Greek Super Paradise, Exceptional Gyros and the Powers of Shakira

I just finished a 3 day stint in Mykonos, Greece. Greece, as the source of much of the foundation for Western civilization, seemed like a culturally important stop in my world tour and a metaphorical fountain from which I could soak up artistic, philosophical and political enlightenment. Specifically, I decided to focus my time on the island of Mykonos, which, purely coincidentally, happens to be one of the world's most popular party destinations. I, of course, was focused only on cultural edification and was completely uninterested in petty things like white sanded beaches overflowing with tasty alcoholic beverages, excellent Mediteranean food and beautiful, half-naked people dancing to Shakira from dusk til dawn... Wait, uh, where was I... Oh yeah, those decadent indulgences, uh, certainly had no influence whatsoever on my decision to go to Mykonos...

Although President Bush may not share the same appreciation for Mykonos' unbridled hedonism, I believe Dionysos (the Greek god of wine and Madonna remixes) would be a better judge of a good party hotspot than George W. and would be quite proud of this island, a place where the party actually begins even BEFORE arrival. Maybe I have been flying on the wrong airlines in the past, but I have never flown on an airplane in which most passengers were already decked out in their party clothes, including designer sunglasses worn throughout the flight (a NIGHT flight at that) while participating in a dance party at 30,000 feet. I have to admit that I was tempted to give the gratuitous sunglasses-in-the-airplane-thing a try (when else would such a golden opportunity present itself?) but, severely out-styled by ubiqutious pairs of D&G and Prada, my $5 Ho Chi Min City imitation Ray Ban's instead quietly retreated into the depths of my backpack.

And the party did not stop at the airport tarmac. Oh no. Arriving on a Tuesday night well after midnight, I initially suspected that I would have to wait for the next night to really check out the party scene. My expectations were quickly corrected, though, when I began seeing a deluge of half-naked people (interestingly, wearing similar attire as I noted in my previous blog for Italian bachelor-pad lounging, except with Speedos replacing Jockeys) on mopeds swarming back from the beaches and toward the city center's bars and clubs. With most clubs opening at 2, 3 or even 4am, I still had plenty of time to primp and prepare (i.e. shave and put on deodorant), before attempting to mix with what appeared to be a raucous reunion of europe's most beautiful people.

It didn't take long to piece together the roster for daytime activities either, which basically consisted of 1) riding moped to beach, 2) sunbathing on beach, 3) eating when hungry, 4) drinking when thirsty, 5) riding moped back to town to begin nighttime activities. Upon waking, repeat steps 1 through 5. The biggest decisions were quite manageable and involved deciding which beaches and clubs to go to and whether to go with an espresso or latte (answer: latte, frozen, medium sweet). But even these questions were made easy or didn't really matter. For example, beach options included "Paradise" and "Super Paradise", which basically meant you can't go wrong no matter what you choose (although no awards for name creativity. "Super Paradise"? Are you kidding?)

As a long-term lover of Greek food, I used to drag my friends to all of the Greek restaurants in tokyo (all two of them, that is) on an all-too-frequent basis, hoping to satisfy intense cravings for a good gyro and Greek salad. So, imagine my happiness when I arrived in Mykonos to find gyros and Greek salads sold on every street corner and in every restaurant. But here is the real kicker and perhaps the most under-appreciated Greek contribution to Western civilization... Sure, the Greeks invented the concept of democracy, but why hasn't anyone outside of Greece noticed an equally important innovation? Obviously, I'm referring to the inclusion of french fries INSIDE the gyro. Yes, you read that correctly, INSIDE! I can only think of two words that adequately describe this magnificent feat: sheer brilliance. Upon discovery of this heretofore, apparently well-kept secret, all sorts of questions naturally filled my head. Who was responsible for this culinary achievement? Did Plato have a hand in this? Aristotle perhaps? When did this accomplishment occur? Were the French somehow involved? And why the cover-up? An international conspiracy, perhaps? But why?

Aside from being distracted with these important questions, I enjoyed Mykonos immensely and felt like lady luck was smiling on me. First, initially at risk of not finding a place to stay during peak tourist season, I eventually found a room at a local family's house and within minutes, we were sharing all sorts of stories and laughs. The mother, a 60+ year old and rather heavy-set woman who didn't speak much english was a sweetheart, offering coffees, fruits, etc and, via translation from her daughter, she could, apparently, even tell my "good natured character" simply by looking at my face (but she was 10 years short when simply guessing my age). The son, a heavy-set 40 year old and self proclaimed shaman was not shy about sharing all sorts of lurid details of his adventures in south america (censored for this family-friendly blog site). When I became worried that I parked my rented moped in a tow-away zone, he generously assured me he was protecting it with an energy field. Friendly, open and effective in preventing parking violations as they were, though, unfortunately, none of them had any answers regarding the french fries in the gyro conspiracy (clearly, more evidence of a successful cover up).

In addition to meeting these warm, friendly people (and having a roof over my head and the opportunity to relive memories of a hot shower), my luck seemed abundant in other ways as well. For example, my Nikon camera suddenly and miraculously returned from the dead, perhaps inspired by the presence of so much bare skin all around or re-energized by Shakira's alluring voice (how can anyone rest when she gets going?), which was met by much rejoicing from me and Pocket Wookie.

Next stop for me is Istanbul, where I will meet up with good friend Jake Molland. After two and a half months of traveling alone, I am looking forward to having a traveling compansion who isn't a miniature stuffed animal from a Burger King kids meal... Go figure.

I have a bunch of good picture that I still want to upload from both Rome and Mykonos, but this computer apparently can't handle them, so I will need to delay a day or so...