Santorini - living the dream

Santorini

We arrive in Santorini around 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. After disembarking our ferry we make our way through the hustle and bustle of the crowds of people to a man who is waiting for us with a sign that reads 'Brewer'. He is happy to see us and takes our luggage to load the bus. We jump on board and the crazyride up the incredibly steep and narrow mountain begins. After about 30 minutes of the insanity we arrive in Oia. The bell boy meets us and helps us with our luggage. In the blistering heat we are drenched in sweat by the time we reach the top of the hills - and then the descent down the huge flight of stairs begins. We reach reception and are greeted by Maria, a lovely Greek woman who is extremely welcoming, caring and extremely helpful. We thank her for her help and the bell boy leads us to our room. 

The view is breath taking. We are situated on the side of the cliff with 180 degree views of vast ocean stretching out before us. Separating us from the edge are perfectly placed sun lounges and a small swimming pool to help us cool down between sunbathing sessions - we are home! We walk past the jacuzzi to our front door and the bell boy opens the door. We are greeted by a rush of cool air. We have aircon! very much appreciated. The room is beautiful, decorated in white and light blues. The bathroom is made of stone and the large shower is complete with a monsoon head and above this are hundreds of small led lights spread out across the rood, slowly changing colours from pinks, to purple, through to blue, greens and yellow. Like stars in the nights sky. To top it off there is a small window with blue shutters that opens up to show our amazing view. This, in my books, has got to be the most perfect way to shower. As I take in our beautiful bathroom I am over come with grattitude and joy. The window in the scene before me is extremely similar to the one I had pasted on my goal board back home around 1 year prior to this trip. It is more confirmation to me that I am exactly where I need to be at this point in time, and more proof of the power of attraction, and what can be manifested when you have faith!

After a quick change of clothing we make our way up the long set of stairs in search of a cafe. We find one about 100 metres from our place and take a seat in the shade over looking the ocean. We scan the menu and each order delicious salads and a much needed bottle of water. When lunch is finished, we thank the waitress and head to the local super market to stock up on supplies. Fruit, cereal and the all important bottle of vodka. We return to our room, change into bikinis and go stake our claim on the lounges. The view is amazing and in the intense heat we indulge in an afternoon nap. 

After waking up in another pool of my own sweat the swimming pool is a welcomed luxury. It is now officially cocktail time. Vodka lime and soda all round. The air is warm, the sun is slowly beginning its gradual descent across the sky and the company is fantastic. This is heaven. A very suarve looking greek man approaches us and greets us. After introductions it appears he is the owner and would like to know what wine we would enjoy. After a lovely conversation he disappears and the bell boy returns with a cool bucket of ice complete with a bottle of local Greek wine. We thank the man, clink glasses and lie back to enjoy our wine. If this is backpacking - I dont see why people complain!

When George returns we thank him for the wine and ask his opinion of dinner. He makes a reservation for us at skala, a favourite local restaurant just metres from our hotel. He invites us to join him after dinner to see the night life of Santorini. So once we are showered, dressed and the makeup is applied, we head to Skala for dinner. We indulge in a beautiful veggie salad, fresh calamari and another bottle of wine.

When we are finished dinner we join George and he escorts us over to the other town area here for our night life adventure. We arrive at a nice little lounge bar called Tango. A bottle of Vodka is ordered and after a couple Vodka red bulls we are energized and ready to dance. Tango is beautiful. It is on the side of the hill, open air so we can enjoy the warm nights breeze and a gorgeous view of the ocean. We spend an hour or so here and then make our way around other various clubs. 

Around 4am we are hungry again and go in search of kebabs. Kendyl and I struggle down the cobble stone streets in our wedge heels. Two local guys see our struggle and come to our aid - how kind of them. They join our group for kebabs and after we have had two each we are sufficiently re-fuelled. We then make our way back to Oia to see the sunrise.

Whenwe wake at 11am we are, needless to say, slightly groggy.Nothing a swim and tanning session wont fix! We head outside to be met on the terrace with a huge tray of breakfast. Antoher extreemely generous gift from George. We sit down and enjoy a hearty breakfast of croissants, cereal, ham, cheese, fruit, yoghurt and orange juice. Everything is so beautiful a fresh. Now that we are full we waddle over to beach ourselves on the lounges again to wait for our friend Billie to meet us. 

After we check her in we go to reception where there is a man waiting to greet us and show us to our hired quad bikes. After a safety briefing and a few practice runs we are off! Billie and Claire drive and Kendyl and I hold on for dear life on the back. We make our way through the crazy windy streets of santorini, drinking in all the amazing views along the way. It is such an exhillarating experience and the views are breathe taking. 

