December 2009

Fri 4^th Dec

Rising at 5am for a 5.30 taxi to the airport I realise I have been eaten alive; why do I stay in the crummy Iraklio hostel? At the airport I find that my laptop has a broken WIFI. Not a good start to a two week trip!

The flight to Athens is 20 minutes late and I start to get nervous as I only have 50 minutes to get on the Munich flight. I made it OK but did my bag? At least it did not have to take a 5 minute cigarette break! All is good though.

Oh boy, Munich is cold; it’s trying to snow. I get to a busy Wombats Hostel (350 beds and full in early December) and meet up with Klaus the guru of the Wombats group of hostels. Josh is already here and it is good to see a hostel regular again. Josh is the unorganiser of the Unconference of Hostel Managers this weekend.

The three of us head off to a Bavarian Beer Hall for lunch; a jug of beer, roast pork knuckle and a big dumpling – fare to keep the cold out! Then it’s a long drive up into the Austrian Alps. We are running late and get lost a few times before arriving at the Treehouse Hostel that seems to be in the middle of nowhere but surrounded by . . . surprise . . . trees! Most of the others have already arrived, managers from Poland, Germany, USA, Romania, Turkey and Russia to mention just a few countries.

We are greeted with beer and another filling hot meal. Introductions are made and conversation soon moves on to, well, hostels! More beer and I eventually check-in and find a room at midnight – a long 20 hour day.

Sat 5^th Dec

Except for Josh, who is suffering from jet lag after flying in from California, I am the first up; it would appear the party went on until 4am. Nicky from Holland arrives from an over night train and we decide to go for a hike whilst the others are waking up. It is beautiful around here, but cold! The ski season should have started today but there is very little snow as it has been too warm – that’s news to me!

A lot more talk, all good stuff, and then a lot of beer and talk. There is a weird pagan festival in the town in the evening, guys in sheepskin and masks, maidens being tied to the stake, fire and noise. A lot of them join us at the hostel bar later. A crazy night!

Sun 6^th Dec

A lazy breakfast, a bracing walk and then a few of the folk have to leave having long car journeys ahead; the girls from Romania had driven 1000km to attend and face the same journey back. Some head off to see a nearby lake and the remainder keep talking business.

In the evening the serious drinking started, vodka from Russia, some strange herbal hooch from Hungary, vodka from Poland, Neutje from Holland and of course Cretan raki. You do not have to be an alcoholic to be a hostel manager, but it does help!

Mon 7^th Dec

There are quite a few of us heading to Vienna for flights or sightseeing. We jam into 2 cars at lunchtime and head off for the 3 hour ride. Ten of meet up at Wombat’s Hostel and go for a late lunch at a Turkish restaurant, how Viennese! Some of us get the underground to the city centre to enjoy the Christmas markets and of course the gluwine (hot red wine with spices). It’s then back to the hostel bar before some serious Perudo playing until 2am at Klaus’ apartment over the hostel.

Wombat’s is a BIG hostel – 350 beds over 8 floors, many staff, well run and a good atmosphere.

Tues 8^th Dec

After saying our farewells to Josh, who is flying back to California, Nicky & I decide to do the tourist sightseeing thing. First out of town to the Schoenbrunn Palace with its vast Baroque gardens and then to the other side of the city to see the fantastic architecture of Hundertwasser. A late lunch of local fare at the Christmas Market in the pouring rain and then back to the hostel via C & A for a hat and gloves that I forgot to pack.

Four of us walk for nearly an hour in the pouring rain to a traditional schnitzel restaurant – it all comes served in a wheelbarrow, really – see the photo! Finally back to the hostel again for the continuation of the manager’s Perudo challenge. Greece was victorious!!

Wed 9^th Dec

Nicky & I planned to leave for Budapest on the 9.50am train. He crawls down for breakfast at 10! We eventually leave the hostel at 11 – no sign of Klaus – lightweight! An uneventful and pretty boring 3 hour train journey. Our friend Csaba (pronounced Chaba) takes us to his Aboriginal Hostel. Thirty beds spread over 3 apartments in an old city centre housing complex. A little compact and claustrophobic for me but good fun and very friendly.

Csaba cooks up a local sausage, potato and paprika speciality for everyone. Good food and only one beer after last night’s over consumption. An early night for me!

Thur 10^th Dec

Four of us decide to join one of the organised 3 hour walking tours of the city. It was good, a real insight into the history and culture of the city; the scars of the communist era are still all around and within the people. The guide shows a good place to eat, no signs, no tourists, just a few office workers, big plates of traditional food for €4; you can’t argue with that.

The evening was more food, more drink and more Perudo into the early hours.

