30 Sep: We arrived at the airport around midnight for our 10 hours direct flight to Athens. We had some free time on our hands and shuyi proceed to do what she does best.
Then she gave me instructions on how to board a plane.
We touched down around 5 in the morning, GMT +3. I knew that we would touch the ground running so I only watched 2 movies on the plane and slept early. We watched The Hangover and a Korean movie called Memoirs of Murder.
Picking up the luggage: please come out. As the first day's itinerary is very tight, something as simple as a few hours delay will seriously screw things up.
We saw the Greek's definition of Singapore. I'm surprised it is not chicken rice and chilli crabs.
We have to take the metro to a ghetto part of town and walk to the bus terminal for our 5 hrs journey to Litochoro (City of Gods. Overhyped name), a small ghetto town most famous for being at the foot of Mt Olympus. Her one true merit, really.
Being in a hurry doesn't mean you shouldn't pose and take photos.
Same goes for being in a train.
The train stations on the map were listed in Greek, which is totally Greek to me. When you look carefully, then you see the english version in super small (at least to me) fonts below.
One thing you need to know when travelling is asking for directions. The second thing you must know is get a second opinion on the first opinion. Too many a times, they simply point you in a random direction because they do not understand english and are too lazy/proud to admit it. Or just because they are assholes.
A lady showed us the OPPOSITE direction when asked about the directions to the Bus Terminal A. A chubby uncle saw this injustice and pointed us in the right direction. He was some Canadian dude who 'used to hire lotsa Chinese people' back in Canada.
em... ok thanks. Can I go now master?
In his speech, he even sent two globs of saliva to my face. I tried to ignore it but shuyi saw what happened and laughed all the way.
But because of his correct directions, we got to the bus station with merely minutes to spare and boarded the bus. If we miss that bus, there will be no climb.
We grabbed some water and 2 pies (cheese/ham & feta cheese) for lunch and off we go!
How I wished I had a dSLR for my Italy trip back then. I could have taken more pics like this. But looking back, the Ixus55 on auto mode also turned out some pretty decent outdoor pics. Can't say the same for the indoor ones though.
We had a pit stop along the way. The sky was clear and overwhelmingly bright. Thank god for the shades.
Mountains come in abundance in Greece. Every direction you look, you are bound to spot a couple of them in the background.
We finally reached Litochoro (or so we thought). The bus driver dumped us at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere.
In front of us, mountains.
Behind us, the sea.
Opposite us, a couple seriously making out.
Ok, now what?
Well, they have to stop kissing to get some air eventually. So I quickly moved in and asked for directions.
So we're in the middle of nowhere, sandwiched between the mountain, the sea and a couple making out. Now what?
Well you take photos of course. You're a tourist! Start acting like one!
Some scenery.
Some wife.
And some miscellaneous stuff.
And we had porky take one for us as well.
The bus finally came and we hopped on.
'No need to pay for tickets if you took the bus from Athens' says the dude on the bus.
Who were we to object.
We reached Litochoro. I don't see why a small place like this needs a fountain.
Litochoro is such a ghetto place that there is NO internet booking for the hotels there. I skyped one of them and she assured me that since it is the off season, I can sashay into any hotel and book a room.
So I did.
'40€ a night without breakfast' says the first one. '40€ a night with breakfast' says the second. And we have a winner.
This is the most wasteful hotel stay of the trip as we will be spending the night atop Mt Olympus. So basically we're paying 40€ for a locker with a bathroom.
I skyped Refuge A (no kidding. that's what they are called) to make reservations before the trip. Refuge A (about 2,100m) is the small cabin on Mt Olympus. Imagine that: I can skype to the top of a freaking mountain but yet I cannot find any way to communicate with the hotels in Litochoro.
We changed into our 'climbing gear' (more on that later) and headed out to find a way to Prionia, the most popular starting point for the climb.
Not before shuyi traumatize some animals.
Shuyi would proceed to harass many animals for the rest of the trip.
