A Fold in Time
GREECE | Friday, 1 June 2007 | Views [928] | Comments [3]
Relaxing before the sunset at Banana Beach
I think I’m actually getting a sense of what its like to live on the island now. Or perhaps a better way to put it is that I have successfully achieved not feeling like a tourist anymore. Whatever it is, its quite a nice feeling. I keep seeing people arrive here and leave, and I think about what that feels like to only have a week or two weeks on vacation. Mostly I feel like I have to pinch myself that I don’t have to leave. I can just keep going almost as if I’ve found some secret fold in the universe that I can hide and observe from. The people I meet give me a very puzzled look when I tell them I’m here for at least 2 months, almost as if I’m cheating somehow. It’s interesting though, as I’m sure most people can relate, there is a sense of comfort that you have when you know you are returning to your “everyday life” shortly. Being in a place like this can be very one-dimensional if you allow it, and after two weeks of lazy mornings, beaches in the afternoons, restaurant for dinner, and drinks at a club, this can even become routine and boring. So my challenge so far has been creating enough depth in daily life so that I don’t get listless and bored. I have to say though; I am not yet bored of the beach life in the afternoon, which in some ways is serving as my part time job right now. The beaches and water here are extraordinary. Here is a typical day for me so far :
Wake up at 10am, have my instant coffee and wheat-a-bix cereal
11am-1pm go into town, check my email, fill up my water jug, get some groceries, do some networking, make a ham sandwich
2pm-6pm Beach – I lay in the sun, write in my journal, swim, play paddleball and Frisbee, meet new people
7-8pm whip up some dinner, usually heating up leftovers from cooking in bulk, most vegetables are available here and I have mostly been making pasta dishes and potato dishes.. meat and fish is spendy so I have stuck to canned tuna, ham, and eggs
8pm-11pm I have been writing in this time, some articles and have started on some stories… haven’t checked into the publishing side yet ☺, watch tv or a dvd on the laptop if I tire of writing
12pm - ?? maybe every 2nd night or 3rd night go out into the village
Usually every 3rd day or so I’ll skip the beach and do things like laundry or cook up a batch of food to eat. I think that as time goes by, the frequency that I go to the beach and go out at night will decrease, so I believe I will need to find more things to do that will keep me feeling productive. I’ve decided not to try and find an “official” job here such as a bartender or waiter since I would be classified as illegal, and considering I'm only one of 2 Americans on the island that I'm aware of, I stick out a lot. I am meeting my budget so I don’t necessarily need the money, but it’s a bit disappointing because I do want to try some different kind of work, and it would be nice to have some extra beer money or money to do more recreational things. I will have to see what happens as time goes on. I’m thinking that I may run into a gig here and there or if not, maybe volunteer somewhere.
One thing that I’ve found remarkable about being here is that it is truly just a small village. I think there are only 16,000 Greeks on the whole island. There is only one main village, with one main street in the town where there are shops and restaurants, and there is only one main road on the island that spans 16 miles from east to west. If you meet someone at the beach or at a pub, you are bound to bump into them again within 24 hours. This has really been a wonderful thing because I have been able to develop friendships and acquaintances very quickly. When you’re traveling alone such as I am, this goes along way toward avoiding loneliness.
This last week was great because I met this nice guy from Milan, Ale (short for Alexandro), that I ended up doing some of the touristy things on the island that I had been meaning to do. He loved to take pictures so I was able to download his to my computer to share with you guys. One of the things we did was go on a boat tour around the island. At first it was disappointing because it was very cloudy and raining a bit, but we made it to what is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet; Lalaria. It is only reachable by boat due to the terrain. What’s remarkable about it is that it is a pebbled beach, but the pebbles are all bleach white, and it makes for a very interesting aesthetic; almost like it was designed by a modern, minimalist style architect (very IKEA). Anyhow, shortly after a jaunt on Lalaria, the wind suddenly picked up to about 30 mph, and all the sudden we were in the midst of these huge rolling waves. At first I was like, wow this is pretty neat because the boat was really starting to rock… but, the waves kept getting bigger and then the crew starting running around the boat very nervously trying to secure everything. It was strong enough that they had to cut the tour short and return to port. I relaxed once we got close to the harbour… and actually thinking back it was quite a bit of fun. And somehow, I didn’t get sea-sick at all… odd. Check out some of the pictures from the boat trip, and some others that Ale took around town and at the beach. I’ll warn you in advance, I am wearing a very tight swimming suit. I think generally in Europe it is considered prude and sloppy to wear baggy swimming suits… best not to wear one at all ☺
I think that about covers my thoughts to date. Since things are slowing down a bit, my blog writing will probably be more on a two week schedule I think. As gorgeous as it is here, I do imagine Oregon coming into summer time and its such a wonderful time. The rivers, the beaches, warm(er) nights, the barbeques, wagging tails… very good times. I’m sure you guys are enjoying it and I’m thinking very fondly of you. Until next time!
Tags: Misadventures