We get to the black beach and cruise along the water front bars looking for the ones George has recommended. We pull up outside wet stories. There is pumping music, and its a great set up so we decide to go in. They greet us like old friends and hurry us to the bar where they proceed to pour us delicious caramel shots. After two shots and managing to dodge a third we order mojitos and sit down on the comfy lounge suit to order lunch. Mojitos arrive with a side of shots - I guess it would be rude not to take them! 

After we finish we decide to head back and watch the sunset in Oia. We go to pay and they drag us to the bar where a jug of a delicious watermelon cocktail awaits with about 30 straws in it. Claire and Billie have to drive, so being the wonderful friends that we are, Kendyl and I take one for the team and drink the jug! We are about to attemp goodbyes again, when the waiter then brings out a plate piled up with four amazing crepe like desserts drizzled in caramel. As we bite in an explosion of melted chocolate and banana fills my mouth. I am sure I have just died and gone to heaven! I seriously reccomend everyone to experience this bar, it is the best one on the Black beach! We manage to say good bye and slip away. The sun is slowly starting its decline and we want to make it back for sunset. 

We get back to Armeni Village, park the bikes and stroll down to the look out point to enjoy the sunset. It is so beautiful and the lookout is packed with people all here for the same reason. As the sun slowly disappears behind the horizon a cheer errupts and people begin to clap. 

So now it is time to head back, shower and get ready to go to dinner. George has booked Skala again and we have two other friends joing as well. We hurridly get ready, meet up with everyone and head to Skala. The owner is so friendly and greets us all warmly. He then seats us at the best table in the house and brings us a beautiful bottle of wine. 'chin chin' and the glasses chink. Then the food begins to come out. The freshest and best tasting seafood is laid before us. Different types from octopus, clams and fish, breads, pastas and my favourite - lobster pasta! Absolutely amazing. A few intellectual debates break out and after a stimulating conversation and a lot of laughs dessert is then laid before us. Chocolate cake, baklava and water melon. One of the guys is filming for a documentary and he is very excited with the footage he has captured. The food coma is sneaking on and at 12:30 we decide to make a move for bed. We thank the owner graciously for his generosity and company, say our goodbyes and all but launch ourselves into bed.

The time spent in Santorini has been heaven on Earth. The service was outstanding and we have had the most enjoyable experiences. This was supposed to be a relaxing few days to recover before partying in Mykonos. If this is how we relax, I look forward to seeing how we party . . . 

# Dreams really do become reality when you have Faith xx

Check out Armeni Village, the ultimate holiday escape. www.armenivillage.com 

Athens

Athens

Two months ago when we looked into flights from Croatia to Athens nothing was available. The only connecting flights we could find were around $400 and so in a backpackers attempt to save money, we booked a long winded route to Athens. And so, at 5pm Sunday night our journey begins . . .

After saying goodbye to our friends from the hostel, Kendyl and I attempt to find the Laundromat as we no longer have any clothing left to wear. After an hour of wandering the streets of split in the unrelenting heat, we run out of time and so head back to our hostel to check out.

Breakfast time! The four of us that remain from the yacht week crew go in search of Musli and fruit for breakfast – a simple task one would think, but in a town where every breakfast menu consists of multiple types of omelettes, eggs and ham dishes – it is not quite so! Kendyl and I take matters into our own hands by locating the nearest supermarket and buying our own. We leave with fresh fruit, musli, yoghurt and what we can only assume is a carton of milk – there is a picture of a cow so we must be on the right track. After borrowing bowls and spoons from the hostel and being told that we cant eat our food there, we head off to the beach front and locate the nearest patch of shade under a beautiful big palm tree and enjoy a little picnic on the grass in the slight breeze. After relaxing in the shade we decide to make a third attempt to find the laundromat. A thorough map inspection and a few broken English directions later – success! We find an adorable little laundry with a very helpful lady. We load up the machine and I lie down on the couch for a siesta. After an hour with no aircon and sleeping on a leather couch I can almost swim out of there in the pool of sweat I seem to have accumulated. We unload the dryer and pay the lady 50 kuna – which is the equivalent of around $8. We thank the lady and carry our hot bag of clothing back to the hostel to pack our bags. After waking Claire we make a mad dash to the ferry dock, and with minutes to spare we clear the passport check and head up to board the ferry. The boarding ramp is a huge wide metal ramp where the cars drive up. I feel like we are refugees sneaking onto a cargo ship in hopes to reach easter island! We store our luggage and make our way out of the sweltering heat into the cool aircon and padded seats of the ferry.

After tucking up for yet another nap we are woken at dinner time and join the line of lemmings queing up to be fed. We are served gnocchi, some form of beef topped with bacon and cheese,  a bread roll and some kind of cake for dessert. The portions are huge – I guess an indication of things to come. After  a day fuelled on musli alone, we are greatful to receive it.

