Jono's jolly jaunt

I left Crete fairly excited by the prospect of 8 days of free travel, which is opposed to having somewhere to be. I didn’t take long in Athens, though I did make one more digression to stop over at the best darn coffee place in Greece, yes, I’d go that far. I’m yet and I doubt I’ll find anything of similar caliber to what I found in Athens at the coffee dive. Another cool thing about coffee in Greece is that they will deliver. The one and only time I attempted to get on my scooter with a coffee my feet drank most of it, so big respect.

I got on my first train in Athens, and as already mentioned the Greek landscape is pretty darn nice. Mountainous, green with huge rock cliffs which is always a treat for a retired once upon a time rock climber.
I have already expressed my fondness of Thermopylae, so I can just leave that there. Apart from saying, that it was one of two historically charged places I have a deep interest in seeing. And no, the other wasn’t the Acropolis, though it was awesome. The other place is actually in Bosnia, but we’ll get there, God willing.
I’ve been having a good run of meeting helpful and friendly folks, one of the nicest was a delightful older woman named Evee, I didn’t get her name first time around, at the Trikala bus station, where she made sure I got onto my connecting bus to take me to my accomodation. But the next time I saw her I was walking down from the church of St George, where, that morning crazy buggers had climbed up the cliff face in order to tie a scarf to a cave. Things you do for faith… anyways she was visiting it just as I was leaving, so it was nice to let her know her wishes for my trip had come true.
I was visiting the mountains and monastery’s of Meteora, which was claimed by UNESCO as a world heritage cite a little while ago. They did so because the huge monolithic rocky things are pretty intense and there’s a whole stack of them making the area pretty darn amazing. What’s more is there were once over 20 monastic dwellings on top of them, now though there are only 4 still lived in. According to all the sources, including Herodotus, Meteora was once a massive lake, but after an earthquake or something of similar force, a leak occurred that emptied the lake of its water, which helped form the massive bouldery mountainous things. So I got plenty of walking in, and I even managed a run to the amusement/ befuddlement of the others visitors who were smart enough to bring a car or bus with them.
I have found speaking English with an accent, not helpful toward my cause of being understood. A few times now, people will have a puzzled look on their face and ask “where are you from?” I guess the way I speak doesn’t sound like the English dialect they learnt or are used to. But also their “neh”, which means “yes”, is awfully close in sound to my “nah”, which naturally means “oh yeah nah probably not ay”. So I’m sure there has been some confusion on my account.
I really liked Meteora, it was beautiful, the monastery’s were an amazement, but I couldn’t help but feel like I and the masses of other people shouldn’t be there. The point of the monastic life was a means of escaping the loudness of day to day living in order to dedicate ones life to quiet reflection, seeking God in the meditative and holy practices of a simple and constrained life.
And yet now, that the world has gotten much smaller, anyone and everyone can come to marvel at this unique and different way of life with a loud obnoxiousness. The very thing I thought the monastic life sought to flee. So it was with deep feelings of irony I joined the masses of people to scramble up the stairs to take selfies in the courtyards or make mock monastic posses for my next profile picture, and my personal favourite, when tired sit in the ornate chairs in the chapels… I didn’t do any of that.
It just seemed to me, that a once sacred and significantly ‘other’ place, is now almost the same, except with awesome views.

On a completely different note, I’ve been asked a few times what life is like in NZ? On the surface of it, I give typical responses, yeah we do alright, we’re small but produce things that people want so we’re good. But when I consider it, life in NZ is sooo much easier!
A stable government and economy is going to have a natural flow on effect for the ease and enjoyment of life. But the other thing I notice is that there are still parts of Greece that are still in the old world. Still, by choice, without electricity, plumbing, literacy, or wifi. But it doesn’t detract from their enjoyment of life, it just makes it different with an element of stoicism. And you’ll find those communities mixing with the fast pace of 21century life. Hampered by an government in so much debt, that each citizen is paying for it. Basic costs have gone up 25% in the past few years, electricity, fuel, any state controlled commodity. So any surplus money they did have is now gone.
I suppose they’ve had a long time without, that the daily grind is met with not a panic or fear, but a resolute knowledge they’ve gotten through worse. And when you look at the history of Greece, both ancient and recent they certainly have.
It’s just troubling for me coming from a country where if you’re are having a tough time, you can get support. By contrast, I met a old guy who has been trying for the past 7 years to get his pension from the Greek government. He’s even had to resort to getting a lawyer involved. So he continues to work to get by at the age of 72.
Often when people go travelling they are immune to the realities of life for the locals, I’m glad that though I’m in my own little bubble, I stray close enough to other bubbles to share what their air is like within, so to speak.

