Hello all my beautiful friends and blog readers, sorry for the delay but this site that my blog is on has had problems uploading pictures but today its been sorted, THANK GOD!
Yeehaa! I'm on holiday at last! This was taken at one of the highest points in Cyprus.
So straight on with the show. I finished at The Range on Fri 4/1/13 and was ready for a holiday, well after working 80 hours a week i think i deserved it, the one week i had worked 41 hours within 43 and 2 hours of that was travelling. Helen had also been working very hard all over Christmas and i wanted the new year to start off well for Helen after the bad 2012 she had had but i had started off 2013 with a stinking cold so i wasn't 100% for all of our holiday which was a pain in the ass for me.
It's Saturday, WooHoo! Time to catch the train to Manchester Airport where i had booked a room at the Travelodge to relax before heading off to Cyprus on the Sunday afternoon. The train journey was going to take 5 hours in all which i don't really mind, apart from one thing, the welsh train network Arriva is the worst network i have ever travelled on and that train was the main one from Carmarthen to Wimslow. No heating, no electric sockets and to add insult No buffet service, not even a trolley service, FOR 5 HOURS! After 4 hours even the tap water in the toilets looked inviting to drink as i was that thirsty.
We get to the travelodge just in time for West Ham V Man Utd. So we went to the bar bought a few drinks and settled down. In the corner were 4 middle aged drunk Polish guys who were being a pain, As the footy was about to kick off the one got up and turned the TV over to darts, DARTS? Is that even a sport? I group that in with Golf, Cricket and Crown Green Bowling. Any hobby that you stand still most of the time with the occasional stroll at some point during play isn't a sport. Up to the room we go where i could watch the game. We got a call from Caz and Sam who were kind enough to invite us out for a meal which we accepted and all had a really good night, thank you so much guys.
Sunday afternoon and we're on our way. First stop VIP lounge, free booze, free food, free papers, shame I'm still ill, BUGGER!
On to the flight and we get settled in. As we're sat there we can here quite a bit of noise from voices behind us that sounded like well to do students who liked the sound of their own voices but were irritating everyone else. In fact there were at least 100 of them that were on an archaeology trip to Cyprus. I had a look around the plane and they were swapping seats, walking around and basically doing my head in with they're "rah, rah, rah", "mummy said" and better than everyone else attitude. Myself and Helen were sat in the front block of seats which i noticed were half filled with men who were bald or balding (i do include myself in that second half). Do you think they do that so the nose end of the plane is lighter without all that hair and can take off easier? LOL
We landed in Cyprus at 10.30pm to rain. Dear God, I've just left crappy weather, what the hell is going on. At least it was warmer so i was happy for that. We get to our hotel which is in the very small resort of Kissonerga which is between Paphos Harbour and Coral Bay, 4 miles each way. We were given food in the restaurant on arrival at 11.30pm then headed up to our room. Wow! The room was that good that i was afraid if anyone saw me in it they'd think i was a burglar ha ha. The bed was huge, on the bed were 2 bath robes, 2 pairs of slippers and chocolates, mmmm free chocolate.
We had a nice little seating area with free fruit and a bottle of red wine which was a nice touch. Ate the fruit but red wine came home with us. That's someones Christmas present sorted.
There was a fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, satellite TV with the movies, sports and UK channels and a mini hifi system which had great sound from it.
Now here is a handy hint for all you holidaymakers. If your staying in a hotel where your door card is also your electric card and you want to leave the electric on for your air con to work then you can use just a generic card like i have used. I would leave my Costa club card in the electric slot all day after the cleaner had been in. Just remember to take it out if cleaner hasn't been in. It does work in all slots, I've tried it. Oh, and yes that is a Jacuzzi switch you can see at the bottom of all the switches, we had one in the bathroom, ooooOOOOOHHH!
The next day we were up bright and breezy to start our hols. Now everyone is different, some people just want the sun and pool, some people just want booze and British food, some like to party and relax. Me, i like to see the country that I'm visiting, see some of its history, places of interest and also catch a bit of sun but for me i don't see the point in travelling long distances just to stay within resort and hotel.
We walked through the hotel lobby and decided to start the day off with a drink as we were going to walk in to Paphos Harbour.
The bar was lovely, it reminded me of the old men only clubs with its all wood decor and leather seating. Helen went for a Bacardi and Coke and i fancied a cool pint of bitter.
