I'm in Santorini - A year later

The plane lands and we found ourselves waiting in the arrivals area with no transfer. Thinking the guy is running late we decide to wait. We walk outside and continue our search for the transfer guy. No sign of him what so ever.

It still doesnt hit us that we have been stood up. We continue to wait for him while I burst into laughter about something and spray water all over myself and our bags. I look around to only see a handful of people.

Meanwhile this lunatic dog comes charging at us, barking his head off ready to attack someone. I didn't know if I should run or stay put and block him off with the suitcases. Behind us is some woman who is a cleaner. She screams at him and somehow the dog bites onto her glove and runs off with it, with a grin on his face.

After about half an hour we realise that we are stranded at the airport. The best part we don't have the apartment address as we booked everything online including the transfer. All we know is that its Nikos Apartments.

So we search through the papers to discover a name. The number of the travel agency. So I storm in side to call this number. Luckly we had a greek phone card with us. I call the number only to reach an answering machine. So I leave a message in some hope.

We then realise we need back up -Plan B. We message a person in Sydney who I don't even know realising its early in the morning in Sydney. We ask this person to jump online and research a phone number for Nikos Apartments. We practically get an instant reply. God who is this person? I need him for emergencies. So this guy messaged a phone number to us and we rush inside to call it.

Some guy picks up the phone and confirms that we have called Nikos Apartments after we question him on it. We demand to know why our transfer isn't here and the guy seems lost and confused. He doesn't know what we are on about. We give him our details and he stilll has no clue to what we are on about. Apparently the person in charge of internet booking isn't at work today and could be the reason why we are stranded at the airport. He tells us to call back in 5 minutes when he tries to search for our details and organise a transfer.

While waiting like two homeless people we receive another sms from sydney stating that the number he gave us previously was actually incorrect. So he gives us another number. Now this is where we get confused on whats happening. We decide to call the previous number since the guy confirmed that it was Nikos Apartments to see whats happening. We call the guy up again and I have no idea whats happening as I'm standing there helplessly. Apparently the guy tells us that he has organised a taxi for our transfer. We try to re-confirm all our details when we find out that there is no KIKI (The woman who told our booking) or any record of us there. Then we found out that this isnt actually NIKOS APARTMENTS BUT NIKOS VILLIAS.

This is when the guy starts yelling his head off that we need to pay for the taxi he sent out to us since we didnt have a booking with his hotel. So what do we do? Slam the phone in his face. It just occurred to me that this guy has my name and will probably blacklist me from Santorini. We owe him for the taxi! Bloody KIKI.

We call the second number our mystery contact gave us from Sydney to only realise its the same number we had ie the travel agent. So we decide to give up with the phone and head to the taxi rank. We approach a taxi driver and tell him that we want to go to NIKOS APARTMENTS but have no address only what our friend has smsed to us.

The taxi driver storms off and tries confirming this with another taxi driver. We overhear part of the conversation something about the apartment being on a cliff top. We interrupt and tell him its not on a cliff top. We actually wanted to stay on a cliff top but then realised we would be paying five times as much.

The taxi driver ignores anything we say and shoves our luggage into the taxi. We quickly jump into the cab in hope of finding our apartment. After a short trip, which we went up a hill and reached a cliff top the taxi driver states we have arrived. We both stare out the window knowing that this isnt the place we booked. Nagasaki steps into panic mode and starts yelling dont unload the luggage until we check with reception.

I slam the taxi door open and rush inside to ask the guy standing behind reception. The guy who could barely speak english is actually quite helpful. We realise that this is the wrong place. We stand there for a moment when both the greek guys start a conversation in Greek. The hotel owner gives the taxi driver directions on where our apartment is.

By this time we are ready to strangle someone. We told the guy that this place wasn't on the cliff top yet again he insisted it was and brang us here.

After another 5 minute cab ride we pull into the right apartment block. We instantly see the sign NIKOS apartments and the place looks like the one on the internet. However we do confirm with reception that this is our place. We question on where our transfer was and the guy informs us that KIKI isn't working today. The bitch took a day off work.

Feeling frustrated we collect our room key and get lead to our room which is on the second level. The thing is our apartment is on top of their office and a bike shop. There is no elevators to be seen. Only stairs that wrap around. This old guy decides to help us carry our luggage upstairs not realising how heavy someones suitcase is. The poor guy was about to die carrying this suitcase up the stairs. I felt so bad for him. Imagine my grandfather trying to carry this suitcase. No old guy should be going through this.

When we finally reach the room and dump our luggage it was time to reward the old guy with a tip well it didnt quite happen. The woman who came upstairs with us started explaining something about the lock and key and how it all works when Nagasaki slams the door in their face without a tip. Like what the? After what this man went through carrying the suitcase up thoses flights of stairs all he got was a door slammed smack bang into his face. I'm suprised his hand didnt get jammed into the door when the door got slammed into his face. It was an instant reaction that left this poor man without a tip. What kind of a sick person doesn't tip?

After this whole tip mess we decided we needed some food. Hence the sightseeing of town began. With minor directions from the reception woman we headed out in search of anything to eat. The town wasn't that far from where we were staying. We started walking towards the town centre when we came across a phone box. Within moments we ran to it like lunatics and dialed Cherry's number. With all this frusturation building something had to give and what better way then screaming and abusing Cherry!

We both felt satisfied by this and located a noice resturant within the town centre. We rushed inside to have one of the best meals on this trip. The food was actually quite noice. Actaully I don't even remember what I ate but it was good. I think it was souvalaki.

After our meal it was time to check out the town. We noticed many souvenier shops and bars throughout the town. We both knew we would hit them over and over again in the next few days in hope of collecting postcards.

We walk past this bar that has a tart dancing in the door way trying to convince people to go inside. For a minute I thought it was a strip joint. The door was like her pole. Someone should shove that door where it belongs! Note - later we try and get her picture.

We decide that we've had to much excitment for one day and decide to buy some groceries before heading back to the apartment. I remember thinking wow I'm in Santorini at the time.

Back at the apartment Nagasaki jumps into the shower while I relax. Our room didnt have a TV so I had to amuse myself. Ok not in that way you sick people!

I decide to have a shower before heading to bed. I walk into the bathroom to realise that there are no curtains in the bathroom. I had to pratically climb over a huge bathtub to find myself in this shower. I open the tap to realise there is no water. OMG my worst nightmare. I need a shower badly after everything today and now there's no fuckin water. I storm our screaming my head off you've finished the water, there's no fuckin water, I need water!

We both head into the bathroom to try again and once again not a drop of water. This was weird. There was water 5 minutes ago but now theres nothing. Thinking we will have water in the morning I decide to shower in the morning instead and head to bed.