Corfu, the final hoursSep 11, 2010
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I couldn't speak for my mind, but a part of my soul...
Multi-tasking during a last second dinner before the bus to the super...
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When Spiros failed to dry Dan's laundry completely, all hell broke lose.
| I listened to quite a bit of Steig Larsson this afternoon, so today’s entry goes like this: Kelly Lang awoke at 8:30am on the Saturday of his departure and glanced at the shiny silver hands on his watch in disapproval. The 8:25am alarm that had apparently not sounded and since his Blackberry had inexplicably stopped working a week earlier he was a little concerned about his ability to wake up on time for future endeavors. The hotel required a 9am checkout and he was quite confident that the “hidden fee hostel” would love nothing more than to charge him for another night’s stay if he arrived at 9:01am. He hurriedly packed up his remaining clothing, took care of his morning routine and headed to the lobby with a few water droplets still falling off his face from the washing moments earlier. It was raining outside and the agenda for the day was going to need to be modified more than a little bit if it was going to be salvaged. The scooter that had brought him such a scintillating mix of adrenaline and freedom was going to have to be returned and along with it his means across the island to any suitable cliff jumping spot. After returning his room key, Kelly headed to the lobby and was greeted with a droning of voices that was noticeably more irritating than the previous morning’s. He walked in to find the hall filled with not only the normal group of 40 or so backpackers but also with another 50 elderly persons who apparently belong to some Austrian band. It struck him as odd that this promiscuous hostel setting was their choice of accommodation and he hoped that when his 50’s came he could afford a slightly nicer spot for asylum when traveling. He checked the time and realized that if he was lucky he might be able to catch his far away girlfriend before she went to bed. For the whole of his travels, she had always a bright point in his day he liked that a lot. He called via his computer and as he hoped, she picked up the phone with an excited “hello!” and minutes later logged onto her computer so that they could communicate with one another in an almost face to face manner thanks to the marvels of modern technology. The two spoke for a half hour and discussed the only remaining unbooked accommodation for their upcoming 18 day holiday through France, Greece and Italy. Together they made a decision and at last feeling of completion dissolved any remaining stress that surrounded the trip. Based on how remarkably the last few months had gone, it was a well deserved reward for both of them. They had, thus far, masterfully navigated the treacherous waters of distance, time apart and individual goal fulfillment and the trip ahead was just what they were looking for to catch up on all the things they had missed about the other. When they finished, Kelly dropped his luggage pieces in the massive pink building across from the reception area and then went up to grab a second breakfast with Spiros, the hotel and scooter rental owner from the building next door. Spiros was a likeable and extremely laid back person with Greek heritage running deep in his veins. Kelly truly appreciated his attitude and could see himself taking on a similar disposition should he find himself back in Greece to live one day. Life was simple in Corfu and despite what he had heard about how expensive the islands were, Kelly had found little to complain about and felt like his daily budget went plenty far. After a cheap delicious breakfast, he headed back downstairs with his current travel accomplice, Dan, and the two engaged in a heated game of table tennis. Despite Dan’s best efforts both physically and verbally, Kelly handed him three straight defeats. As with any match between the two, victory was sweet and the loss would not soon be forgotten. Smiling to himself, Kelly stored the victories as ammunition for a later date where he could reopen the wound to elicit maximum psychological damage. With Dan surely in a sour mood, Kelly decided he would rather not hang around and instead found a spot high atop one of the Pink Palace buildings for some solemn relaxation. For three hours he sat, staring up into a vast blue canvas, daubed with and in some places generously plastered with puffy white clouds. The speakers of his headphones let in just enough outside noise so that he could hear the soft crashing of waves each time the narrator of his audio book paused for breathe. It was a truly welcome retreat from the world. Afterwards, he headed down to a charming beach café and had 2 gyros with no onions while staring out at Agios Gordos for the last time. Much to his delight, Kelly had managed to maintain a very respectable level of fitness since his departure from California 3 months earlier and he looked forward to any day that offered a one hour window during which he could exercise. With a special device his girlfriend had gotten him for Christmas he put his gymnastic skill and general exercise knowledge into creating an acrobatic and frightfully difficult chest and triceps routine. When he finished, he felt like some sort of superhero. Blood coursed through his veins and his inflated muscles stretched his tan skin so tight that he actually convinced him that he would surely be impenetrable should one of the many wasps from the island decide to sting him. He always felt this way after a good workout and the pleasure derived from the sensation often made him question why so many others found exercise so detestable. He put little time to pondering the point and began the long walk back to his luggage. It was only 5:30pm and his bus to the airport did not leave for another 3 hours. He took a modified shower in a nearby bathroom and then resumed his march through his current audio project. By 8pm, it was time to board the radically driven local bus to the airport. Several times on the trip, Kelly was sure that an oncoming car was going to either wind up under the bus or over the guard rail but magically no vehicular manslaughter occurred. The driver seemed constantly angry, even on lonesome straightways and when Kelly and Dan finally got dropped off at the airport, they felt lucky to be on the streets – even if they were about 300 meters from the airport entrance. As one might have predicted, their Wizz Air flight was going to be delayed and to add to the inconvenience, Dan got slapped with a 30 euro checked bag fee for failing to click the luggage box when he booked his ticket online. His reaction was dismay with a side of wanting to punch someone in the face. Kelly wisely gave him space. One way or the other, the two would make it to Budapest. The only question was when. |
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