Five hours of ferry travel we arrive in Ancona. We have our passports stamped, pick up bags and descend down the huge ramp off the ship. It is around 11pm in Ancona and after searching in vain for a taxi we are informed by the local pizza store that there are no taxis, buses or trains at this hour. So, we are stranded . We meet a couple of young Aussie guys who like us are quite lost. We all sit down together to plot our next move. A very kind local lady offers to drive us to our hostel, we are saved! She drops us on a dodgy looking street, and we are the only females around with a few uncoothe looking men wanding around. We hurridly make our way to our hostel.

We arrive at the bottom of a long set of stairs and after a huge struggle lugging my stupidly heavy bag one step at a time all the way to the top – the next hurdle welcomes us. A very steep hill. But there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a small, dimly lit doorway to our hostel! It is now midnight and we are finally checked in. We receive our bedding and board the ancient elevator to our room. We soon realize there is no aircon in our room, so after a lot of tossing and turning we finally fall asleep.

5:30 am the alarm signals the start of our twelve hour travelling day. We shower, re-pack and make our way to the train station. After locating the terminal and a stressful wait in line we make a mad dash to our train – which, by the way is very hard in sandals and lugging a massive bag behind me. We scale another set of stairs, fortunately a lovely man helps me with my bag otherwise I think I would still be at the bottom of those stairs, and we are off racing again. We get to the train with minutes to spare, hearts racing and drenched in sweat.  That was far too close for comfort – note to travellers ALWAYS leave plenty of time for transit to allow yourself room for error. We store our bags and take our seat in the much needed aircon. Back to sleep for me.

Three hours later we arrive in Rome. The train station is huge and it takes some time to locate the ticketing booth. We take a number and wait in line to be called, there is around 100 people before our number so we settle in for the wait. After about five minutes we are approached by a random man. He is quite persistant in helping us get our tickets and manages to convince me to have a look at the self service machine. I am very cautious as Iv heard too many stories of theft in train stations. I feel slightly better knowing all my valuable items are tucked away in my money wallet under my top. He asks if Im paying cash or card and then quickly types something into the machine and informs me it will cost 14 euros. I have no idea what the screen says and so decide not to take his help and talk to ticket staff instead. I excuse myself and make my exit. We observe the man in action as he approaches other people in the station – it appears he helps you then charges for his service – nice try buddy!

Forty minutes goes by and finally our number is called, our tickets are issued and we make our way to the terminal. We board our train and make the half hour ride to the airport. After a snack and another set of long lines we are finally at the boarding gate. We meet some lovely American guys who are heading in the same direction as us. It is so nice how friendly everyone is when you are travelling. Once we are through the terminal we board a bus which takes us across the tarmac to the plane. We climb the stairs and it is a free for all as there are no allocated seats. We are lucky enough to get seats together and our new American friends are seated behind us. A large, loud complaining American woman decides to make a scene as she wants to sit with her family. She pisses and moans for the next 20 minutes, it has been a very long day and tolerances are low. After another nap we descend into Athens where Calires friend Demi is waiting to greet us at the airport.

The car ride to Demis house is crazy. The streets are so narrow and everyone parks wherever they find a spot. We miraculously survive, park and make our way up the beautiful marble staircase to Demis house. Her father speaks very little English but is at the door to welcome us in with open arms. After dropping our bags in our room and a quick tour of the house, he immediately wants to feed us. He gives us the most amazing chocolate and brings out a punnet of strawberries. After a conversation in Greek Demi convinces him that we are going out to get Souvalakis. He insists on paying, and after we have our food in hand we return to their beautiful home. The table is set and the food begins to flow. It is no exaggeration that te Greeks like to feed their guests! We have our souvalakis and chips. He pours us each a glass of red wine and places a large Greek salad on the table.  He then brings out a plate of delicious cheeses, which go amazingly with the wine. Then comes a large bowl of stone fruits and a plate of watermelon. He then offers us dessert, which we politely decline but are served anyway. This is flowed by a shot of traditional Greek alcohol that is served with Greek meals to aid in digestion – I think are going to need it. So now that we are sufficiently beached we thank the family and waddle down the hallway to our beds. It has been such a huge day but, but a lot of fun none the less. I have been in Athens for only a few hours but I am in love with the culture and so greatful to get the chance to experience the authentic lifestyle with Demis family. And so, in my food coma I happily drift off to sleep for some much needed rest.

