Santorini – Almost Heaven: Ancient Thira

Ancient Thira was the settlement of the Dorians in 9^th century BC located on a hill by the coast. It was probably the first settlement on this lovely island of Santorini.

I was about to take the suggested path by Lonely Planet from Perrisa up to the peak to see the ruins, but luckily I asked Dina of San Giorgio Villas. I took the route from Kamari instead where there's a driveway up the peak. I would have been climbing the difficult rocky terrain from Perrisa if I didn't ask!

For normal people, it takes only an hour to reach the peak via the winding driveway, but I took nearly 2 hours to reach there, because I stopped several times to take pictures. Well, that's just an excuse for taking breath!

I know I'm on the right way.

The black-sand Kamari Beach is just down below.

Dolphin hasn't changed since the 9^th century BC.

This was probably the agora or market place.

The compound of a house.

The ancient people already had the wisdom in choosing a good site for settlement.

New life in an abandoned city.

These must have been the most expensive plots of land.

The survivors.

The ancient street.

This is probably the site of the theatre.

On my way back to Kamari Beach.

If you would like to read more of my travelogues on Greece, here are the links:-

1. Athens – The Homeland of the Gods

• Acropolis
• Ancient Agora
• National Archaeological Museum
• Exposé at the Parliament Building
• Neoclassical Trilogy
• The Walking Tour
• The Graffiti
• The Central Market
• Panoramic View

2. The White Dream in Mykonos

• Whitewashed Cube Houses
• Stairways to Heaven
• Barricades in Paradise
• Sea Breeze
• Wind Riders
• With a Little Bit of Red
• Roaming the Streets
• The Holy Ground
• When the Sun is Going Down
• I've Been to Paradise

3. Santorini – Almost Heaven

• Roaming Around the Streets of Fira
• Gazing at the Sea in Fira
• The Southern Crosses in Fira
• The Golden Hour at Fira
• Fira Sunset and After Dark
• Strolling the Streets in Oia
• The Cliffs and the Sea in Oia
• The Domes and the Bells in Oia
• The Barriers in Oia
• The Sunset at Oia
• The Volcano at Nea Kameni
• The Black-sand Beach of Kamari
• Ancient Thira

4. Miscellaneous

• Piraeus – Tinos – Mykonos
• Delos – The Open Air Museum on an Island
• From Mykonos to Thira
• Nuts about Kebab
• Patras

Santorini – Almost Heaven: The Black-sand Beach of Kamari

Kamari Beach is where the holiday goers flock to on a bright sunny day in Santorini. This place is famous for its pitch-black sand, but the grains are more like pebbles to me.

To get there is easy, one only needs to go to the bus terminal in Fira and hop on the bus heading to Kamari. The bus drops the passengers at one end of the beach and one can stroll to the other end and back to catch a bus on the returning route.

The black "sand", but I call them black pebbles.

Time can easily be killed under those straw shades.

No matter whether you have a straw shade, a canvas shade, or without a shade, one can still kill time.

The blue sky and the deep blue sea on a holiday. What more can you ask for?

The "Baywatch" hunk.

The inflated boat that needs a shade.

I need a shade too for my 'bird' watching.

I'm finally under a comfy shade to kill my time. What a wonderful holiday, indeed!

If you would like to read more of my travelogues on Greece, here are the links:-

1. Athens – The Homeland of the Gods

• Acropolis
• Ancient Agora
• National Archaeological Museum
• Exposé at the Parliament Building
• Neoclassical Trilogy
• The Walking Tour
• The Graffiti
• The Central Market
• Panoramic View

2. The White Dream in Mykonos

• Whitewashed Cube Houses
• Stairways to Heaven
• Barricades in Paradise
• Sea Breeze
• Wind Riders
• With a Little Bit of Red
• Roaming the Streets
• The Holy Ground
• When the Sun is Going Down
• I've Been to Paradise

3. Santorini – Almost Heaven

• Roaming Around the Streets of Fira
• Gazing at the Sea in Fira
• The Southern Crosses in Fira
• The Golden Hour at Fira
• Fira Sunset and After Dark
• Strolling the Streets in Oia
• The Cliffs and the Sea in Oia
• The Domes and the Bells in Oia
• The Barriers in Oia
• The Sunset at Oia
• The Volcano at Nea Kameni
• The Black-sand Beach of Kamari
• Ancient Thira

4. Miscellaneous

• Piraeus – Tinos – Mykonos
• Delos – The Open Air Museum on an Island
• From Mykonos to Thira
• Nuts about Kebab
• Patras

Wordless Wednesday – Enter the Dragon!

CK Has Landed!

I have just landed in Kuching a couple of hours ago from Macao via AirAsia Flight No. AK 489. It was really a fun trip with loads of food, shopping and sight-seeing. Hong Kong people's attitude has changed dramatically as compared to what I've heard about tourists being scolded in the face for window shopping and not buying anything from the shop. I thought it was due to the government's propaganda, but I was told that it was due to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Hmmm... interesting. More on that later.

Macao is also a very interesting place especially for its heritage buildings. The old shop houses are very well conserved with cobblestone streets. Walking around the streets at night in Macao is like entering an amusement park.

I gotta go to bed now. More updates on my trip on some other days. :) Thanks for reading this. :)

Bling! Bling! Bling! Kiching! Kiching! Kiching!

The skyline at night in Hong Kong.