Fri 11^th Dec

A lazy morning, a few more goodbyes and off to the train station for the ride to Belgrade. Big queues at the ticket office but fortunately Csaba knows a small travel agent around the corner. I join a couple of Serbian hostel guests who are doing most of the journey and I feel much more relaxed as a result; I had brought a big chain and padlock to secure my bags to the seat as I had heard horror stories about stolen luggage. Oh boy, what a tedious journey, the train stops at every small village and then there were half hour stops on either side of the border for passport checks. Over 8 hours to get to Belgrade and there was nothing to see but cabbages!

It is cold here, even colder than further north. A half hour trek through the city centre brings me to the warmth Chillton2 Hostel. A cosy place occupying the top 2 floors of what would have been a beautiful building in its heyday. Newly opened and well designed with bright furnishings.

I call up my friend Nikola (who worked in Plakias in 2003); he and his girlfriend, Elena, arrive within 5 minutes. I need fast food and then we head off to a quiet bar for hot wine and catching up on news, another late night.

Sat 12^th Dec

A good morning. I get my camera repaired. Find that the exchange places are not interested in my surplus Hungarian Florint but find a guy in the hostel who is headed north and happy to do a deal.

Nikola phones and we meet up at the train station at 1pm; he is not an early riser! It would appear that I am catching the first train for over 17 years to run direct from Belgrade to Sarajevo on the morrow but that I cannot buy a ticket just yet!!! I am told to be at the station again at 7.30am on Sunday – this sounds like a recipe for disaster!

Time for some more sight seeing. It is still cold so after an hour we call into a café to warm up. A few coffees and quince brandies later it is almost dark when we emerge (sorry about the lack of photos folks!). It starts to snow so after another hour it is café and hot chocolate time.

We all meet up again at 8pm and take a taxi a few kilometres out from the centre to a wonderful traditional restaurant, lively, friendly, great food; I am the only foreigner. A slightly earlier night.

Sun 13^th Dec

A bizarre morning. Leaving the hostel at 0645 I take the lift. The doors close and then nothing. I am trapped in the lift! The alarm bell does not even work! I telephone the hostel reception and they come to my rescue but it does take 25 minutes to get me out!

A fast walk through the city to the train station. Find the international ticket office and I am surrounded by reporters and cameramen. It would appear that I am the first person to buy a Belgrade to Sarajevo ticket in over 17 years; the line re-opens today. Out on the platform it is even worse; more press folk than passengers. I am interviewed a number of times, even by the BBC. “What is it like to be a part of making travel history?” – what! There is an air of celebration – well, the train staff are pissed by lunchtime! Good value and entertainment, just 16.80 Euro for 9 hours!

Amazing, the train arrives on time and I dash to the ticket office to see if I can get another train this evening to Mostar. A night in Sarajevo would leave things a bit tight for getting to Tirana by Friday evening. I am in luck, sort of. There is a train leaving in half an hour but when it arrives here is a mad scramble for seats and many of us have to stand for the 2 hour journey. The ride is said to be spectacular running alongside a river with mountains all around and 64 tunnels – but it is dark all the way!

A short walk from the station brings me to Hotel Magdelena; warm and friendly but in need of a little tender loving care and a kettle! “Reception” is Magdelena’s lounge. I am almost immediately asked if I would like a cup of tea – now that is a welcome. When I explain that I have had nothing but sandwiches for the past 14 hours Magdelena cooks me up some very tasty crepes – on the house. A sound sleep after a long journey.

Mon 14^th Dec

Up with the lark and meet a young American, Robert, in the kitchen. We decide to shop and make egg sarnies for breakfast, grand. It is raining, it is cold, but we set off anyway to explore the town. If you know nothing about Mostar it is well worth looking it up on Wikipedia. Spectacularly beautiful with a fast flowing river and an ancient Turkish bridge in the centre. The place was ravaged more than most during the Balkan troubles, much of it reduced to rubble. The reconstruction is proceeding but will take many years yet.

After exploring the old town and having a traditional Bosnia lunch and a beer (€6.70 for the 2 of us – the cheapest meal yet) we venture to what was the ‘front line’ in the war. The photos will give you an idea just how terrible it must have been to live here at the time. I have only selected a few but there was street after street of bombed out and bullet riddled buildings.

In the evening we hook up with a Japanese guy who is doing a long European beer tour, his subject for his degree! Magdelena suggests that we go a little way out of town if we want to eat where the locals eat. It is still pouring with rain but we set off. Eventually we find the place which is a mall with a few take-away places, some flashy bars and obviously expensive restaurants – not our scene! So we continue getting soaked back to the same place we had lunch.

Tues 15^th Dec

A lazy morning trying to dry wet clothes then I take a lunchtime bus to Dubrovnik. The Croatian coast is beautiful but the beaches are small and stony – give me Crete anytime!

