After a series of poor decisions -- about which I'll have more to say later -- I found myself sitting alone at a closed Kalymnos airport, without a ticket and having no idea whether or when a plane might be coming to take me away. (I think there's one flight each day out of the airport, from Kalymnos to Athens, but I'm not sure.) So, I could sit and wait or I could start walking. The airport sits far outside of the main town, from which the ferry departs, and is maybe 500m high on the hillside. I walked to the end of the runway, looked down at the town, and thought: It doesn't look too far.
And, so, one more poor decision and I found myself walking -- with two bags totalling maybe 60 lbs -- down the hill into town. After 30 minutes, sweating profusely and tired, I realized that the port was, in fact, pretty damn far away.
Just then an elderly Greek man pulled alongside me on a beaten-up scooter. I have no idea what he said -- he spoke no English -- but 10 seconds later I was jumping on the back of his ride, speeding into town. He nodded to every local we passed, and they nodded back. I gradually loosened my grip around his waist and laughed to myself, thinking that we probably looked like quite the odd pair. And, sure enough, I arrived safely at the port despite never once telling him where I was headed. As he drove off in the opposite direction I offered him money, and he scoffed at me.
And, so, one more poor decision and I found myself walking -- with two bags totalling maybe 60 lbs -- down the hill into town. After 30 minutes, sweating profusely and tired, I realized that the port was, in fact, pretty damn far away.
Just then an elderly Greek man pulled alongside me on a beaten-up scooter. I have no idea what he said -- he spoke no English -- but 10 seconds later I was jumping on the back of his ride, speeding into town. He nodded to every local we passed, and they nodded back. I gradually loosened my grip around his waist and laughed to myself, thinking that we probably looked like quite the odd pair. And, sure enough, I arrived safely at the port despite never once telling him where I was headed. As he drove off in the opposite direction I offered him money, and he scoffed at me.