Adventures in Travel

My Big (Uphill) Adventure

All I want to do is get off this ship, I thought. Santorini was the port I was looking forward to the most. I could not wait to spend the day at the black and red sand beaches of the island. As my family and I walked out on the dock, we quickly realized there was a problem—transportation to the main city sitting high atop the mountain. Everyone from the cruise ship simultaneously ran to the cable car line, and, because we are an impatient family, we began thinking of alternatives. To me, there seemed to be only one way up the mountain: the cable car. I was willing to wait my turn, albeit anxiously. My parents had other plans, however. They saw an escape route: the mile long winding path up the side of the mountain and a set of mules waiting to take tourists up this path. “I’d rather walk,” I said. “It’ll be fine,” my dad said as he and the rest of my family chose their mules.

They weren’t going to wait for me to walk up the path dodging the many walkers and animals. Not seeing any other option, I reluctantly chose one of the two remaining mules. This is going to be bad, I thought to myself. I glanced at the elderly man who owned them, giving him the “this is safe, right?” look and climbed on, giving him the fare. At this point, my family was already way ahead of me. The man rapped the switch lightly on the mule, and we started our ascent up the stone path. “La, La, La,” he said in a steady voice, hitting the switch with each word. The mule moved slowly alongside the man. The incline of the path was steep, and I gripped the saddle with both hands not to fall off.

About halfway up the path, we spotted several mules on the return trip, which scared my animal. It began to move faster up the mountain, to the point where the elderly man had to run to keep up with us. His chiseled face gave it away: this wasn’t going to be good. My mule, in an effort to avoid the small pack heading towards us, slammed into the stone wall, pinning my leg. My mule ignored my cries of pain and began to descend down the path at a swift pace.

The man, acting quickly, gave me a reassuring smile as he redirected the animal. I finally made it to the top, about twenty minutes after the rest of my group. Back on solid ground, and slightly hobbling due to the wall mishap, I caught up with my family. But something compelled me to turn around and look at the sights. In the crescent-shaped cove, the sun was reflecting off the most beautiful blue water I’ve ever seen. I stood at the top of the island, and smiled.