It was already 5 in the evening. The plan was already screwed to a certain degree. We are supposed to start climbing at 4. There is no one to hitch a ride from as it was getting late and no one was heading for the climb. The taxi was 25€ which we were reluctant to fork out.
After various attempts at hitch hiking, we relented and the cabby started on the winding drive up to Prionia. I was thankful that we paid the money for the cab. The way up was super long and winding. After a few dozen turns, the clouds were already beneath us. The road kept going like a Initial D race course on meth. The 25€ seemed more and more justified already.
Prionia was nothing but a hut. We saw two dudes in serious climbing gear chilling at the hut chowing on some tazaki (yoghurt, garlic & cucumber). They told us we had better hurry if we want to reach Refuge A before it gets dark.
And off we go!
We started eagerly. But after like 20 steps, I turned and looked at shuyi
'ok. I'm tired already'
And I meant it. I just had an IPPT test hours before the flight and my legs are feeling it.
The trail started with lotsa greenery. The Internet told me that there is only the E4 route and getting lost is not possible. The Internet never told me that it is going to be such a pain in the ass. The first thing that hits/assaults you when you start that climb is the smell of donkey poo scattered/spread around casually. I've read that they use donkeys to transport goods up the mountain.
We sat down regularly to have some snacks. I still had my dSLR hung around my neck and eagerly took pictures along the way.
We met up with quite a few groups of 2-3 along the way. All of them were on the descend. Their advise started with 'yea, you can make it' to 'you have better hurry if you don't wanna walk in the dark'. We got more and more worried.
We met this uncle with a cool moustache. He gave us pretty precise timing of our climb and advised us to seriously consider turning back. We pressed on. I later joked that he might be Mt Olympus‘ 土地公公 who came to help us.
We thought that the picnic table meant something of a milestone, a midpoint of sorts. We were wrong. We were still terribly far from Refuge A. At this point of time, I decided to treat the climb more seriously and kept the dSLR in the bag.
土地公公 said that even if we could see Refuge A in the distance, the winding trail would take us a good hour to reach. We kept walking and met up with a group of 4 on the descent. They told us the same thing and urged us to consider heading down with them. We kindly rejected their good offer and head on.
A minute later, we heard 'yoohoo! The two chinese people!'.
They were calling out to us.
'yes?' I shouted through the foliage.
'You really should go down with us. We mean it' insisted the voice over the trees.
I was pretty tired then and who am I to refuse such a insistent order? I subconsciously drifted down the trail, thinking of the buffet breakfast in the hotel the next morning. We totally underestimated the climb and did not bring any food at all.
Shuyi tugged at me and shook her head.
'I want to go on' she said firmly.
I nodded and shouted 'my wife wants to go up. Thanks for the advise' and moved on.
So we did. The foliage became thinner and thinner. What used to be thick canopy of pine trees are now replaced by fallen trunks and bare trees. The sun has already set and the moon hung over the mountain top.
Shuyi would later tell me that, this is the point where she became quite worried and started looking for places where we could spend the night if we have to. I confessed that I was doing the same thing as well.
We finally saw the single light in the distance (vertically). Refuge A! We were glad that we can at least see the destination but 土地公公's words hung ominously in our head. Another hour to go?
Darkness descended upon us. We were lucky. It was the Mid Autumn Festival (don't know what the Greeks call it. They should have some god for it. Seléne Day?) and we have a full moon with clear skies. The soft glow of the moon provided us with some light for navigation.
The trails became less and less distinct. At times we had to backtrack a little to get back on the correct trail.
“走直转右” I kept telling shuyi, hoping that we will see refuge A when we do so. Though we were cold and tired, we kept laughing. We were both 'equipped' with touchlights. I had a led pen torch I grabbed from my dad's car on the way to the airport. Shuyi had a single LED, single battery torch she bought from Daiso. The torch is smaller than a 20cent coin.
