Relaxin' in Plakias

Amazingly, I've had very little to write about lately. I'm still hanging out here at the Hostel in Plakias, on the island of Crete in Greece. Every day I feel a little better but I still spend a decent amount of time in bed. I've tried to walk further and further every day, and so far I've succeeded. The sucky thing is that sometimes there's no pain, and then a minute later it feels like someone is hammering nails into my leg and foot. And then poof, no pain again. I really don't get it. And after every fifty meters or so I have to stop and stand on one leg to take the pressure off my right sciatic nerve. So walking anywhere takes a good deal of time. But it's still nice to not be bedridden. I also still can't sit. It's quite frustrating. It makes me uncomfortable to try to hang out with the folks because they're all sitting around a table or whatnot and I have to stand, hover, really, over them. It just seems weird. They're all nice about it because they know I'm crippled, but still, it's odd for me. I'm not the most socially dynamic person in the best of circumstances.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm considering taking a slightly more difficult walk/hike to a different beach. I may not make it, or it may take me forever to get there and back, but I figure it'd be good to try. It seems like the more I move around the better I feel. Of course, that has to be tempered with periods of laying down. So it's definitely complicated. Supposedly there's an old mill that uses the design from Mesopotamia and was built by the Venetians over 400 years ago that's about an hour hike away. I imagine for me that means two to three hours. But I'd really like to see it. There are some other places--old churches and the like that I might be able to see--some I can hop a 2 euro bus to (well, to the general area, anyway).

Also, supposedly, the creek that runs right behind the hostel here if you follow it up-stream it leads to several waterfalls and a beautiful gorge. I'd like to do that too. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Jessica and I are planning to stay here for at least an extra week--we already changed our ferry tickets to open tickets so we can leave whenever we want. We'd like to see Santorini too--maybe next week. It's a 16.30 euro ferry each way, and I've heard it's completely worth it. Plus there's a HIGHLY recommended hostel there that's only 6 euros a night! Hard to believe.

Anyway, that's really all there is to report. Today I walked to town--twice. Once to go with a group--one of the group had to catch the bus back to the port because she was leaving the island. Then Jessica and I just walked around, had a gyro on the beach and sat and watched the tiny Mediterranean waves. It was nice and relaxing.




That's a picture of the group that I walked to town with.

I will say this, this is probably the nicest, most trustworthy group of people I ever imagined meeting at a hostel. I've left my laptop out and sitting on the table outside while I went in and took a nap, and it was still there when I got back. I haven't heard of a single theft or anything. Whereas when I was in Barcelona, there was a guy as we were checking in that said he set his backpack at his feet while he was at the bar, looked down a few minutes later and someone had literally stolen it out from underneath him. Unbelievable. But this place is great. I could see vacationing here in the future. If Santorini is as I imagine it will be, I might think the same about there too.

Oh, and here's a picture of the hostel:




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Μάγερ,Athens,Greece