Thessaloniki is a nice city, though I was annoyed once again by the half of the touristy spots closing at 3pm. Banks close at 2pm, but to be fair, who could blame them, no ones got any money. Thessaloniki was a city established by one of Alexander the Greats generals, Cassander, as his base, essentially insisting all the nearby towns move into his. It’s quite a nice place, it’s on the coast, and the type of city where you can just walk around and stumble across parks that contain ruins of the ancient Agora, Palace, or the arch of triumph of some successful general. I haven’t often seen buskers in Greece but one of the squares I happened upon a quartet of very good traditional Greek musicians. This was also where I found the eclectic types, the many sub cultures and those on the fringes all hanging out with the neighbourhood dogs in the sun. I couldn’t blame them though, it was probably one of the sunniest spots, in a city with so many high but nice apartment buildings that cast a lot of shade.
Naturally I have been enjoying some of the local beverages of the hoppy variety. I’m trying my hardest to stay local, supporting the local brewers in what ever places I find myself.
Similar to Japan, a lot of people smoke, often right next to you in a bar which is always a treat. Heading into Macedonia I have tried to be informed about the place. Apparently the Greeks aren’t too happy about the choice of name for their northern neighbour. “Macedonia” has certain implications you see. The key one being that Macedonia is the region where Thessaloniki is. In the past Thessaloniki was the capital of Macedonia, but part of Greece… so yeah, if The Republic of Macedonia is ever going to gain entrance to the E.U, they’ll need to figure out a name for themselves that Greece are happy with.
Though in spending a bit of time in Skopje, I really like the city! The government has undertaken the goal of beautifying their capital, with natural skepticism for such a poor country. But, it’s the old adage; ‘you have to spend money to make money’. Ain’t nobody wants to visit a run down city with no uniqueness or cultural appeal. And that’s what Skopje has been able to turn around in spades!
I’m rather fond of their main square, which has a giant statue of Alexander the Great on his trusty steed Bucephalus, on top of a massive pillar, with hoplites and lions surrounding it. Oh and water shooting out of random places with corresponding lights of differing colour. All very nice. There are also plenty of ornate bridges, with classical music playing as you walk along the river side.
It’s interesting as I spent some time with some Macedonians at night. They are a very proud people, proud of their heritage and tradition. A tradition that they are adamant is not Greek. Which is true of their language too, which to my annoyance is also not Greek. Just a I was slowly getting a hold of saying “hello”, “how are you”, “thank you”, and “I don’t speak Greek”, I have to forget all that and start fresh.
Another thing worthy of note, Skopje has the largest outdoor bazaar outside of Turkey, and it’s pretty darn sensational. For one the size of it, is much larger than the map alludes, as a great number of additional areas are outside of the noted space. You can get everything at this place, well most things… I mean they have shoes galore, real jewellery and fake, real sunglasses and fake, real coffee and fake coffee. We’re talking many different kinds of beans, red, white and kidney, magical and secular, all your food needs are met and all your hardware needs, including where to get your kitchen sink. So yes, I was happy to walk around and just take in the chaos, as well as a couple of bargains, cos Macedonia is cheap as chips.
100 Denar equals about $2.50NZ. I could get a macchiato for 40 Denar, a craft beer for 100, a fairly substantial lunch or dinner for 300. So yes, happy days. Though often you’d get a spot of lung cancer for your troubles as well.
I’ve very much enjoyed Skopje. I went Latin dancing, went to my first student party in a long time, I picked up some sweet new knock off Ray Ban sunglasses and made a good amount of new friends. So yeah all and all, a great time.
I’ve got the night in Nis, Serbia, as my plan is to push on to where I’m actually expected from a halfway point tomorrow, breaking down a 7 hour bus trip into a couple of 3ish ones. I’m expected on a farm East of Belgrade towards the Romanian boarder, its another Workaway for around 10 days. So my 8 days of unchartered travel are almost at an end. It’s been pretty darn cool. I’m already considering what I’ll do for my next spell, which is in late May. I know ages away. But it’ll be on the coast in Croatia. The best outcome would have me utilising my tent for a few days on the beach somewhere. Hopefully, with nowhere else to be.

 

Today I spent the day at the hot gates, Thermopylae. This is a place I’ve wanted to visit for quite some time now. It was strange coming up on the train yesterday, for even though I was on the other side of the mountain range, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nerves for what I was going to see.