The next morning we awake, shower and sit down to breakfast. Another lavish feast is about to begin. Home made bread and jam, cheeses, fruit and ham are placed before us in large quantities. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves to the brim we head down to the local travel agent to book our ferries to Santorini and on to Mykonos. Thank god we have Demi with us or this process would have been a nightmare! After looking through some local stores we head home to do some research for our next four days. Once again Demi saves the day and contacts her friend who owns a hotel in santorini. We get an amazing rate and she arranges for us to be picked up from the harbour. So with one less thing to worry about, we spend some time skyping friends back home. Soon Demis brother and his beautiful wife arrive and after introductions it seems to be lunch time. We are all seated at the table and two huge servings of home made lasagne is placed on my plate. It looks amazing but the serving size is about three times the size of an Australian serve. Then there is the salad, beans, olives, feta, bread and dressings. After we struggle through the delicious lasagne a huge ginormous plate of fruit is placed on the table. Then, when you think it is all over – Out comes the ice cream. So needless to say here comes another food coma. We look at the clock and it is 3pm already, time to get a move on if we want to enjoy some site seeing.

We head down the street and catch the train to the city centre, off to see the acropolis. We wander through the local markets full of beautiful clothes, jewelry and shoes, each atll owner beckoning us to come in and buy. We stop at one particular stall and go down an old stairwell to where a little old man is making the traditional leather sandals. He explains to us the process in which the shoes are made. It is such a unique experience getting to watch him at work and with Demi translating we learn a lot.

We reach the end of the market place and start our climb up the hill to the acropolis. We pay our 14 euro entry fee and continue the climb. It is very steep and in the hot afternoon makes for some great and much needed exercise. Along the way Demi explains to us the history of Athens and the legend behind its origin. The Greek mythology tells of a battle between the God Posiedon god of the the ocean, and the goddess Athena to be the protector of the city. The gods decided to offer the people gifts and let them decide who they wanted to be the god of their city. Posiedon raised his trident and offered water, Athena offered the Olive branch. The towns people chose the olives and this is why the city of Athens is full of Olive trees, yet there is not a lot of water around. . It was so great to learn new things along with seeing and experiencing the ancient sites.

We reach the top and I am in awe of the sites in front of me. I have always wanted to visit the ancient ruins and now that I am here I couldn’t be happier! As we approach the pathenon Demi explains how the Brittish stole a lot of the beautiful ancient statues. It is so sad to think these beautiful pieces of Greek history have been taken and now reside in a Brittish museum. After observing the gorgeous view and taking in the historical site and newly found knowledge  we head down to the over to the museum to observe and learn more. The work of the ancient sculptors is absolutely breath taking. The precision in every line line, and the way the sculptors subject is caught in mid movement gives each piece a sense of life. I wander around and observe each astonishing piece of art, drinking it all in. There is so much amazing history here and so many amazing historical facts to learn about Athens. It truly is a city so rich in ancient history and I am so humbled that I get to experience and explore a piece of it.

After we get kicked out of the museum we make our way back down the hill and stop at a huge rock that overlooks the city to relax and watch the sunset. The city turns from a brightly lit, compacted area of white houses, to the bright oranges and pinks of sunset, to a glistening cluster of lights, twinkling like diamonds against the deep dark sky. The acropolis also comes alive with lights and is a stunning sight to see. We continue our descent down the hill and catch our train home. We have decided to take Demi and her parents out for dinner to thank them for their hospitality, or so we thought. 

We get changed and drive to a little restaurant up the road. On arrival Demi informs us the Greek parents will absolutely not accept our payment and in fact they insit on paying for ours and that it is pointless trying to convince them otherwise. At dinner we try to insist that it would be an honour for us to pay for them to thank them but her father just shakes his head. We explain that in Australia we show appreciation in this way, he responds with – you are in Greece now. We counter with ‘it will really upset us if you don’t let us pay’ to which his response is ‘ it is better for you to be upset than for me to get upset’. We realise we wont win, so thank him and sit back to relax and enjoy a glass of delicious red wine. 

Then the food arrives . . . Plates of fried cheese, large salads, grilled zucchini, a traditional lentil dish, meatballs, chips, pastry filled with cheese, grilled peppers and of course bread. Our plates are piled high and it is an amazing feast. Then dinner comes out! We should have known. Huge servings of meat with chips and rice are placed in front of each of us. I am about to explode from the previous spread of which I thought was dinner – but in an attempt to be greatful and show my appreciation I reluctantly pick up my cutlery and begin to eat. I manage to get through about a third of the dish and cannot physically eat anymore. Breathing is difficult and I am certain one more bite will cause me to explode. After assuring the parents that there was nothing wrong with the food, we are not eating because we are full, we raise our glasses for another ‘chin chin’. Kendyl and I are in high spirits and giggling ike little school girls. We realise this is due to the fact that whenever our glasses appeared like they were approaching being half empty, Chris, Demis dad, would refill them!

Then dessert comes out! Seriously?????! After a deep breath, and two difficult, yet delicious mouthfuls of the cake and ice cream, I am beyond full and I think I can feel a heart attack coming on.

The walk to the car is a painful one, lying me on my side and rolling me there would probably be a faster and easier journey. It is now midnight so we definatley need to gte as much sleep as we can before our 5am start in the morning. After hugs, thank you’s and good byes we waddle down the hall to collapse on our beds in a food coma induced sleep.

