travel

Athens, Santorini, Mykonos: Greece

Our Greece trip in the summer of 2006 spanned a 10 day trip covering 2 days in Athens à 4 days in Santorini à 3 days in Mykonos à 1 day in Athens. We mostly used flights to go between the various destinations. While Ferries is a viable option, I would recommend taking flights, as the ferries tend to be highly weather dependent making the schedule highly unpredictable. If you are going in June, pull out those summer wears, lots of sunscreen, good pair of shoes and lots of water.

Athens:
To our surprise, we really liked Athens. Athens does get a bad reputation and usually is regarded by many as a quick stop in/out of Greece. Besides, an early morning (highly recommended as it gets HOT!) walk up to the Acropolis to marvel at the greatest of all archaeological sites, Athens has a lot to offer by way of spectacular sights and entertainment. The Plaka bustles with amazing energy on weekend nights. I think we got the best of it, as we were there right during the Soccer World Cup. Stay in/around Plaka as most places are a walking distance. Another definite visit is the Chapel of Agios Giorgios at the Lykavittos Hill. A difficult hike (which I was too ready to quit, if not for all the encouragement from Vivek) was rewarded by quaint little church planted on top of a hill with the finest views in Athens. This would be equally beautiful during the daytime. We loved the entertainment scene in Athens, which comprised of great nightclubs, noisy bars open into the wee hrs of the night and fun restaurants, but the one that topped it for me was attending the Athens symphony orchestra at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The music, the light and the venue, “Surreal” is what comes to mind. If you have a day (and believe me it takes a day with the traffic), try going to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. It is a white marble temple that sits on a cliff that plunges 50-60m into the sea. What a view and it has been so since 444 BC. On the ride to Cape Sounion, you will come across very cute beach towns and on the way back, if you try to skip the horrendous traffic, you can end up seeing all of Athens’ suburbs in an up-close and personal manner.

Next stop, Santorini:
Gosh! I could go on forever. The best way to get there is in a slow ferry enjoying the dramatically awesome views of the Caldera (of course be mindful of the ever changing ferry schedule, a minor risk). We chose to enjoy this view by air J. There are two main towns, Fira and Oia (pronounced Ia). Ia being the prettier and quieter one by measures and Fira being the happening one, with much nightlife. I would recommend staying in Ia, gals! but you can choose your own combination. This island gets hit by an afternoon wave of cruise crowds, so it is best to enjoy the island in the early morning and early evening hrs and avoid the crowd and heat by taking a long siesta from 11 am to 3 pm. This is where it gets important to pick the right hotel. Stay close to main areas as you probably will go back and forth during the day. Irrespective of where you stay, pretty much all the hotels there have a view of the caldera. Just make sure they have an a/c (did I mention, it gets HOT!). Views from the edge of caldera over the multi-colored cliff plunging into the sea, topped by a frosting of snow white homes is breath taking both during the day and night. The sights at both these places are out of the world and this would include the many trendy boutiques and classy jewelry shops. The most spectacular I would believe. Car rental does not make too much sense, as the landscape does not allow you to ride within the towns. Taxi and buses are the best option to travel across towns. There is a bus that goes every hr between Ia and Fira and works quite well. Wear very good shoes, as those slopes can be very slippery (My broken ankle and a my good-looking doctor can vouch ;)). The Santorini Island food though Greek is very different and extremely tasty. Try more local restaurants. Definitely go to a café called “Castro” in Fira to enjoy a beautiful sunset (a must see in Santorini). Kastro also has a hotel, which is where we stayed in Fira. When in Ia take the opportunity to experience the traditional cave houses of Santorini. While in abundance, few recommendations are Canaves Oia Hotel, Alexander's Boutique Hotel, Esperas Traditional Houses, Fanari Villas. Highly recommended eats: Ferentini in Ia village (amazing view and food), Fira: Casablanca (spectacular view) and Dionysos in Atlantis (amazing food).

Next stop, Mykonos:
Energize because we are now headed to the place with the best nightlife in Greece. The downtown, Hora (also spelt as Chora), is full of quaint confusing streets with boutiques in every nook and corner. Unique in its appeal, even when lost, the narrow alleyways with the white-walled buildings and their stone surfaces webbed with white paint are quite intriguing. When in Hora, enjoy a beautiful sunset and a strong drink of ouzo in the Little Venice area from where you can enjoy a line up of white washed windmills (a landmark of Hora). However, the food is nothing to write home about. The beaches are on the outskirts. You will need a car or some transportation as Mykonos is laid out. These beaches really pack up, so if you want a good spot at the beach get there by 10-11 am. The beaches are quite well equipped with bar and restaurants. Lovely beaches with very happening crowds. The party screen really starts out at 3pm at the beaches and last until 11 pm. After that the party moves to the down town area starting out at 1 pm, then back to the beach clubs to boogie to the sunrise @ 6 am. There are zillion places to party so just keep an eye out for those flyers that announce the next wild party. Everyone stays up late and then sleeps in – so enjoy the sun, sands and the endless parties. Highly recommended eats in Mykonos: Taverna Mathios (umm food), Solymar in Kalo Livadi (relaxed beachside eats with a trendy crowd). We found the Book: Lonely Planet Greece very useful. However, most of our restaurant finds were based on local resources.

Bangkok, Thailand

After our honeymoon in Thailand, many of our friend's decided to explore Thailand a bit further as well. Many of them did a stopover on route to India. Few pointers, if you are taking a very short trip to Thailand.

For a 4 day trip to Thailand, I suggest you don't waste more traveling to other areas as Bangkok has enough stuff and variety.
-- Shopping: Siam Center, world trade center and finally the “Pra Tu Nam” market for cheap stuff.
-- Historical in BKK : Royal Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun and others that your concierge may recommend.
-- Nightlife in BKK: though a bit risqué, you have to check out Patpong...one street behind the Patpong street, there is a nice upscale street with great dance places and good crowds ..it is quite a contrast from the crass on your face sex stuff of Patpong.
-- Other dance places: Rivas at Sheraton on Sukhumvit road/Ashoka road is nice too.
-- Food: plenty of choices, though definitely try a unnamed street Thai food restaurant in Soi 5, Sukhumvit . (Soi is a small perpendicular lane to the main roads, in this case Sukhumvit). It is a big place and you will see a lot of Non-Thai people there. Also, try a Indian restaurant called 'Bukhara'..also on Sukhumvit road at Nana Air Train station. (all
these names I am dropping around are fairly well known so anybody in your hotel can point you to it).
-- Massages: You have to get one...typically go to the massage parlor and get the masseuse to your hotel, it will cost you 2 dollars more but is much more comfortable. Typical, prices are around 500 bahts so don't pay more than that. Your hotel staff can also arrange to get u a masseuse as well, but it'll cost u a little more. At the end of the day,
it is definitely worth trying a foot massage. They are pretty ubiquitous in all parts of BKK and u can't miss them...quite a joy after a long touristy or shopping day.
-- Day tour: Ayutthaya on Taxi or by boat on the river is a great trip. You see ruins of their old capital and on top of the historical bldngs, u may also see some telecommunication equipment/towers, which ‘our own man Vivek’ help install to provide phone service to the area!
-- Day tour to beach: another must do, since u are not flying out to Phuket or Koh Samui...two choices, for quiet romantic beach for couples, go to Hua Hin; for more happening nightlife, parties etc., go to Pattaya.
“SaWatDee” [Farewell in Thai]