Midnight magic in Athens

Athens. Midnight. Four new friends are talking about the world around some gyros. Nearby are greek ruins. And there is that spontanuous music, in the restaurant. So magic. Unforgettable!

Indian Winter

Trakai

Does an Indian winter exists? (In opposition to Indian summer) When it's so cold when it's supposed to be summer, to a point where it's not normal?

Four and a half months traveling. I don't even know how many planes I took to get from one country to another. NEVER i wore shorts to travel in the air. In case.

But I was coming from Greece. Was hot. Told myself : why not! It is still my chance I had a sweater which was easier to transport in my arms than in my bag. Because I used it.

When I got in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, it was 12 degrees, without exagerating. With a little bit of rain, of course. But it was the evening.

Just imagine how the next morning was even colder. I went up to my room three times to add more layers before heading out to explore the city. The scarf was a must. Luckily, Lithuania came out of winter in the afternoon and climate is getting warmer since, to the point temperature is reaching season average.

Forecast aside, Vilnius is a very calm capital. One of the most interesting part is probably the genocide museum, which was de KGB museum too. It tells the story of the country, its occupation by the Nazis and the Soviets. The building was an authentic prison and the basement was kept as it was to show where they would torture the prisoners. Disturbing. Especially the room with mattresses to cover the noise when the prisonners would scream.

On a more joyful note, I've noticed most women here walk with flowers in their hands. It's obvious. But it's true they have that little something that makes us want to offer them flowers. Ok, not to the ugly ones with mustaches. But to the others.

In the end, Vilnius is a young city where life is good. Friday night, in the streets, musicians are playing all types of music. Some other places, youngsters dance for fun next to the tables in the restaurants or in the middle of the parks. Inspiring.

That said, I'm moving on after only two days. Next destination : Latvia.  Wishing it will be easier to go from city to city in there.

Notes

- Bouh!!! for the discrimination against backpackers in Athens airport. For an unknown reason, I wasn't allowed to check my backpack in on the usual conveyer. I needed to cross the whole airport to put my backpack on a specail conveyer. Bouh again!


- Bouh!!! for the Greeks who close the sites where the ruins are at 3 PM. Is there still anything in this world that closes before 5 PM? That way, I missed threes site I could/would have visited. Too bad.

Broken brakes and cocaine

Mykonos

My excursion on Mykonos island wasn't realxing at all. First because I only planned one day to visit. And secondly because the adventures kept on coming.

It took me six hours on a big cruise ship from the Blue Star company to get to Mykonos... It took me a little bit of chance to catch it considering I woke up late, at the time I thought I would be leaving the hostel. That's what happens when you go to bed at 2 AM and you put your alarm at 5:30. You can't hear the alarm.

At least I got there and the owners of the hotel were waiting for me at the port. They recommended a place to rent motorcycles and ATVs if I wanted to explore at my own pace.

Let's be honest, in Mykonos, the main attractions are beaches. And for me, spending hours under a parasol... no thanks.

Went for an ATV I got in exchange for 20 euros.

First remark : hills are abrupt to get anywhere near the water. Roads are sinuous and they won't give you a helmet when you rent the ATV.

Not reassuring when, going down one of those hills, the breaks give up. Literally. Even by pushing as hard as I could on the breaks, the ATV wouldn't stop.

It is only when I got to the bottom of it, alive, that the ATV stalled and refused to start gain. Then I realized the breaks were unplugged.

That was too much. I decided to spend some time on the beach, wishing the problem would fix itself. You know, when you have no solution...

While they were waiting for a taxi, two Canadians I met earlier innocently offered me to try something new : cocaine. Exactly like you would ask someone if they want some chewing gum or a cigarette. Some people are just really open about their drug habits. Wasn't for me though.

We ended up starting the engine again, but it wasn't the same anymore. Good news was the breaks really fixed themselves up. (I'm not that naive)

When I got back to the ATV, someone with more knowledge than I do had plugged them back. That's what you call magic.

I went back to trade my ATV, insisting for ten minutes that I didn't feel safe anymore. They gave me a new one... and I survived Mykonos.

What if?

Athens

In french, we say "With ifs, you get to Paris". Some believe in destiny, think that what should happen will happen. Inevitably.

I don't know. Even if I can't refrain from asking myself that question. What if?

I ended up in Greece a little bit in spite of the plans I first made. If that country had always been a destination I wished I could visit, I never believed I would stop there that year. But the tickets from Amman to Athens and Athens to Vilnius were cheaper than the Amman to Vilnius ticket. Going with the flow!

The first night, in my room, I met an Ontarian guy with whom I got along really well. We are the same, but different. A lifelong friend, probably. And we "changed" the world until four in the morning, at the rooftop bar, where we could see the Parthenon. We could have gone to bed later, but we had signed up for a guided tour the next morning, at 10:15.

What if? If I had not chosen Greece, I would never have met him.