Now for those who do not know, Thermopylae is the location in Greece of a number of pivotal, world altering battles. It gets its name from the natural hot spring that bursts out of the side of a mountain, which is heavy with the smell of sulphur. The battle that I am more significantly aware of was between the Greeks and invading Persian army.
It is significant because of the price, or rather the willingness of the Greek soldiers to pay the price, which was their lives, in order to hold the advance of the massive Persian army. It is the battle of the 300 Spartans, under their King Lionidas, against the god King Xerxes and his multi-ethnic hordes from three continents. The story is a tragedy, in that all of the “heroes”, the Greeks, die. And yet, it is because of that point, the story has lived on, to be venerated, celebrated and romanticised to no end.
Why am I interested in this story, well for one, it’s an ancient battle, that’s one point, it has one side up against insurmountable odds, thats another, and well, Spartans. They are the bad ass warriors of the ancient and classical world.
So yes, I kinda like this stuff, and so to go there and walk the fields, splash in the waters and climb the hills it’s all quite moving.
I read a book called “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfeild, a good 12 years ago, which painted such an amazing picture of not just the Battle, but Spartan life, be that a watered down Spartan life. Be that as it may, I found the book incredibly moving. I remember just sitting there on the couch once I had read past the climax of the story, just sitting there contemplating life, for like half an hour. I could bring myself to move, as I was so absorbed in that moment, in the moment of an ultimate and glorious death. I just wanted to stay connected to it. I’ve never read anything like it since.
It sounds morbid really, but it’s not meant to be, nor did it feel that way. I think it was rather the willingness of those men to stand and fight and die, for a cause much bigger than their own lives or the lives of their comrades beside them. And by comrade I mean lover. You see Spartans felt that homosexual relationships between the warriors would encourage a closer bond of unity within the ranks, where they would be more instep, and fight harder for the man next to them. It takes mateship to new but old level.
So the story begins with Cyrus the great, being awesome, as he was apt to do. He had recently just sorted out parts of ancient Western Turkey, where there happened to be colonies of Ionian Greeks scattered over the coastal areas. The Ionians had chosen to support the wrong side when Cyrus came to town and appealed to their Greek brethren back in Athens and Sparta for help. True to form, the Athenians sent 20 ships and the Spartans sent one man. Now that one Spartan fella managed to get an ordinance with the Great Cyrus and so requested he desist from threatening the Ionians as they were under the Spartan protection and they would not stand for it. If you were unaware, Cyrus the great was the one who united the Medo-Persian Empire, smoked the impenetrable city of Babylon without even a fight, and created one of the biggest and best running empires the ancient world ever saw. Historically Cyrus is regarded as pretty darn cool, and kind of a big deal. So, naturally, he was taken back by the Spartan request, asking who the devil are these Spartan folk and are the many of them? Of which there were few and they were far away.
Anyways time goes on and the Ionian Greeks once again rebel against another Persian king, Darius, who decided to sort them out, as well as the Greeks in Greece.
So he invades in 490BC, but his attempt failed miserably at the battle of Marathon. Yes, that’s where we get our modern 42km run from. As one guy after the battle ran that far to deliver the news of victory back in Athens, then he died.
Darius then made room for Xerxes, who had the same bright idea, “lets expand our already massive empire and squash those pesky Greeks once and for all”. Herodotus, writing 40 years after the fact reports the Persian army crossed into Greece with an army of 2.5 million men. Modern estimates put it at around the 250,000 size, which is still huge.
The Greeks it must be said were not a united state, they were more accurately a group of competing city states. They shared the same language and religion, but they were often at war, a state that continued long after the Persians. But for this situation, they realised they needed to come together in some form to stop the hugely intimidating invading army, which was said to be able to drink rivers dry… or another was, their archers when shooting their volleys of arrows could blot out the sun.
So it’s 480BC, August and probably stinking hot. The Spartan King Lionidas, had consulted the Oracle at Delphi but received poor tidings, either Sparta would loose a King or itself. They conclude to send a sacred force of 300 men. This action spurs the courage of their allies and the Greek force to face the Persians is 5000-7000 men. They hurry north to the Hot Gates, Thermopylae, the place where Xerxes vast numbers count for nothing. I noticed this yesterday on the train up from Athens, the Greek mountains are just amazing, and there ain’t no way to pass an army through there. The only way to get down into the significant parts of Greece, in those days, was to take the coastal route either by boat or on foot. So the Greeks planned to meet them in both avenues.
Back in the day, the coast of Thermopylae was right up close to the base of the mountains. Which meant it was the perfect place for a small force of highly trained killers to lay in wait to kill some fellas. When Xerxes and his army turned up at the wide plain around the settlement of Lamia, he sent some scouts to check out what was going on in the narrow path. They reported back to Xerxes that they saw a bunch of men, doing their hair, or working out, doing press ups, star jumps and such around the hot pools. Naturally this relaxed behaviour was a little hard to take. So Xerxes waited 5 days, to give the Greeks a full amount of time to be intimidated by the size of the army they were up against.
It didn’t have the desired effect and so battle ensued.
The first day saw the Persians kick things off at dawn, with a band of the unluckiest buggers being pressed to take on the Greeks in close confines. A key difference in this battle other than the small area was the armour of the opposing armies. The Greeks, were covered from head to foot in Bronze, they carried a large round wooden and bronze shield, their spears were 9ft long made from hard wood, with bronze heads and iron spikes on the bottom called a lizard killer. They also had a scary looking short sword for a bit of up close stabby stabby. The Persians by comparison, wore leather, carried a light wicker shield, held a much shorter spear, and knife, and they also carried their bow with them, as they were awfully fond of archery.
So yes, things didn’t go terribly well for the Persians, not even, at the end of the day, when Xerxes sent his most elite fighting unit in, the Immortals. They were met by the 300 Spartans, and after the Spartans feigned a retreat, closed the trap and slaughtered a bundle of the said Immortals. Herodotus said only a few Spartans were lost.
The Greek strategy had been to keep rolling the fighting men, where Hoplites would fight in rows, often 8 deep, so the first couple of rows would switch out and new ones would step in. The Spartans were 100% soldiers, their society allowed for them to focus on this one thing from the age of 7. There allies, were probably more 50%, part timers. They were still trained and deadly, just not as fricken awesome as the Spartans.
Day 2 had the Persians attempt the tactic of wearing the Greeks out. Where Xerxes sent wave after wave of men and units into the fray. This too, didn’t work as the Greeks had now developed what people today would call bloodlust, where they refused to be replaced so often, instead choosing to seek as many “honours” as they could upon the foe. In my mind its hard to move past the fact that in any battle of this nature, what happens to the bodies? Well the Greeks started the day as far up the pass as possible and gradually moved back, not giving land, instead they created a rather horrifying set of obstacles to climb over in order to do what the fresh Persian troops had been commanded to do. From which I’m sure a different odour would have mixed with the already powerful smell of battle… excrement.
Day 2 evening must have been an interesting one, as Xerxes, tired after commanding thousands of men to die a painful death, finally found a local who was willing to guide some of his men through a goat trail for some measly silver coins. Word of this reached the Greek camp, which resulted in the majority of the men deciding to head home before they would be trapped, only the Spartans and 400 Thesbian allies would stay to see the job done.
Speculation says that perhaps it was also during this evening when the Spartans attempted a covert night attack upon Xerxes. It’s just a theory, Herodotus doesn’t mention it, but a Roman historian who studied the Spartans, and new how proficient they were in night attacks. Coupled with the horrifying fact that back in Sparta, they had a whole bundle of slaves (Greek slaves) to do all of their manual labour. And the way by which the Spartans insured the Hellots (what their slaves were called) didn’t rise up, they would keep them living in fear. Night time would bring murderous bands of silent young trainee Spartan warriors killing random slaves in the wrong place at the wrong time or forever silencing those making noise of revolt. So yeah, its not such a ridiculous idea that something potentially went down that night. Strike the head, and the rest will flee… something like that.
Either way Day 3 brought at end to the proceedings. Lionidas led his men right out into the plain to meet the by now tired Persians, his goal was to inflict as much damage as possible. And so he did, and died doing so.
The death of Lionidas only served to inspire the remaining Greeks, who fought with a new level of ferocity. However, with the emergence of the enemy behind them, the remaining Spartans and Thesbians, now fighting with broken spears, their fists and teeth, or with whatever they could get their hands on, retreated to a fortified hill called Kolonos. It was here where their glorious but brutal resistance came to an undignified end under a hail of Persian arrows.
And thus the battle of Thermopylae was a Persian victory, but not one they celebrated.
So what’s the point of this? What, apart from the obvious colourful history lesson do you gain from making it all the way down to this point?
Well I guess perhaps it’s to join me on the couch, when I first heard of the sacrifice of the Spartan 300. The thing that made me remain there, was a questioning of what, in my life would I die for?
The Spartans knew, and the Thesbians too. But what would make me do such a thing, and could I?
It is a question I continue to ask myself to this day. Sometimes I think yes, most certainly I would lay down my life for Jesus, or for my family, or even my friends. Being a single guy, one doesn’t have as many dependents. So, greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for one’s friends. But do I possess such a love? Do you?
I suspect the only time you or I would come to any conclusion on these matters is the moment of ultimate conclusion.
An interesting thought, on such an interesting day.

