A true path follows no plan…

I’m leaving Kalymnos today. I thought about going yesterday but needed to get in to town for the post office, which is closed on Sundays, as I have managed to lose 2kgs (not off my body weight unfortunately) but with unused stuff from my over packed bag! I say over packed. It’s not really. Honestly. I am guilty of taking way too much with me on other trips, and on the Rhodes holiday with Nic, but I sent some clothes back with her, which I knew I just didn’t need, and only really have the essentials with me. I have the warm jeans and hoody for when it starts to get colder on the evenings, which it already is. Then I have 1 pair of cropped bottoms and 1 pair of those loose, long trousers, 2 pairs of shorts, and about 6 tops, a couple I can “dress up” if ever needed!! I somehow have 4 pairs of sandals (black, white, my lovely brown leather ones I bought in Symi and my flip flips) and my converse. But these are relatively light. Basic toiletries, which hardly weighs anything and I’m quite chuffed with myself on that one! But then there’s my laptop which I need for study and photos as I didn’t bring my small “notebook” laptop from Australia, my tripod, camera, lenses, cables and adapters for everything. That’s where the weight is, I know it! Oh, and there’s my jewellery, small straighteners (which have only been used once but you just never know….) a small make up bag, a couple of books, and yes, I know, I’m behind the times and should have a kindle ha ha!! Hmmmmm, maybe more than I thought then.

Anyhoo, I went into town this morning and posted back the things I don’t need, including a couple of gifts I picked up along the way, like a dozen fridge magnets for my friend GK….. I’m sure he’s obsessed ha ha!

I had almost 2 hours between buses, which was actually needed once I realised how long the queues take to go down in a Kalymniot post office! I stood for about 5 minutes until I spotted the ticket machine, which was kind of hiding right next to the door, so close to it that you didn’t really see it when you entered. I was quickly followed by a few others who had also been standing there oblivious. It said on the not so noticeable number screen 85. I was ticket number 105! I went to the front to ask if they sold large envelopes, thinking I could write out the address and fill it before my turn, but no. I must wait! So I waited. And waited. And waited. When it was finally my turn I asked the lady for a large envelope and she explained I must stand by the side and fill out the details, but that I wouldn’t miss my turn as she’d see to me once I was ready. So that is what I did, and I thought it was relatively cheap to send back the 2kgs and off I went….a good 45 minutes later!

I had a Greek iced coffee at a small bar on the side of the very busy and bustling square, which after sitting down I realised should have had a sign above the door saying “Men only” as I was the only lass in there. I got talking to the guy next to me, who had been in the post office queue also. Turns out he was American and travelling and was a climber (which I couldn’t miss by the size of his guns girls 😉 He was 48 but looked 38 and had been everywhere! We got talking about general world / life stuff. I’d only just heard the news yesterday for the first time in almost 4 weeks. I was sad to hear yet another Terrorist bomb had hit, this time in Turkey. The guy hadn’t heard this and loves Turkey, he has travelled there many times. We had a political type conversation where he explained some things I don’t really know about, like the situation with Turks and Kurds and ISIS…..how the Kurds seem to handle the ISIS but don’t like Turkey and how the “western world” fund Turkey but won’t assist the Kurds, apparently…..how none of it really makes any sense that these people are hurting their own people. It took me back to a story I heard in Tilos, and didn’t share with you as it’s sad, and political and I don’t really do politics, but I want to tell you now. It is very upsetting so beware…..

A man from the bakery in Tilos was a volunteer for the Refugee camp there. The camp was first based at the unused monastery then had to be moved to an old army camp. They had several hundred refugees pass through a couple of months ago, from several places including Syria. One day he went to help and there was a lady in the corner of the camp crying, and screaming, pulling at her hair and howling “like a crazy person, like a freak” he told me in his broken English. He went on to tell me how he gently approached her, tried to calm her, made her feel safe and when she realised she was safe she eventually calmed a little. She spoke to him and explained what had happened..…she thought, as a Christian, that she had been in one of the “safe places” in Syria, turns out it wasn’t. And ISIS groups arrived. They took her daughter from outside, she was around 7 if I remember rightly, and the baby, only a few months old, and they ordered the lady to be silent. They beheaded these babies in front of her. And she didn’t cry or scream. She couldn’t move for fear and shock. She managed to flee after that, temporarily ending up in Tilos while paperwork was sorted and she continued on her journey to Germany to find her sister. How will she ever recover from what she has seen and what she has lost? These ISIS, this so called army, who worship their God, like many others who peacefully worship their Gods around the world, think it is ok to do this. How? What type of God are they worshipping? What type of God would allow these acts to happen? It doesn’t make sense does it? The American guy and I agreed it is so sad that these troubles are happening not only in Turkey and Syria, but in a whole lot more places than we may not even realise. And how, unfortunately, it may well be that our lives, us happy, lucky, healthy, educated, safe people are actually the exception to these horrible situations happening around our planet. Scary.

