Cable car service to descend down to the harbor was operational today. As it was ‘Off Season’ frequency was much lesser, it plied every thirty minutes. To start with we were the only riders but just before it moved a huge group of Chinese teenagers rushed in. Some of the girls from the group were so beautiful that it was hard to believe that they were Chinese. Contrary to general belief most of the girls were tall, some even around 5 ft 7 inches, with sharp chiseled noses in contrast to their hallmark flat ones. Eyes were slits but smart, hair coiffured in stylish fashion with face appropriately made up. Attire was modern and completely western. Boys too did not lag far behind. They looked as if they had alighted from the last express from Hollywood . Six feet and above with well muscled bodies, hair cut in the style of Roman Helmet, dyed in atrocious colors with big ear rings hanging up to shoulders, and trendy shades on the eyes. Jeans were expected but metal wristlets? The cabin immediately got filled with chitter chatter of their ‘Yang Prow Wang’ Chinese!
Ride took hardly 5
minutes to reach the harbor. Due to ‘Off season’, harbor was sparsely
populated. All Ch’ing Pang Yom clustered around a medieval vessel that was
anchored in the harbor. And then I came to know, like a mystery unveiled, that
it was a film crew which had come down from China,mind you CHINA to shoot an advertisement! Everything was unbelievable and beyond reason! From a communist country like
China how can there be such capitalist thing as shooting a commercial on the foreign
sands? That too seven seas across, on the island of Santorini? But it was
happening. The Hrithik Roshan alike from the gang started gyrating to the
musical tunes. After canning few shots, they all boarded the ship, sailed
towards Therasia still continuing to gyrate and prance.
The view of Fira, from the harbor down is breath taking. The houses rising upwardly on the cliff look like models in Lego town. Semicircular lagoon has Akrotiri at its southern end while Oia and Therasia just in front. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, here it lies in the crystal clear waters. Mediterranean blue in color with silvery reflections of early Sun, so transparent that you can see the seabed! It was heartbreaking to leave that serene ambiance but red beach was inviting and we had to obey the command!
You have to catch bus
going to Akrotiri to go to Red beach. Though the island is not bigger than a
clenched fist, all the buses are Volvo luxuries, AC with seats draped in
velvet. As it zigzags through entire Santorini one witnesses many terrains
having the houses built in the similar fashion. May be for not losing the
architectural balance, local council might have decided so. It’s rule in Bruges
and Ghent, Belgium.
To reach Red beach
you have to walk a lot as it is far from the Bus stop. There are some relics on
the left those are tale tell signs of Santorini’s history. After crossing a
small hillock on right you reach the red beach. Once you reach the top on getting
the first glimpse of red beach you unknowingly exclaim, ‘Wow! The picture is
that beautiful.
Far away, almost
touching the horizon, a range of mountain juts deep into the cobalt blue waters
leaving a strip of sands taking a shape of lunar crescent that stretches up to
the base of hillock. The sand and the cliff adjoining the beach are red so the
name Red Beach. The way to reach actual beach is so tedious that at times one
has to be on all fours just to climb down. Due to high tide the space between
the water edge and the cliff was very narrow. I had with me European style bathing
trunk that was not bigger than a thong. In fact to get assimilated with the
nature most divine, it too was like being overdressed.
‘Should I go in my birthday
suit?’
‘Being in Greece does
not make you Greek God. Look at that potbelly and then think of such stupid
things’
Who else can that be than your better half? By the way why are they called better halves, most of the times it’s reverse. Actually though it’s not six pack but not potbelly either. You can get away from India but India does not leave you. Here too she did not leave me and my long standing desire to prance in sea in my birthday suit had to be wounded up! Changed into the briefs and entered the waters keeping aside all the fears of age!
The waters were very
cold but I had decided not to think about the ensuing calamities, like catching the cold, splitting ear ache, so I threw the caution to the winds and started
enjoying the waters befitting my son’s age. But that prancing was short lived.
Because then there descended a lot of nubile girls in skimpiest bikinis. In
comparison to their spirited frolicking, my prancing could have been counted as
decrepitude so I climbed down to just be in water and enjoy it. They were
followed by a Yellow family: Father, mother and their 8 years old son. I was
caught on the wrong foot many times so the general term, Yellows, they could be
anybody from China, or Korea to Japan. Back to back were an old man and
a girl in her teens. It turned out later that they were father and daughter,
don’t have wrong ideas only because it was Europe and they were whites!
Whatever transpired
later between all of us was not less than intriguing!
