Sat/Sun 7.24-7.25 Part II: The Night is Young

The next leg of our trip involved getting to Eos, a nearby island. By nearby, I mean 2 hours away by ferry and 45 minutes away by hydrofoil (a faster kind of ferry). Unfortunately, the ferries leave from a more modern port than Old Port, and to get there, we had to either get a cab or take the bus [no donkeys or cable cars here!]. The problem was, by the time we got to the bus station, the last bus before our ferry had left and we were forced to get a cab. Problem being, not many cabs were receptive to taking us to the port, for some reason. It took nearly an hour to get a cab, and when there are 6 people, it's especially difficult. After much frustration, running around, and literally chasing after taxis, we got to the port, got on the boat, and [for me], after eating a cheese pie, immediately fell asleep.

I awoke as we were docking in Eos and a driver from the Princess Sissy Hostel came to pick us up. Yup. Princess Sissy. The hostel was (surprise) on a hill, just like most of the island is, about halfway between the beach and the town, which was a pretty good compromise. After depositing our stuff in the rooms, we decided to head down to the beach and swim off the mineral residue from earlier in the hot springs. Eos is famous for its white sand beaches and the one near our hostel did not disappoint. The sand was much finer than anything I had seen before in Greece, even finer, I would dare say, than the sand on the California beaches. It felt super nice to walk in [no sharp rocks], but the problem with fine sand is that it gets everywhere and does not leave. Luckily, after a short nap, it was swim time.

Now you might be wondering (as I was) that I lasted for 2 months without going for a swim in the ocean. Well aside from my obvious lack of swimming chops, there were many things that I won't dwell on that contributed to me taking my first swim in the Aegean two months after I got to Greece. "But what about you leaping into the caldera, Angela?" Well, technically, it's not part of the Aegean; it's a caldera. Oh technicalities. Pictures are on Marj's camera so as of now, I don't have any of me "bobbing" in the ocean ["bobbing" because the water was only 3 feet deep] but after a day of stinky sulfur and stinky donkeys, the water of the Aegean felt so good. Also, reading Cosmo out loud on the beach is a great way to bond and share some laughs with the ladies.

13. Take a dip in the Aegean.

Then, we watched the sun set. It disappeared behind some mountains very quickly and before we knew it, we were bathed in the dusk of twilight. As we turned to go back to the hostel, we saw something that you don't see very often: moonrise. One of my favorite books is A Wrinkle in Time and in this book, the protagonists are forced to turn away from the moonrise to watch a dark shadow fall over them. Since then, I've wanted to see a true moonrise, but it's hard because in many places the moon rises before the sun sets. But here, oh what a sight.

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A bit of background on the island of Eos. Eos, also spelled Ios, is one of the youngest [touristwise] of the Cycladic islands. It's known for its white beaches, which served as campgrounds for the young, penniless traveler during the 1970s, and subsequently, for its nightlife. Fortunately for us, who hadn't slept much, nightlife doesn't really start in Eos until 2 AM, so we had time to take naps and get our strength back up before heading out.

We start getting ready at around midnight, busy ourselves until around 1:30 AM and head out for the town. It's dark, but the hill leading up to the town doesn't feel dangerous. In fact, there is a sense of anticipation in the air. Where do we go? How do we get there? We end up going to a couple of clubs, which did not charge covers for the ladies [Rehab and Disco 69] and danced the night away with sparklers in our hands. All the stresses of the summer - of my project, of finding food and water on the islands, making our flight, dealing with unsavory characters - all that slipped away as I moved to the beat, and I remembered why I love dancing and why I love watching others dance. There's a euphoria as they let themselves go, a light in their eyes when they hear their song come on. Personally, I'm not a big dance whilst intoxicated gal because I want to feel everything - my feet on the ground, the beat thrumming through me, the heat of the bodies around me. And I want to remember it.

Shivani's mantra is "go big or go home." And I'd certainly say that we went big that night. Finally, with drooping eyes and tired limbs we decided to head back to the hostel. At 5:00 AM, on our way back we stumbled upon what else but a Nutelleria.

The line was too long so we decided to skip and go to sleep, but still, an epic end to an epic night.

Next, back to Santorini. Stay tuned.