Away to Thailand

After an uneventful (boring, unmemorable) holiday season in Corfu I took off on a much needed vacation. The captain had only been back a few days when we decided I should take time off after being alone on the boat on this sad little Greek island for a month. I was going bonkers for sunshine and happy people. Thursday I searched the internet for affordable flights away, but it didn’t take high level math skills to realize anywhere in Europe is pricey with the Euro. And North Africa I would need a visa. At 4:00PM Thursday I booked my flight to Bangkok, Thailand- departing 7am the following day. Airfare wasn’t much more and once I was there my money would go on forever.
I arrived in Bangkok 18 hours later (7am-again), having not slept at all on the flight because i was too excited about all the movies I could watch! I have not seen any western entertainment since I arrived in Europe. And once there I was too excited to see Debora and her husband Dewayne to waste time sleeping. I stayed awake for close to 30 hours.
It was a whirlwind trip that I had to plan along the way, having to make lots of on the spot decisions. Do I book a 4 day livaboard scuba trip? Do I commit to 3 days in the jungle? Can I trust these guys with my life? Full body massage, body scrub and a facial? How much Sum Tom can I eat before I get sick?
I spent a few days in Bangkok with Debora and Dewayne, celebrated the Chinese New Year in Chinatown. Then flew down to Phuket, where i just laid around being warm and lazy and rousing every so often to eat. Bliss. Another flight up to Chiang Mai, oh lovely Chiang Mai. So much vegetarian food, so many blessed out ex-pats. I could be happy there for a long time living on fresh squeezed juice and yoga. I did book myself into a little adventure. It was to be a day of tree top flying, a night in the jungle and followed by a few days of rock climbing. Unfortunately I ate something that did not want to stay in my tummy, so I was pulled out of the jungle and sent back to town. Luckily Thailand has affordable health care in the form of a Traditional Medicine Chinese Doctor. The exam and miracle cure was about $8 US, and I could eat again! I took advantage of the extra days in the city and had another spa day, total 4 massages in 2 weeks. And too soon after I was back in Bangkok, to spend my last day of vacation hanging with Debora, having a very satisfactory “girly day” of yoga, eating and shopping. My vacation was perfect, I was so far away physically and culturally from Greece, I had put it out of my mind. I only tried to speak Greek a few times, usually when asking for water.
Back to reality and work. It is cold and rainy in Corfu, but the days are lasting a bit longer. Only 7 weeks until we move onto Croatia and the busy summer begins, I am actually looking forward to being too busy to think. I can see the signs of spring here. The resort hotels are starting to repair after a winter of being boarded up; restaurants are sprucing up and will soon be serving many of the items listed on the menu, not just mousaka.
But a new layer of snow has arrived on the mountains across the channel; we are still far away from warm weather.

erratic as ever

I rarely get any news. But I did I see the Hawaii holiday tabloid photos of President elect Obama. I am even more proud of my hunky president. Michelle, you are a very smart woman.
Corfu news: A friend lent me her bike while she went away for the holidays- best thing ever! So now I have to find a bike for myself, (not as easy as you would think, the only bike shop I have seen is open April-October). I have ridden the bike all over. Today I rode into Corfu Town and over to the archeological sites, they were closed (Sunday) but I just followed the others and hopped the fence and wondered around the site. There is very little preservation on the sites. Then I found the “Mon Repos”, an old estate turned museum with park grounds. On the site there are also Doric Temples, from way back when. Inside the museum there is an odd collection of home furnishing, family portraits, and a few random ancient pots and carvings. The best are the photos form an English Army Captain from 1800-something. From the photos you can see that the archeological excavation looked a lot better back in 1880. It has all fallen to the wayside- no longer a new fascination, very overgrown and crumbly. There are so many historic sites you can understand how the locals take it for granted, and often see it as an nuisance.
Today was a lot warmer than it has been, sunny almost 14 degrees Celsius (57 Fahrenheit)! A few insane Greeks went swimming, in the old fishing marina. Not only was it too cold for a rational person to swim, if you looked into the water they were swimming in, you would be icked out.

A few more funny things I am getting used to, living in Greece:
.Worn out tires are manhole covers, do not remove
.Scooter can seat 3 adults easily
.Move out of the way of cars on the sidewalk, they have right of way
.Need a light bulb? Borrow it form the street light
.They do lots of borrowing around here

I have noticed the public works crew around town working hard repaving the road, but do not expect them to clean up. I have seen traffic cones, barriers, shovels, piles of gravel, floro safety vests and lots of other stuff lying by the road. Also don’t expect them to do anything not specified by the foreman, like cleaning up broken glass from the bus stop advert sign, removing debris from a hole dug for a sign posted earlier that month, or hauling away a burnt out vehicle on the side of the road.
So it is a different world, that’s why I am here. The good stuff: I have not seen a cop outside of a coffee house, so there is no enforcement of laws. Yet the Greeks are not criminally inclined, aside from graffiti and organized riots, I have not noticed criminal activity (it is usually an ex-pat). You have to be a real trouble maker to get their attention (example: an ex-pat), and even then I am not sure they would be motivated enough to intervene. No one is ever stressed, they all write their own schedules. Beautiful scenery! Lots of nice dogs. Great characters and local gossip/stories, that if I write it all down I could be a successful novelist, or at least a writer for Jerry Springer.

