Santorini - an absolute bliss

"Let's go to Santorini tomorrow"
"What? Tomorrow?"
"Yes, let's go find the tickets"

Those were my conversation with Budi, my husband (my boyfriend back then) when we were in Athens, Greece during spring 2013. We did think about going to Santorini before we landed Athens, but it was more like let-us-see kinda thing. Budi is mostly spontaneous person, while I'm more like plan-freak person that thought every details beforehand (my forever-travel-buddy, Indah fortunately has the same treat like me). So to Santorini, we went.


The blue-dome houses with white washed walls that often appear in post cards

Going to Santorini can be done through air or sea. Unfortunately, we couldn't get airplane tickets, only ferries were available. Normally it takes only 30-45 minutes by plane to get to Santorini. You could go by Aegean Air or Olympic Air, both are local budget airlines that offer most reasonable price, but timing is very important. Book as early as possible to get the best rate.


So we went to look for ferry tickets. There are three alternatives mode of sea transportation from Pireaus port (please bear in mind that the following rates were as per April 2013):

1. Normal ferry - cheapest but also slowest option. The trip takes about 9-10 hours and the ticket costs about EUR24
2. The so-called Blue Star ferries. The trip should take about 7 hours and ticket should cost about EUR 28
3. The fastest and most expensive option - High speed ferries. This was the one I went on and the only one available on such short notice. The ferry should take you about 5 hours and cost about EUR 40.

The price indicated is for economy class, while they can offer you various class such as first class / executive class which cost you higher, for sure. The difference is in the seating level (upper or lower deck) and the seating type (with cushion or just flat seat).


High speed ferry that took us to Santorini from Pireaus port at Athens

Santorini, a small island that is more like a dot in the map turns out to be an awesome destination

If you are prone to sea sickness (particularly side-to-side rolling motions), I wouldn't recommend you to take this sea transport option. The ride can get very very rough. We did encounter quite big waves and our ferry was tossed around like a toy. It hit a few big waves and came crashing down with a lot of speed. People started to wake up from their sleep and felt nauseous. Some of them started getting seasick and vomited. However, I noticed the crew did their absolute best to distribute puke bags and walked around constantly to collect people's vomit-filled bags and put into bigger trash bins. The number of vomiting people were increasing, including Budi. He used 4-5 bags and continuously vomited until nothing left in his stomach and his body was all over cold and turned pale. Mint candy and balm didn't help much. If I had to guess, there were around 40-50% of the ferry vomited. Luckily I was ok and prayed it got over very soon. The rough ride lasted approximately 2 hours before we arrived in Santorini. Phewww...what a ride!


Soon we got to the port, we looked for something to eat and hot tea. But because of this, we missed the bus. The port of Santorini is quite far from the main city, Fira, which can be reached by taxi or bus. The lady at the  café was very kind as she helped call a taxi for us. The taxi fare from the port to our hotel is about EUR 30 and took about 30-45 minutes.

Another spontaneous act from Budi was to let us book the hotel once we got there. This was something I had never done in any trip I made. I always got it prepared, everything well-booked and well-informed, nevertheless, spontaneous can be fun too, give a space for an adrenalin rush. We opened booking.com and looked for a list of hotel and started to call them.


Our choice was Atrium Villa. And we really loved our choice. The owner was very kind. His name was Yani. He's a senior citizen who ran hostel and restaurant business with his wife. He enthusiastically explained several nice places in Santorini.

Our hostel - a typical white washed building in Santorini, very nice place to stay and very kind owner


That room with a balcony was our room, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Fira

That day we decided to go to Oia (read: Iya) by public bus. The bus terminal is only 10 minutes walking from our hotel and it took approximately 20-30 minutes to reach Oia terminal - well, it was more like bus stopping area because it wasn't as big as normally the bus terminal is. The bus fare was about EUR 1.6 - 2.0 if I remember correctly, paid directly before you get on the bus.


