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Departure from Turkey to Greece is not convenient they have only two ferries a day. We could have jumped over to Rhodes from Bodrum but the ferry ride from Rhodes to the Cyclades Islands takes over 36 hours. We took a bus from Bodrum back to Ephesus for a one hour ferry ride to Samos. We had an official ferry guide which listed all the ferry schedules but it turns out to be a fairly inaccurate document. Asking the Turkey travel agents provided little to know information. Our only choice would be jumping on a morning ferry to Samos and find out what boats leave when. Pulling into Samos we were in luck because a boat was leaving at 4:00 PM and would be arriving at Naxos around midnight and Paros around 2:00 AM.
According to the guidebook Samos was Scooter's kind of island. This was the home of the Greek mathematicians and according to Scooter the place A*A + B*B = C*C was invented. For those who do not recognize this mathematical formula it is Pythagreos Theorem and is used to calculate the distances of a right angle triangle. Scooter was hoping they would have a math museum but none could be found. We got money using the Visa card at an ATM had lunch and boarded our ship early. We had first pick of seats because Samos was the first port on the route and being first on the boat makes a big difference.
The locals are experienced at seat grabbing on these long boat rides and you have to be greedy. The interior sections of the boat are for the most part setup to handle a lot of people. But everyone's goal is to carve out enough space to lay down. So instead of taking up two seats you grab five by placing your bags in empty seats. We found a nice couch with table in one of the lounges. Scooter left to investigate a better spot and by the time he returned we had been invaded. I was a helpless victim of a Greek family who knew if they sat on the couch, started smoking and making lots of noise we would leave. We took our newly learned lesson in squatting and moved to a side section that was setup like an airplane with rows of reclining seats. We positioned our bags in the seats behind us and settled in. With an thirty minutes the invasion continued and we were besieged by another family that surrounded us. Our search for a little peace and quite would not be found on this boat ride. The ferry etiquette is a free for all and anything goes.
Scooter is actually happy about this travel environment because he has a power plug which allows him to get work done on the computer. I try and get caught up on my travel writing and eventually decided it is time to try some Ouzo. The stuff is not very good but is strong. The ship is making numerous stops and our planned destination is Paros but it looks like we would not arrive until 2:00 AM. We are camping and the thought of setting up a tent at 4:00 AM is not very appealing. We are arriving at Naxos and we decide that will be a worthy destination. The ship docks for the shortest amount of time possible and you have to be ready. The captain swings the back end of the boat around within a few feet of the pier. They toss over the ropes which get fastened to the pier and they lower the ramp in the rear, unloading the passengers, campers, cars, motorcycles and large tractor trailers. For the most part all the passengers getting off by foot are backpackers and we are huddled at the rear door entrance. It feels like we are about to jump out of a large military plane and parachute to the ground.
Scooter and I have been carrying our oversized backpacks for five months and have felt a little out of place. We have all of our gear for camping, three man tent, air mattress, sleep sacks, and a small stove. In Asia no one camps so the backpacks are quite small. As we stood in the rear of the boat waiting to get off, I felt like we fit in because these people had some really huge backpacks. As we walked down the pier the shouting for our business began. The dominating noise was a competition between campgrounds. We had three or four to choose from and they all had large buses waiting to load up you and your gear. This is the perfect way to travel, you make your decision and get on the bus. We would have no waiting around so we thought. We chose Maragas Campground because it was the nearest the beach. We planned on doing a lot of beach lounging. We handed over our bags and climbed into the bus.
We sat there for over an hour feeling a little out of place. Everyone on the bus was young and had dreams of starting college next year. The fashionable thing was to argue about the latest cool band and the rolling of your own cigarettes. This group was ready to party and we were ready to setup our tent. After an hour the bus had not left and we are all getting a little anxious. We would not leave until the bus was full or the last of the ferries pulled in. It was truly amazing to watch the huge ferry boats pull into the pier unload and reload in under thirty minutes. It was now after 1:00 AM and somebody decided it was time to leave for the campground.