photo1: Ellen, Annimeke, Julia, around the BBQ-turned-bonfire, under a full moon.

photo2:one of themany holes in the water front walk way, it has been this way for months.

catch up

I was sucked into a worm hole in the time and space continuum, sorry.
The summer got super busy and I was too exhausted to update the blog (not sure if anyone noticed). The owners departed late October and then I got to start relaxing and then getting lazy. We had a month in Athens getting boat stuff sorted, and exploring the massive chaotic city. Amazing historical sites, I saw REM and the Kaiser Chiefs in concert at the original Olympic stadium, and had crazy nights out with fellow yachties. I also had my laptop debugged!
Random statistic heard from semi-reliable source: only 5% of the Greek population use personal computers. It goes with the other more believable statistic: Greece consumes more cigarettes than any other EU nation (including France) and is the only EU country where the smoking population has grown in the last 2 years! I found those online, so it must be true.

I am adjusting to the odd ways of the Greeks:
.Prepared to be ignored upon entering a place of business, be it struggling hardware store or post office, although sometimes they stalk you and make it very uncomfortable until you run out
.Do not park next to a donkey (the rental car guy will tell you this for good reason)
.Do not hurry your server in a café, it will only delay them. If you do not have three hour for coffee, why did you stop?
.Coffee should take three hours, lunch a mere four, dinner ends just before dawn
.GMT stands for “Greek Maybe Time”: when a local says he/she will be somewhere at a certain time, keep in mind it is just one of their options and not a likely one
.The only reliable political organization is the anarchist rioters; they do follow through on promises
.As Davis Sedaris said, “Greek music is an oxymoron” -but I am starting to like it
.Greek women are not out and about in the day time, or at night for that matter…?
.Locals yell into phones for long periods of time, but I never see anyone listening on a phone
.Watch for flying dishes in night clubs and pubs, it is not always a good thing

photo1: town rubbish bins just after the holidays. The island has run out of money to pay employees, so they have stopped working, same for the bus system. Always an adventure in Greece!

photo2: Local man bailing out his dingy, while tied to the dock. I believe it is so shallow, the boat must be resting on the ground.?

erratic, but consistant

I missed “international talk like a pirate day”. Busy, busy life being a pirate, I have no time to play like one. Others celebrated the day, my brother went to a favorite pirate haunt in New Orleans naked, I apologize to those who witnessed it. It has been a while since I wrote, sorry. The excuses: my laptop has a virus which makes it impossible to connect online (except for iTunes, hallelujah!), I have not seen a computer store to find a specialist to help me with the virus, the going rate for internet cafes is $10US an hour, these cafes have erratic hours and i am at work for most of them, most public computers will not allow you to use a USB or any other device to upload info, and I am worn out form work. whaaaaa
One week until the guests and owners depart! We will arrive in Athens, Greece on the 26th and everyone will be gone the 29!!! There has not been a plan beyond that. I do not know where we are going in October, it could be anywhere.
I could even tell you where I have been. Quit often it’s a new day and a new island, I rarely get off the boat to see it. Last night I did get off the boat! I made it ashore and into the only place open, a hip little café/bar. In the few hours I was there, 4 other people came in, sleepy little town. It is also getting cooler, so the tourists have gone. Summer is over. I am not ready for summer to be over, I barely had one.
Summary since I last wrote:
We have been in Greece since July 14, through the Ionians, all over the Cyclades, back and forth in the Dodecanese, and in the southern half of the Northeast Aegean. Also a few random days in Turkey, Kushidashi and Bodrum. Weather kept us from Crete. the melitami is not to be messed with, strong winds that have legendary destructive powers (feared in Greek mythology and modern day).I did get to see quite a bit of Samos, very pretty and covered in ancient sites, to the point that is a hassle for the locals who cannot build on what looks like a pile of rocks, but is actually a pagan alter to Zeus. We stayed in a marina a 10 minute walk from very cute Pathigoria, named for Pathgorius the creator of mathematical torment. The island has a few hidden thermal springs and dramatic hills with active monasteries hidden in the shadows of wind combines.

barely an update

i am exhausted and in Greece. island of Samos, i was hoping all the guys would look like John Stamos.
it is another patron saint day, i think the virgin mary?.... fire works will wake me tonight.
i rode a scooter all over the island today and hiked the rest. lots of mountains and monastaries, the nuns come out and wave and offer ouzo when you walk by. the monks come out for guys only- they dont like to mix. i cant imagine i pose any tempatation: sunburnt, coverd in sweat and sand with a few dogs following me.
pat a dog on the head and it will follow you to the ends of the earth, i tested the theroy today. lots of stay doggies here, very sad. i spent the moring at the dog shelter, next door the the municiple dump. it is run by a German nonprofit, Greeks dont care about dogs. they adopt out about 2 dogs a year to locals and 100 dogs to Germany and The Nethrlands- weird.
this island is beautiful, Greece is beautiful. also very old.
as i wonder around through hills and valleys i usually stumble upon a pile of rocks with some sign marking it as a histrical site errected in 3,000 BC and then toppled in 312 AD, when some society that no longer exsists was spreading the chrisitianity . this stuff is everywhere and you can walk all over it, because it is everywhere!
speedos are for everyone.
there is no falafel in greece and hummous is hard to find. must get further East. day trip to Turkey on monday.
i need a haircut, i look like a surf bum. nice shorts line and sunglasses line, bleached out ratty hair.
sleep awaits.