Getting around Oia is very easy. Just walked up through the stairs, between alleys and with magnificent view along the way. Oia is known for the sunset and peace, let alone the blue-dome houses with white washed walls that often appear in post cards. There are many kiosks offering a range of ethnic goods, handicrafts, jewelry and souvenirs, and several small art galleries. The town also has numerous restored churches. Walking through this town was nothing but an exciting journey, which can be nicely ended with one of the most popular attractions in the town is sunset viewing. It is a special event every evening in Oia from the Sunset Seranade point. At this time the town is crowded with people to watch the spectacle, when the white houses and the caldera catch all the colors of the setting sun for a few seconds. You may also take some breaks at one of nice cafes and enjoyed the beautiful view of the city and the Aegean sea from top.

 There are many kiosks offering a range of ethnic goods, handicrafts, jewelry and souvenirs

Oia walking path

Several small art galleries

We headed back to Fira by the same bus. Thanks to the recommendation from Yani, our hostel owner, we had a very good (and romantic!) dinner at one local restaurant. I can't remember the name, but if you stay at Atrium Villa, I believe Yani will recommend the same. The place is a walking distance from the hostel.


Dinner was awesomely delicious. If you're up to fresh fish, vegetables, and meat dishes, you can find them easily. Also you certainly don't want to miss the traditional fried tomato balls of tomato keftedes and be sure to ask for local tomatoes in your salad. Santorini is particularly well known for its cherry tomatoes which are very sweet. The cherry tomatoes are usually sundried or sometimes made into sweet tomato marmalade.

Our dinner

The tap water in the island is safe to drink, but doesn't taste good. I think it either comes from deep wells and has a high sodium content or is from a desalination plant. Alternatively you can buy from the local shop for EUR 2-3.

Don't forget to walk around Fira in the evening. The ambience was combination between fun and romantic. Go between alleys, see the sea under the moonlight, drop by for a hot tea, snap some beautiful shots or just simply walking around with your loved ones... it was an absolute bliss!

Suatu siang di sebuah rumah sakit di Penang

Tulisan ini baru saya temukan di HP yang ternyata saya buat sekitar 3 tahun lalu dalam perjalanan saya ke Penang, Malaysia untuk general check up. Dalam kebosanan menunggu panggilan dari satu dokter ke dokter lain, dari satu tes ke tes lainnya, saya menemukan keasikan dalam memperhatikan orang-orang di sekeliling saya.


Maaf yak, sekiranya kalimat demi kalimat terasa membosankan, plus tidak ada gambar atau foto pendukung :) Tulisan ini merupakan gambaran atas apa yang saya lihat menarik. Ada nilai dan perasaan yang mendalam, yang tersampaikan lewat bahasa tubuh orang-orang yang saya lihat. Monggo silakan dibaca dan semoga tidak ketiduran di tengah bacaan :)


Ada seorang ibu berkaca mata yg duduk terdiam di sudut ruang tunggu pasien. Mengenakan kemeja putih bersih dan rok lebar berwarna biru pupus, ia memejamkan mata dan mengatupkan tangan di dada dengan mulut komat kamit memanjatkan doa. Matanya terpejam. Ia seolah menyatu dalam panjatan doa yang dibungkus dengan begitu kuatnya pengharapan akan terkabulnya doa tersebut. 

Di seberang tempat duduk ibu tersebut, ada seorang pria tua di kursi roda berkemeja kotak-kotak hijau dan biru, serta celana pendek berwarna khaki. Usianya mungkin sekitar 60 tahunan. Tatapannya kosong menatap ke depan, tangannya lemah memegang plastic kresek putih bertuliskan nama sebuah apotik. Di sampingnya, seorang wanita muda, mungkin anaknya, terus membisikkan sesuatu di dekatnya dengan tangan kanannya menggenggam lengan sang bapak, mungkin memberikan kekuatan. Sementara seorang wanita paruh baya, mungkin istri bapak itu, merangkul bahu sang bapak dan menopangkan dagunya di pundak, seperti ingin memberikan rasa aman dan tenang pada sang bapak. Atau mungkin ia yang mencoba mencari kekuatan dari bapak itu.