I’ve been in Crete for just over a week now, and with only one more full day ahead of me, the time I have had has been pretty darn special.
I came to Crete on the pretence that I would work for my board, and work I have. This all came about through the Workaway system, where I was linked up with a German lady named Ana, who wanted some work done around her house. It’s fair to say what has transpired is a bit of a home makeover. The work started at 9am the day after my arrival and has come to a close today with the paint brushes being hung up at 2pm. Once again I was blessed in not working alone but I was joined by a young English fella named Gill. We made the time between 9am and 2pm fly by with light hearted banter, whilst also reaching “new heights of intellectual profundity and spiritual wonder” to quote the great man. We pruned trees, the thorniest of thorn bushes, weeded weeds, and cleared a good few years of overgrowth and debris collection. We lay weed matts and then covered it with a good 4 truck loads of small stones. I should have taken a before picture, and I suppose I could take an after picture, but I guess you’ll just have to take me at my word, that we worked very hard. I have worked a total of 6 days, Gill will probably have another one before he heads away, but tomorrow we share one last adventure.
So Ana is a tour guide, which meant she was the perfect person to stay with as it is just a natural thing for her to want to show the great and amazing stuff Crete has to offer.
Each day after work, we would either venture out with her taking us to some interesting attraction or she would give me the keys to her car and say take care.
That’s one thing I’ve noticed about the Greek attitude towards driving, its fairly cavalier. I first noticed it in Athens with cars parking pretty much anywhere they fancied on the side of the street (sometimes not), it continued when I saw that they drove a lot of scooters or motorcycles at great speeds with no helmet nor even eye protection. I felt anxious for them, it was crazy.
So Crete being an Island, it has that cavalier nature but in an even more relaxed nature to it. Speed is a relative thing, as are following the road rules, or wearing seat belts. I’ve been pretty happy with my driving though, as it has been a while since I drove on that side of the road. Only once did I realise after perhaps 100m, that I was on the wrong side of the road. Gill noticed at the same moment too, it was a collective ‘ummmm ooops’, but the nearest car was a little way back and it was a narrow road, so the centre line (which wasn’t even there), is subjective.
Having a car to drive around has meant we could explore the town of Rethemno again, visit a sweet gorge, and just head down to the beach after work to just relax, and plan a nice day out for tomorrow as well.
On Easter Friday, Ana took us West on the Island to the area around the city of Chania (Hania), we spent the morning exploring the caves behind and beneath an ancient Monastery, then swam in possibly the most beautifully remote beach in Crete or perhaps Greece, its hard to say. But the Devils Beach (a Turkish name) is just gold, the water is so very clear, and a little cold, but because it resides in the recesses of an old massive gorge that cuts its way to the ocean, you’re somehow able to put up with it. I tried to teach Gill the intricacies of a bomb comp off the rocks, but his English sensibilities couldn’t swing it.
Yesterday we packed into her small car and ventured over to the south coast, over perilously thin roads that weaved their way down the step gorges and mountain passes. There are a lot of mountains in Crete, I did not know this, but there are again plenty of rocks as well.
So the purpose of this journey was to end up at Sfakia, where we hiked along the coastal path next to the Libyan Sea to a small and secluded village in a beautiful bay. Such a nice walk, and the swim at the end of it was beauty too! It was a funny thing to notice that the track we took in the morning, where I nonchalantly bounced my way along without any caution in my mind, on the return, I noticed it was cut into the sides of cliffs, high above more rocks and the ocean well below. They don’t fuss about with fences much in Crete, well only when sheep or Goats are involved. So yes, the return trip was quite a lot more respectful.
Staying with a local has been great as she has taken us to many of her favourite drinking spots, at which they became my favourites. Now Ana is a German convert to Crete, which in turn meant that a good chunk of the lovely and lively folks we met at these places were German or close to it.
To be honest, that’s the only thing I could be disappointed with, the lack of actual Greek people I’ve not had the pleasure of spending extended time with. Sure I’ve had some fun interactions in shops, cafes, bars and such, but not for extended periods. Perhaps in the remaining time that I have this may change.
Being in Crete for the Easter period has been great for the shortend work week, and also, it gave me the chance to see how the Greeks do Easter, which is with a lot of church, food and gun fire… Often we would be surprised by the sounds of gunfire, often a shotgun and sometimes an automatic. Later we found out that the loud booms were also the old double happy’s (fire cracker), remember those? Fun times. Apparently they’re not overly legal here too, but by the sounds of it the police are not terribly fussed. Regarding the guns and what not, I have been told two things, one is that it’s all to do with celebrating independence from Turkey, and two, its an Eastern Orthodox thing, which is too complex for this. But when considering last night, where some young fellas were setting some double happy’s off next to the Taverna we were enjoying, to their amusement, and mine and Gill’s mild panic, there didn’t appear to be any reason, so I cant be sure.
So I have a flight back to the mainland on Thursday morning, from there I have 8 days to fill before I get to my next work away on a Farm near Belgrade in Serbia. So yeah, we have the car tomorrow, and since the weather is great here and pretty cold the further north you go at the moment, I’m looking to enjoy the beach as much as possible. So we’re heading back to the Libyan sea, but this time I’m going to remember my goggles. Should be fun.
Until next time.

