Kos Travelogue (real adventure) (Kos)

Member Name: LauraElliott

Product:	Kos
Date:	07/06/02 (516 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Holiday, Lots of Cheap Prices for items of clothing, holiday souvenirs and also alcoholic drinks, Had a thoroughly good time (fantastic weather)

Disadvantages: Hard to find certain places, Some of the people weren't as friendly as they could of been

Here is my travelogue of when I spent a week away in the Greek Island of Kos with my two best friends, Amy and Joanna.

Day 1 - Thursday, 28/6/01

Arrived in Greece at 5:15am in the morning. Went and watched the Sun come up with Jo, very beautiful. Had to go to a rep meeting at twelve (noon!) with a VERY enthusiastic rep. Not the thing one wants when one is feeling like a dead slug! Had a swim in the pool which was very cold, but that is what you want when it is so hot. Slept through most of the afternoon so I had no idea how hot it got! Had a very nice meal at a restaurant about two hundred yards from the apartments. While we were eating a man came round selling lighters. According to Amy, this is how deaf people make a living here. The only support they get from the government is the lighters and a little card so they can sell them. NOT taught how to communicate at all. It really brought home to us how lucky all of us really are. After dinner we called in at an Internet cafe (there was two in Kefelos alone!) and sent an e-mail home. Quite expensive (about four pounds for one hour) but I think it was worth it. Didn't know if they would reply, knowing my parents computer knowledge! Was quite able to sleep that night, despite sleeping most of the day. It was very hot, though which means it took me a long time to "drop off". Fortunately, no mosquito attacks.

Day 2 - Friday, 29/6/01

All still rather worn out from yesterday, so not much activity that day from room D4 (our room number). We got up about 8.00am and did some shopping for the week; we were almost bound to leave some of it behind! We had a nice time be the pool, though Amy refused to swim, because she burns so easily. We then went back to the shop to buy (get this) a lemon! Joanna and I wanted to lighten our hair. When Joanna went there before, on Sunday she went to Church at MasterSun - they run Christian holidays abroad. We strolled up there and found out ab
out their service and asked if we could join in. They said they were quite happy with that, so we will gatecrash that on Sunday!

We went to the bar in the late afternoon and had a drink, very civilized. Again went to a very nice restaurant for dinner. Tried to ring Amy's parents afterwards. After a few unsuccessful tries we succeeded and Joanna left them a cheery message! Actually, we were back a bit earlier so we could watch Wimbledon on the apartment's TV, but we were the only ones there and the lady was watching what appeared to be her favourite soap, so no Wimbledon!

Day 3 - Saturday, 30/6/01

Went to see a volcano that day! Quite amazing. I expected (as most people who have no idea about these things would) a crater I could walk over - like big mountain with a little hole in the top. Boy, was I wrong! The crater was huge, 1000s of metres across, like an oval-shaped (not round, as I have expected) arid valley surround on all sides by huge mountains. Completely awe-inspiring to think of that enormous hole spewing out lava. Inside the crater there were smaller indentations - "pores" from which gasses, mainly sulphur escape. Joanna and I walked into one of these pores. She was very excited to see her studies in action. I was just amazed by the size of it (I have actually thought the pore was the volcano and that was big enough!) Very hot in the crater, and hotter still in the pore, so Amy just watched us walk in it. Had some photos taken there.

Lunch was included in the price of the trip and it was very nice. Joanna then went up to see a monastery but Amy and I were just too hot and tired, so we stayed by the harbour drinking (water!!). She said it was very beautiful. Had a little nap on the boat back, my least favourite part of the day. In fact, I had come to the conclusion that I do NOT like boats AT ALL. When we got back I had a swim then went down to the near-by beach with Joanna, leaving Amy in the room w
ith the fan. Because that day was Saturday we had a drink after dinner in a bar (shock! horror!). I was enjoying myself immensely, but Amy had a headache which the bar as making worse so we headed back to the room. Played cards with Joanna for a while - a very fun game called "Spit" which I cannot win!

Day 4 - Sunday, 1/7/01

Went to Church that morning at MasterSun. It was a very nice service. We had communion. A bit strange because they have to cope will all different denominations, so a 'mixed' service. Quite traditional in parts (with a VERY short word by my standards) but had an appeal at the end. Came back from Church and went down to the pool (how's that for a different Sunday?!). I did five lengths that day in the pool (it was thirty metres long), but Joanna overheard one father telling his daughter she had done thirty-seven lengths?! It puts one to shame!

