Mykonos

  Mykonos, Cyclades, Greece
Friday, May 29, 2009

Mykonos is a very different place than Santorini.  It is a low-lying island with gently curving hills, small secluded bays, and BEACHES.  We had heard that this was a "Party" island, and so wanted to have a little fun before heading back to Athens.  Hao found out that the most popular beaches were called Paradise and Super Paradise. After finding our hotel in the village or Ornos (short drive from Mykonos harbor), we jumped in out little rental jeep (Suzuki Jimny) and headed to the other side of the island.  Mykonos isn't very big, but it took us a while to get to and find Super Paradise Beach.  Right away we knew something was up, the parking lot was jammed and music was blasting from the beach club.  Walking in, we were immediately shocked to find a full scale beach party (more like a riot and orgy combined) going on as crazy as any spring break bash!  Music blasting, half naked bodies dancing, total mayhem choreographed to thumping house music. SWEET!  ; P  Did I mention all the HOT girls too?  Awesome!  However, being the old geezer that I am, I simply enjoyed the sights and sounds for a bit and dragged Hoa out of there so we could get some food and rest.  You can bet Hao is planning a return trip to scam on those babes though!  ; )

Since we missed out on seeing ancient Akrotiri on Santorini (Closed due to structural damage), I wanted to visit the ancient temple island of Delos.  This is a special island park close to Mykonos that is just a short boat ride away.  We spent a half day there and took a guided tour of the ancient temple complex and town.  Delos is similar to the well know ancient Roman city of Pompei in Italy as a well preserved site that has been excavated in detail.  I loved the ancient mosaic tile designs from the homes and public buildings. 

Returning to Mykonos, we spent the rest of the day kicking back on the beach in Ornos.  The beach is set up European style with rows of palm umbrelas and lounge chairs to relax and catch your fill of rays.  Five Euros buys you a seat for the whole day, with bar service included.  The water wasn't summer warm yet, but it was crystal clear and refreshing.  There were several private sailing yachts anchored just off the beach.  Hao and I took a swim out and around a nice sailing schooner with Singapore registry.  The best part was that as we swam up, we noticed that the name of the boat was "Thek Wini"!  We died laughing and almost drowned.

As our last night on the island, we wanted to go downtown and have a nice dinner.  We found a fantastic harbor-side restaurant with a view of the old port and sunset.  It seemed like the whole island had gathered on the spot to see the setting sun.     As we were eating, this ultra cool yacht pulled in and dropped the hook for the night.

We spent the next morning crawling throught the fantastis back alleys and maze-like walkways of the old port town.  We checked out the shops, cafes, and little churches hidden in the secluded district.  Every balcony had beautiful boughanvillas flowing down the walls and spring flowers everywhere.  It was different than the cliff dwelling alleys of Santorinin, more homey and intimate.  You felt like you lived here.

Unfortunately, we had to catch the boat to Athens that afternoon.  The hell of it was, that we had landed (and rented our car) in the old port, but had to hike over three kilometers to reach our return ship in the new port!  DOH!  Well, we needed the exercise anyway.  : )

So back to Athens we go and our last night of the trip...