When I arrive it is still pouring and the guesthouse (no hostels here!) is a couple of miles away. I manage to scrounge a lift to the end of the street, it should not be far now. Nearly an hour later and I am still searching. Silly me looking for a sign that says “Anna Guesthouse”, there is no sign just a number for a house – I have walked past the place 3 times! Reception is empty so I have to call the guy up. A warm welcome, a cup of tea, a long chat and I am shown to a cosy but basic room with en-suite and small kitchen.

I need local currency and I am told a bank should be open in the local shopping centre. No, not tonight, maybe it is during the summer. I find a supermarket that takes Visa and decide to eat in as I have eaten out with friends for the past 11 days. Just as I get back to the room there is a blackout and the electricity to the town stays off for the next 27 hours! Oh, well a cold snack, a bottle of wine and an early night.

Wed 16^th Dec

The problems of no electricity:

I am without Kuna, all the banks and exchange offices stay closed for the day, the ATMs are not working.

It is cold and I only have electric heating.

No tea or coffee – electric kettle and I doubt a café would accept Visa.

No hot shower.

No lighting or computer so utter boredom after 4.30pm.

No traffic lights or street lights – it is dangerous being a pedestrian at night.

The rain has eased off a bit so I decide to explore the Old Town. It is spectacular, well worth a visit, especially on a warm and dry day! The walk around the fortifications is nearly 2 kilometres.

In the evening I find a supermarket with a generator and a working ATM, bliss. Around the corner is a Mexican restaurant, the day is getting better! It is busy – obviously a lot of people have electric cookers! I ask for a big coffee whilst I salivate over the menu – no coffee even though it is on the menu and only pizza! Another early night.

Thu 17^th Dec

The electricity returned just after 10pm and I immediately had my first cup of tea for nearly 30 hours – aaaargh, but it was good.

Another lazy morning trying to dry out; the clothes that is!

I get a lift to the bus station as it is still pouring with rain. A mid afternoon and only bus to Podgorica, Montenegro. I am hoping to see some of the countryside as I have heard it is beautiful but it is dark by the time I get to the border. There are no hostels here (a good opening for someone!) and so have to pay €55 for a hotel room. However, the city is very cheap; just €5.10 for a massive local burger type thing, a bottle of ice tea and a big 1 litre bottle of local wine.

Fri 18^th Dec

I am a little nervous about today, friendly Albanians and the guide books warned about the dangers of travelling in Albania.

It starts well with a big hotel breakfast and then a €25, 40 minute taxi ride to the border; the only way there! I walk across the border in the pouring rain and on the Albanian side I am accosted by 2 middle aged guys with no English and a battered old Mercedes who say they are going to the next town and offer me a lift for €10. As I do not see any of the promised mini-buses and as the border guard indicated that they are OK and as it has started to snow heavily I get in the back seat. Foolhardy? Definitely yes. But it all worked out alright as they dropped me off at one of the Tirana bound mini-buses an hour later, and after buying me a coffee half way there.

The roads in Albania have to be the worst in Europe and then some. The traffic in Tirana has to be seen to be believed. But I am just grateful to have made it safely to Freddy’s Hostel and that the rain and snow have stopped for a while. Freddy is a great guy, and so are the rest of the family. The hostel is again a series of apartments with 3 or 4 beds in each room; there is no socialising area or kitchen.

Sat 19^th Dec

An early start, Freddy’s brother drives me to the airport at a price cheaper than the taxi. I am on my way home.

15 days.

8 countries.

7 languages.

6 currencies.

Many new friends.

OK, I am a bit of a wimp; but it would a whole lot more fun if it had been warmer! Regarding the hostels I visited I have a few new ideas but not that many. Most city hostels provide a cheap bed and not a lot more. I am glad to be returning to Youth Hostel Plakias.

November 2009

Plakias to Paleohora – the not so easy way.

Sat 14^th November.

Up before the sun and walk along the coast beyond Rodakino to Akrotiri Kastellos. Legs and feet feeling good but the shoulders are complaining about all the food I am carrying.

Deserted beach and sunshine so I relax in the hammock for the afternoon. It gets dark, it gets cold. Cook a meal, light a fire on the beach which only lasts one and a half hours. What to do for the next ten and a half hours of cold and dark? Don’t answer that! An uncomfortable night – not fun. Time to rethink plan A.

Sun 15^th November

Walk to Frangokastelo. Shop for a few bits and pieces in the supermarket and ask the guy about rooms to rent. One phone call and a lift in his pick-up and I’m at a wonderful room right on the beach and with a taverna below. A much better plan! A good evening meal with a bunch of locals who watch what seems like the same news over and over again on different channels.

Mon 16^th November

Up at first light with just a day pack. Walk up the Kalikratis Gorge, through the mountains to Asfendou and back to the room down the Asfendou Gorge. A spectacular day with blue skies the whole time. All in all 10 hours of walking most of which is over ankle twisting terrain, no mobile phone reception and just sheep for company.