Perahora, as it is pronounced by the locals is absolutely beautiful. It’s high above the Corinthian gulf on a peninsula with a lake, more ruins, plenty of rocks and cliffs and olive trees and views I won’t soon forget. I’m staying in a farm cottage in a valley with two dogs, two and a half cats and two incredibly wonderful and gracious people, Vania and George.
On my last day in Athens I didn’t know what I was going to find with my first couchsurfing experience, but it has been the best of times.
On the morning of my departure I once again was able to enjoy the beauty of Athens without the masses, as I got up to go for a run around the acropolis early Wednesday morning. I ended up at the Agora, and I was the only person to explore the grounds and early morning sun. Another great aspect of my stay in Athens, was across the road from where I was staying was the best cafe in Athens. Coffee was there specialty and they did it well! If you find yourself near the acropolis look up Coffee dive Acropolis. You won’t be disappointed, but also there also happened to be a Greek/French bakery nearby that made my morning routines so very tasty.
I caught my first bus over to Corinth, that was a bit of an experience. In the bus station I was asked by multiple folks to buy their wears, ranging from tissues to cologne and ray band knock offs. The most memorable was a young fella, say 14, who came with only a sad face asking for the money’s. The problem for him though was I had sat near him perhaps 5 mins earlier, where he was the happiest, chattiest of chaps, enjoying life, eating possibly the biggest ice cream. So I didn’t succumb to his poor acting, One has to be a little critical sometimes.
It’s an interesting place Athens, or my experience of Greece thus far, for that matter, as there are parts of extreme beauty but also places that reflect the extremes of the Economic crisis that has crippled this country. There are shells of buildings, unfinished homes, cryptic graffiti with incredibly well behaved stray dogs and cats to serve as friendly companions.
In the valley where I am staying, I can see 2 homes that remain just shells of what could have been, I ask who owns the land, or buildings, and there is uncertainty coupled with a deep disappointment and anger. Which I think is fair enough, as the worst instances of these shell homes, are often just in front of someone else’s home, so their views are ruined by the ruins of human greed or perhaps unrestrained stupidity. Either way, it’s not far from conversation.
Besides that, my stay has been absolutely great. They took me to the ruins of old Corinth which were very interesting, but they paled in comparison to what I found on top of the mountain the ruins lay beneath. The Acrocorinth, as it is known or upper Corinth, is just incredible. Like nothing I have ever experienced or dreamed of before. I mean the cliffs surrounding this thing are something to get any rock climber excited, but when you add that to 4000 years of human habitation, you can see why it quickly became my favourite place to have visited. It’s going to have to be an pretty darn amazing place to top the Acrocorinth.
I mean we’re talking awesome defensive walls, now times that by 3, as there were 3 large and imposing gates you would need to make your way through to get to the main space, where the old temple of Aphrodite was. But the space between these defensive gates is still fairly darn awesome, with ruins and shells of buildings everywhere. It has its own water source, and many sets of caves that make their way down the mountain to secret and secure positions in the old city. The views in that place were absolute gold. I’m stoked also because I made a video of this whole experience which will be on a YouTube channel near you at some stage. When I watch it now and reflect on it, I was like a kid in a candy shop, or rather a candy shop made specially for me, with views to die for whilst enjoying my candy.
Funny side story there. When I first got to Corinth I received a message from a fellow traveler who was spending some time in Corinth and wanting to do stuff with people rather than by herself, which I totally understood, but because I was staying a good 20 min drive from Corinth it probably wouldn’t work, as I explained in my response.
Anyways, I’m heading up the Acrocorinth, stopping to read a info sign to be joined by a young lady, I thought nothing of it at first, then as we engaged in typical touristy pleasantries, asking how far to the top, that kind of pleasantry. I had the suspicion as we parted that perhaps this was the German girl from the couchsurfing. I didn’t really fancy yelling out what I thought her name was, as that would be weird so I let it pass. However as we left the place, sadly again it closed unfathomably at 3pm, we drove down the mountain where up a head there was an ultra keen or super unlucky person walking. We slow down to offer them a ride and it was the German girl whose name I failed to yell out. She waved us on, happy to be walking in the light rain, I was like that’s totally the girl from the couchsurfing.
Long story short Susanne was my hiking buddy the following day, as my hosts were able to collect her from a nearby bus stop and take us both to the beautiful lake where they have a water skiing business. She joined me Adventuring our way along the coast to find the ruins of Heraion and my reluctant swimming buddy down a cannel that joins the Lake to the Corinthian gulf.
I’ve been blessed with meeting some truly wonderful people. I’m sure there will be plenty to come, which is kinda cool to think about.
Tomorrow I’m catching a flight to Crete for my first Workaway experience for the next 11 days. Currently the sun is shining hot, the valley is quiet, I have some music playing in the background and there is a smell of BBQ, lunch.
Oh the trials of life.
Though I’m reminded by a great quote by Robert Laidlaw, “The man who smiles when the sun shines and frowns when storms gather is but a creature of circumstance, whereas the joy of life ought to come from the joy of living, not from the surrounding conditions.”
Something to consider.

 

I’m finally in Athens, been here now for almost two full days and its pretty darn sweet!

Now, you may not know this about me, but I’m actually a bit of a history fan. It all came about through playing a game called Age of Empires, a strategy game where you could grow a number of civilisations, which in turn meant you could direct an army, which sometimes consisted of phalanx, guys with large spears and shields. My fascination grew when I started learning about actual battles from history where phalanx actually fought. I think also, credit must go to my 6th and 7th form classical studies teacher, Mr Mawson, whose enthusiasm and humorous way of looking at history rubbed off. So this is all looking to say, I’ve been looking forward/day dreaming about visiting Greece for quite some time now. I’ve found myself on numerous occasions taking stock of what my eyes are seeing and having a little laugh with myself, as it’s funny/strange to think I’m actually here.
The journey getting here was long. My flight left Japan at 12:35 in afternoon, it was a 12 and a half hour flight into Munich, which meant I should have slept on the plane, but being me, I didn’t. Sleep once again alluded me on the connecting flight, so when that arrived in Athens it was nearing 5am in Tokyo, so I was feeling fairly jaded. And yet when I got off the metro at my stop, aptly called “Acropoli” and walked up onto the street, I was greeted by a lit up Acropolis, a fairly amazing moment for reality to set in. Finally I had made it, and I was somehow revived. A good thing too as finding my accomodation was a little bit of a mission. The map location from airbnb, was way off, and even though some helpful taxi drivers pointed me in the right direction I just couldn’t find the place. At one point I was actually tempted to worry for the first time on my trip. Legitimate worry too, like where would I go? No wifi, the trains are now finished for the night, and I have no idea what is around me. I guess if it came to it I would have just asked another friendly taxi driver and perhaps it would have been all good. He was the reason I found the place. He walked me to my Airbnb with his GPS navigator thing so I was able to find my bed now that it was 7am in Japan, 1am in Athens.
I thought because I was exhausted my Monday would be a lazy one, but nope, I woke around 8am and ventured out to begin a day of exploring. My first port of call was the Areopagus, a place I have been interested in since I read Saint Paul’s experience recorded in Acts 17:16-34. Where after exploring the city and engaging a couple of Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers he was asked to come and speak at the Areopagus. So yeah, that was kinda cool to be in the same place as a biblical heavy. I also got to visit where it is thought Socrates was held prisoner before he was sentenced to drink hemlock, a drink not very conducive to life. I also got to see where Aristotle held his school. I stood in theatre where Herodotus gave his wonderful historical recitals, where the playwrights Sophocles and Euripides performed their works. Stood in the location where the Persian Army gained access to the Acropolis before destroying it, and saw the place where the ancient Olympic Games were held. It’s quite hard to appreciate the significance of the places I’ve visited from the often scant Archeological remains. Temples fall down, markets burn down and get rebuilt, library’s fall into disuse as did a lot of the temples actually, though some were reused as churches or mosques under the Ottomans. Walls crumble, cities grow, and people forget. Time marches on.
Though, if you have ever been to Athens or perhaps Edinburgh, you will know the distinctively timeless appeal of the cities centre piece. Be that a grand castle, or a bunch of old columns surrounded by imposing cliffs. So very out of sync with contemporary life and yet both have a certain impressive magnetism.
I’ve visited 4 museums so far, each very different, but all very interesting. I’m slowly ticking off the main attractions, the problem with some of them is they close early in the afternoon, so you really have to try and prioritise where you go and when. You can’t always avoid the masses. I did this morning though, at the Acropolis, and it was awesome! I got there before the gates opened, was 2nd to buy my ticket, and first through the gates. Which meant, I pretty much had the entire place to myself for a good 20 mins. The comparison being, I shared the Acropolis Museum with about 4000 other school groups… not so amazing. I had to laugh at one particular idiot on a school tour who obviously hadn’t done the reading. I was walking along the eastern slope beneath the Acropolis, and this putz was just ahead of me and a little lost by the sound of it. I heard him say, “we’re meant to be at the acropolis, I don’t even know what that is”… I was like “ummm look to your right, that massive hard to miss rock thing, yeah, that’s the acropolis…” I put some space between me and them, as there’s only so much idiocy I can handle.
True to form though, I’m still walking everywhere. And because I’ve come from very chilli Japan, Athens is practically summer. So naturally, I’ve busted out my shorts. Tis funny to watch people as they walk past me, or as I walk past them. They’re all wrapped up in jerseys, jackets and scarves, and I’m waltzing around in board shorts and jandals. It must get pretty darn hot here, if a 22 degree day is a scarf and jacket day.
I rescued a horse today, is that random? I thought it was. I had walked over to see an attraction that for some reason closed its gates at 3pm. So I decided I’d walk through what turned out to be a dodgy area that smelt like cat piss, cos there is a crazy amount of stray cats in Athens. Good thing there is also a bundle of fairly docile stray dogs, as one decided he’d happily walked along beside me through this run down graffiti filled area. Anyways, I get the park that links me back to my part of town, and I see a random horse, and I’m “huh, its a horse, just hanging out tied to a tree.” Then I saw another one, lying down, I thought perhaps he was scratching his back, as horses tend to do. But he didn’t look like he was scratching comfortably, and as I continued to watch I saw he had a leg caught on the rope attaching him to a tree. So I begin to weigh up the scenario of me getting a kick to the head by a random horse in a dodgy part of town, far enough away from anywhere that I’d be fairly ruined in that circumstance. But I couldn’t just leave him there, as he sounded pretty exhausted and who knows when his actual owner would turn up. So I walk down there, and introduce myself to this horse in Maori, figured it would perhaps confuse him long enough for me to free him. Which I’m glad to report it did. No idea as to how he got himself into that mess, but he was fairly stoked once I managed to unhook his leg and help him up. Job done.