Yellows for a change
turned out to be Koreans, of course south. Father looked like a photographer
because he was constantly clicking and the objects varied from stones to
spiders, to flowers to anything that crossed his path except his own family!
And they were on sabbatical for one year. One year?!
Naturally what came
to my mind was,
‘What about his
schooling?’
‘Home teaching!’
‘Wow!’
Just on holiday for ONE whole year! Without any botheration, idea itself was phenomenal at the same time beyond my
comprehension. The primary concerns for us Indians are, what about my job, who
would keep my post in abeyance for year? Plus the expenses, how one would
manage those?
Father daughter duo
was still weird, at least for me. Father, Greek; mother, South American staying
somewhere in Mexico and daughter was being tossed like a shuttle cock between
the two parents,two houses and two countries,why countries Continents. She had come on holidays and was making her father
spend money like water. The basics of this ‘International’ family too, went way
above my head!
Due to high tide water started rising and the strip became narrower. Had it been a little late we would have stranded so rushed towards hillock. We had to hurry so much that I put the clothes on only after reaching a reasonable height. More information while chit chatting on the bus stop, more bombshells so more shocks. Daughter was expecting horse as a birthday gift from father because she wanted to ride to the school on horse. Koreans did not know any other language fluently than Korean and they were out on the world tour! I was totally puzzled as an Indian about where to fit myself in this international quiz.
The Greek father increased my knowledge by adding a tit-bit about ‘Oia’. Though the spelling is O I A it is pronounced as Eeya.
Bus for Oia came perfectly on time. After lot many Adieus and Goodbyes we left for Oia. Six people from four different corners of world spend few moments together, without any chance of meeting together again, almost not, why? Was it destined? Otherwise what’s the rationale?
Road to Oia was
‘Curvaceous’. Steep cliff one side and vast plateau on the other. Vineyards
littering at regular intervals, a smallish ghat
adding a bit of thrill, incessantly spoofing school children. Bus was
marching towards Oia with due élan.
Few windmills stood out charismatic-ally in that melee of beatific mélange! Churches with perfect blue
domes and bell towers with different bells. Two eyes could not accommodate that
‘Imax’ scenario!
Roads must have
curves. Not only straight road is boring but the curves add mystery to the
journey because you are not aware what the next turn is going to offer! Isn’t
life likewise?!
Standing on sunset
point presents entire Santorini in Toto! Therasia just opposite, Fira on the
left and Akrotiri just beyond it. Even when you are sure that a single frame
will not do the justice to that divinity, you are insatiable. I was even after
taking Nth snaps.
We were waiting for
Sunset but probably ‘He’ thought otherwise. The clouds crowded the sky so much
that after sometime Therasia too went behind the curtain. Golden hue changed
first to bright red then to fluorescent purple in the end dark crimson. Clouds
played colors in such an eye catching way, it made us forget that the time has
come to say adieu to Santorini.
By the time we
reached Villa Manos it was time to leave for airport. Short Goodbye to Poppy
otherwise eyes would have become misty! Her husband dropped us at the air port
which was invaded by Chinese! Again! Their incessant blabbering in ‘Yang Prow
Wang’ Chinese gave instant migraine. Fortunately on the board no one was in the
vicinity!
The air fare for the
return journey was little more, it can happen if you book the ticket on
internet.
’May be they will
serve a drink this time’; before I could complete the sentence Air hostess
brought tetra packs.
Within 20 minutes of
take off plane got in air pocket. We had window seats. The wings were shaking
so vigorously that pit of stomach churned with unknown anxiety. It was not the
first instance to experience the air turbulence. But this was something
different. It took very long time for the plane to become steady. We heaved a
sigh of relief but unfortunately it was very short lived. The next moment the
plane started going down, almost nose-diving, giving the feeling that pilot might
have lost the control. For few moments everybody floated in the mid air. Girls
from the film crew started shouting in shrill voices. How many thousand feet it
went down I could not judge but within that one minute or so I could see my entire
life alive. Surprisingly I did not remember anything bad but the faces of
children flashed in front of the eyes! May be the pilot regained the control;
because downward fall stopped and like a kite swaying on the free air, plane
started getting height again!
The thing that
bothered most was, neither Pilot made any announcement of reassurance nor Air
line apologized for the ordeal, after landing!
To know any city best, nothing like local transport. In Athens we had booked a room in YHA and to reach it we were supposed to catch metro going to Syntagma but pronounced as Syn-dahg-mah. So naturally the next step was, the Metro platform!
No comments:
Post a Comment