It is dark and we have no idea what to expect. The bus unloads, we hand over our passports and look for a spot. We had visions of setting up on the beach with a view of the ocean but it turns out to be a large covered campground complete with a dusty and dirty ground. Everywhere you look there are tents setup and some places it looks like they have been living or partying for a couple of months. We found an empty square and set up our tent. It is late and half the tents are occupied by sleeping campers so we tried to be quiet. We will have to wait until morning to see if we chose the right spot.
For some reason it is impossible to sleep late in a tent. We are comfortable but the morning sunrise and the open air, say it is 6:30, time to get your butt out of bed and feed the chickens. What do you do at 6:30 AM when the entire area is filled with empty beer bottles and passed out campers. You walk around of course and see what everyone has for accommodations. The campground is huge and mixed with the permanent campsites, the temporary tent and finally those who only have a sleeping bag or a blow up raft. I would venture it does not rain in the summer because there are numerous people just sleeping on the ground in their little square. This is hard core and something I would not enjoy. If I had to do it I would but these people planned this. The extra prepared setup little walls using a rope and hung sheets or towels for a little privacy. The most creative award went to the guy who brought one of those large blowup pool chairs. He somehow planned on sleeping in it but it ended up being used as a pillow.
I go for a run on the a very long and sandy beach returning for breakfast and a shower. The bathrooms and showers are cleaner and nicer than I expected. The campground has a nice cafeteria/bar area which makes hanging out a couple more days worth it. We spend the next two days at the beach, working on the computer and going to bed early. We had the chance to do a little bit of partying but I am in a healthy mode and decided good food, sun and relaxation will be more fun. We had Ios as our next stop and that would be our party destination.
It is July 30th and another month is passing by. We departed February 13th which means we have been five and half months. We are almost at our halfway point and already it seems like we have been gone forever. We pack up our gear and head into town for a two hour ferry ride to Ios. The camping was a little weird because even though the place was packed and we had people sleeping with in a few feet of us we didn't talk to any fellow travelers. The mode here is definitely boy looking for girl and girl looking for boy. We did not see to many couples camping. It may also be that everyone here is on a one or two week holiday so they are not interested in meeting other travelers. We would recommend Maragas camping they have excellent facilities and a great location on a beautiful beach on the Aegean Sea.
The place to be on Ios for camping is Far Out Camping. The term Far Out could be used to describe the location or in the hip sense the place is Far Out. Departing from the ferry we find the Far Out bus and we are content to get on the bus and wait for someone to take us somewhere. We hope the place is not too Far Out and we hope it is Far Out. We pulled up to the campground and visions of Spring Break came flooding back. They have a super large pool area filled with 2,000 students from all over Europe a beer in each hand. They have a water slide, basketball courts, volleyball and are located across the street from the beach. We follow the fellow sheep through the herding process of registration. The management has done this before and is a model of efficiency. We are let through a secure gate and told to find a camping spot, get setup and return for our Far Out camping card. The grounds are crowded and they are stacking tents up two or three deep into the road. We managed to find a spot on the edge of a wall which meant we would not get blocked in. Our camp neighbors were from the nymphomaniac club because they never left the tent and were constantly engaged with the before and after of having sex. We are on a high cliff with a great breeze and we are in the mood to party.
This was the place to be because everyone from the island spent their days at the Far Out pool or on the beach. The pool area was open to the public but the camping area was reserved for paying guests only. Swimming in the pool would not be an option, it had way too many bodies in it. The smell of chlorine was super strong as to ward off any germs that could cause any problems. The place was entirely too crowded and everyone was entirely to skinny for us to lay out this afternoon. We ventured next door, which turns out to be the upscale portion of Far Out. They have bungalows and apartment, combined with a quiet pool area and a good bar/restaurant. The weather is perfect, sunny and breezy just what you hope for a Greek Isle. We dined on Greek salads, bread and Tsasiki while we sunned for the afternoon.