I did get lost for nearly an hour but then is it surprising? The map I am using for the day is about the size of a large postage stamp, out of date and inaccurate! There is even a brand new road where nothing is marked on the map. How do I know it is brand new? None of the road signs have bullet holes!

Tues 17^th November

I take the only bus to Sfakia at 6.15am. No, I don’t feel like this is cheating; there is no coastal path so it would be a 3 hour trudge along roads. Anyway I may be able to save staying a night in Sfakia and push on along the coast; this great weather cannot continue forever!

Fried brekkie in Sfakia, leave my big bag at the taverna and decide not to wait for the 11am bus to the top of the Imbros Gorge, I’ll hitch. Good call, easy lift and by 9.30 I’m walking down the gorge. Easy walking, interesting landscape and then a 1 hour road walk back to Sfakia. Lunch and then set off along the uphill road to my first trek along the E4 south coast route. My first impressions are correct: an unmaintained, eroded and dangerous goat track; and it gets worse! A while later it is just a narrow shelf cut in the vertical cliff face one hundred metres plus above the sea and with no guard rails. I wish I had worn my brown trousers, one slip and it would be ‘kali nikta’!

Half way down to Sweetwater Beach I hear voices, the first people I meet in over 3 and a half days of walking. Around the corner come Costas, the solicitor from Rethymno, and Richard, part time Mirthios resident. They are heading back after an afternoon of sun and swimming and on their way for dinner with Eddie & Alan.

I push on as the sun is dipping in the sky and approach Loutro at dusk. As I do so I am wondering why no lights are coming on. When I get there it’s obvious that Loutro is closed. Not a cold beer to be had, not even a warm one! No shops or tavernas open, not even a kafenion for the old guys! It takes a while to find a room.

Wed 18^th November

Seriously blue skies, hot and sunny – it’s only 7.30am and I’m in lightweight trousers and a t shirt on my way up to Anopoli; I’m still too hot! After an hour and a half of climbing I come to a big fence blocking the path shouting “we have had enough of bl**dy walkers in the summer, now F off”. The detour means walking off the edge of the map; follow my nose time. No problem and soon I am sitting in a café in the square at Anopoli knowing exactly where I am again. Only 45 minutes later an am at the top of the Aradhena Gorge; the most diffcult but also the most spectacular of all the gorges I walk. Over 2 hours of gorgeous(!) scenery . . . and sheep.

The way back to Loutro from Marmara Bay is also part of the E4 coastal path. For goodness sake, this is meant to be a European trail, there are probably funds available to maintain it. Far too few signs so I get lost 3 times and have to backtrack, and this in only a walk of 3km. I still have another 49km before the end in Paleohora!

I get to thinking that my packs are too heavy for the next 2 days journey. Probably over 16 hours in the 2 days over rough terrain. This presents some dilemmas as the next 2 villages are smaller than Loutro and what if they are completely closed as well:-

a. Do I continue with wet weather gear or dump it?

b. Do I need the hammock and sleeping bag if there are rooms? What if there are no rooms?

c. The most difficult – food and water – do I take enough for 3 days – a lot of weight!

Walkers in the season do not have these sorts of problems.

4pm back at the room in Loutro.

Suddenly these dilemmas are unimportant. I take off my boots and find my socks soaked in blood. The hot weather caused sweating which caused chaffing at my heels. I then go to make a cup of tea and find that my new camping stove has given up the ghost – what – after only 4 days. If I can’t get a replacement here then I really can’t continue – NO TEA – no hard boiled eggs – no evening meal of instant noodles, chopped tomato and a tin of fish. I’ll go talk to my landlady. And it has been such a great day.

No chance of getting a new stove here. The next boat back to Sfakia is in 2 days. To walk or to await the boat; decision time in the morning. But at least the landlady gave me a bottle of local wine.

Thurs 19^th November

My body cries ‘no more walking today’. I listen. This must be the laziest day I have had in years. I finish the book, finish the writing, take some sun, sit on a dock of a bay, watch the sunset and stare at the blank wall.

My little adventure is over but I am a happy bunny. No regrets that I am not walking on to Paleohora. It is a challenge I may do one day but not carrying 3 days worth of supplies. I set out to walk the Imbros and Aradhena Gorges and to walk the E4 coastal path as I had heard so much about them. I achieved that and, as a bonus, walked 2 other gorges.

Fri 20^th November

The 11am boat arrives at 12.30. I find that the last bus out of Sfakia is at 11am! I have lunch whilst I ponder the options. I want to go home so I hitch out of Sfakia, again. A good lift through to Vrisses and a half wait for the bus to Rethymno. Arriving at 6pm and far too late for the last Plakias bus I head to the hostel. I’ll be home by 9.30 tomorrow.

Rats, I realize I have left my phone in Sfakia. Oh well, that problem can wait until tomorrow.