beach. A handfull of cherries.



My iPod has been my best friend with all the travelling I have been doing. A few songs on repeat at the moment....
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
Chris Rea - Shadows of the Big Man
Gotye - Puzzle With A Piece Missing
Bob Dylan - Sara
(don't know if there is any real theme there, just some easy songs to listen to)



Until the next time Fearny allows me a long enough innings on his computer to write an entry. In Ios at the moment, Tour de France in 2 days!

A Blessing in Disguise.

Seated on the balcony in Corfu watching the water, absorbing the beauty of the island from a distant perspective. My fellow travelers are out exploring in more intimate detail atop four-wheeled motorbikes. I would be doing the same had i not hurt my hand... you need your hand to brake!

At this stage of the journey, perhaps being confined to the sandy beach is a blessing in disguise...

15 euro for a bike and the bank account is already starting to look a little dry.

Furthermore, with my luck of injuries lately a cliff top motorbike ride is probably tempting fate.

Disappointed but satisfied.

Corfu is stunning.

A LIST OF THINGS YOU CAN’T DO WITHOUT 2 THUMBS

Who knew that dual opposable thumbs were so handy?

1. CAN’T unbutton your pants.

This one is a no brainer.

2. CA N’T overcome the language barrier.

The second on the list you can’t even accomplish with 2 thumbs let alone 1. Today was the first time I found the language barrier a hurdle. I stumbled and I fell. I do plan on getting up and trying again… however, perhaps hiring a phrasebook as a coach might be a good career move.

3. CAN’T unzip a backpack.

2 zips, 1 thumb – that’s a logistical nightmare. However, not as frightening a nightmare as a Greek hospital (not a friendly place for an English-speaking tourist). After a spill (twice) on wet tiles and a potential break of thumb I was forced to venture to a nearby Athens hospital. More mid-war, temporary hospital than big city medical centre I eventually had to go 30 minutes by train to find somewhere more appropriate. No luck again – greeted with responses in Greek or bemused faces. As a personal translator on a backpacker’s budget was unlikely, I was resigned to self-diagnosis and my bleak, one-thumbed fate.

4. CAN’T open chocolate wrappers.

Impossible.

5. CAN’T play Snake on your mobile phone.

Got one back on the language barrier but not without some difficulty. Bought a mobile phone today only to discover the menu was in Greek, my voicemail was in Greek and the instructions to escape such a quandary… coincidentally… in Greek. After 3 trips back to the shop I was all sorted. Never have I been so enchanted by polyphonic ringtones.

6. CAN’T eat with a knife & fork.

Bus trip to Corfu. Disjointed sleep. Refreshments at KATSOYAAS 24wro. Ice-cream sandwich. Heat at my feet, air-con on my face. Homeostasis on the blink. More disjointed sleep. Corfu. Finally.

7. CAN’T go cliff jumping.

8. CAN’T go kayaking.

9. CAN’T go on motorbike safaris.

The Pink Palace hostel has much to offer in the way of activities. I know of one disappointed guy in Corfu and one relieved mother in Melbourne.

10. CAN’T remove your own watch.

Still loving life.

One Week Down.

Sitting in Athens having a quiet night in. First chance i've had to sit and reflect after cramming as much as possible into my days in London.

Flight from London was long. My feet grew about 2 shoe sizes but after 14 hours to Abu Dhabi (do not watch the movie 'Paul Blart Mall Cop' and another 7 to London (do not attempt to re-watch 'Paul Blart Mall Cop' presuming you were too tired to appreciate it when first viewed) i was there. A plan contrived with a peach in a container of sardines (with nick packing boxes) was finally in place.

Checked into "the Generator" on Monday afternoon, investing my trust in the rave internet reviews of anonymous travelers. Disappointed. That is all.

However, this was a faint black mark on an otherwise flawless report card filled out for London.

A day spent in Camden Town was a huge highlight. This quaint punk-oriented town, formerly a stables, is as colourful as it is cool. Stores selling spiked leather collars were not for me. The markets offering any cuisine you can dream of for 4 pounds were brilliant.... regretfully, i ate stale bread thieved and further fouled by warm tuna from a can. A walk home along the river and through Regent's Park yielded photos of old punts and a squirrel. Camden will be hard to beat.

Brighton. A beach town brainstormed by royals. If you feel the urge for sand (pebbles) and sea whilst in England there should be no other place considered. Unless of course you hate quaint pubs, fish and chips, beer gardens on the promenade and enjoying all the above mentioned pleasures on the beach where it's light until 10pm. Which you don't. If you do happen to be one of the bizarre few..... the winning blow will be the entire store devoted to Lego. Enough Said.

A 22nd birthday hyped up for weeks at the expense of Clarkey's sanity. Expectations that could only lead to disappointment.... Unless you spend a day strolling around Oxford with some of the best company money can't buy and cap it off by heading to Fabric for 3 levels of eclectic dance music. Happy birthday self.

Another night in the mouse-sauna they attempted to pawn off as a hostel room in London and it was time to fly to Athens. A cab ride at 3am, eggs at 5am and a flight at 650am and my body clock was officially in need of repair.

Culture Shock is the best way to describe the first few hours in Athens. Caught the wrong bus, got charged 15 euro for a 5 minute cab-ride with a man who spoke Greek and expected me to respond and was warned upon arrival that the area I was staying in was rife with pick-pockets, junkies and sex-workers. Tension eased once I started wearing my fashionable money belt (bum-bag) and safely locked my room. After seeing the humbling, ancient wonders of Athens and enjoying a traditional long lunch with a view thrown in for desert I am ready to head to the islands tomorrow and commence the next phase.

Bliss.

Alive and well.

Fearn Zunk.