So yeah, I’m loving Athens, and Athens is loving me;)
I head to Corinth tomorrow, well near Corinth, to a place called Perachora, its 30 mins drive north and by all accounts, quite a nice place. I’m doing my first couch surfing experience for four nights. Hopefully, its a good one. I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

It’s been another long day of walking, and I find myself quite happily sitting in an ummm, Japanese restaurant… Hard to say what kind this one is, I haven’t yet picked up what the characters mean, so I step into a lot of places with a good amount of hope and faith. I think by my study of the pictures on the menu and English list of foods, it’s a place that puts things on sticks. Sounds great! Now to try and get their attention with my pigeon Japanese to get some food… success:)
To be fair I have eaten incredibly well in Japan. I can’t think of anything I’ve had that I didn’t like, actually no, the blueberry muffin this morning was awfully dry… so Japanese I know.
This being my last night, I guess I have to be a bit reflective or sum up my time here, I’ll get to that but Its probably best to update what has transpired since the karaoke and naked men. A little bit more naked men actually. You see, I don’t think I have walked so much as of late, my feet have taken a pounding.  I tend to start walking at about 8ish and will still be at it come 7ish pm. It doesn’t help that I take wrong turns, misread signs, or just underestimate distances between things. Once I was walking along a nice path in a university on my way to a cafe, so I thought. In my head I knew the place was just over the way, and in spite of the weird look the security guard gave me at one of the gates, I pressed on. The problem was the path didn’t go just over the way, it kept going around, with the wall not opening up as I assumed it would. Instead I had to head back towards where I came from, back out the main gate past a bunch of girls playing tennis, which I thought was great sport, to watch as i walked by, however when I read the sign on my way out of the gate it said, Women’s college… which kinda explained the weird looks, but thankfully I could easily plead ignorance.
Kyoto was much easier to walk from place to place, as I said there were ornate shrines and beautiful temples at regular intervals, all different and yet very similar but appealing. What did I do in Kyoto after the coffee? oh that’s right I walked down to the old town which was very cool! The streets are packed close together, and as an extra touristy treat, a large amount of ladies were dressed in the traditional kimono dress. Shuffling along the streets, looking lovely, talking and giggling quietly, taking selfies… seriously.
I then walked vast distances to buy my speed train ticket via another shrine and or temple, then I figured “oh the old fort thing is only 2km away… that’s an easy walk”. Perhaps first thing in the morning it may have been. But by the time I got there my feet were in the beginnings of mutiny and it was 5mins away from the entrance gate closing, so luckily I scraped in. But because of the wanning condition of my feet, I motored through taking in the old imperial and shogun palaces at a respectful march.
I had met some dutch folks on a subway line when I first got into Kyoto. It’s funny how you see fellow westerners and just start chatting, not always, just sometimes. Anyways, I came upon them again as we were both exiting the old fort thing. It was really weird to recognise someone in a city full of unfamiliar faces, nice to swap stories and tips and then which each other well on our respective journeys.
From there I had already lined up a really cool sushi place. Tell you what, before, I was a bit “I prefer my fish cooked please”, now depending on the fish, I’m quite happy to eat it fresh, it’s surprisingly very tasty.
Dang it, I forget about the whole smoking indoors thing in Japan… folks behind be are smoking what seems like a pack each.
So I finished the very satisfying sushi with my feet still fairly exhausted, but I was a little stumped for ideas as to what to do. So, being in the state of tiredness the best thing I reasoned, for my sore muscles and feet was to get naked again. Once again I was not disappointed. This time however there were more westerners, and I was able to pick my moments well to have a conversation… haha not as amusing as it may sound, just nice to have some normalcy when in a hot tub. Japanese folks are raised to be quiet and respectful. Passive, I have heard it said, either way, it would be highly unusual for them to spark a conversation. So it was nice to just relax, would have been better to have been able to do it with a beer, but you can’t have everything.

