Nydhri
Poros
Poros (ghost town)
Lefkas
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Lefkas 29/12/06
Looking over to town Maiden voyage On town quay
from marina
Christmas Eve Rush hor traffic in Poros
Christmas Eve, woke up to another sunny day but rather chilly, there’s ice on the foredeck. Most shops were open which was great cause Pete forgot to buy me a Christmas present (hahaha!!!).
2pm we cut the umbilical cord (power & water) & moved out of the marina, went for a cruise up the channel & back to the town quay. Found a shallow spot on the way back, luckily it was soft & we just slid over the top of it. So much for the channel being dredged to 6m, it doesn’t look like the dredge has moved for years. Anyway we had a great cruise for our maiden voyage & we’re really happy with the way she handles. Parked up stern-to on the town quay, there are no boats near us, so we get a great view & the sun just streams in now, hadn’t realized how much the other boats in the marina were shading us from the sun. We’re beside the main town road which is fairly busy, so lots to look at from the boat. The old guys come down & fish nearby too, not sure if they catch much, a few sprats probably.
Went to dinner at a local restaurant with new friends Kev, Linda, Bill (all English) & Gala (Russian). Had a great night, food was beautiful & we had a couple of guys playing traditional Greek music. Showed them my version of Greek dancing, the waitress was impressed even if the others weren’t (think I’ll get some lessons).
Christmas Day another beautiful day. After breakfast went back to the marina for drinks on Fraca, about a dozen or so other cruisers there. Cooked yummy roast chicken dinner & went to friends boat after dinner for more champagne & some of my Xmas cake, which much to my surprise it turned out to be my best cake yet.
Boxing day there was a bike ride organized to go around the lagoon, however I think everyone must have over indulged on Xmas day & slept in late, cause there were only 2 others that turned up for the 11am rendezvous. Pete & I decided to go for a ride on our motorbike (50cc Honda) down to Nydhri & Poros instead. It was another beautiful day & the scenery was great, with a few little fishing villages on the way. There’s a boat yard hardstand in Nydhri where all the boats are jammed in side by side, like sardines, & the props used to hold the boats upright are timber. The island is on a fault line & experiences a few earthquakes from time to time. Apparently there were a number of boats damaged in the last earthquake about 3 years ago, I imagine if one boat fell over the rest would topple like dominos – scary thought!!! Nydhri was fairly quiet being Boxing Day & not a lot open, however it gets very busy in the summer time as there are a lot of ferries going regularly to & from the nearby islands. Poros is a lovely little fishing village which was also very quiet, in fact it was like a ghost town with hardly anyone around.
Friday 29/12 went for a trip on the motorbike to Preveza, about 25km north of Lefkas on the mainland. We had to go through a tunnel 1.6km that goes under the sea to get to Preveza, not good if you’re claustrophobic. Preveza is a lot bigger town than Lefkas with a lovely waterfront. Not many boats moored there as the marina isn’t very big. However the hardstand is packed with boats, biggest hardstand we’ve ever seen.
Pete’s still got a few things to sort out on the boat, so we plan to be here for another 2-3 weeks. It’s a good place to get parts etc, apparently there’s not a lot of suppliers open as you head down the coast cause they all close up for winter. We’re currently trying to be self sufficient & seeing how long our water can last, plus we don’t have shore power so it’s a good test to make sure we can survive ok & every things working properly for when we head off from here.
We’ve had over a week of clear sunny days now, but we here there’s some bad weather coming Tuesday & Wednesday, still it is winter so I guess we have to expect it sometime!.
Hope you all have a great New Years Eve.
Cheers Pete & Raewyn
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Lefkada – 23/12/06
Weather has been absolutely gorgeous here most days, a bit of a nip in the air & we can see snow on the distant mountains. Brought ourselves some foldup bicycles– yeahhh!!! it’s like Christmas, it certainly quicker than walking round & we can go exploring further afield. Also got our internet connection which is awesome, especially since it took so long.
Not many cruisers left in the Marina for winter & the ones that are here have been here for several years, they go off cruising in the summer & park up here in the winter. They have social evenings a couple of nights each week which we’ve been to, so slowly getting to meet everyone, their boats are all spread among the many charter boats here in the marina which is quite big.