“走直转右” never did happen. Not for a long time. The cold winds were blowing and when suddenly the trail changed. Stone steps.
We have finally reached Refuge A. I was so tired that I had did not climb the steps (all 5 of them) to the Refuge immediately. We sat on the 2nd step and laughed.
In the Refuge, we were told to change to slippers and sign in. The refuge was bustling with life as the climbers dined and chatted.
You can see that Ukrainians are god damn strong. They were the only ones who can still write legibly after the climb. Can't say the same for the 2 shamed Singaporeans though. That's what you get for under estimating Mt Olympus.
We thought for sure that we were the last to reach Refuge A for the day but we were proven wrong when an old gentleman came in 15 minutes later. Let's call him Austrian Uncle for now.
Shuyi suddenly sprang to life when the resident fat cat emerged from behind the counter.
The cat finally had enough of shuyi's bullshit and clawed her in her forearm, drawing some blood in the process.
We ordered potatoes in red sauce (whatever that is), bean soup and a greek salad.
I had my first "任性可乐" (so called because coke is expensive in Europe but I always get the urge to drink in only when I am abroad) of the trip that night. A can of coke which I shall not forget for a very long time.
On our way to our room, a strong just a wind hit us and sent chills down to our very bones. We ran into the room (shared with a male couple, a baldy dude with his girl friend and Austrian Uncle), threw on 3 layers of blanket and cuddled up.
Refuge A ran a tight ship. Lights out at 10. Absolute darkness. None of the lights work after 10. By 8 in the morning, you must vacate the room. No lazy bones in the Refuge.
Austrian Uncle snored like a jet engine the whole night. He was less than a metre away from us. We had a great night.
hmmm... free sample
Then she gave me instructions on how to board a plane.
it's this one dumb dumb
We touched down around 5 in the morning, GMT +3. I knew that we would touch the ground running so I only watched 2 movies on the plane and slept early. We watched The Hangover and a Korean movie called Memoirs of Murder.
Picking up the luggage: please come out. As the first day's itinerary is very tight, something as simple as a few hours delay will seriously screw things up.
all set. let's go!
We saw the Greek's definition of Singapore. I'm surprised it is not chicken rice and chilli crabs.
Ms Tourism at work
starting to like this place already
We have to take the metro to a ghetto part of town and walk to the bus terminal for our 5 hrs journey to Litochoro (City of Gods. Overhyped name), a small ghetto town most famous for being at the foot of Mt Olympus. Her one true merit, really.
Being in a hurry doesn't mean you shouldn't pose and take photos.
Same goes for being in a train.
The train stations on the map were listed in Greek, which is totally Greek to me. When you look carefully, then you see the english version in super small (at least to me) fonts below.
One thing you need to know when travelling is asking for directions. The second thing you must know is get a second opinion on the first opinion. Too many a times, they simply point you in a random direction because they do not understand english and are too lazy/proud to admit it. Or just because they are assholes.
A lady showed us the OPPOSITE direction when asked about the directions to the Bus Terminal A. A chubby uncle saw this injustice and pointed us in the right direction. He was some Canadian dude who 'used to hire lotsa Chinese people' back in Canada.
em... ok thanks. Can I go now master?
In his speech, he even sent two globs of saliva to my face. I tried to ignore it but shuyi saw what happened and laughed all the way.
But because of his correct directions, we got to the bus station with merely minutes to spare and boarded the bus. If we miss that bus, there will be no climb.
We grabbed some water and 2 pies (cheese/ham & feta cheese) for lunch and off we go!
food, water & tickets check! Here we go!
How I wished I had a dSLR for my Italy trip back then. I could have taken more pics like this. But looking back, the Ixus55 on auto mode also turned out some pretty decent outdoor pics. Can't say the same for the indoor ones though.
We had a pit stop along the way. The sky was clear and overwhelmingly bright. Thank god for the shades.
Mountains come in abundance in Greece. Every direction you look, you are bound to spot a couple of them in the background.