The next day, when I woke up, I learned the tour was canceled. I sat behind a computer to plan the next part of my trip. And I met two American girls, sisters, who were searching for another option for a free tour. I told them I would join if they were to find anything.

They decided to improvise for themselves. I followed. With the Ontarian guy and two Brazilians. The day was memorable. Unforgettable. We "changed" the world again.

What if? If the tour wasn't canceled?

When I was preparing to go to bed, the others decided to go out for a snack. I was on the verge of passing out but I was hungry. I followed. We "changed" the world again...

What if? If I opted out on that meal?

The next day, I left on a ferry for the island of Mykonos, leaving all those new friends behind. When I would be back, I knew they would all be gone. Heartbreaking goodbyes.

What if? What if I stayed in Athens one more day?

Expensive taxi ride

Maybe I should have changed my way of seeing things when I left Thailand behind. And I should have remembered stuff from my first days in Jordan.

Everywhere you go in this country, when you get a note bigger than 5 $ out to pay the bill, someone asks : don't you have change? I mean, that is not a lot, when you have a 10 $ note, considering ATMs only give 50 $ notes.

Anyway, most drivers were offering to get me to the airport for 15 $. They all gave me their number so I could call them. But I told myself I would flag one on the corner of the street, knowing what a reasonable price is.

My bad! Fell on a driver who couldn't speak (or pretended he couldn't) english. He didn't look like he understood the airport word. Not even the signs I was making to mime a plane (in Amman downtown).

Another driver came to my rescue, translating for both of us and helping me negociate. When the man accepted to drive me for 15 $, I got in the car.

But obviously, he used the language barrier to charge me 20. I ended giving up. I gave him a 50. But he didn't have change, except for a 10 $ note.

He tries to make me understand (at least that's what I believe) that he will get gaz and comme back with the change. But I have no time to wait. I'm already late. 40 $JD for a taxi ride (at least 50 $CA), it's expensive.

Security


In Amman airport, I went through the metal detector before check-in. This time, nobody can blame my look for the problems. They didn't like what they saw on the X-Ray and I headed to the inspection area.

I had to open the bag I closed with difficulties. The only question they asked : "What is that?", pointing to my earplugs. Looks like they had never seen anything like this.

After immigration and a serie of security measures later, I was on a plane to Cairo for a layover. I can technically say I will have been on every continent, except Antarctica.

A night in the desert

Wadi Rum

I'm a little late telling my stories. If I took one week to post this message, I have to admit I'm 20 days late in my personnal journal where I should usually write down the details I might be  forgetting sooner or later. Anyway!

So here I am. Made my way to Jordan after a flight of about nine hours from Bangkok airport.

To get the visa? Nothing easier. No questions, no signature needed. Only 20 $JD. And a picture or your iris.

The experience started the wrong way since the taxi I was waiting for at the airport didn't show up. The driver I hired then wanted to bring me directly from Amman to Petra. No! I said more than once. And he finally listened.

When I got in the hostel, at around 6:45 in the morning, I signed up for a visit, the same day, at the Dead Sea. Must enjoy it while we can.


A driver brought us to Mount Nebo, where Moise was seen for the last time, before leaving us at the touristic beach of the Dead Sea. They don't call it touristic without a reason. It costs 16 $JD to get in. (Note that the jordanian dinar is a stronger currency than the canadian dollar)

We all know the Dead Sea is full of salt. But it is better not to have any wound when you get in the water. Because it burns. A lot. More than you can imagine. And let's just say that my recent visit at a doctor's office left me with a lot of reasons for my skin to burn. That is why one needs to take a shower after leaving the sea area. Because the sun and the salt, mixed together, equal pain. 

Desert

The next day, I left for Petra, where I immediately booked one day and one night in the desert with the campany 7 Pillars. I didn't want to get there alone, but I met a Hungarian girl in the hostel who decided to come with me.

At 6:30 in the morning, we left for the desert. It was a hot day. At least 45 degrees. And don't tell me " at least, in the desert, it's dry". It was a hot day.

I bought a scarf to protect my head and live the jordanian experience to the fullest. I was shown how to put it as a turban.

The experience was mindblowing. The rocks and the sand everywhere around made me so calm, made me think... and sweat, of course.

The most memorable moments were the sunset and that part of the night where I looked at the shooting stars without any light from any city. 

I started a conversation with a 32 years old American who fought in Irak. His time in the Middle East was a way to seek forgiveness, to make sure the arab world is not holding a grudge against him personally. Unforgettable.

That is without mentionning the visit of the ancient town of Petra itself, where I could confirm I will never be an acrobat. When we got lost on the high rocks and we needed to find a way down, the abrupt slopes were not too inviting. It's a miracle I didn't break anything.

The tiring way up to the monastery, on top of a hill, was probably the best moment.

From there, I went back to Amman, where my plane will fly me to a surprise destination : Athens.

To be continued...

A picture is worth a thousand words

Bangkok

Mount Nebo, Jordan

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai