5 May 2018, Saturday

This morning, we reluctantly checked out of our Airbnb apartment as we prepared to bid farewell to lovely Mykonos. Last night, I had arranged for my Airbnb host to send us to the port to catch our 9:50am Sea Jets ferry to Santorini. At 9:00am, the host’s brother arrived and he dropped us at the port, just 10 minutes away.

Before alighting, I asked the brother if it was the right place to catch the ferry to Santorini, and he said yes. We waited at the small building but something felt wrong because there were no other passengers at the waiting area. There was one other small ferry docked at the port but the place seemed strangely quiet.

I checked my tickets and there was a stamp that said “Neo Aimani – New Port”. I then walked around the building and saw a sign that read “Aimena Port’s Exit”. It felt wrong but I put my faith in the host’s brother and believed that he had dropped us at the right place.

As the minutes ticked by, dad prompted me to ask around to check whether we were in the right place, because it was almost 9:20am but the ferry and other passengers were still not in sight. I spotted a ferry ticketing agent office near the port and popped in to ask the staff. To my horror, the lady informed me that we were at the wrong place – this was the old port and our ferry would be departing from the new port instead.

I sprinted back to tell mum and dad and we hurriedly walked to the taxi station to take a taxi to the new port. I was literally perspiring for the first time during this trip. Thankfully, it was a short distance away and the ride took less than 10 minutes, but it cost us 10 Euros. So much for saving money with a free drop-off by the host.

We arrived at the new port at about 9:35am and were relieved to see that there were hundreds of other people still there and the ferry had not arrived yet. In fact, our ferry was late and only arrived at about 10:05am. Thank goodness, we didn’t miss the ferry, but what a close shave it was!

I later told my Airbnb host what happened and he clarified that there were indeed Sea Jet ferries departing from the old port to Santorini. However, those were the slower ferries and not the fast ferries like the one we were taking. I checked back on my WhatsApp communication with him and realised that I only told him that we would be catching the Sea Jets ferry to Santorini, but I did not specify the name of the ferry (Champion Jet 1), that it was a fast ferry, and that it would be departing from the new port.

He assumed that I was referring to the slower Sea Jets ferry at the old port. However, I did not know that Sea Jet ferries also operated out of the old port so I assumed that he knew where we were going. Anyway, it was a case of miscommunication and I shoulder part of the blame for not being specific enough. Another lesson learned.

TIP: For those of you going to Mykonos, remember to check which port your ferry is departing from – the old port or new port!

The Sea Jets Champion 1 ferry is smaller than the Blue Star Naxos ferry we took earlier. Naturally so, because it is a fast ferry so being smaller allows it to travel faster. We paid 66.80 Euros (S$111.72) each for a Silver Class ticket (i.e. Economy seat) and it was free seating at the lower deck. However, there were proper airplane-style seats so we had a much more comfortable ride this time.

It was a nice ship and it was mostly smooth, until about the last half an hour or so, when it got a bit choppy. We were scheduled to arrive Santorini at 11:55am but only arrived at around 12:45pm. As we alighted from the ferry, I was surprised to see the steep caldera in front of us. It was quite an impressive welcome and not what I was expecting.

I had arranged with my Santorini Airbnb host for pickup from the port, so we looked for our driver and soon spotted him. He was very friendly and drove a big and comfortable van. The journey from the port to our Airbnb apartment in Fira took about 25 minutes. Expect to pay around 25 to 30 Euros for the ride.

Airbnb apartment
Address: 25is Martiou, Thira, 847 00, Greece
Host: Dimitris / Lila
Price: S$524.31 for 3 pax for 2 nights
Airbnb link: https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/20267477?s=51 

The host welcomed us at the apartment and showed us around. It was described as a mansion and it looked very stylish and pretty. The bathroom was very big but not very practical because most of the space was occupied by a large bath tub that no one used. Perhaps the main selling point was the rooftop jacuzzi, which was in a common area shared by the other two mansions belonging to the same Airbnb host. I thought the apartment was ok but dad didn’t like it very much. It was too avant-garde for him.

For lunch, we cooked the curry-flavoured Maggi instant noodles that we brought from home. It had been a while since we had something spicy, because you can’t find chilli in any of the food dishes in Greece. Needless to say, the humble Maggi mee tasted heavenly!

