Share on social media

On landing in Bodrum, I quite fancied a trip to Kos which is a short hop on the ferry. 40 mins. Not worth not spending one night there, so that’s what I did.

Bod-dumb

Or idiotville as I would refer to it.

Prices are for idiots, the people in the shops and restaurants treat you like an idiot. They try to trick you and rip you off. Like you were an idiot….

The exception being the accommodation. They were pretty nice.

Don’t think I’d go there again.

I was happy to be on the way to Greece on the ferry.

Been a while

Since I’ve been to Greece.

The ferry over was around €35. At the time, I bought a return which was about €12 more. When I arrived and settled in, started planning my next moves, it became obvious that I wasn’t going to be cycling eastward from Bodrum.

If you look at the terrain on a map it’s just hills. And these hills have no roads running through them. I would have to go significantly North, toward Pumukkale, before I could start turning east towards the direction I wanted to go.

When I did a bit more research, maybe take a bus over these hills, it turned out there were no buses. You had to take 3 separate buses. Obviously with the bike along for the ride, you’re adding an additional unpredictable variable.

Buses are not obliged to take your bike. It’s conditional on them having enough space in the luggage hold. Obviously, you’re multiplying this chance by 3, then adding the fact that I’ve no idea how big the buses are.

When I put it into Google, it told me to go to Kos and Rhodes! So that’s what I did!

Kos

I was in yesterday, for the whole day, and last night. I left in the morning. Had to get up at the tail end of 5am to catch the ferry. I got home at 1.30am from the bars in Kos.

It was a great day though.

I really enjoyed my time there. The locals seem so friendly. The island and Kos town were more busy with tourists than any place I’ve been so far!

To pass a few hours, I had a look around our old friend Asklepios’s temple. He had made it here also, and set up a centre for healing.

Here’s the text I copied. It seems he was adopted by a centaur, not a snake. I stand corrected.

The temple of Asklepios. 170-160 BC.
Asklepios, originally a hero, was son of the healing-god Apollo and Koronis, daughter of the Thessalian king Phlegyas. Koronis was killed by the goddess Artemis when Apollo learnt of her love affair with the mortal Ischys from Arkadia. The infant Asklepios was then entrusted to the care of the Centaur Cheiron, who taught him the art of medicine.

Before his elevation to the Hellenic pantheon, Asklepios suffered the human destiny; Zeus struck him dead when he dared to resurrect a deceased mortal. Worship of the god, which enjoyed wide diffusion, as indicated by the numerous sanctuaries uncovered, is dated to the 6th/5th century BC. His cult was introduced to Cos very early, in the mid-6th century BC, most probably from Trikke in Thessaly, a region with which the Coans had special relations.
According to mythological tradition, Asklepios sired a large family. His wile was Epione (the mild one), daughter of the mythical king of Cos Merops, his sons were the heroes-physicians Machaon and Podaleirios, and his daughters Hygeia, Akeso (those who heal) and Panakeia (she who cures all).
Asklepios’ attribute is the snake, which cured by touching and licking the patient in his/her sleep. During the Roman period the omphalos (navel) is represented alongside the deity, symbol of Asklepies’ relationship with his father Apollo.

I wondered around here in the early afternoon. Later, I had a look around Kos town itself. It has a castle and plenty of historical sites and ruins dotted around.

The prices weren’t too astronomical. I had a gyros for lunch. That’s just like some meat and salad folded in a pita. It was €4.

For the cocktails I had later on, it was 2 cocktails for €9. Dinner was about €28 for liver, to start, moussaka and a bottle of retzina. Proper Greek meal! I felt a bit smashed as I left the restaurant, the guy gave me a free raki, mixed with water. A nice gesture.

I went to a couple of bars. The first one, the guy had hearing problems, so I left that. In the centre of town, there’s plenty of bars. I only ever tend to go into the ones with music playing, otherwise, I will just get bored and leave. Live music is generally better, obviously not if they’re playing ‘come on Eileen’, the atmosphere is always a little more focused and the punters a little more interested. Fortunately, there were a couple of bars to choose from who had plenty of clientele. I chatted to a couple of girls from Holland, felt a bit drunk, then decided to call it a night.

I had to buy my own breakfast, because it was an apartment. I just bought a swiss roll. And some Greek yogurt. When it came to the morning, I could only manage the Swiss roll! Would have thought I’d have been hungrier. I guess Swiss roll is pretty filling.

Rhodes

Rather than go back for some tortuous roads in the sweltering heat, I took the 3 hour ferry to Rhodes. Somewhere I’ve been before a little while in the past.

I don’t like Rhodes as much as Kos.

Tomorrow, I catch the ferry back to Turkey.