Come follow the Sunshine: Greece: Corfu & Athens (aka Crackville)

Today we arrived in Corfu Greece, first thing you notice is the absolutely crystal clear water, pebble stone beaches and tropical atmosphere, everyone on Contiki is relieved to be here! As soon as we arrive at our hotel everyone heads straight to the pool for a beer and Gyros (Yiro’s). Tonight we have a Contiki dinner at a restaurant and the lamb on the spit they serve us is delicious, they also put on a greek dancing and plate smashing show.

The next morning we go on the famous Georges Boat! It is for me easily the number one best day on Contiki! We start off by cruising out to sea as George cracks some jokes using words that sound like F#ck in Greek and telling us "i love a my language, i love to speak Greeeeeaaak" in his thick accent. He then plays his favourite song for us, Im on a boat – The Lonley Island and then continues to play 90’s and early 2000 club hits for the rest of the drive to the first island stop. By this time might i add we are all dressed in matching Georges Boat singlets, he only charges 9 Euro for a singlet and keyring, bargain! First stop is a water sports Island where some of our Contiki go Wakeboarding, Biscuit riding or parasailing behind a speed boat on the ocean. At 30 Euro for 10 minutes of Wakeboarding me and Kyle didn’t have a go, because well it only costs a few snags on the barbie at home. The rest of us are on Georges boat parked near by jumping off the edge into the ocean for a swim. That first jump in to the ocean is sensational the water is refreshingly cool without being too cold and its SO clean and nice (and super salty)! After some swimming and relaxing George prepares us ham and cheese sandwiches, greek salad and hot chips with his famous tatziki for lunch which are delicious and most of us are having our first beers (Vergina branded beer of course) for the day. We then drive to the next island where we are all jumping off the boat into the water again, at this island you can swim all the way to the beach and lay on the sand but most of us hang around on the boat chilling out. We then take off again for Hanky Panky or Skinny Dip Island which is as it sounds, sadly only few are brave enough to get in, in the nud... the usual suspects Drew, Adam, Ben and Lucian. After swimming around for a while we have a second lunch of more of the same. By this time we are all looking a little sunkissed and salty eyed so we start to head back to Corfu, on the way George turns up that greek tradtitional dance song everyone knows and we are all holding hands in a circle around the boat trying to dance that greek dance while to boat rocks and keep up with the song which is in no way easy after all practically tripping around the boat we have the old club hits cranking again and everyone is up on the bow dancing and singing it is a great end to an awesome day in greece.
That night we had our Contiki toga party for which we are all issued a clean bed sheet at dinner and given some tips on tying them to look something like a Grecian Toga! Kyle is tired so i head down to the toga party with Tim and Pheobe and we get stuck into a few cocktails. When i mention to Mason that Kyle is not coming he is not having a bar of it and heads to the room number i gave him, which was the wrong number (this was honestly an accident) 20 minutes and 10 disturbed hotel patrons later in rolls Mason & a fully Toga’d up Kyle. Who would have thought Mason had a secret talent for tying mens Toga’s! Party is in full swing there are tree branches being pulled down and used as decorations, Mangina’s and Limbo, which Jodie won/CHEATED. (she’s 5 foot nothing and could practically still walk under the bar when everyone else was out but hey whatever im not holding onto it or nothing.)

Today we travelled to Athens, wowee it is a bit of an eye opener. We arrive after lunch and before we have even gone to dinner we have witnessed countless homeless people, drug addicts shooting up, vomiting/weeing on the street and people selling drugs all of this just by looking out our hotel window. Its another world down there. At dinner time Lucian walks us to the Plaka area about 10 minutes away and its much nicer here, we head to a local restaurant area which has a staircase lined with little cafe’s and restaurants with tables and chairs outside and fairy lights and candles sprinkled everywhere. The food here is fabulous, it is like the Italian dinners with lots of courses, we had: greek salad, tatziki, meatballs, cheese triangles, curried beans, salty tempura zucchini, dolmades, souvlaki meat, veges cooked in butter and dill & ice cream for dessert! Even the fussiest of eaters would have had plenty to eat here! I honestly cant wait to get home and start making all these amazing meals I've had my eyes opened to overseas! After dinner we head back to our hotel for some goodbye drinks and cracky observing from the rooftop bar. Tomorrow is most of our last day together except for the few of us including Kyle and I heading onto the 3 day greek island cruise.

Our last day with our big Contiki family is here, i am super tired today because i stayed up late watching a cracky on the rooftop near our hotel building set up his bed for the night made out of flattened cardboard boxes and old raggy looking blankets, then inject his mate who vomited then passed out on the floor, dealt drugs to some passers by and then hid his stash in a loose brick before moving his unconscious friend into his made up bed with him, shoot up between his toes and finally to sleep. I don’t know why but i was fascinated. So this morning we did a walking tour of the Acropolis and then Olympic park and then before lunch Contiki has officially ended! Jodie cried as we said goodbye because she is going to miss me so much. As the bus drives away i manage to quickly pull off my Contiki dare and moon the Contiki bus full of the people not going on the cruise as it drives off. Most of the crew have booked an extra night in Athens and have flights the next day so we organise to meet up for dinner later and ended up going to the Hard Rock Cafe, Athens. Dinner was really fun and Lyndal even introduced me to the Pickled Tink cocktail that is AMAZING, from now on i will be ordering them whenever I'm in a Hard Rock Cafe, it’s very similar to the Pinky Colada they make in Bali. (Em you have to try one!) For dinner Kyle ordered nacho's thinking "oh yeah it wont be a huge meal" because its in the starters menu and when it came out it was huge, big enough to feed four people! Jodie bet Kyle on paying for each others dinners that he couldn’t finish it.... lets all remember her win/cheating at Limbo the other night, the perfect opportunity to even the score came up. Kyle ate probably close to ¾ of the plate and the rest we snuck into a paper bag bit by bit when Jodie wasn’t looking and stashed it under the table. THANKS again for the free dinner Jodie! So after dinner we have a few drinks and we do goodbyes all over again (Jodie cried again) and we all head home to bed a little sad. I actually had the best time with these people, i wasnt ready for it to end!

Jodie Pheobe and Amie on the biscuit

White girl can jump

Kyle jumping off Georges boat

Kari and I on Watersports Island

BOAT PARTY

Tour Manager Lucian & Grace our resident pom

Jack diving off Georges Boat to wash the Vergina out his mouth

Yes I have an outfit for every occasion

yes the table is in the crazy greek mans mouth (one of the acts at dinner)

Mason and Kyle

Ben and I in Toga's n Corfu

L-R: Kari, Alushka, Jodie, me and Brandi at our Toga party

Tim, Kyle, Michael and the "classic squirt pose" in the middle LOL

Ill let your imagination caption this photo but just know this is NOT the most incriminating photo I have of the night. (don't worry guys I'm not brave enough to put up the rest!)