Ada seorang suami istri berusia sekitar 50 tahun, bergandengan tangan menuju deretan bangku di ruang tunggu dokter tulang. Sang suami menjinjing tas coklat istrinya dan tak lama mereka duduk berdampingan dengan lengan sang istri tetap bergelayut di lengan suami, seakan entah mencari atau memberi kekuatan. Keduanya duduk terdiam menunggu giliran dipanggil masuk ke ruang dokter.

Seorang pemuda India berkemeja biru tua duduk menopangkan tangan di lututnya, tatapannya kosong menatap lantai. Ia sendiri dan termenung. Kesedihan, kebimbangan dan keputusasaan tergurat di wajahnya.

Suster-suster berseragam rok terusan selutut berwarna biru muda dengan jaket tanpa lengan berbahan wol berjalan gesit ke sana kemari, memanggil pasien, menyerahkan laporan ke counter, menghubungi bagian lab, dll. Itu mungkin sebabnya mereka semua mengenakan sepatu keds hitam, yang memudahkan mereka bergerak lebih nyaman. Suara mereka lantang dgn gaya bicara yang sangat cepat, secepat mereka berganti bahasa dari/ke Melayu, Inggris, Mandarin dan India, menyesuaikan dengan pasien. Luar biasa!

Seorang ibu muda mencoba menenangkan putrinya yang lincah berlarian di sepanjang lorong rumah sakit. Sang putri dengan kaus pink bergaris hijau muda dan ungu serta rok bewarna senada terlihat riang dengan sebuah boneka beruang putih kecil di tangannya. Sang ibu berulang kali memperingatkan sang putri untuk tidak berlarian dan berteriak-teriak, namun tidak begitu sukses usahanya.

Seorang dokter jantung, pria berusia sekitar 35 tahun dengan jas putih panjangnya keluar dari ruang prakteknya dengan langkah tergesa-gesa menuju lift. Wajahnya begitu tegang. Sepertinya ada kejadian gawat darurat yang harus segera ditangani.

Sepasang anak muda berusia sekitar 30 tahun dengan saling bergandeng tangan keluar dari ruang praktek seorang kardiolog. Senyum lebar menghias wajah keduanya. Sang wanita berkata sesuatu dengan riangnya, dan sang pria menanggapi dengan senyum dan gelak ringan yang tak kalah menyiratkan sukacitanya.

Seorang gadis muda dengan celana jeans 3/4, bersepatu sandal karet biru muda dan kaus tangan panjang pink, duduk di pojokkan dengan hp di tangan. Jari-jari kedua tangannya terlihat lincah mengetik, dengan sesekali wajahnya mengamati sekelilingnya. Ia seakan mencoba merekam semua yang terjadi di sekelilingnya dalam sebuah aplikasi memo pad. Kadang ia tersenyum sendiri, sebelum kemudian menatap sendu dan kemudian merengutkan wajah mencoba menebak dan mengerti apa yang ia lihat. Wanita itu terlihat relaks tapi tetap siaga akan panggilan sewaktu-waktu dari suster di ruang praktek ortopedik. Wanita itu adalah saya... :)

Buat saya berada di suatu tempat umum / fasilitas publik selalu menawarkan pemandangan yang menarik, khususnya tentang manusia.

Tak terhitung banyaknya cerita yang tersimpan di balik segurat senyuman, atau dalam sebuah lamunan, tatapan mata kosong, genggaman tangan, pelukan di bahu, gelak sukacita, teriak amarah dan lain-lain.  Tak terlampaui kilatan masa yang terjadi dalam cerita tersebut. Tak mampu terekam sosok yang pernah hadir dan pergi dalam rentang masa tersebut.

Siang itu, berpindah dari ruang tunggu pasien ke ruang tunggu lain di rumah sakit itu, saya melihat setiap sudut seakan menjadi tempat berkumpulnya harapan, kesedihan, kehilangan, keputusasaan namun juga kebahagiaan akan menemukan suatu asa, yg setipis apapun tetaplah keindahan hidup.

Ya, hiduplah ada misteri dengan berjuta cerita. Baik? Buruk? Tidak ada yang tahu.