Jack Kerouac was an American writer back in the Beat Generation. He once wrote a book called On the Road where he highlighted some of his travel experiences in the late 1940s.
On the road again, or I guess in my case, on the bright blue waters of the Aegean Sea again, continuing my travel expeditions in and around the Mediterranean.
My month long voyage recently came to an abrupt end. I will hold vivid memories of my trip in my head for years to come and I will always have countless memories to look back on. But for now, it is back to the real world grind.
Over the course of my trip, I ended up going to 8 different Greek islands. Throughout my journey, I was fortunate enough to experience a number of different flavors which each island had to offer.
The small, more traditional Greek islands with little-to-no tourists, featuring-- local eateries, old towns and villages, ancient ruins and dwindling dwellings.
To the larger, more commercialized island life geared for tourism, featuring-- upscale restaurants with English menus, newly renovated town squares/buildings, fancy shops and stores with mass-produced Chinese goods and an overabundance of dance clubs and discos.
The differences I witnessed were quite immense, but this is all part of the traveler's experience. If everything was the same, then there would be nothing to compare. Perspective is always pertinent when it comes to visiting different places in the world, not to mention the same geographic region of the world.
It is crazy how one island differed so largely from another, only 30 miles or so away, but it describes the changes the world has seen over the years.
My father and uncle visited Greece back in the early '70s, and at this point in time, it was a completely different world from today.
No tourists, old, funky villages and homes, cheap prices, no harbors for boats to dock, a road (likely dirt) from one end of the island to the other. This was the olden days, and much of these features have seen their day.
There is still a slight hint of this, but it really depends on where you go. Kimolos, for instance, still had the old-time, traditional Greek feel to it-- old stone streets and alleys, tens of thousands of stone walls, villages inhabited with locals, and restaurants with traditional Greek cuisine and Greek menus.
But, if you go to an island like Santorini, which has been significantly changed (for the worse), you will notice that it is not even an 'island' anymore, as a local from Folegandros told me.
I was planning to visit Santorini on my trip but was persuaded otherwise by locals telling me that this place is an entirely different planet nowadays.
If you wanted to stay in Santorini, then plan to spend at least 150 Euro per night for accommodations. Also, you will be bumping elbows with tourists, which would get old after a few days if you ask me.
When I travel, I prefer to bump elbows with the locals. This is how you find the hole in the wall places that no else, besides the locals, know about.
All in all, my recent trip was an amazing experience that I will cherish for a lifetime. I saw and experienced so many things that I am not normally accustomed to. The culture shock of traveling to a foreign place is always one of the most intense feelings, but adaptability allows for you to negate this and step outside your comfort- something I always love to try.
I got see and do so much while abroad, but as Geets would say, there just wasn't enough time.
Oh man, I almost forget... if you look closely you will see Geets at the top of the hill
This is always the reality when traveling. I guess I know what that means, though.
I'll see you soon, Cyclades.
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