My Summer as an Olympic Volunteer: Part I
Introduction
But now that we had our volunteer mandate in hand, new challenges threatened to derail our travels even before we set foot in
The last resort – the Malaysian Embassy in
Introduction
But now that we had our volunteer mandate in hand, new challenges threatened to derail our travels even before we set foot in
The last resort – the Malaysian Embassy in
The beach
Now what would coming to
The
The next day we booked ourselves aboard a glass-bottom boat. It took us on the waters around Santorini, including to the now dormant volcano, a muddy hot spring and stopped at several coastal towns. It was in one such town where to my surprise a marvellous underwater world existed right by its jetty. The water was incredibly clear, with visibility up to about 20 meters. There were no corals, but coral fishes of all shades and shapes were aplenty, feasting on the moss and weed by the jetty. It was definitely one of the best swims I have had in my life. Elsewhere we saw underwater ruins in deep water through the glass of the boat.
After the boat trip was over I took a donkey (EUR 3.50) ride up the zigzag stairs from the old port to Fira. If you had wanted to ascend the stairs, this was the preferred way. Else it meant trodding on donkey crap and avoiding donkeys with path-finding problems! A shepherd would gather about 3-4 willing customers before herding all those donkeys carrying people on them up the stairs by foot.
Santorini truly epitomized my Greek adventure – discovering beauty in amounts aplenty to bowl me over at every turn! I yearn for the next time when I shall return to this land of goddesses and heroes.
Elsewhere beyond
After 2 weeks of volunteer work I decided I had had enough and I left for backpacking in central
It turns out that the bus is still the preferred mode of travel in these parts, just like back home.
Puvan and I booked ourselves on one to the hill city-cum-regional transport hub of Trikala, which is linked to Kalambaka, the base city from which we would explore Meteora. Meteora is a place peculiar like no other. Its name actually identifies a host of Christian monasteries dating back to the 1300s. Were they just ordinary monasteries we would not have been so attracted but these are perched precariously on an awe-inspiring, mountainous, rocky landscape. James Bond even had a movie made here. It is also where
We actually trekked our way up to the first monastery which was a good one hour uphill on a messy cobble stair) and went from one to another, which were separated by many miles of a single trunk road, by foot. Tourist buses zoomed by as our sweat wet yet another square inch of the dusty ground. Masochistic as it may sound, it felt more satisfying making all this altitude with your own energy, and all of you know the next time when I return I might be 50, if ever!
Taking pictures on the rocky cliffs we felt concerned not only for the shelf-lives of our cameras, but our own lives too as the wind sometimes threatened to sweep everything off!
The one night we spent in Kalambaka we had the good fortune of staying in a hotel with attached bath, air conditioning and TV for only EUR10 (RM 50) a head! Had the Olympics drawn all the tourists away to
In the afternoon the next day we left again by bus to neighbouring Ioannina (4 hrs away) with the hope of an even bigger conquest – the Vikos Gorge in Zagoria. Vikos Gorge and the national park it resides in are like Europe’s own
The only thing we knew before hand about Vikos was that a 7 ½ trek through the gorge awaited. It had to be worth it – where else would you see vertical slopes reaching 1 km high in places!
Little did we know that the whole surrounding area consisted of 2 national parks, and that the Gorge was only one of the highlights in one of the few remaining wildlife refuges in
I am also proud to have assisted our own Malaysian badminton team while I was there. On one occasion I went to the Malaysian Camp as a last minute substitute for a Team Analyst whom I had befriended in
As expected security issues had affected the Games drastically for the audience. Unlike the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games for example, in
Looking back on our contingent’s performance in
The Olympics
Meeting Dr. Jegathesan, our Chef-de-Mission for the first time was quite a hilarious experience! I actually thought he was a journalist when I first bumped into him wearing a vest jacket in the Olympic Village, where I was stationed as a Transport Venue Assistant for 2 weeks. But somewhere at the back of my head I was sure he was Malaysian! Puvan, on the other hand was working as a Malay Language Specialist at the Goudi Olympic Complex which hosted badminton along with a few other sports. Throughout the Games both of us would meet many Malaysian athletes and officials, who welcomed us warmly at the Malaysian Camp. I also got to know many other volunteers, among them from
In all fairness Greeks too have their ugly side. They love shouting at each other! Some press people had worried looks on their faces and were wondering if they should board a bus in the Olympic Village as the driver and the venue manager were having a verbal sparring session. Also they are much too laidback. I remember meeting a paid Olympic staff who was half an hour late for work and she assures me it was okay! Not to mention the Games Aquatics Centre, which was missing a roof due to a late construction schedule. And believe me they are not shy to tell you that this is what they are. Optimism is their identity.
About
The moment I stepped out of the new Elefterios Venizelos airport in
Greek food too was very good but has less variety than Malaysian food. I found the Giros (crunchy, fatty small slices of grilled pork or chicken served with yoghurt, tomatoes and salad in an oily, salty pita bread) in Monastiraki the best around. It totally beats kebabs (the Turkish counterpart) which I have been so bored of eating in
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