Gapyearing is all about getting out of your comfort zone,
doing things you wouldn’t do at home and basically creating all manner of
whimsical stories which you will tell the kids and grandkids one day. I can
honestly say my four nights in Mykonos yielded some ‘challenging’ experiences
and I definitely did numerous things which I would be thought idiotic or
ridiculous for doing at home…. However there is no chance my kids or grandkids
will ever be hearing about the four days wherein I disregarded any thought of
my health to simply party to the best of my ability - that would constitute
irresponsible parenting/grand parenting. The Greek islands possess some of the
most beautiful sights and opportunities for exploration anywhere in the world,
and I am proud to say that I did eventually make my way into the town and
managed to dote at the famed windmills of Mykonos, which slightly disappointed
me thanks to their inability to actually mill wind. However for me Mykonos
rather yielded an opportunity to test my partying pedigree, relax by the pool
and make new friends.
Arriving at Paraga Beach Hostel, fresh from a two leg
journey via Vienna (or Perth as Haim likes to joke, due to my consistently odd
flight paths) I failed to take into account my ability to contact Eli, Ben and
Dazz due to a lack of simcards on all our parts. Thus I sat in the designated
‘wifi area,’ (it earns inverted commas due to the lack of actual internet
connection it boasts) and attempted to make contact to little avail. However,
this was actually a blessing in disguise as I eventually used this as an
opportunity to befriend three British staying in my room and further a larger
group of people whom I remained friends with my entire stay in Mykonos. I did
eventually manage to locate the boys along with a larger group of Emanuel
friends most of whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting their acquaintance
for upwards of 5 months. It was a beautiful reunion which was followed by
predrinks and then arrival at Mykonos’ most famous club Cavo Paradiso, which
did not disappoint. The club ships in internationally acclaimed DJs almost
every day of the week and even contains a swimming pool and multiple bars, I
ended up visiting it three times to witness performances by W & W, Benny
Benassi and Alesso, in chronological order.
Days included relaxing by the pool at the hostel, numerous
authentic Greek souvlakis, a visit to the ‘day’ party (we attended between 7PM
and 11PM) hosted at Tropicana as well as copious amounts of alcohol. It was a
beautiful thing how a morning at the pool after a big night out could have you
raring to pollute your bloodstream with further alcohol in just hours.
Honestly, my body took an absolute beating, however I managed to emerge with
just a lost voice, a valiant tale of survival. It really was a fun time and to
any of my parents/granparents/family members who may be reading, you were young
once too, so try not to judge me too harshly.
One of the most amazing experiences, something which I will
never forget, was going tubing with Sam, Eli, Haim and Ben. For a mere 20 euro
investment we were hurled around on the waters of Mykonos at ridiculous speeds
holding onto pieces of plastic for dear life, needless to say we loved every
minute of it. These are the experiences which we will never forget and it was
unbelievable to share it with some of my best mates!
Mykonos was an amazing experience which I am exceedingly
happy I was able to undertake. On the morning of the 18th I headed
to Athens via ferry, boasting not a single minute of sleep at time of boarding
due to a huge night at Cavo. When I arrived I was an absolute wreck, so much so
I headed to bed rather than visiting the Acropolis (Sad I know). Following a
night at an Athens hotel I made my way to London via Hamburg to begin my 20 day
Contiki tour through Europe. I arrived at the airport and made my way to my
hotel for the night via the London Underground which was largely halted due to
enormous pro-Palestinian demonstrations (Just what I like to hear). I made it
to the hotel and that night met the people who I was to spend the next 20 days
with, an assortment of people from all over the globe, featuring Canadians,
Americans, Brits and Aussies, who I’m sure I will become incredibly close to
over the next 3 weeks.
I cannot wait to see what Contiki has in store for me!
40 days till I return to Sydney!
Thanks for reading!
Jake
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