The alarm is beeping at 5am sharp. I roll out of bed (still full) have a quick shower and head to the taxi with the girls. Demi explains to the driver where we need to go and after we say goodbye we jump into the cab where another insane ride ensues. Driving  8okm an hour through narrow 50km speed limited streets, our driver taking photos of the moon and updating facebook along the way, we somehow make the marina in one piece. We pay him the 23 euro, thank him and join the que for our 4.5 hour ferry ride to Santorini.

We locate our seats, figure out how to recline them and lie back to catch up on some much needed sleep. When we wake we will be in beautiful Santorini for two days of site seeing and a lot of relaxation. Or so we thought . . . .

            

The Yacht Week!!

THE YACHT WEEK!!!!

I must apologize in advance, this one’s going to be rather lengthy – however, I am trying to convey a weeks worth of mind blowing experiences and condense it into a short(ish) story for you to enjoy, so here it goes.

The moment I have been working my butt off for has finally arrived! It is June 23^rd and it is the day we board our yacht for a week of sailing, swimming and partying! We all meet for breakfast then make our way to the nearest supermarket. We each grab a trolley and start loading up with chips, cheeses, deli meats, fruit, salad items and of course copious amounts of alcohol and mixes! One thousand, eight hundred Kuna later we squeeze through the super market doors with 5 trolleys completely over flowing with our items. A quick calculation and we realize it has cost us each a grand total of $27 for the food and $22 each for the alcohol – Croatia is becoming increasingly popular in our books.  We make our way awkwardly down the cobble stone streets to find a taxi, in this blistering heat we have to get the groceries to a fridge asap. We reach the taxi point and the street is empty! We are also running out of time to get to our yacht before departure. Out of the blue a lonely taxi appears. We wave the man down and after a heated discussion on the 10 Euros he wants to charge to take our groceries we load the cab and send three of the crew on their way. Kendyl and I are left to take the trolleys back and to carry an insanely large and very heavy watermelon around the streets with us while we frantically search for the rest of our crew. After another awkward struggle we get back to the hostel to get all the baggage together to leave for the marina.  At the last minute everyone seems to materialise and we all join the others at the marina.

After a long day of tasks we finally all make it to our yacht to unload our bags, groceries and get ready to set sail. After a quick briefing from our skipper we crack open a beer and set sail to our destination. We pass a beautiful old castle, find the yacht week pirate ship, and dock up in troga for the night. After finishing our drinks, and an attempt to make our makeup last for more than 2 minutes,  we go ashore for dinner. We find a nice little restaurant and order copious amounts of Sea donuts, (calamari). *side note, the Calamari in Croatia is absolutely amazing!  After fish soup, calamari, shots and ice cream we head to the bar for the first night partying on yacht week.

The next morning everyone is a little worse for wear. We set sail for the next destination. We drop anchor and jump in for a swim. After a quick champagne shower we raise the sail and make our way to an old submarine cave. We all jump in and swim to the cave. Two of the crazy crew members jump off the cliff, and after assuring they have landed safely we make our way back to the boat to head Vis.

Upon arrival Kendyl and I go ashore in search of a decent salad. We walk the cobble stone streets and find beautiful little restaurants set in amongst the old buildings. A friendly restauranteer shows us to a romantic little courtyard which is off the street, surrounded by beautiful greenery and trees and two friendly cats. He sets the table for us and we relax with a nice cold glass of coke and an amazing beef salad. Once everyone has had the standard afternoon nap, the music begins to pump and the makeup attempts begin again! Vodka, Snacks and a few jager shots later we are on shore making our way to the Fortress for what is to be the best party of our lives . . . thus far!

The fortress is like and old abandoned castle. With cobblestone floors and no roof. We have a celebratory jager bomb and get started on the G&T’s! The DJ is amazing, the lights are flashing and everyone is dancing like crazy. The dance floor almost looks like a mini collussium and is alive with fist pumping, hip thrusting yacht weekers. After another bottle of Gin with the crew I regret to say – I have no more details of this night lol.

Suprisingly the next day we are all relatively ok. One  crew member is sporting suspicious tyre marks down his front, indicating a possible running over, but after closer inspection that nothing is bleeding all is ok. After breakfast we set off to our next destination. On our Journey we stop and explore the blue caves. A natural wonder and very beautiful. Our dingy doesn’t seem to be equipped with paddles so after using the motor to reach the cave our wonderful Crew mate Chris jumps in and swims through the cave towing our dingy with us in it behind him. The caves are amazing. There is an entry point under the water which lets the sun through and throws off a magical blue light. After photos, our customary champagne shower and a swim we make our way to the next destination.