We ordered our drinks and sat there excited and talking of where we were going to go over our 7 days. Our drinks came. Helen's Barcardi came in a glass with ice and lemon and i could see it was only a single measure with a bottle of pepsi mixer, my pint came as an unopened can of John Smiths with a pint glass for me to pour myself, the total bill,,,,,,,,,10.20€! Now that same round in Oceanic for a triple Bacardi which is standard measure that i give, real Coke mixer (not rola cola) and a pint of John Smiths which is poured for you will cost just 6€. Well this was at the hotel so lets see what its like in the bars.
Our bill hit the table, i hit the floor.
We walked to the Harbour, don't forget this is 4 miles away so big round of applause for Helen who also had a bad ankle all holiday. The Harbour was OK but then again it was a grey cold day so we decided we would go back there again during our holiday. As soon as we got to the front the first person who grabbed us was a time share seller, GREAT! We listened, Helen fell for it, i passed. Isn't it amazing that we didn't have to buy anything just go to a meeting for 90 mins and they'd give us 400€ also we were the lucky people that day to get the top prize scratch card of 400€. I was watching her as she was scratching the card and she had a good slight of hand because the card she scratched didn't have a win but she switched it for a ready scratched one. We left her and said we would come back, we didn't. We had a coffee and walked up to Paphos town. Along the way we visited Solomonis Catacombs which are burial chambers. As i wondered along the Catacombs i got talking to 3 men who were very wise. As we approached a cave we noticed a young couple with a baby and a clean white sheep. Its a miracle! The sheep was spotless even in a muddy cave.
The 4 wise men witness a miracle of a snow white spotless sheep.
The church in Paphos Town is an amazing building but unfortunately it was closed the day we visited, shame.
Up the hill through Paphos town we continued seeing such wonders as Debenhams, Next and Marks & Spencers. I was very surprised to see so many charity shops, i mean more than Carmarthen and that's saying something. Perhaps its the sign of the times all over the world. I visited Cyprus 18 years ago and there were areas that i visited then which are near enough ghost towns now which was sad to see.
At the top of Paphos Town there is a view point that looks right out to sea but i was a bit disturbed to see a gang of street cats just kicking back taking up the public seating. This is where cravendale got their idea for their adverts. They were so laid back these cats all that was needed was shades for each of them and a jazz/blues band playing. Creepy.
From previous posts you'll know in love finding signs spelt wrong and over my 7 days on Cyprus i could only find one "Baced Beans", still gave me a laugh though.
It was a really good day in town so we decided to catch the bus back to the hotel. The local bus was great value it was 3€ for a day pass or 1€ per route. It was late afternoon so we decided to head to the resort of Coral Bay to see what was happening there, not much was the answer. It was empty, 1 bar was open, 3 restaurants, a kebab shop and the local pizza hut. For quite a nice size resort there was only about one 10th open so we went in the only bar that was open, Zentas. Here the drinks were slightly cheaper 4€ for a double Bacardi, 1.20€ for a mixer and 3.40€ for draught John Smiths, that was still 8.60€ for 2 drinks. Their draught was cheap but then again they do have their own brewery on the island being as there is such a high population of ex-pats living here so they're is no import tax on top to worry about. As we walked around the resort i noticed the drinks prices in windows and on blackboards of bars and all the businesses had exactly the same prices. It seems as though there were set prices for all the bars and then the people would just choose which bar they liked the most instead of price wars. In fact the prices seemed the same wherever we went on the island apart from hotels. In my mind this is a great way for resorts to run, no one was giving away 12 shots with each drink, no special offers.
Coral Bay resort at 5pm and not one person on the street.
The next day we ventured out again on an 8 mile walk up through the hills of Lempa, Chloraka and Emba. When we started off it was a cloudy day with very light rain, then the sun came out and it was t-shirt weather. As we came to a little town in the hills maybe half way through our walk we stopped off for coffee at a locals taverna and would you believe it it began to snow and i mean really snow. 3 weather fronts within a few hours was crazy. Not seen that abroad since i worked in Benidorm in '91 and that was over 3 days not 3 hours. We saw so much this day. The thing that shocked me the most this day was the amount of English people that were in these little towns and villages in the hills. In one tiny village there was a British fish and chip shop which actually i hated. It just spoilt the village but it seems the massive influx of Brits over the years to Cyprus has changed its footprint.
Helen decided for one of our days she would hire a car, i wanted to hire a bike but the weather was so unpredictable it was a no go in the end for my motorcycle adventure.
I love the history of Greece as i studied its history and mythology in high school for 5 years and Cyprus has massive ties to Greece so we tried to visit as many historical places as possible while on the island.