You might be wondering why I chose to walk instead of say ummm use public transport… I hear that, and perhaps in hindsight I would do it differently, but at the time I wanted to see as much of real japan as possible and that meant the laneways, byways, highways, alleyways, back yards, side streets, private streets, I ended up inside an office block once, but i digress.
The bullet train was an experience, they are impressive machines that just whip into the station surprisingly quietly. Was a great way to see the countryside.
My only complaint was no complementary wifi. I mean, I spent over $160 on the flaming ticket. It’s an incredibly advanced piece of equipment and no wifi? The buses I paid a fraction of the price some how managed to work it out, but not a high speed train. That was a bit poor.
Yokohama is where I am now, and apart from being unusually cold, it’s a great place. I’m staying with a Japanese guy who has travelled extensively and so speaks great English, with a slight German accent. He recommended another sushi place, the type where the sushi comes around on a conveyor belt, the best in town he says. So I make the journey across town to try it, only to find a que probably 40-50 people thick. At first I thought, “hmmmm I’m not one to patiently line up for food when hungry”, but before i could make a decisive choice people were already lining up behind me, so I was committed. It was truely fantastic by the way! And the funny thing, I was bumped up a good 2/3’s of the line. I was contently reading a book on my iPad, resolved to a potential 1-2 hour wait, to be asked to come on in. I just put my head down and followed the lady, avoiding any looks of potential disgust. I again was blessed to be sitting next to another compassionate young woman who spoke English and was able to let me know the system. I can see now why people were lining up for it, it was a really great experience. The plethora of chefs were all very enthusiastic and vocal. And the fish was the freshest, there was a guy slicing up an actual massive tuna.
My night only got better as my new host, Seiichi then took me out for a good tasting of Japanese craft beer.
I explored Yokohama’s Chinatown today, and my only real attempt to visit a museum since I’ve been here (surprising I know), was dashed due to renovations. So I’ve found the food on a stick place to write this out. The food on the stick was all very nice by the way.
So Japan. It’s crazy full of people. I’ve been in crowds, but this has been relentless. No matter where you’d go in the cities, hundreds if not thousands had the same idea… Though the people are incredibly polite, respectful and patient. I never felt uneasy, unwanted or disrespected. But they’re not ones to spark a conversation, so unless I was in need, I pretty much kept to myself and they theirs.
They love their bikes over here, didn’t see many chained up, nor helmets. Apparently it’s not a thing to do… safety that is. I was told they don’t see coming off as a potentiality, but they wear seat belts in a bus and in car for some unforseeable reason…
Their cities are really impressive feats of engineering , some really great architecture both modern and ancient.
The public transport was a breeze, once I figured out where I was going that is.
I’ve had a great time in Japan, it’s very much a place I would come back to, and I would suspect if I did, it would be just as amazing if not more amazing time next time. As there is so much interesting and cool stuff here in Japan, a shame I only had 9 days to take in as much as i could.
But I will gladly leave the 2 degree mornings for the 20 degrees of Athens… sooo very excited for that :)))

oh, and in case you’re wondering, I’m unable to upload photos over a certain size on this platform, so I’ll put a bundle on the facebooks, at some point.

I’m sitting in a coffee shop called Coffee Maki in Kyoto. I ran past it yesterday and from the river it looked like an ideal place for breakfast and hopeful first coffee for the day.
Hamamatsu was pretty great, my first impression was that people are very honest, as I left my iPad in the ticketing office, only to realise 3 stops down the line, to my instant horror!
But people, I’m told, don’t steal here, so it was still where I left it.
My airbnb host was rather perplexed by my lack of plan for my time in Hamamatsu, I had chosen it specifically because it was far off from the hustle and bustle of normal Japanese city life. I was staying in an old style house, with the sliding paper doors, it’s own shrine, banzai trees, large fields for vegetables, rows of green tea shrubs and it was made complete with an very delightful old woman who spoke only Japanese. She was the mother of my host, Osamu, and was endlessly entertained by my attempt to use my translator app to talk to her. I don’t know how accurate it was, she would just look blankly at my phone as I attempted to interact with her.
I was once again a bit of an oddity as I walked into the closest town, it just wasn’t the typical place to see westerners visit. I found a nice Buddhist temple that was completely empty, at first I wondered if I was allowed to be there, but no one came out to tell me otherwise. So I had the place to myself. There was a trail behind the place that led up the hill to a shrine, then onto another, with a sweet view, then on to a viewing platform further up. It was nice to be completely alone in a place where ‘aloneness’ isn’t a regular occurrence.
I found a quaint cafe for a watery coffee, and found another shrine on another hill to sit and read in the warm afternoon sun.
I walked back to my place stopping off at a potential dinner spot to be met again by amused looks as I tried to speak Japanese and use my translator app. They seemed friendly enough so a came back. Such a great night, the translator app came into its own, I left it on the table so that my new friends around me could use as they please. At first I thought it had the potential of being a very messy night as the older fella was keen to “serve me” drinks, which essentially means keep my pint glass full of beer…
But he went off to bed about an hour into it, and the rest of them were more interested in getting me to sing than drink.
So yeah previously I would err away from karaoke, but 3 songs deep it’s a pretty great way to enjoy an evening. I’ve always liked Johnny Cash, as it’s a key that I can keep up with;) a great night with some great people.
I caught a bus to Kyoto early the next day, thankfully there was a Starbucks where the bus had a 10min stopover. Espresso isn’t a common thing, and when you do find it, they boil the hell out of the milk… but the milk over here is sooooo good! Just not so nice at a squillion degrees in my coffee.
Kyoto, is pretty darn impressive, there are temples and shrines at what seems to be 100m intervals.
My entertainment for the night, well I wouldn’t call it that, but after running around the old Imperial palace grounds and along a very runner friendly river, I was told by my new host, Mikko, it would be a really Japanese experience to go to the baths. I was like, sure, I played rugby, but Kiwi fella’s don’t tend to go out of there way to get naked with other fellas. Turns out though, it’s very popular With locals and tourists. To be fair, I had no idea as to the protocols, well, I knew the obvious ones. But essentially you would just go from pool to pool, of varying temperatures, a sauna that was crazy hot, and an ice cold pool to wake you up when you get sleepy. After initially thinking I wouldn’t do that, I’m happy I did, definitely a worthwhile experience. I gathered it was a frequent thing for the Japanese fellas, as they came prepared with their own buckets, soaps and the latest gels.
So I’ve got the day to explore Kyoto, then I have a date with a high speed train tomorrow to take me to Yokohama in the early afternoon.
356 km away in under 2 hours, exciting times.