Food shopping is fun, there’s so many supermarkets, we’re figuring out what the products are & which supermarkets are the cheapest, plus we’re enjoying a few new tastes. It took a while, but I finally managed to get all the vital ingredience to make a Xmas fruit cake, not ‘sure how the oven’s going to go though!! We love the bread & usually buy a French stick when we’re out to munch on, just as well we’re getting plenty of exercise on the bikes!
The days seem to be flying by with so much to do before we leave the marina on 24/12. We plan to stay over by the town water front where it’s free to moor until after New Year then head south exploring the Ionian Islands.
We had Xmas drinks last night with a group of other cruisers & Xmas Eve we’re having dinner with some people we’ve met. Xmas Day our neighbours are coming over for bubbles in the morning & they’ve invited us back to their boat Xmas night for drinks. The cruisers have a New Years Eve dinner booked at one of the local hotels, so there’s plenty going on round here. Not quite the same as being at home with friends and family, though we’re not missing the crazy Christmas rush!!!
Now that we’ve got bikes we’ve been able to adventure out further & found a big supermarket a couple of days ago, food is really cheap there, so we’ll go back there to do our big stock up before we leave Lefkas. Wine is also very cheap there & found a nice Aussie Shiraz/Cab, 6 bottles for 11E ( NZ$22). Went for a big ride on our bikes & found some baskets lying on the side of the road which fit perfectly on our bike racks, have found them very useful for carrying the shopping.
Had our first visitors for dinner last sunday, Pete cooked a beautiful roast chicken dinner. I’ve been going to aerobics classes this week & ended up taking a couple of Pilates classes. Pete’s been out buying more bits for the boat & also brought some power tools which have come in handy already for doing odd jobs on the boat. His job list seems to keep growing, as it does on boats, he thinks he needs a full time “Deckie” – any volunteers?
We haven’t had any time to sit around relaxing yet, there’s always plenty to keep us busy & everything seems to take a lot longer than we’re used to, never mind we have plenty of time. The traffic is interesting, bicycles& motorbikes go down one-way streets the wrong way & the cars park anywhere & everywhere. It’s quite common to see cars parked 2 & 3 abreast causing traffic jams. You also find cars & bikes parked on footpaths, so the pedestrians wander down the road. I can’t believe we haven’t seen any accidents, but the drivers seem very laidback & there’s no road rage here. Pete brought a motor bike today, registered as a 50cc Honda, should be great for exploring the islands, hopefully the weather stays nice like it is today.
Having trouble downloading photos on this site, so will try in the next couple of days from the local Internet Café.
Hope you all have a wonderful Xmas
Kala khreestooyena (Merrry Christmas) from Pete & Raewyn
Not many cruisers left in the Marina for winter & the ones that are here have been here for several years, they go off cruising in the summer & park up here in the winter. They have social evenings a couple of nights each week which we’ve been to, so slowly getting to meet everyone, their boats are all spread among the many charter boats here in the marina which is quite big.
Food shopping is fun, there’s so many supermarkets, we’re figuring out what the products are & which supermarkets are the cheapest, plus we’re enjoying a few new tastes. It took a while, but I finally managed to get all the vital ingredience to make a Xmas fruit cake, not ‘sure how the oven’s going to go though!! We love the bread & usually buy a French stick when we’re out to munch on, just as well we’re getting plenty of exercise on the bikes!
The days seem to be flying by with so much to do before we leave the marina on 24/12. We plan to stay over by the town water front where it’s free to moor until after New Year then head south exploring the Ionian Islands.
We had Xmas drinks last night with a group of other cruisers & Xmas Eve we’re having dinner with some people we’ve met. Xmas Day our neighbours are coming over for bubbles in the morning & they’ve invited us back to their boat Xmas night for drinks. The cruisers have a New Years Eve dinner booked at one of the local hotels, so there’s plenty going on round here. Not quite the same as being at home with friends and family, though we’re not missing the crazy Christmas rush!!!
Now that we’ve got bikes we’ve been able to adventure out further & found a big supermarket a couple of days ago, food is really cheap there, so we’ll go back there to do our big stock up before we leave Lefkas. Wine is also very cheap there & found a nice Aussie Shiraz/Cab, 6 bottles for 11E ( NZ$22). Went for a big ride on our bikes & found some baskets lying on the side of the road which fit perfectly on our bike racks, have found them very useful for carrying the shopping.
Had our first visitors for dinner last sunday, Pete cooked a beautiful roast chicken dinner. I’ve been going to aerobics classes this week & ended up taking a couple of Pilates classes. Pete’s been out buying more bits for the boat & also brought some power tools which have come in handy already for doing odd jobs on the boat. His job list seems to keep growing, as it does on boats, he thinks he needs a full time “Deckie” – any volunteers?
