craigdavidboyce

The Boat

The map

The crew

This is the route of the boat for our biker trip starting at Bordrum and ending at Kos.
Day -2to zero . 24 th – 26 th August 2017. Arrival into Bodrum after very long disrupted trip – typhoon in HongKong delayed us by 12 hours which meant the extended stopover we had planned in HK didn’t get to happen – premium economy from Auckland through to Frankfurt helped- love the bubbles and the knockout pills!
Very near disaster – on arrival Frankfurt left my phone on the plane – panic – German efficiency a marvel . No where else would lost property have sent a special truck out to search the plane and bring back my phone – wow!
Day -1

Shared taxi to hotel Ena in Bodrum with Judy McKenzie from Nelson on the bike trip – bloody small world . Ena a lovely boutique hotel with pool and roof top dining with views over Bodrum . Easy walk to waterfront town and promenade with bars n restrants . Great place and friendly at all levels.

Bodrum town and swimming in med for the first time

This final pic of Kit and Sheryl – what a bummer – they so looking forward to the Greek Islands , biking, and fun but had to go home from Bodrum due Sheryl’s mother passing away and funeral in less than a week – this in cafe with water fine spray above to cool the air – over 30 here .
Day one . Bodrum( turkey to Kos Greece)

Slow to get away due to the customs and passport process leaving port – wow they such beauracrats stamping n glaring ! Meet Ralph ,Simone,Maria,Robbie,and all the guys – including Ali the tour guide – ” my friends” !!!! – such a mix of German ,Turkish , English .

Kos – lovely place . First ride in afternoon to ancient site . Some stayed for the lecture tour – including Robin Oakley who cursed the old stones and boring commentary – all he wanted was a beach n beer . We rode on to beach and beers. Lovely long beach but with weed to get through first – at Marmari . Great to get on the bike .

Dinner on the beach – great spot near the marina where Richards boat is in dry dock.

Day 2. Early cruise to Leros – strong winds and up early . Lovely small harbour after Bodrum and Kos . Short bike over hill to against marina and out to tiny church on an island with breakwater to get to it . Up to hill top castle at platanis – white white and streets so narrow could hardly get the bike through – built this way to make it difficult for 14th century pirates to raid . Interesting place – hot as when we there – and cafes in main square don’t open till the cruise ships arrive !

In chapel on the hilltop castle- wow talk about Greek Orthodox lavish – tiny place n me in the throne.

Day 3 Patmos

Been here before and loved Patmos then . Remember CEO Borthwicks saying back in mid 1980s that this was his favourite Greek is – we visited on a cruise ship in about 1986 – sotos Napliotos shouted us a 3-4 day cruise out of Athens -wonderful gesture !
Anyway I remembered we saw then a hotel named after Effie our dog – took our fancy way back then – lovely brown Labrador who would just go and racing and backing around the pool if we in it – especially when I was training to do Eskimo rolls for my first kayak coast to coast with Lena ?
Short bike to st John grotto and monastery – sorry this is the impossibly white village with narrow streets not Leros ! This where St. John wrote the last chapter of the bible – Apocalypse.

in the afternoon we sailed from PAtmos to Lipsi a nearby island – bike trip around lipsi didn’t take long – tiny island with 700 pop but lovely and quiet – no bloody tourists!

Day 4 30 th August Kalymos lsland

Sailed early from Lipsi . More of a ride today with long hit climb over a pass from the drop off point at Emboios to the main town Vathis then to port of Kalimos . Lunch and swim at lovely natural valley harbour of Vathis – sponge capital of the islands . Hot hot day . Had strange feeling I had been here before but I think it was a similar type of natural harbour village – maybe Spain .

Day 5 31st August Kos island

By ferry from kalmos early as shallow draft at Mastichari on the opposite side of the island meant we had to get bikes and us onto ferry for the trip . Lovely bike through barren hills and past rubbish tip to highlight – Zia village – later revisited on scooter with maree . Tourist village high up surrounded by trees – painted streets and very clean n tidy . Quiet ride down into Kos to join the boat . Love Kos . Can see our hotel from the wharf – Kos Aktis . Where we stay two nights after the others heard back to Bodrum .

Found the hyppocrates tree and great restraunt which we went to several times looking out on to it – and ruin of the mosque still lying there after the EQ a month ago – just starting to clear furniture out of it . Maree n Sharleen have Kos Sussed out .

day 6 1st September

Last day on board . Short bike round the coast to thermal area- we didn’t go down to it – others did n were disappointed . Rubbish n mess .
Back for lunch and bye bye to lovely people on the trip . Especially great to see Maria n Robby again . Catch up with Robin n Shirley, Peter n Marie Hill nelson, John n marianne Duncan ,Deane n Jenny Moreton and all the others there .

Bye now to Agean sea and The Dodecanese – we heading for Mykonos in the Cyclades islandsfor a week 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌴🌴🌴
Arrived Saturday in early afternoon at mykonos via Athens from Kos – the connection times were too tight . Maree’s two cases got through but craig’s left behind to arrive 12 hours later . Staying at lovely boutique apartments with pool above Ornos town n beach – lots of beach bars n restraunts . Fab 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

Hot 30 most days – picked up a 150 four stroke Honda motor scooter – great for surviving the chaotic traffic particularly on the five way corners .

Favourites on Mykonos .

Restraunts – kikis at AG Sostis ( even if it’s only lunch and you have to start aiding in the sun at 11.30 am for 1pm lunch ) . No power so beautiful salads 15 types and chicken, pork, fish cooked in wood fired BBQ style oven .

– Katerinas bar little Venice on the balcony looking across to Delos is at sunset overlooking the famous 5 Windmills of mykonos town.

– Aperanto Galazio at the far end of Ornos beach – spent days on the beach loungers and umberrella (20 e for the day incl a bottle water ) just a few meters from the sea . Great bar learners too.

– free umberella taverna overlooking Kalafati beach

– hippie fish at ag Giannis beach ( Shirley valentine taverna) . Makes great expresso machavato and again great bar learners

– couple if tavernas on harbour waterfront watching the people coming off the huge cruise ships !
Over priced n over hyped – mykonos grand resort , Psarou and Pati Gialos
Best Beachs

Ornos,ag Giannis, Falafati,Sostis, panormos.

Most over crowded beaches

Anywhere there is public buses from mykonos town – paradise,Elia,super paradise,agrari.