First off it was the Museum at Coral Bay. 1.70€ to get in. Now to say it was a quick visit was an understatement. You walk in through the gates, few rocks on the floor, an underground circular museum with just 3 displays in it. That was it. I've seen more old relics in my garden and its in a new build house. You can pass this museum by if i wish.
Don't the tellytubbies live here?
The 3, yes 3 display units in the museum, that's it.
Next was the Tomb of the Kings. These aren't actually tombs of kings but its a burial ground for the rich to be laid to rest in. Again, 1.70€ entry which is this case was great value for money but after the first 4 tombs it started to get a bit samey, lots of holes in the ground with some more elaborate than others but still a fascinating place.
"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy"
This tomb you will see on the TV advert for Cyprus.
These are the only 2 tombs that have been left un-opened, don't they look like someone doing a mooney?
Now the Paphos Arcelogical Site was the best, i could have stayed in here for hours and hours, 3.40€ entry fee. It was a massive site, i took over 150 pictures here as so much to see. This area had buildings, ruins, mosaics, tombs and amphitheatre. It was amazing to see how people lived thousands of years ago and the detail they could achieve with such simple tools.
This is just a tiny fraction of the site at Paphos.
The Mosaic tiles used in these scenes are tiny, each tile were about the size of a 5 pence piece.
Now these columns are original but i think they may have had some cosmetic help.
This is one of the oldest mosaic's on the site dating back to the 2nd century AD in the House of Theseus.
This building is the most complete its the Castle Saranta Kolones.
The Odeon where the locals would congregate for town meetings and entertainment.
Back to the hotel after a very long day but very enjoyable day. I thought that we would have a relaxing night, so i got in to my bath robe, free slippers, ate my chocolate which the cleaners replenished every day and read a hi brow travel guide companion.
We did venture out to eat a drink quite a few times even though we were half board and the food at the hotel was beautiful, only one niggle though, why was there always a roast dinner available every night? it was either beef, turkey, chicken. pork etc but always there. All the other foods were flavours from all over the globe but a complete section of the cooking area was set aside for roast and chips. One couple complained because a chef wouldn't cook their meat from fresh as they ordered it, every night they would turn up and then walk straight out again, horrible people. Hang on, this hotel can hold 400 people and serves food for 2 hours and they want a personal chef, GET REAL!
The best food we had out was at Phidas Taverna in Coral Bay which we walked 4 miles. We ordered a meat meze for 2. First out came a Greek salad, then a plate of grilled vegetables with 4 different dishes of dips and olives. First plate was Meatballs and Kefthedes. Now before some smart ass says " they're the same thing" no they're not, meat balls are ball shaped, Kefthedes are sausage shaped. Second plate was village sausage and thin gammon slices. Third plate was chicken thighs and lamb chops finished off with a plate of home made oven potatoes. Now i love meat, i can eat just meat and nothing else but after this meze i was all meated out. There was loads. We washed it down with a nice red wine. After we had finished he asked me if i'd like Lamb Kleftiko he would prepare some ready for Friday (this was Wednesday) as it takes him 3 days to make it, now thats a proper Kleftiko. Unfortunately the hotel was having a Cypriot night on the friday which included lamb Kleftiko and 6 other Cypriot dishes, so we had to pass.
We found out there was a coastal path that went from our hotel in to the harbour at Paphos so instead of walking along the roads like we had before we took this path and i'm so glad we did as there was so much to see along the way.
This is the memorial built to General George Grivas - Dhigenis who led the liberation of Cyprus from British colonial rule.
I wanted a flag for my sand castle and came across this Greek one, just couldn't uproot it. Knew i should have had a banana before i left the hotel. You can just about see me at the base.
The Queen Victoria Restaurant - all shut down. I wonder why?
This is an area between Kissonerga and Paphos town and like Coral Bay its empty, in fact not one business is open here.
As we continued along the coast i saw this sign stating "No animals". I turned around and saw 4 people walking away from the promenade with their heads hung low. They had brought their animals to take for a walk, 2 hamsters, 1 spider and a Llama called Bob. How disappointed were they to see this sign LOL.
We made it to the Harbour and sat near the castle on the port and had a coffee. As i looked out to sea i could see a boat tied up in the port what i thought was Captain Nemos boat. Nah, it couldn't be. So i took a closer look and there it was, it was a replica of his boat, it was so cool.
We spent every single day going out and visiting places which was so good as its so interesting and nice to know things about the country your visiting. Now i'd seen Aphrodities rock before and to be honest its just a rock in the sea and nothing special to look at but i wanted to see Aphrodities baths and Adonis Baths. We traveled up to Polis and went to Aphrodities Baths and it was a beautiful place although at one point i was expecting Gollum to climb out of the water croaking "My precious".
