8th

The boat was on time, but took a slow 3hrs to get to Santorini. At first glance of the island i noticed the huge mountains which fell the water. They looked like they had snow on the tops of them, but as we got closer I discovered that they were tiny white houses. Santorini is a whitewashed town which sit on island created by volcanic eruption, the island is shaped like a doughnut with a bite taken out, with the center of it being the dormant volcano. The bus zig zaged up the mountain side to the town of Fira. We settled in our tent cabin a step up from our last accommodation but still a ragged tent box. First plans were to purchase a camera. It looked grim when from exiting a store i read in a brochure that the same camera as Elyse water proof on was on sale. We ran back in to find that there was only one left, haha that would be right. So Elyse brought it and we ordered another and were told it would be in on Monday. Happy with our new toy we roamed the streets looking at the bright jewelery stores and admiring the breath taking view out to sea. Fira town is beautiful. The white buildings hang onto the mountains edge and the cobble stone roads wind through them. After the walk we went back to camp to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. We must of waited at least 2 hours to see Australia enter the stadium in their terrible track suits. What a shame but still proud to see them represent Aussie.

9th
Santorini is created by a volcano it would be wrong not to experience that natural wonder. So we went on a volcano tour which ended up being quite an experience. Firstly getting down the mountain to the boat was a trip of its own. We had to walk down the donkey trail where numerous donkeys hiked up and down all day long. The hike down for the donkeys was fast and slippery, which resulted in them running into people. I thought it was funny when i whiteness a girl been squished against a wall by gallivanting donkeys. But once it happened to me well....., it was like running with the bulls all over again. Now i have been contemplating whether to ride a donkey, due to rumors that they are missed treated but on inspection then seemed fine, some even over fed. We caught an old fashion boat over to the dormant volcano where we hiked up the black rocky path to the top. The last eruption was in the 50's when it tore apart a large part of the island, however people still choose to live hear even though there are signs of another eruption. I must say the volcano didn't look like id expected but still the different colour in rocks and the small amount of sulfur some of the rocks produced was cool enough. The black rocks are this colour because when their was an exploding the hot rocks hit the water and made them cool quickly, the red rocks created when it has longer to cool. I'm not a scientist but this is the basic idea behind it. Really it was just a big rock which could make Santorini disappear. After we heated up from hiking around, the boat took us to a hot spring. It was however mildly warm and the water was a muddy brown colour, not very inviting. But like everyone we swan into the murky water and applied this 'skin cleansing' mud to our skin. It felt disgusting and i was quick to remove it and swim to the clear colder natural water. A short boat back to the main island to ride the donkeys to the top. These donkeys did what they wanted, they started and stopped as they pleased and veered into walls and pedestrians. It was a fun ride on the donkeys which we nicknamed Blacky and Speedy, for the obvious reasons. Thank god we didn't walk up the hill because it would of killed me. We had a massive 5hr Nana nap then joined a group of Aussies and attempted to go out. It cost 15 Euro to get into the clubs, and we weren't up for a huge night so opted for bed instead.

10th
Excited to get on a quad bike we were up early. We were ready to hoon around the island and discover new beaches. With no map we came across a sign 'Ancient Thera', sounded interesting so me driving and Elyse relaxed on th back we climbed the mountain on our red quad bike. As we zig zaged up the mountain we pass so many people walking up in the scorching heat. I felt sorry for they, but thanked my pocket that we had the bike. We parked and joined the hike up the top. 15mins up the rocky path, hot and sweaty we questioned where we were going, but as so many other people were doing it it was decided that we better continue in fear of missing out. Helmets and bag in hand we finally made it to the ancient Roman city (ruin). Ok so we made it to the top and we saw some old rocks but it was time to hike back and roll down the hill to the closest beach. The first beach we found was a black, volcanic pebble beach and ended up being our favorite. We ran down the beach stripping off our clothes to dive straight in to the beautiful cool water, ahhh. We beached ourselves on the rock to massage our body, sounds kinda weird but felt good. Must of looked like two beached wales, but the beauty of being in a different country you tend not to care what some people think or say. The rest of the day as spent riding from beach to beach, all over the island, riding until we got hot, getting wet, riding again and so on. This was until the bike decided not to start, we were thankfully t a beach rather then in the middle of no where. Stranded at the beach we swam and relaxed int the shade while waiting for the man to come and fix the quad. It was broken so i hope on the back of a greasy Greek mans bike to go get another quad. I though i was going to die. 120kmh dodging truck, i had cramps in my hands i holding on so tight. An experience i shall not forget and hope never to repeat. I rode back on a safe 40kmh to retrieve Elyse and get some lunch. First they gave us a broken bike and secondly they give us a Nana bike that struggled to get up hills. We dropped into a supermarket and brought supplies for our sunset picnic and headed to Oia. Perched on top of someones roof top we indulged in wine and ate avacardo like an apple (note we pealed it like an orange, so messy and not advised). Watched the sun disappear over the horizon and the vino into our bellies, Not as pretty as home but such great atmosphere. The bizarre thing was, once the sun had set everyone clapped.... what the? Slowly putted back to town to swap the quad for a decent one, third time lucky maybe. A fantastic day even with the craziness. Keep this one in the memory bank.

11th
All excited to buy a new camera today we went to the shop first thing, only to be disappointed because the courier hadn't arrived. So we took off on another adventure to visit the red beach and white beach. Yes it really did have red rocks. Went back to our favorite beach and brought a ring for one of the many shops which lined the beach. Also purchased some naturally sun-dried tomatoes and local red wine form some crazy Greek ladies on the side of the road. They both tasted amasing, the tomatoes were a blast of flavor while the wine was so sweet i wanted more. We once again brought picnic supplies and ventured to our new found posse to watch the sunset. After sunset we went shopping in Fira town, brought so presents, another ring and earing's. Another fabulous day in the bag.

12th