It was a little bit of a change coming from the super organised and rigid frankfurt to the very laid back (disorganised?) greek city of Heraklion. Oh, it was hot like sydney in summer as well!
I had to get a bus into the middle of town to get a coach out to Malia, where I was staying for the next week (having a holiday from my holiday) with an international crew of trashbags I met last year in Toronto.
Of course being tired, hot and there not being much information on where I had to change busses I missed the centre of town where I was due to stop, so I got off at the next stop and hiked through the middle of Heraklion on a saturday night. It was interesting. I then had a 45 minute adventure trying to find the coach terminal, which of course was not signposted from the central bus interchange.
Eventually I was able to get myself on a coach bound for Malia. I was dropped off on the middle of the street with only vague directions to my hotel. I had neglected to print off a map, so after asking some of the many touts out the front of the dodgy pubs and clubs I was able to find my way. I got given good directions first up, which i kinda followed. Then I got bad directions of someone else which I followed for too long.
Then I got good directions again and I then I was eventually able to find my way to the triton hotel. As I walked into the reception area, my mate from Toronto, Anthony walked in.
I then got signed in and headed over to the room to dump my bags. I then went up to the pool where the girls, Anke and Erinne were waiting, with free alcohol from the bar. After quickly skulking two beers to try and catch up I had a shower and we ventured down the road into town.
Malia is strange, and a bit disgusting. It is like a gigantic mutated schoolies week, kinda like kuta, but filled full of teenage english and german trashbags instead of aussie trashbags.
The girls had an early night while anthony and I went out and trashed on. We had good fun haggling (or is that messing) with touts and going into random clubs while watching the scenes of trashbaggery and filth unfolding in front of us.
Most of the week was spent doing much the same thing. Up for breakfast, go for a walk, laze by the pool, drink, eat lunch, drink, do something in the arvo, eat dinner, drink, go out.
This is how I spent my week, in the shade putting on sun screen
Good times, very lazy.
One day we got some quad bikes, they were rad. Alternatively I went on adventures with anthony tearing up the bush, and with erinne finding random places up in the hills around malia.
The climate was good on crete, it very much reminded erinne and myself of australia, with similar looking plants and soil, as well as the sea breeze and the dry heat.
I spent most of the days hiding under the shade, sometimes covered in a towel to avoid sunburn.
On the friday we went out on a boat for a day trip, and we paid the extra EU$5 for the "bbq lunch". It all started off rather nicely, we got a lift to the port with the boat operator. We jumped on and after a quarter hour cruise we stopped for a swim at a little protected beach for about half an hour which was nice.
The water was lovely, like a bath. Nice and clear as well. The sand was good enough as well, if a little coarse. I did a massive spear dive off the railing of the boat into the sea. Good times.
There was some other people on the boat, Swedes who were more cautious and just jumped or used the ladder.
When we putted off again it was for an hour and a half to the port of sissy. Here things got interesting, as it was rough out on the water. I think it was sea state four. I was on the back with my crew, and anke was not looking good. Also some of the sweeds were struggling. I was fine, and erinne was falling asleep.
I saw a few people have a vow over the side, and when we finally got into port people did not waste any time getting onto dry land.
It was then time for our "BBQ lunch" and old mate took us to get it….. at a kebab shop. After lauging our arse off we had a feed of bread, tatziki, chips and a slouvaki stick. Good times.
After that anke had enough so she walked up to the main drag and got a bus back to malia. Erinne, anthony and myself went off to get second lunch. We found a restraint and got some octopus and fried whitebait. The octopus was tops, but the pilchards were a little too much for me.
After that we had a bit of a boat trip back, and everyone was back besides anke. It was still rough as guts out there, and pretty much everyone was struggling. I noticed more crook people then before.
There was yet again people having voms off the side.
That night we hung round the pool and played some drinking games with some german lads we found there, good times.
The next morning we were up early, Anke had her flight at 9am, anthonnys at midday. Erinne had a late flight, and I was off the next morning very early. I crawled out of bed to say goodbye to anke, before heading off for breakfast.
We then said bye to anthony before hanging round for a little. We got a small gift for the woman who worked at the pool bar who had been doing a top job putting up with some of the tossers who were also there over the past week.
Erinne and I then went off to Heraklion where we were booked into a rather cheap hotel/hostel for the night. I was not keen on overnighting it in Heraklion airport as it is rather "agricultural". That and having somewhere for a quick nap and a shower would be awesome.
We bussed it into Heraklion, and were almost going to hike round and get a bus to the hotel, but Erinne was able to haggle a cheap fare out of a taxi driver. As it was just before midday we went off into town for an explore, to see what crete really was like.
So erinne and I caught a bus into the middle of town and went walking round the narrow winding streets of Heraklion. Of course we needed to get our fix of caffeine so we found a bar in a back street, before heading down towards the harbour looking for lunch.
After a bit of an adventure, a stroll through some markets and avoiding the sun as much as possible we ended up at this nice little restaurant, where a bloke had his mum doing the cooking.
We ordered way too much food, but it was excellent. I got possibly the best calamari ever there. As well as some octopus, meat balls and of course tatziki and bread. I think we sat there for over an hour and a half stuffing our faces, and watching the stray cats that were hanging round.
We then went off on another adventure through town, eventually ending up back in the middle of town. After getting the bus back to the hotel it was time for a quick swim in the pool before napping for a few hours.
At about seven it was time to get dinner as erinne had to get to the airport round eight. I was still stuffed from lunch but managed to get a beer into me as well as bludge one of her lamb cutlets. It was then time to say goodbye to the last member of the toronto crew.
I then went off to get a few more hours sleep before my early start. I had to be up at five to get myself to the airport. I had a flight at 0630 so I was at the airport at half five. Yet again free interwebs in greek airport, so happy days.
I jumped onto the olympic flight to Athens, thankfully only an hour long. We had to use a set of steps to get to the plane, and then when we arrived at athens we pulled up to the jetbridge, but used steps…..
There was a two hour connection in athens, so I chilled, waiting to get myself into vienna…..
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