We finally reached Litochoro (or so we thought). The bus driver dumped us at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere.
In front of us, mountains.
Behind us, the sea.
Opposite us, a couple seriously making out.
Ok, now what?
Well, they have to stop kissing to get some air eventually. So I quickly moved in and asked for directions.
let's get it on honey
Seems like we just missed the bus and have to wait for the next one.So we're in the middle of nowhere, sandwiched between the mountain, the sea and a couple making out. Now what?
Well you take photos of course. You're a tourist! Start acting like one!
Some scenery.
Some wife.
And some miscellaneous stuff.
And we had porky take one for us as well.
The bus finally came and we hopped on.
'No need to pay for tickets if you took the bus from Athens' says the dude on the bus.
Who were we to object.
We reached Litochoro. I don't see why a small place like this needs a fountain.
Litochoro is such a ghetto place that there is NO internet booking for the hotels there. I skyped one of them and she assured me that since it is the off season, I can sashay into any hotel and book a room.
So I did.
'40€ a night without breakfast' says the first one. '40€ a night with breakfast' says the second. And we have a winner.
This is the most wasteful hotel stay of the trip as we will be spending the night atop Mt Olympus. So basically we're paying 40€ for a locker with a bathroom.
I skyped Refuge A (no kidding. that's what they are called) to make reservations before the trip. Refuge A (about 2,100m) is the small cabin on Mt Olympus. Imagine that: I can skype to the top of a freaking mountain but yet I cannot find any way to communicate with the hotels in Litochoro.
We changed into our 'climbing gear' (more on that later) and headed out to find a way to Prionia, the most popular starting point for the climb.
Not before shuyi traumatize some animals.
Garfield got molested in mid air: you can't run away from shuyi
Shuyi would proceed to harass many animals for the rest of the trip.
It was already 5 in the evening. The plan was already screwed to a certain degree. We are supposed to start climbing at 4. There is no one to hitch a ride from as it was getting late and no one was heading for the climb. The taxi was 25€ which we were reluctant to fork out.
After various attempts at hitch hiking, we relented and the cabby started on the winding drive up to Prionia. I was thankful that we paid the money for the cab. The way up was super long and winding. After a few dozen turns, the clouds were already beneath us. The road kept going like a Initial D race course on meth. The 25€ seemed more and more justified already.
fwah!
Prionia was nothing but a hut. We saw two dudes in serious climbing gear chilling at the hut chowing on some tazaki (yoghurt, garlic & cucumber). They told us we had better hurry if we want to reach Refuge A before it gets dark.
And off we go!
We started eagerly. But after like 20 steps, I turned and looked at shuyi
'ok. I'm tired already'
And I meant it. I just had an IPPT test hours before the flight and my legs are feeling it.
i can do it!
The trail started with lotsa greenery. The Internet told me that there is only the E4 route and getting lost is not possible. The Internet never told me that it is going to be such a pain in the ass. The first thing that hits/assaults you when you start that climb is the smell of donkey poo scattered/spread around casually. I've read that they use donkeys to transport goods up the mountain.
ok take 5
We sat down regularly to have some snacks. I still had my dSLR hung around my neck and eagerly took pictures along the way.
railings? haha! cake walk!
the sun is hung real low huh?
ok, getting darker...
is it just me or is this place starting to look more and more like a spooky jungle?
they upped the StairMaster2000 intensity. We have steps now...
do not be mistaken. the peak in the background is not even the middle of it...
We met up with quite a few groups of 2-3 along the way. All of them were on the descend. Their advise started with 'yea, you can make it' to 'you have better hurry if you don't wanna walk in the dark'. We got more and more worried.
We met this uncle with a cool moustache. He gave us pretty precise timing of our climb and advised us to seriously consider turning back. We pressed on. I later joked that he might be Mt Olympus‘ 土地公公 who came to help us.
the vegetation started looking weird
a picnic table on a mountain?