I had originally planned to visit Oia (pronounced as “O-ya” and not “O-I-ya”) tomorrow and also contemplated hiking from Fira to Oia, which would take around 4 hours. However, the weather forecast indicated that there was a possibility of rain tomorrow, so I decided that we should visit Oia today instead, while the weather was still fine. We wouldn’t have enough time to hike there today and it seemed quite far away, so I dropped the idea. After our satisfying home-cooked lunch, we left our apartment at 3:30pm and proceeded to the local bus station.

Our apartment was located in a very quiet (or secluded) area but a shortcut led us to the main street in less than 10 minutes. From there, it was another 5 minutes’ walk to the local bus station. As we walked, we passed by the Fira main square and town centre with a lot of shops and restaurants. It was a bustling place and it felt very different from Mykonos.

The local bus from Fira to Oia departs every 20 to 30 minutes or so. Check the timetable pinned beside the ticket booth for departure and return timings. The bus ride costs only 1.80 Euros (S$3) one way and you buy the ticket on the bus, not at the ticket booth. There is no proper queuing system so everyone just crowds around the door to get up the bus. If you’re unlucky, there may not be any seats left by the time you get up, so you either stand or wait for the next bus.

The journey from Fira to Oia took 30 minutes and we arrived at 4:30pm. I didn’t really know where to go but we just followed the crowds and soon found ourselves at, Nikolaou Nomikou, the main walking street of Oia.

The first time I saw Oia was unforgettable. It was quite an astonishing sight. Perched upon the steep caldera slope were hundreds of small houses in different shapes and sizes but almost all painted in white. Every one of them had incredible views of the Aegean Sea. Most of these are luxury resorts for well-heeled tourists. Many of them had small pools that were not so much used for swimming but for soaking in, and for the envy-inducing Instagram shot. Some people were sun tanning on deck chairs while others were sipping cocktails. It was the ultimate luxe life.

We paused ever so often to take photos because everywhere we walked seemed to be postcard-worthy. Like Mykonos, Oia is really unique and one of a kind. It was what I had expected and seeing it in real life was awesome.

As Oia is catered for the luxurious traveller, the shops in the main drag are all very expensive. They were nice to look at but had nothing worth buying. At about 6pm, we went to a restaurant called Blue Sky for dinner. They were very smart because they had a Chinese menu, so the majority of their clientele were Chinese tourists. And yes, there are a lot of Chinese tourists in Santorini.

Mum and dad ordered a pork chop to share, while I decided to try a local dish called moussaka. I had seen it in all of the Greek tavernas during the previous days so I was curious to know what it tasted like. Moussaka is made of eggplant and/or potato, often including ground meat, with a top layer of egg custard or flour. I am normally not a fan of eggplant because of its squishy texture, but the moussaka tasted very good and I enjoyed it. It was a bit like lasagna too. Just for reference, we also ordered a bottle of still water and our dinner bill came up to 26.40 Euros (S$43).

After dinner, we walked to the other end of Oia, where a huge crowd had already gathered to see the famous Santorini sunset. At this time of the year, the sun sets quite late in Santorini, at about 8pm, so it was still very bright when we were there at 7:10pm. As Oia is located at the tail end of the Santorini caldera, you get unobstructed sunset views from here, and that’s why it is such a popular place. You also get to see the whole stretch of houses on the slope of the caldera and it is a very impressive sight.

We didn’t stay until the sun actually set because judging by the crowd, we were afraid that the bus back to Fira would be too packed and we might end up having to take a taxi back instead. When we reached the Oia bus station at about 7:35pm, I checked the timetable and realised that we had missed the 7:20pm bus and the next one would only be at 8:20pm. Nevertheless, we hung around the area and saw other tourists gathering around. Eventually a line formed and a man started collecting money and issuing the bus tickets. Thankfully, the next bus departed at 8:00pm (it was not indicated in the timetable) and we managed to get seats for the 30-minute ride back to Fira.

At 8:30pm, the sun had set but the sky was still relatively bright. We wanted to get back to our apartment before it got really dark because it was quite secluded there. After buying some pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast, we walked back to our apartment via the shortcut. It was very quiet and dark but actually very safe, and we didn’t meet anyone along the way.

That night, there was a power failure, and it happened while mum was showering! At first, we thought it was only our apartment that was affected, but I saw that the next-door unit was also dark. I called the host and he informed me that the whole village, in fact, was without power. It took about 10 minutes before power was restored. Always keep a torch light handy, and probably one in the bathroom too!