We haven’t had any time to sit around relaxing yet, there’s always plenty to keep us busy & everything seems to take a lot longer than we’re used to, never mind we have plenty of time. The traffic is interesting, bicycles& motorbikes go down one-way streets the wrong way & the cars park anywhere & everywhere. It’s quite common to see cars parked 2 & 3 abreast causing traffic jams. You also find cars & bikes parked on footpaths, so the pedestrians wander down the road. I can’t believe we haven’t seen any accidents, but the drivers seem very laidback & there’s no road rage here. Pete brought a motor bike today, registered as a 50cc Honda, should be great for exploring the islands, hopefully the weather stays nice like it is today.
Having trouble downloading photos on this site, so will try in the next couple of days from the local Internet Café.
Hope you all have a wonderful Xmas
Kala khreestooyena (Merrry Christmas) from Pete & Raewyn
Saturday, December 16, 2006
1st week in Lefkas (or Lefkadas as the Greeks say)
Arrived in Lefkas 1.30am 8/12/06 & have now been here 1 week. The boat is great, nice & roomy, & fully equipped, but just needs a little maintenance. Weather is apparently quite mild for this time of year, have had mostly fine or overcast days & one wet day so far & it’s not too cold, although we did see snow on the distant hills yesterday. Have had a big cleanout on the boat as the previous owners left most of their clothes, books & the kid’s toys on board. We’re giving the toys & clothes to some gypsies camping near the marina entrance & the kid’s books to a nearby school. We’re also busy getting the boat shipshape, Pete’s sorting out the plumbing & mechanical stuff & figuring out how everything works. I’ve been cleaning, washing & sorting out cupboards.
The rest of our day is spend walking up to the shops which are spread along several streets & are very busy with lots of people & traffric around. They open quite early, at least 8am, close at 1.30pm & reopen at 5.30pm till around 8pm, however each shop hours vary from day to day so you never quite know when they’ll be open. The clothing shops are great, lots of them & reasonable prices. Women here dress well & seem quite fashion conscious, & guess what it’s the men who spend their days in café’s & tavernas at night sitting round yakking. We finally got a phone on Tuesday, but it’s taking some time to get our internet connection which has meant 2-3 visits per day to the shops which is a 20 minute walk from the boat, so we’re getting quite fit.
The village is very picturesque, with most of the houses kept in good condition. The marina is very quiet at this time of year with only 10 cruisers living aboard. They have weekly get-togethers & last night was pool night in the marina bar. We’re looking at getting fold up bicycles for getting around the town & a motor scooter for exploring the island, we’ll take them with us on the boat around the Med so we can use them in other places.
We’re learning some Greek words, but most of the younger ones speak English which makes it reasonably easy, although sometimes sign language comes in handy. Haven’t seen any news since we’ve been away, but there’s an English news paper published in Athens which comes out tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll catch up on what’s happening tomorrow. Have also found a TV channel that plays English speaking movies from 9pm each night which is great.
The rest of our day is spend walking up to the shops which are spread along several streets & are very busy with lots of people & traffric around. They open quite early, at least 8am, close at 1.30pm & reopen at 5.30pm till around 8pm, however each shop hours vary from day to day so you never quite know when they’ll be open. The clothing shops are great, lots of them & reasonable prices. Women here dress well & seem quite fashion conscious, & guess what it’s the men who spend their days in café’s & tavernas at night sitting round yakking. We finally got a phone on Tuesday, but it’s taking some time to get our internet connection which has meant 2-3 visits per day to the shops which is a 20 minute walk from the boat, so we’re getting quite fit.
The village is very picturesque, with most of the houses kept in good condition. The marina is very quiet at this time of year with only 10 cruisers living aboard. They have weekly get-togethers & last night was pool night in the marina bar. We’re looking at getting fold up bicycles for getting around the town & a motor scooter for exploring the island, we’ll take them with us on the boat around the Med so we can use them in other places.
We’re learning some Greek words, but most of the younger ones speak English which makes it reasonably easy, although sometimes sign language comes in handy. Haven’t seen any news since we’ve been away, but there’s an English news paper published in Athens which comes out tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll catch up on what’s happening tomorrow. Have also found a TV channel that plays English speaking movies from 9pm each night which is great.