As we approach our next stop I take in the beautiful sunset, slowly descending over the vast oil like waters in a dance of orange and pink light. We dock our ship and again the music begins to pump which signals nap times are over and the vodka is coming out to play. Tonight we make our way through the island walkways and over to the next yacht week party. Its an outdoor party and there are smoke machines, lights and drinks flowing. After a few hours of dancing – we find ourselves up on a balcony in the VIP area. Again, after copious amounts of vodka cranberries, details from  this night are excessively blurry as well.

Next stop is Hvar, and to what is very soon to become THE best party of our lives! We previously arranged a bay watch / life saver theme for our crew so we all don our red shorts and bikini tops and decide that our blow up dolphin toy needs to experience this party also. After pre-drinks and shots we take the dingy to shore to party. We arrive and establish that the best way to drink today is mojitos by the jug! The drinks here are insanely massive – and delicious. I go to the bar to order a round of long island iced teas to get us started and the bar man pushes me up on the bar to dance! As opposed to this as I was (not) I oblige and then am fed shot after shot for my wonderful efforts. This also seems to get me free mojito jugs so all in all a win win situation! Everyone is having the best time, its another scorching hot day and the bar staff ensure to keep us cool by soaking us all with hoses. The blow up dolphin is abducted and held captive by a mystery pirate and will soon become our mission to save him. The party finishes at 8pm and after a mystery wander and loosing my crew I find a nice group of yacht weekers to join for dinner. I order possibly the best seafood risotto in the world and enjoy the conversation with new Norwegian friends. After dinner I go to check on my crews boat and after engaging in too many conversations along the way manage to loose my new friends. However – I have managed to make new ones and end up in a beautiful roof top lounge bar with more mojitos in my hands. Again I attempt to find my crew so I sneak my mojito out and find my boat. Everyone is coming ashore to party so I join in and head to a local bar for more dancing. Eventually we stumble home via a scenic walk, learning the constellations and the northern star guiding us home.

The Hvar party is the talk of the boat today. Possibly the best night of everyones lives. Definitely in need of a swim today! We sail to the other side of the island of  Hvar. After docking up for a swim with a few other boats, there is an anchor problem and the 40metre chain must be hauled up manually. So we girls do our part by lying back and relaxing while we watch about 15 sweaty, muscly hunks manually heave up the chain –not bad entertainment for the afternoon. We sail to our next docking point, organise dinner and the drinking begins again (tough life) I will not bore you with another description of the night, as amazing as it was it was no Hvar party and this blog is becoming increasingly long winded!

In the morning Gasper our skipper leads us to a gorgeous little restaurant set on the hill, surrounded by an amazing garden, trees and a local peacock. We enjoy a nice meal and make our way back to the boat. We indulge in another standard day of swimming, eating, sunbathing, napping and drinking and then head out to party again at night.

The final day. I can’t believe this amazing week is almost over! We dock up with other boats we have made friends with over the week and enjoy a final day of swimming and sunbathing. We take the dingy across to a lovely little restaurant overlooking the ocean and have our final ‘famliy’ lunch. After eating we continue on our journey back to the split marina. The music begins to pump again and everyone arises from their slumber for one final epic night. We indulge in check point Charlies-a fabulous cocktail made from a multitude of spirits, juice and soda. Once everyone is ready and the jager shots are down we catch our taxis to the club. Everyone we have met are there and in the best moods. Vodka and redbulls are the choice to get the night started. There are VIP booths full of our friends, a large swimming pool and the DJ is amazing. Needless to say tonights gonna be a good night! Mid way through the night the tunes esculate and the fireworks begin. The cheers arise and everyone is linking arms and dancing whilst looking up at the amazing display going on above. The atmosphere is fantastic, everyone is so friendly and excited to see one another for one final night of shenanigans. We party well into the late hours of the morning before heading back to the boat and passing out wherever we manage to fall – our 9am departure from the boat is not going to be fun.

After around 2 hours sleep each we stagger around cleaning, packing and unloading our boat. For the size of the night we have just had we are not doing too bad. We make it to shore and sit in the shade until docking fees are paid and we have been signed out. Now the hard part, the time everyone has been avoiding – the goodbyes! We share hugs, tears and depart our separate ways. The final 6 head to the hostel where we will stay tonight. We sign in and stagger our way to the lunch tables to get some much needed food. Our rooms will be ready as soon as possible they tell us. After 3 hours of torture waiting in the bright yellow lunch room we finally get the all clear and race to our room. The moment my head touches my pillow I am asleep. It feels amazing to lie down, in an airconditioned room, fresh sheets and a bed that is not rocking from the current.