I can’t, and don’t think I will ever forget that story I heard in Tilos. If the camp had still been there I was ready to go and assist. I’d read the letter posted on the communal book shelf at the studios, asking for help with unwanted blankets, mattresses, clothes, food etc. to make the camp “fit for humans”. The refugees clamber on to vessels at their departing ports, having paid hard earned savings to get a place. They work and they earn, and they give their money to people who say they will help them and save them! These boats should only hold 10-20 people, but take 100 or so. Luggage gets thrown into the ocean. They arrive with only what they have on their backs. I had ideas of asking for donations from back home and buying things over there, as well as with my own “travel budget” money, but I found out from the bakery guy that the camps are now empty, which is good in a way as the people are moving on with their journeys, and hopefully to a new life. But how frightened must they be, and will continue to be until they are finally settled and safe somewhere?

Sorry to be so serious and graphic. I thought you should know. We should all be so much more grateful for the small things in life which we so easily take for granted.

Right! Let’s lighting the mood……so after saying goodbye to my deep and meaningful conversation partner, I head up to the bus stop, which is positioned right outside a school. It looks like an infant and junior school, so 4 -1o year olds I’m guessing. I stand watching the craziness of the lunch time pickup by parents / guardians. The kids coming out of school with their little back packs and waving and climbing aboard their chariots for home…….they basically hop on the back of the scooter / moped waiting for them and away they zip. Sometimes 2 kids and 1 adult driver….no helmets, which does make me a little nervous for them, but the drivers of the scooters seem to be very skilled amongst the traffic, and the cars and larger vehicles are courteous of these little 2 wheeled motors with their special cargo. And no one bats an eyelid. Or worries. Or says it’s against health and safety. They all just carry on with their business making sure they each get home safely with the little ones, and no doubt the homework in the bags.

I packed this morning so when I got back to the hotel I only had to check out, I rang ahead to some studios in Xirokambos, the port I’ll be arriving, and then headed off. I’m sat in the small beachside restaurant by Myrties jetty writing this, after slugging the still too heavy bag 20 minutes up and down lanes to get here, and I’m waiting for the ferry which will leave at 5pm. I have a large beer in hand and am contemplating one last taste of delicious Kalymnos fare when I can’t help but notice how choppy the sea seems to be getting……at least there’s only outside seats on the tiny boat I’m getting to Leros….let’s hope the bag doesn’t sink it!!

I am very proud of myself! Yesterday I made it up to the Grande Grotta to practice some shots. It was a long, hard way up, but I did it, and have conquered the fear of heights even more!

As I explained in my Pothia post, the shops here don’t sell camera accessories, so I was unable to get a wide angle lens. I decided to take off anyways and see what I could do with the lenses I have. The start of the walk / hike / climb to the Grande Grotta is about 15 minutes from my hotel. I was unsure where the exact start was when I got there but luckily there were three lovely English climbers about to head off. They invited me to join them so I knew where I was going. I made it about a quarter of the way with them and wanted to stop to get photos of my journey on the way to the top. I was, lets be honest, quite a lot less fit than them, so off they went.

I tied my hair up, had some water, and braced myself for the next leg of this mountain climb – yes, I think you can call it a mountain, or at the very least a very, very, very, huge hill!!

The more I climbed the more I thought I’d actually taken the wrong, and harder way up, as I saw more and more people coming up from the left of me. I literally had to haul myself up and over some rocks on the trail. About half way up I really thought my legs, and especially my knees weren’t going to take me much further.

I was slowly making my way closer and closer to the top. I started to worry slightly about how the hell I’d actually get back down. I stopped for a few minutes just looking up and down and around, then the determination set in again and off I went. What’s the worst that could happen…..erm, let’s not think about that!!!

You really can’t gage how high up I was, and how big the Grotta is unless you are there, standing in it, looking down. I’ve placed my hat in one of the photos, to try and show the distance and sizes of things, but it is still hard to show it all.