Mt. Etna

i have so many blog sessions to post, but i am paying too much by the hour for internet, so it must be done later.
we have been in Sicily for a bit more than a week, in Riposto. this town is not on most maps and is not mentioned in any tourist publocation. it is unappleaing and probably a bit dangerous (mafia is alive and well in sicily). but i am glad to be here, in the shadow of Mt. Etna. when we arrived the volcano had a bit of a trickle down and smoke rising, a week later it has changed.
now we can see lots of lava flowing and the town is rumbling, sounds like sheet metal waving in the wind. the amount of smoke has doubled and people are waiting and watching. from what i hear this is not too uncommon, but everyone knows what could happen. http://www.ct.ingv.it/Etna2007/WEBCAM.ASP
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=10804
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna

unfortunatley we leave early morning and we will miss whatever might happen. but it is so cool to see! yes, photos photos! but later.

sea squirts!

Amalfi is lovely and everything the tourist broachers brag about. But I don’t understand its enormous popularity. Cinque Terre wins out for my favorite Italian destination. Events in Amalfi:
1. I was swallowed into a crazy Catholic Jesus parade
2. The Deckhand was fired
St. Andrew's Day! he is buried in Amalfi (acording to some, butnot all) but his face was donated by the Pope of the moment to another sacred location (can't remember details). weird to have your face removed and sent somewhere because millions love you.
1. All day, cannons were going off and horns honking working up to the big night. I was planning a nice stroll through town and hoping to stay awake late enough to see the St. Andrew’s Parade that started at 10pm. The parade started on the ocean front, lots of Catholic regalia, gilded saint statues carried by young men clad in gothic robes. I followed the procession, with the entire town of 6,000 plus tourists. We squeezed into to town plaza and it became as manic as Mardis Gras in New Orleans: chanting and clapping and yelling in the throbbing crowd. Everyone was having a great time smashed in together as the statues pushed their way through to crowd to the base of the cathedral steps. The crowd was revving up and the excitement growing and suddenly one of the saint statues is run up the steep ancient steps of the cathedral. The crown goes insane! I am looking for a reason: show girls? Elvis? The Pope? It takes a while for everyone to calm down, and within 10 minutes the plaza is half empty and a band is setting up where thousand s of villagers had stood a moment ago. I find the chef form the boat and we decide to have some wine in the cavern of a restaurant under the cathedral. Neither of us understand what just happened or why, but we were enjoying the band. As we relax we realize why everyone had hurried away: fireworks! But from where we were seated we could see most of it without the crowds.
2. I sleep through everything. I was sleeping on the bridge deck when the Deckhand and nanny came back to the boat at 4:30am after a long night of celebrating St. Andrew’s. They woke most of everyone trying to be quiet, but not me. The next day the family and nanny are to leave for Rome. I had to wake the nanny after the kids and parents tried, I am not so gentle. The captain had given up on waking the Deckhand. Poor girl looked bad, and was going to be in a car with 2 kids and 2 upset parents for the next 5 hours. Eventually the deckhand woke, a few hours late for work. The captain told him it was his day off and to avoid the owners. The deckhand did not bat an eye and walked off with a smirk. When he did come back the captain fired him- this was his 9th offence, all similar situations (the nanny was a new element).
Next morning the deckhand is flying back to Florida and I am pulling lines and driving the boat. With only 4 crew members we were all multitasking, now as 3, I have a lot more responsibility and I am learning fast.
We did a full day of travel to notorious Sicily and passed through the legendary Strait of Messina, where many Greek mythology characters perished. As we pulled into the marina the captain warned the dock master that we were short handed and would need extra help, hoping on eof the many dock workers could come aboard to help dock. Unfortunately very few Sicilians speak English or are willing to put in extra effort at work. It was a successful and adventurous docking. My favorite part is when the dock guy hands me a mooring line (big rope that in anchored to the sea floor and we tie onto the bow of the boat) and the line is covered with sea life. I asked if they were barnacles, concerned I might get cut, but as I grabbed the line I felt it squish in my hands and spit in my eye. I had to pull up about 20 feet of this mess in a real hurry and I was covered by sea life spit. I have never heard of or seen a sea squirt, but I know exactly how they got their name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_squirt
For week we were docked in Riposto, in the shadow of Mt. Etna. Riposto is a gloomy little town, ash covered and wind beaten. There is not much the locals can do about the appearance of town, the volcano spurts ash and the wind blows it all over. We had to rinse the boat everyday from the ash and I couldn’t sleep on deck. Despite that is was a wonderful location, every night we watched the moon rise over the volcano and the trail of lava grow towards us.