The yacht week has come to an end. It has been a week I will never forget. The people I have met leave an imprint in my heart and the experiences, scenery, Adriatic ocean and great times I have had will be locked in my mind forever. An absolute amazing way to begin my travels around our wonderous world. So now, after a good rest, a bag of laundry washed and some running shoes purchased, Kendyl, Claire and I make our way to the marina once again to catch our Ferry across the ocean to Ancona where we will stay for one night before boarding a long winded day of travel to reach our next destination . . . Greece.

Love to you all

Living Life to it’s Fullest

Experiencing all the wonder the world has to offer

Taking every Opportunity

Croatia

After a 10 hour flight from Singapore to Istanbul it is a huge relief to get off the plane and walk around again. Luckily enough I managed to get around 5 hours sleep on the plane and the other 5 were well entertained with flight food, movies and a series of the big bang theory. 

After descending the plane I make my way down the excessivley long hall to where I think I can see stores in the distance. I seem to collect a vast amount of stares from men who look like bin laden and their harems of wives. I thought I was very conservative in my jeans, boots and singlet top -perhaps I should have brought my burka with me? I pass three stands of turkish ice cream ( Im not sure how it differs from our ice cream), a store full of at least a 100 different kinds of turkish delight - who would have thought that it is actually such a popular food here? and a store full of beautifully designed lamps, crockery and jewelry I manage to locate the area to purchase wifi. The clerk is very helpful and after about 10 minutes decides to make it his duty to find me an adaptor so I can charge my computer - loving the customer service! And so once again the wait in transit begins, 2 and a half hours to entertain myself. A chai latte and a brownie should help pass the time.

The flight to Zagreb only takes 1 hour and 45 minutes so in comparison to the other flights it literally flew by (sorry bad joke lol). In my wallet I have 250 Kunas - which to me sounded like more than enough for the week. But after purchasing an hour of wifi for 50 kuna, I begin to realise it wont! I find a small cafe / bar to relax and unwind. The only alcoholic beverage that I can understand is a bottle of Stella Artois beer - which to me tastes like nail polish remover- and the best looking food is a toasted sandwhich. So after another purchase of 50 kuna I sit back to catchup on facebook - my lifeline to my world back home. After 45 minute my computer dies and they dont seem to sell adaptors. So I decide to clear customs and engage in some duty free. After getting through to the other side I realise - there is no duty free!!!! I go to the only form of hope which is a small vending machine - which apparently is not working. So now I am left with 2.5 hours to wait and nothing to eat or drink. Oh well, all part of the fun! So I ake a pillow out of my bags and lie down to catch up on some reading until my flight arrives.

Finally I arrive in Split! After a long process of getting through the passport check I anxiously wait at the baggae claim. Fingers crossed that my bags managed to make it the entire way from Brisbane to Split with no trouble. Success - mine is the 5th bagh off the trolley, thank God for that. So after a refreshing baby wipe shower in the nearest bathroom and a quick wardrobe change I of course find the nearest bar and relax with a wine to wait for my friends flight to arrive. After about half an hour of bordem it occurs to me to check the adaptor I bought back in Australia for Europe. it turns out to be the correct fitting!! So greatful for the way things have a way of working out. The wondefully helpful waiter helps me plug in my computer, brings me a sandwhich and another wine and engages in conversation. They seem to speak great english here which is very beneficial.

After 3 hours my friend finally arrives, we get a taxi and drive through the gorgeous old country side. Now the challenge is to find our hostel. After walking the cobble stoned pavements we finally find it and check in. The other friends who are joining us for yacht week are here to greet us. t is so good to finally be here. I would reccomend this hostel to anyone who is looking into going to split. It is clean, the people are friendly, there is free wi fi and it is very reasonably priced if you are on a budget. 

http://gollybossy.com/ or you can book through http://www.booking.com/

Hostel life is much different to what I had thought. My room is small and narrow and shared with 5 other girls. The beds are small rectangular shaped holes on the wall with matresses and beddoing and are suprisingly comfortbale. Everything is coded and locked and you need your indicidual pin to get in. We each have our own lockers too which is fantastic. After 5 minutes of manuvering I manage to fit my bag in the locker - clearly it is designed for backpackers and not insane people like myself whos definition of backpacking is a 17 kg wheelie bag, a lap top, high heels and my handbag. After a relaxing shower I head back down stairs to meet everyone for dinner and drinks!! 

We find a cute little cafe and order some food - I am starving! We then explore the streets and nightlife in split. There is a man doing a puppet show, weird and wonderful nick nacks to buy, beer stands and a concert going on. It is so much fun wandering these new surroundings equipped with a vodka and red bull in hand, I could get used to this. 

We head back to the hostel to google charlies bar which is supposed to be a lot of fun, and then it hits me, the wall that I had been trying to avoid for the past few hours -smack!! I guess 5 hours sleep of 35 hours is just not enough. As much as I dont want to miss out - I say my goodnights and head to bed to get a decent sleep for the massive week ahead. 

