Ok so I have been reminded that my blogs have started slowing down lately, the main reason is because I have actually stopped travelling for the time being. Last Monday the 30th September I arrived back into London Heathrow and because bad luck seems to follow me it wasn’t without another argument with the airport staff. This time UK immigration let me in without any long periods of questioning and I was stamped for another 6month visa which was ace! Problem was when I tried to board the plane from Athens they wouldn’t let me on.
But before I go into that.... the rest of my trip in Santorini was radical! Second day the girls and myself went on a day tour on a boat that looked much like it had come straight off the Pirates of the Caribbean set. With the high walls of rock surrounding the bay it made for some great photo opportunities. Knowing that the entire area is made solely from volcanic eruptions it might surprise you to know that the water is actually 400m deep!First stop was the Volcano which last erupted in 1950, but we were assured that it was sleeping for the time bei
ng so we climbed off the boat and onto the rugged black landscape of the island volcano and made our way to the cone. After being told that one of this islands eruptions at around 1600BC was felt by Australia and New Zealand and created a Tsunami 100meters tall I felt so much safer. Our next stop was the “hot springs” which really were just muddy sulphur filled waters which were no warmer than 20 degrees, bit of a disappointment really.Moving onto a little island that is only accessible by boat we climbed the donkey path to the top of the cliffs, most people took a donkey but basically we needed our little amount of money for more important thin
gs.... icecream! So
climbing the uneven rocky path covered in donkey poo was a slippery experience, but the view from the top was so totally worth it!! Snapping a few pictures of the famous whitewashed, blue roofed churches we made our way back down the donkey path to once again get back on the boat!This time we were on the final leg of our journey to the township of Oia (pronounced eee-a) which is said to be the BEST place in the world to watch a sunset. And I’m sure had there not been nearly 1000 other people lining the streets and sitting on the walls of the township it would have been a tranquil experi
ence. The pirate ship with raised sails really made the scene! After the sun dropped over the horizon the crowd began clapping and cheering as though the sun only sets once a year and deserved a round of applause for its efforts. The streets quickly emptied as night fell over the town and the final leg of the journey was back home on the bus to our accommodation where once again our hotel staff were waiting to greet us with yet another round of free shots.However this time it was slightly different. Rodger called them Pommygranit shots because if you look clos
ely the glasses are filled with the fruit. Basically once you do the shot the small pieces of fruit prevent you from swallowing which means the liquid whatever it may be is left sitting in your mouth burning while you try to chew the fruit. However when its cold and raining it certainly does it’s job and quickly warms you up! We were in bed early that night after a 12hour day of touring.The next day the sun was up and we were out on the beach. Not quite the quality beaches of Australia, with tiny black stones rather than golden sands and a huge cliff face of rock obscuring your view. But hey it was a chance to lay in the sun. What wasn’t expected is when we went to swim we walked into the water the small rocks dissapeared and were replaced by a slab of
slimy volcanic rock which sloped ever so gradually. So it wansn't until we had walked/slipped for about 20meters into the water that we were in deep enough to swim.That day the girls left and I was once again left to travel alone, so I went down to the youth hostel and I ran into some people I’d met in Ios... the night was only just begining. A large group of us went out for dinner and got to know one another. What followed was a crazy e
vening of pillow fights, a mixed up conversation as we all tried to pool our knowledge of Japanese together to hold a conversation with a group from Japan and apparently my 2 years of studying Japanese at boarding school paid off as I managed to introduce myself to them and after a polite bow I was allowed to sit down and join them in their Japanese drinking games. Went something like this “one YOKIE” “two YOKIE” “three YOKIE” whatever that means!I woke up the next morning and it was raining outside which was enough to make me pack my bags and head
to the Ferry. Was probably a good idea since I only had 40Euro to last me until I got back to the UK. Turns out that a Ferry from Santorini to Athens costs 33.5Euro which is like $67 Aus. So I thought about my options (I needed 20Euro for when I arrived in Athens to get me to my couchsurfing hosts place and onto the airport the following day) It’s impossible to pass security without a ticket and with a backpack its not that easy to hide! So I was basically stuffed, just as the last people were boarding the ferry it hit me, probably should have thought about it earlier because 
now the ferry was ready to leave and I was in a que to buy a ticket. The first stop for the ferry was an island called ‘Naxos’ which was much closer than Athens so the ticket was only half the price. Beauty of this idea is that the boat continues from Naxos to Athens and once your on the boat you no longer need your ticket. So I got the cheap ticket and SPRINTED to the boat and just sailed the 8hour ferry back to Athens “accidently” missing my stop at Naxos.Which brings me to my airport dilema the following afternoon! I changed my dates when I got back to Athens the previous night and went to the airport with my new tickets. Now according to my ticket which I paid for before I left Australia date changes are absolutely free but because the world is in the shit and everyone wants everyone elses money f
or nothing, Swiss Air decided to make up their own rules and DEMAND a 86Euro ($170 Aus) fee for the date change! I refused to pay and walked away from the counter with my boarding pass. So when I herd my name called over the PA system of the airport “ding ding ding Attnetion passengers, Passenger Matthew Teague flying from Athens to Zurich is required at the check in desk immediatly” it was no suprise.I told them my story “I’ve paid all my fees look at my ticket” which I thought was as simple as staring into a mirror and seeing yourself in the reflection but they rang their supervisors and their sales center and ALL of them demanded that I pay the fine. When they called for boarding of the plane they would not let me pass without paying so I wouldnt let any of the other passangers pass... If I wasnt getting on this plane no one was! Facts are even if I had wanted to I only had 10Euro left in my wallet now! So at this they got quite frustrated and security was called... ARGHH! I told them that they had to call Air New Zealand (which is who I booked my o
riginal world ticket through) so they called the Air NZ office in Athens which also said I needed to pay the fine. Still refusing to pay they made a few more calls and 10 minutes later I got a call from sales again who said “oh there is a note on the bottom of your ticket that says you are exempt from any fees for date changes” WELL DUH! I had only tried to tell thim this for the last 40mins! Then boarding began... Swiss staff gave no appoligies, no nothing just blank stares.Got the flight to Zurich Switzerland and the connecting flight to Heathrow London and then dad picked me up and here I am back in Andover. My next adventure is to London for the Hillsong Europe conference this week.
Until then Adios!
No comments:
Post a Comment