Bangkok
Bangkok
Spent 3 days in Bangkok, weren’t too impressed with it after the first day, but luckily it did improve. The traffic is amazing, there seems to be no rules & the drivers are crazzzy. One tuktuk ride we though we were in a James Bond movie, he was weaving in & out of the traffic on the wrong side of the road, I had to close my eyes several times. One thing I will say though, every one lets other drivers push in, there’s no real road rage & surprisingly we didn’t see any accidents. Crossing the road was another story again, pedestrian crossings mean absolutely nothing. (Pete reckons it’s a convenient place for the ambulances to pick up the casualties) It was like a game of chicken between the cars & pedestrians, even when there were traffic lights they didn’t stop until the almost hit you. We even saw a couple of monks stuck in the middle of a pedestrian crossing clinging to each other, reminded me of a couple of possums caught in the head lights. We decided the best means on travel was on the canal boats with the locals. These boats are 80ft long open long boats that travel at 25mph up 20m wide canals.
While we were there the King celebrated his 79th Birthday, every one is wearing yellow polo shirts for the month on December in the Kings honour & then they’ll wear them every Monday fro the next year until his 80th Birthday. We saw the King pass by in his cavalcade of security guards, on his way to the castle for his Birthday celebrations. All the streets were lined with locals in their yellow shirts & we had to sit on the edge of the pavement, minus our hats & sunglasses, no one was allowed to wave & the men had to avert their eyes. The streets were also adorned with yellow & blue cloth draped along fences, along with lots of flags & 15ft monuments with the king’s picture stuck on the centre. Every one loves the King, he is very popular.
Found some amazing local markets, each street specialized in different products, ie flower, fruit, veges, clothes etc. Got our fill of temples & Buda’s, there is certainly no expense spared on building the temples, they are quite beautiful.
Went to the River Kwai, saw the POW JEATH Museum (Japan, England, America, Thailand & Holland), the POW cemetery, went on a train over River Kwai Bridge, elephant ride & bamboo raft. Well worth the 5 hour bus trip, although we did have the compulsory shopping stop, found out that taxi driver & tour guides etc get petrol vouchers for taking punters to certain shops.
Leave Bangkok 2.25am tomorrow (7/12/06)
Spent 3 days in Bangkok, weren’t too impressed with it after the first day, but luckily it did improve. The traffic is amazing, there seems to be no rules & the drivers are crazzzy. One tuktuk ride we though we were in a James Bond movie, he was weaving in & out of the traffic on the wrong side of the road, I had to close my eyes several times. One thing I will say though, every one lets other drivers push in, there’s no real road rage & surprisingly we didn’t see any accidents. Crossing the road was another story again, pedestrian crossings mean absolutely nothing. (Pete reckons it’s a convenient place for the ambulances to pick up the casualties) It was like a game of chicken between the cars & pedestrians, even when there were traffic lights they didn’t stop until the almost hit you. We even saw a couple of monks stuck in the middle of a pedestrian crossing clinging to each other, reminded me of a couple of possums caught in the head lights. We decided the best means on travel was on the canal boats with the locals. These boats are 80ft long open long boats that travel at 25mph up 20m wide canals.
While we were there the King celebrated his 79th Birthday, every one is wearing yellow polo shirts for the month on December in the Kings honour & then they’ll wear them every Monday fro the next year until his 80th Birthday. We saw the King pass by in his cavalcade of security guards, on his way to the castle for his Birthday celebrations. All the streets were lined with locals in their yellow shirts & we had to sit on the edge of the pavement, minus our hats & sunglasses, no one was allowed to wave & the men had to avert their eyes. The streets were also adorned with yellow & blue cloth draped along fences, along with lots of flags & 15ft monuments with the king’s picture stuck on the centre. Every one loves the King, he is very popular.
Found some amazing local markets, each street specialized in different products, ie flower, fruit, veges, clothes etc. Got our fill of temples & Buda’s, there is certainly no expense spared on building the temples, they are quite beautiful.
Went to the River Kwai, saw the POW JEATH Museum (Japan, England, America, Thailand & Holland), the POW cemetery, went on a train over River Kwai Bridge, elephant ride & bamboo raft. Well worth the 5 hour bus trip, although we did have the compulsory shopping stop, found out that taxi driver & tour guides etc get petrol vouchers for taking punters to certain shops.
Leave Bangkok 2.25am tomorrow (7/12/06)
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