This morning I wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day. Its 2 hours before we have all planned to meet so I take the time to do 30 minutes of pilates followed by some much need yoga stretches and meditation. I shower, re-pack my bag and head downstairs to meet the crew. We are off to get food, alcohol and head to the harbour to meet our skipper and board our yacht . . . to be contiued :)

Singapore Airport

The first transit stop is at Singapore airport. I have heard so many wonderful things about this place - and they are all true! The shopping is amazing!! Travelling on a tight budget, I don't have the luxury of going and splurging in Gucci, or Chanel - or the amazingly sparkly Swarovski crystal store! So after finding an Singapore adaptor I get myself a Chai latte and head to the fish day spa, which just so happens to be right near my particular boarding gate - how perfect! 

There is an hour to wait so the lovely little asian man plugs in my computer for me and sets me up on a comfortable recliner chair where I can relax and update my blog! I am so happy to be travelling in this day in age, where the click of a button and the right password instantly connects us with loved ones back home. 

After 45 minutes my little masseuse comes to collect me and show me to my room. After a 7.5 hour flight a full body massage is the perfect way to pass the time. She spends the next hour beating me up - which is wonderful because my body is one huge mess of knots right now. She leaves the room and allows me to shower - another amazing luxury after flying. For some reason no matter how long the flight I always feel so gross! 

After getting changed, and a long winded conversation of hand gestures and laughs (due to the communication barrier) she takes me to a little pool where I can relax and soak my feet. It is full of the little fish that are very excited to nibble the skin on my feet! How exciting! Something Iv always wanted to try, I guess this explains why the spa is called Fish day spa. So what a fun experience this airport stop over has been - the things you can get up to in the space of 4 hours! I would recommend anyone travelling long distances to locate the nearest day spa in the airport - if this is a facility the have. Singapore airport has three different lounges in which you can relax, I have no idea where they are in this enormous airport but I am sure someone who is less direction challenged than myself would have no problem. 

So now after my relaxing massage, tickly fish eating my skin and a refreshing shower I have managed to locate my boarding gate and now the wait for the next flight begins. Next stop - Istanbul airport for another transit stop, I wonder what I can entertain myself with there - this place will be hard to top :)

The Journey Begins . . .

So June 21st 2012 is finally here. After a hectic three months of planning, working insane hours and sacrificing buying anything pretty, sparkly or impractical - the day is finally here!!! After an emotional few days of goodbye parties, dinners and finally saying goodbye to my sobbing mother at the terminal I am now sitting, with a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc in hand, waiting to board the plane for my international adventures. What will be in store for me when I arrive? I have a million wild ideas , dreams and goals that I hope to make a reality. 

The last few weeks I have been blown away with gratitude by the amazing people who have been brought into my life. It is just amazing the people who you will encounter along your path. I am so grateful for the love, support, and learning experiences I have been given by all of these amazing people. It excites me to think who I could meet in the weeks and months to come. There is undoubtably another bunch of amazing individuals who will cross my path and the learning and growth I will experience will be worth the emotional roller coaster of the past few months. There is a vast array of emotion that has continued to grow as the date looms closer. There is the absolute excitement and joy of reaching my long awaited goal of travel. I know in my heart that it is the right decision and the experiences I will have will so be worth it. But there is such a deep sadness leaving the amazing people whom I have spent the last few years getting to know and who have become like family to me. I am extremely blessed to have so many people who I love and consider to be very close with. It is a huge blessing - but also a curse as it breaks my heart to leave them. But as my previous post states - get out of your comfort zone!! So I am going to suck it up and force myself on the plane ( failing that, the wine is extremely soothing and a great travel companion)

An amazing piece of advice was given to me by one of my amazing friends over coffee tow nights before I left. She told me to move forward in life with blind faith. What an amazing piece of advice, as the times in my life where all I have had is the opportunity to exercise my blind faith is where I have achieved the most in the fastest amount of time. It was the reminder I needed that everything will be alright and that when you are in the natural flow of the universe everything will fall into place. Why expend much needed energy in worry and fear when you could use this energy to solve the obsticals in your path and create a life of your dreams? With blind faith I managed to save the goal amount in mind for my travels. The money came to me in many weird and unimaginable ways and I am so grateful for the confirmation of this practice. With blind faith the resources, people and circumstances will all align and come to you at the precise time when you need them.

So in conclusion, the state of mind that I begin this new journey of my life is to move forward in blind faith, knowing that I can handle any obstical that may cross my path. This eliminates fear and leaves room for creative energies to flow. It opens me up to enjoy every single moment and enjoy each new situation. Whether it be a delayed flight in which I get to enjoy a great conversation with a stranger, or if it is taking the time to enjoy a new city - faith is the corner stone for my amazing trip!

Live, Love and Laugh - ALWAYS xx