Surprised, that day went well - I ate all of my meal and my dessert at the restaurant this evening. I think it was because we had it later. However, stayed so late at the restaurant the people (chef's and waitresses) started having THEIR dinner. Were quite stuck as to how to get the bill without actually marching up and demanding it. Thought about making a run for it, but didn't!! Managed it in the end. Fled for the safety of our room where we could be nice and British!

Day 5 - Monday, 2/7/01

Caught a bus to Kos town that day. I thought us VERY adventurous to be catching buses on our own in a foreign country! Well, ok, maybe not - but adventurous for me!! We had the idea that the bus came early, however, we ended up standing at the bus stop from 8:15am untill 10am! "Doh!" is all I can say, really! When we got on, entirely confused as to where we were going. Told the conductor the wrong place, and then had to be VERY CLEAR that I had changed my mind. I bet he went home and complained to his wife about "silly foreigne
rs!"

In comparison to Kefelos, Kos town (the capatil of Kos) is very modern and cosmopolitan. Did some shopping (wherever I am I HAVE to shop - I was BORN to shop - hehe). Got some olive oil for Dad and some beads for Mum. It was going to be her birthday pressie, but I decided just to make them a holiday pressie so I could get her something she really wants for her birthday. Joanna had lots of fun in Kos because there is lots of ruins. While she explored and 'oooed' and 'ahhed' at what used to be buildings, I found some shade and sat in it. Maybe I am my mother's daughter after all.

Went to a very nice restaurant that night, mainly nice because the waiter was so friendly. Felt very bad when I ate so little of what he gave me. BAD Laura, I ate too much in the afternoon!

Day 6 - Tuesday, 3/7/01

Joanna and I that day, went to Paradise beach. Went on the bus, again. This time managed to tell the conductor the RIGHT place! Both of us then had our ticket to paradise! I changed enough money so I could do parasending, but I chickened out. I will do it, one day!! Watched others doing it though, and have "fun" (I'm very dubious!) and a banana boat. Joanna put me off that by saying when she went on one and the aim of the guy driving was actually to throw them off! Amy didn't go to the beach as she felt she had spent enough time in the sun. She is very anxious about burning. Some advice I could have needed, actually. I had decided at the beach in my infinite wisdom to use Joanna's factor fifteen instead of my own factor thirty. Found out, on arriving back at the apartment that BOTH my feet and my right thigh had burnt quite badly. Felt dumb and pink at the same time. I had a diagonal burn line across my bum by now. Very amusing!

Had a barbeque and quiz night that night. Very nice food. Sat there going "ow" through most of it as my burn came out!! Joanna hoped we might win t
he quiz, but we didn't, we lost!! However, the table over from us DID win, so they shared their prize with us. Very nice people from Yorkshire. It was a bottle of wine so I ended up mixing THREE drinks that night - but I weren't tipsy (hic!).

Day 7 - Wednesday, 4/7/01

I cannot believe how stupid I was!!! Decided to stay up late the night before, so we could sleep in. Thus, we would not be too tired waiting for the plane (which left about 3am). However, stupid me stayed up so late the cocks started crowing and I had no chance then. Stayed up all night and slept in the afternoon. However, turned out to be a cunning plan, as I was not too tired in the evening...

When we left our cases at the bar and all went off to a very nice restaurant, intent on staying out l-a-t-e! However, poor old Amy was ill..so she toddled off back to the resort and Joanna and I went for a coffee, before going back to comfort her. We read and played SPIT (that card game Joanna taught us) to pass the time. Then we were off for the VERY short drive to the airport and a HORRIBLY long wait at a VERY over-crowded airport. Still, we were soon on the plane and for the last couple of ours of the flight I went to sleep. And then, we were back in merry ol' England and as Joanna and I stepped on the plane we remarked to each other:

"Brrr, I want to go back to Greece"
"Yes, I hear its warm there this time of year"

Postscript: maybe it wasn't such a cunning plan staying up all night, as when I got back I slept more-or-less for seventeen hours straight and woke at two in the morning not in the least bit tired!!

A website I recommend for anyone traveling to Kos or any Greek island is: http://www.info-world.com/tourist.info/listings-gr eece.php, it gives you all of the latest news for Greece, accommodation, tourist attractions and lots lots more...

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