So, I eventually made it! I’m stood on a shelf like path, looking up at the climbers inside the Grotta and wondering just how far to the back I can get for some good pics. I’d put my bag down and had my water out when I heard this clip, clop, scuffling coming from my side. When I looked over there is this evil looking goat coming straight for me, with a very meaningful strut on her. She had really big horns too. As I’ve previously mentioned I am a bit of a wuss. I didn’t really have anywhere to go to get out of her way, only a few steps to the right, and then, quite swiftly she had her head in my open backpack, had found my hat and was off with it in her mouth!! Cheeky bugger! How dare she! I need that hat. On instinct I stretched over and grabbed my hat from her mouth as hard as I could, then found myself giving her a slap with it and saying, actually out loud “NO! That’s naughty! Shoo!!!!” I think she got the message as she looked back and give me a right funny look!

So, after that little drama, I stepped a few more metres up and started to find a decent position to get some shots. I really wish I’d had a wide angle lens, but as I didn’t really expect to be taking shots up a mountain under the Grande Grotta, quite a famous climbing route the more I’ve heard since being here, I can’t beat myself up too much. I sat for a while playing around with the exposures, and generally just watched in awe at these strong, fit, skilled climbers. It is truly amazing to see how fast and high they make their way around the walls of rock.

I am so pleased I made myself go all the way to the top. The climbers I met at the bottom did tell me to be careful about where I sat as it’s not advisable to sit directly under the climbers as parts of the rocks and stalactites can chip off. When you’re actually sitting under the Grotta you can make out the huge stalactites formed by calcium salts. It is such a popular area for climbing as there are many different types of rock face. There’s the extremely overhanging areas of rocks with stalactites and the tufa’s, there’s slightly less overhanging areas and vertical, smooth orange and white areas of rock and there is also the grey slab areas with sharp rock, formed and sculptured by nature’s rainfall, which they call “Gouttes”. The rock itself is impressive enough to look at, but seeing it with the awesome climbers doing their thing is quite unbelievable at times.

When it was time to start making my decent back, I was a little worried about the best way to go. There was an English hiking couple who looked like they were ready to take off, but I wasn’t sure which direction. I approached them and asked if I could follow them simply stating “I have no idea how I actually made it up here and have no idea how the hell to get back down!” Probably what this little goat was thinking too….

The couple were lovely and told me to follow them. We chatted all the way down, which was easier in some respects than the way I’d made it up, although it was a lot rubblier and both me and the lady fell on our backsides at one point. I have a few “war wounds” including some skin missing from my right hand and some cuts on my leg, but nowt serious. When we made it to the bottom, we said our goodbyes and they pointed me in the direction of a homemade Italian ice cream Parlour, when, once there I had 2 scoops of the best ice cream I’ve ever had!! Well deserved I reckon.

I felt a great sense of achievement after my day up the Grande Grotta. I am happy with the shots I managed to take but know, with more practice and study, I might be able to return one day, with a wider lens, and get even better ones.

More photos on the “Photography” page

 I got off to a bad start yesterday, as I was in a very ditzy mood. Firstly, I packed my bag and walked down to the private hotel beach to have a swim. I got there, after walking down the very steep path and steps only to realise I didn’t have my sexy rubber shoes, and it hurts my feet too much trying to clamber over the rocks in the water. It’s a lovely looking beach too and I haven’t been in yet. Gutted!

 So, back up the very steep steps and in to my hotel room. I found the shoes, re-arranged my bag, and decided to head off to the ferry for Telendhos instead of going back down to the beach. I walked the 20 or so minutes to the ferry jetty, up and down and up and down some more. I got there just in time for the next ferry leaving, hopped on, opened my bag to take out my camera and…….yep, no bloody camera!!!! I contemplated, for about a second, to go without it but knew I’d end up regretting if I did. So , off I went back to the hotel for a second time, re-packed back ,picked up camera, double checked and checked again, and went back to the jetty, eventually leaving for the island 10 minutes later.

It was a pretty place, not much there. I had a walk, a swim and a sunbath. Had an early dinner at “On the rocks” looking out to sea and thinking a lot about my travels and where I’ve been and where I’m headed. I then set off up to the cliff to see the sunset, passing a church and some pretty houses along the way.

It was a nice place to visit after all the hoo ha with my forgetful packing! And worth it for another beautiful sunset.