We thought that the picnic table meant something of a milestone, a midpoint of sorts. We were wrong. We were still terribly far from Refuge A. At this point of time, I decided to treat the climb more seriously and kept the dSLR in the bag.
土地公公 said that even if we could see Refuge A in the distance, the winding trail would take us a good hour to reach. We kept walking and met up with a group of 4 on the descent. They told us the same thing and urged us to consider heading down with them. We kindly rejected their good offer and head on.
A minute later, we heard 'yoohoo! The two chinese people!'.
They were calling out to us.
'yes?' I shouted through the foliage.
'You really should go down with us. We mean it' insisted the voice over the trees.
I was pretty tired then and who am I to refuse such a insistent order? I subconsciously drifted down the trail, thinking of the buffet breakfast in the hotel the next morning. We totally underestimated the climb and did not bring any food at all.
Shuyi tugged at me and shook her head.
'I want to go on' she said firmly.
I nodded and shouted 'my wife wants to go up. Thanks for the advise' and moved on.
So we did. The foliage became thinner and thinner. What used to be thick canopy of pine trees are now replaced by fallen trunks and bare trees. The sun has already set and the moon hung over the mountain top.
Shuyi would later tell me that, this is the point where she became quite worried and started looking for places where we could spend the night if we have to. I confessed that I was doing the same thing as well.
We finally saw the single light in the distance (vertically). Refuge A! We were glad that we can at least see the destination but 土地公公's words hung ominously in our head. Another hour to go?
Darkness descended upon us. We were lucky. It was the Mid Autumn Festival (don't know what the Greeks call it. They should have some god for it. Seléne Day?) and we have a full moon with clear skies. The soft glow of the moon provided us with some light for navigation.
The trails became less and less distinct. At times we had to backtrack a little to get back on the correct trail.
“走直转右” I kept telling shuyi, hoping that we will see refuge A when we do so. Though we were cold and tired, we kept laughing. We were both 'equipped' with touchlights. I had a led pen torch I grabbed from my dad's car on the way to the airport. Shuyi had a single LED, single battery torch she bought from Daiso. The torch is smaller than a 20cent coin.
“走直转右” never did happen. Not for a long time. The cold winds were blowing and when suddenly the trail changed. Stone steps.
We have finally reached Refuge A. I was so tired that I had did not climb the steps (all 5 of them) to the Refuge immediately. We sat on the 2nd step and laughed.
In the Refuge, we were told to change to slippers and sign in. The refuge was bustling with life as the climbers dined and chatted.
You can see that Ukrainians are god damn strong. They were the only ones who can still write legibly after the climb. Can't say the same for the 2 shamed Singaporeans though. That's what you get for under estimating Mt Olympus.
We thought for sure that we were the last to reach Refuge A for the day but we were proven wrong when an old gentleman came in 15 minutes later. Let's call him Austrian Uncle for now.
Shuyi suddenly sprang to life when the resident fat cat emerged from behind the counter.
stay away from me!
see that silver thing hanging from shuyi's jeans? yea. That's the torch. Big huh?
the cat should have known better: resistance is futile.
The cat finally had enough of shuyi's bullshit and clawed her in her forearm, drawing some blood in the process.
We ordered potatoes in red sauce (whatever that is), bean soup and a greek salad.
I had my first "任性可乐" (so called because coke is expensive in Europe but I always get the urge to drink in only when I am abroad) of the trip that night. A can of coke which I shall not forget for a very long time.
On our way to our room, a strong just a wind hit us and sent chills down to our very bones. We ran into the room (shared with a male couple, a baldy dude with his girl friend and Austrian Uncle), threw on 3 layers of blanket and cuddled up.
Refuge A ran a tight ship. Lights out at 10. Absolute darkness. None of the lights work after 10. By 8 in the morning, you must vacate the room. No lazy bones in the Refuge.
Austrian Uncle snored like a jet engine the whole night. He was less than a metre away from us. We had a great night.
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