Aphrodities Bath was beautiful, peaceful and spooky.
Then we decided to visit Adonis Bath. This was a bit more difficult to get to. They were up in the mountains near one of the highest points on Cyprus above The Evretou Dam. We took a car so the mouth of the road leading to the baths and decided to walk. Even the road said safe for cars it definately didnt look safe as we were walking along it as there had been the odd land slip. We walked. And we walked. And we walked. The sign said 3km and we had definately walked more than that and the land was getting more wild the further we went. Helens ankle wasn't to clever either so we decided to head back as night time was closing in and we were miles away from the car.
The road sign to Adonis Baths suitable for cars, yeah right! Wasn't happy about the gun shot marks either LOL
Well thats just a few things we did on a 7 day break, we did alot more. I took over 300 photos while there and this blog entry could of gone on and on so i thought i'd give you just a few hilights.
In all we are definately going back to Cyprus next winter and i'm looking to book already but this time i want to be closer to the old Turkish boarder so we can explore the more unspoilt Cyprus.
It was an amazing week and i didn't want to come home even with being ill for 5 of the 7 days. I don't think i would have wanted to come home after 3 weeks as there is so much history there and so much to see.
After talking with a few local Cypriots they told me the ex-pats are starting to leave the island more and more every year. The dream lifestyle is great when your healthy but as they got older they wanted the comfort of britain and the NHS. If you have ever been or are thinking of going to Cyprus you will see how british the island actually is but all that is changing. It still has that friendly Cypriot feel but the brit influence is fading and the Chinese and Russians are starting to take over. When we sat in Zentas Bar in Coral bay it was a mixture of brit ex-pats and russians, i think we were the only tourists in there. The local Cypriots also said the resorts businesses are near enough on their last legs with jobs on the island at an all time low and do you know what they say the reason for this is, ALL INCLUSIVES! Take note Zakynthos, you could be signing your own death certificate.
If your prepared to venture out in to the unknown you can find parts which are still Cypriot unchanged and these are the places that made the holiday for us.
Did i show you the view from our room. How silly of me.
So this is the view from the side of our balcony, notice no one around the pool, well it was warm but not sunbathing weather.
This is the view below our balcony. These are 4 suites that have their own pools but these are closed at this time of the season, i know this cause i wanted to book one. GOD DAMN IT!
And this was our sea view as the sun is about to set. Always prefer a sunset to a sunrise.
Before we knew it it was time to go home. We had booked half board but went out for most of our holiday, the hotel was also all inclusive and many were staying there on this board, What a waste of time. We got on a full coach and headed off to the airport with half the bus coughing and spluttering, it was horrible. The journey to the airport was very quiet for Helen and I as neither of us wanted to leave. At the airport the boarding que was huge and yes you guessed it, it was the annoying students all going back, over 100 of them. As we sat on the plane (At the back this time, well my hair had grown in a week) we were one of the first couples on and we could see the students slowly coming onboard. The only problem was they were sitting wherever they wanted and were saying "if someone turns up i'll move" just so they could sit next to their friend, awwww how sweet! This caused mayhem. Everyone has a seat allocated to them, thats where you sit, GET IT! These weren't young kids they were 22-25. Elderly people would turn up to sit in their seat and someone was in it. This was then like a domino effect. Because some people had a student sat in their seat they would then sit a different empty seat as they didn't want to bother the student but then a person would come on who wanted the seat they were allocated and this then set of a chain reaction of seat swapping. The Cabin Crew were hopeless and did nothing (Thomsons). Simple thing would have been to keep saying over the speakers as the students come on "please keep to your seats you are allocated" as they could see what was going on.
We eventually took off and arrived at Manchester to thick snow but lucky for us i had book us in to hotel for when we arrived. The next Day we woke and travelled back home to South West Wales on yet another crappy Arriva train.
To sum it all up it was a wonderful holiday we didn't want to come home from. Cyprus held the same friendliness i've encountered from Greek islands and i don't think we will find that from anywhere else we may travel. It actually gave me itchy feet for a new challenge in life so maybe after this season i may start plans for an Oceanic somewhere else. If i'm being honest i have no more challenges with Oceanic, i've done it all and succeded but in the same breath i won't just give up Oceanic Zakynthos either as its got better every season its been open. Think i may have holiday blues LOL.
So until my normal update in a weeks time i will bid you farewell for now and in the next update give you the exciting news about whats happening at Oceanic season 2013.
Cheerio you lucky beautiful people!