On Ios the thing to do is party on the beach by day and in town by night. We went to town about 9:00 PM which turns out to be very early. We strolled through the narrow picturesque shops and restaurants. So far we are not impressed with the partying but it is still early. We settled in at a cafe which only served drinks but you are allowed to buy food at one of the numerous shops close by. We stopped at various watering holes looking for some fun but for the most part we were out of sync. It was 11:00 PM and the places are quiet and only sell locally made liquor. Scooter was not excited about drinking the Greek equivalent of Jack Daniels. We had just been to Bodrum, Turkey a week before which without a doubt was one of the biggest party places we had ever been to. Ios was not stacking up and we would recommend Bodrum over Ios any day. The buses stop running at midnight and Far Out is Far Out which meant we did not want to walk home. We still a couple of guidebook recommended bars to hit before the last bus.
Heading down the hill we hit Irish row and it turns out that according to one bar Ios stands for Irish Over Seas. We stopped in at the Dubliner which had a very active crowd both inside and out. Grabbing a couple of drinks we ended up on the patio and met some folks from Sweden. They had a large group and would be on Ios for two weeks and had been going out every night. They were very animated and from the size of the stomachs were good eaters and drinkers. I only point this out because they were very proud of their girth and kept lifting up their shirts for all to see. One of the guys was very fascinated by me but became a little discouraged when I introduced Scooter. They were hoping he was my brother. They did pass on a little secret which changed the evening at once. It is a new drink without a name but combines Red Bull and Vodka. We immediately recognized the bull from an energy drink in Thailand. We of course had no idea what the ingredients were because the label was in Thai but everyone was drinking out of little bottles. We assumed it had some stimulate that gave you a pick up. Before we knew it was 4:00 AM and time to go home. The only problem was we didn't want to go home because that would mean we have to go to sleep. I was extremely wired and had found a new favorite drink. The vodka didn't hurt either. The walk home was a long one and everyone takes a local shortcut down the side of a steep hill. Big night on Ios and it was time to try and sleep.
We have to be in Rome in five days and still have a lot of ground to cover including the Temple of Zeus which once contained the ancient wonder, The Statue of Zeus. The boat departs from Ios at night and would arrive in Athens at 6:00 AM. We would then catch a bus to Olympia for a couple of hours before heading somehow to the island of Corfu, home of the Pink Palace. With the afternoon at our disposal we both felt more beach and pool time was in order. I discovered my camera was missing and it probably had something to do with Red Bull and Vodka. I left it some place and was hoping it was in a lost and found box waiting for me. Nothing opened until after 5:00 PM so I spent the day feeling like a big $200 loser on the beach. If you are on a tight budget in Ios you can do what everyone else does and just sleep on the beach. It was turning noon and at least twenty people were still passed out on the beach trying to recover from the night before. It is quite odd to see ten people lined up on the sand in sleeping bags at lunch time. I hope they are ready for a good one sided sunburn because none of them moved.
The moment of reckoning was at hand and it was time to look for my camera. I figured it was at the Dubliner because that is were we spent the most time and were I remember taking at least one photo. I wondered in asking to speak to someone about a lost camera. The first request turned up nothing but asking another gentleman he respond that "Sure we have your camera." They even knew it belong to me because the bartender had remembered us for ordering all the Red Bull and Vodka. I had my camera back and felt like a lucky, hung over loser.
The ferry pulled into the port of Ios and we tried to be first in line for finding a spot for the night. The ship was already full and we had no hope of finding a spot inside to lay down. It is really a shame because the inside of the boats are nicely equipped and comfortable. On this evening it looked like a tourist bomb went off because bodies and luggage were everywhere. The deck space of the boat was empty and we decided to sleep under the stars. We found two benches on the starboard side of the boat and got out our camping gear. The problem with the top side of the boat is that most of the surfaces are dirty from a combination of oil, dirt and ocean spray. We unzipped our green bags and unrolled them out on the bench. Next came our blowup air mattresses and our sleep slack. We locked our bags together and settled in for a night of sleeping under hurricane force winds. We should of slept on the port side.
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