The Balkans - Greece, Corfu

The boat from Albania, Saranda to Corfu took only around 35 minutes. Before leaving from the port there were luggage check up and passport control. The port was massive and I soon realized that these island on this side of Greece were totally different.. So no people waiting there to offer hotels. I wandered towards the direction where everyone else was walking. I walked and walked and walked some more around the center but I couldn’t find any cheap hotels. I went to sit down and drink a coffee and ate a toast and left to walk more.. Still nothing. Then I sat down by the road opened hostelworld and booked this hostel / hotel Pink Palace which was like 23€ / night. 

It was located in Agios Gordios so on the left side of the island. I called the hostel / hotel and they told me to get to the green bus station and someone would pick me up at 15.15. I walked there and hang around there for over an hour. Met two young finnish girls travelling on their own for the first time. :D The pick up was 30 minutes late and we drove to the airport to pick some people up. Waited there for 20 minutes and left..

At the hotel I noticed that it was a maaaassive place! It took around 30 minutes to drive there from the center. At the Check in I felt like they were so busy and rude and just wanted to get rid of me. They didn’t really explain anything to me about the area (it was huge), the free breakfast and dinner, parties, beach, wifi etc. It took a while to walk to my room and there waited this weird around 45-year-old German woman. It was supposed to be a dorm room for 5 but it only had three beds.

I left for the beach since it was finally shining, went to eat and surprise surprise it started become cloudy and started to rain.. I went to walk around this “main street” and found this place that sold trips and Andreas eventually convinced me to take this trip (30€) the next morning. I didn’t really do anything else than showered and went to this free dinner which was really good! Then early to bed but realized that I would not sleep at all in that noise. I felt like I was trying to sleep at the bar.

Andreas picked me up first at 7.45 and told me to sit in front with him. Then we left to pick up other people with this minibus. While driving to the port he took a detour to show me where he lived and talked in Greek so no one else would understand on the bus. I was so embarrassed. At the port people went to the boat and we waited at least an hour before it left at 9.30. First stop were these Blue Caves and people went crazy on the boat trying to take the best pictures and I just sat on the deck laughing to people. Then we stopped at Antipaxos beach for swim but it was so cold I didn’t wanna swim. 

Then it was time to stop at island of Paxos, in Gaios for 2,5 hours. It was cute little place! I went to eat and wandered around and then back to the boat. The last 1,5 hours on the boat it was shining and it was nice to sit on the deck since all the morning I had been freezing. They danced Greek dances on the boat and with this other boat they played with the water balls and threw them from one boat to other. Back at the hotel around 18.00, took shower and went to eat and then try to sleep. Didn’t sleep again barely at all. Ridiculous.

I woke up at 4.00 and was at the reception at 4.30 and it took me maybe 10 minutes to walk up hill to there. Me and this other girl left at that time, she was dropped at the airport and I at the port. I had no facts about if there even was a boat or not.. Again, I couldnt really find anything online and the hotel people didnt give a shit. I didn’t even have a ticket. I went to this coffee place and then waited until 6 am when this ticket places was said to open. It did and I went there and bought the ticket to 6.30 boat (23,70€). Apparently this boat route was brand new and just started like couple of months ago. Not even locals knew about it. The boat was almost empty, maybe like 15 people in there.