Tokyo, to say it’s full of people is pretty accurate. Just a constant stream of folks, all doing their thing, filling up trains and emptying them just as quickly, then filling them up again like waves on the beach. To be fair, I probably didn’t get to see as much of Tokyo, or the Tokyo that people usually see. I was staying in Yochiyodai where I was as a bit of an oddity, as it isn’t really a place where tourists tend to frequent. I guess that’s why I chose to stay there, a place that was quiet, genuinely Japanese, and not so out of the way that I was isolated, but just far enough away from the hustle and bustle that I could relax. And for at I am thankful.
On Saturday I woke early and walked the quiet streets until a local cafe that served the really puffy pancakes opened.. see picture, soo good. Then I made a move to go into the city, the plan was to check out some of the parks, a museum, and perhaps a mall. I learned that Tokyo is massive and not ablidging of my plans. After another helpful couple of ladies set me right on the train, Japanese isn’t the easy of languages to understand, (again with pointing and actions, a helpful tip is to take screenshots of maps), I got into Ueno. There were some pretty extensive alleyway markets, with the competing callers trying to get your attention, a great place to people watch.
I walked my way down to the national gardens. Again packed! Kinda weird too as it was probably a good month or two too early for the park to be a place of greenery, and the blossoms were also few and far between. Still didn’t stop countless folks crowding round the odd tree to get pictures. Another weird thing was everyone and their cousins were out picnicking on the barren ground. It was almost dirt, but still hard to find an empty spot.
I guess in hindsight, the weather of Sunday and Monday, people probably wanted to make the most of a sunny day.
I had a good ‘chat’ with some old boys at a Shinto temple, they asked me where I was from, then again after I extinguished by poor Japanese, shook my hand and bowed extensively. I haven’t quite figured out how long I’m politely meant to hold a hand shake for, I think the expected is over 5 secs. I’ve cut hand shakes short, then found myself shaking the same hand shortly after a number of times… either way, everyone has been incredibly polite.
I walked 27km on Saturday, so my watch tells me, now a lot of that would have been the aimless walking in the train stations thinking I had the right platform only to realise, nope, it’s a good km back on the other side. Fun fun.
I was able to order my dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant through a picture menu they had out back. That was lucky. The food was fantastic, made in front of you sort of place. The type of place that every time new people came in or out a chorus of higher pitched welcomes would sing enthusiastically out. A welcoming sort of place.
And yet I found myself on Saturday evening missing conversation, it had only been a day, but I hadn’t been able to converse with anyone comfortably all day. I guess the introvert in me will be getting some front time.
So people can smoke inside buildings in Japan. I’m in a small mall waiting for a renowned coffee place to open with an older duck smoking on my right and an old fella behind me… it’s been a while since I’ve had to put up with that.
I chatted with a cafe owner last night, and by chatted I mean used the speak and translate app on my phone to converse. It was incredibly helpful, but not perfect. She was saying they are looking to move away from smoking by the time the Olympics roll around, but up until then, smoking is super cheap… like 400¥ for a pack of 20, which is about $4.
That coffee shop was great by the way, the roaster is over 100 years old, and some of their beans are pushing 40 years, there are plenty of articles on the place, it’s called cafe de l’ambre. Took a while for me to find it and it didn’t open until midday. Totally worth it though.
So the highlights of Tokyo, as I sit in a bus taking me to my next stop, Hamamatsu. Cafe de L’ambre was pretty darn unique, the cream came in a little thimble jug. The markets in Ueno were pretty cool and the umbrella dodging in the packed streets all over the place. I think the main highlight would be Sunday morning, I managed to find a wee church not too far from where I was staying. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming. I have found Japanese people to be really gracious, and so that was the case as a visitor of a small evangelical church, where I was asked to share what brought me there, and with the help of a translator explain my move toward Ordination. You know it’s a nice church when they invite you to lunch after, and everyone who had been to NZ was eager to tell me about it. I guess it was just really nice to get some conversation.
So I’m on the bus, my accommodation tonight is a small farm inland from Hamamatsu, the place is meant to be a really traditional Japanese home, over 100 years old. My only concern is considering it snowed this morning, how warm, or rather cold, I will be…
Time will tell.

So the fun begins…

I do love air New Zealand, though I had to tell myself wait until the end of the trip before writing every other airliner off.
Touched down into Tokyo Narita, to be met by a whole bunch of people waiting in line to get into to a cue, to get into another line that would snake its way to an old man, who told you to go to another line, to wait for the immigration person. Easy. No dramas there, then down to baggage claim, and onto customs. More lines, but for how intimidating customs looked, they were essentially just taking paper out of your hand and waving you through.
Now into actual Japan. I walked with a misguided confidence that I had a semblance of where I was going. I found the SIM card and the necessary train line, and a good thing I wrote where I was heading down, so I could point and hand the nice lady some giant paper money and I’ve got a ticket.
On the train I had a mini panic, as I needed to email my airbnb folks to tell them of my immanent arrival so that could pick me up from the train station but no wifi (needed a pin to put the SIM card in…). I thought the young ladies sitting near me must have a semblance of English and so I proceeded ask a favour, if they could txt the number. They didn’t understand that, nor my example of writing a txt. In the end she shared her wifi with me so I could email, and were kind enough to tell me when had got to my stop.
I was met by my host on the other side of the ticket booth and I quickly extinguished my limited Japanese to her polite amusement. It is interesting how much you can communicate to people with gestures, actions and nods. Something I learned again the next day at breakfast.
But two things of note from my accomodation, firstly their duvets are like puffy clouds… it was like I was sleeping inside a marshmallow, so comfy! Secondly, and this thing is the “why don’t we do this” award, heated toilet seats. I don’t want to get into the bathroom whatever’s, all I want to say is, it’s cold in Japan at this time of year, and we all know and dread the freezing cold toilet set on such days, but theirs are heated and fricken awesome! It just makes the monotonous so extra special. Natural follow up question is, “yes, but how much to run them?” Hopefully I can manage to communicate that little gem to my gracious hosts and let you know…

Anyways, it’s a beautiful coltish day in Tokyo today, so I’m going to make the most of it.

till next time.

Right, so I am set to fly out on Friday morning, commencing a trip that I have been day dreaming about for quite some time now. It is yet to sink in that I’m actually going somewhere, which is ridiculous as I’ve been unemployed for over a month and homeless for almost just as long. I guess because I’ve been busy over that period, I haven’t been able to give much thought about where I’m heading.

The basic itinerary is Japan for 9 days, then onto Greece, where i’ll get to see the things I’ve been captivated by since i first read about them 20 years ago. From Greece, I’m hitting up the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Then on to Scotland, and a brief stopover in England before i head onto New York and then Canada.

This whole, blog thing, is a way for me to keep all the peoples who what to know what I’m up to, uptodate with my trip. I don’t really know how I’ll look to report, or even how. This is my first formal blog so it may be bundle of things.

Either way, I’ll endeavour to share my adventure as interestingly as possible.