Let’s say that you are on a one-day cruise of three Greek islands. Your cruise leaves 5-10 minutes earlier then they said. You are still on the second stop on the island of Poros. Never mind the boarding card that was supposed to be checked at disembarkment and reentry because it’s crap. Your ship left and you have been abandoned on a Greek island. Your life could be worse! In case you wanted to get off the island, here’s an action plan for future reference. Step 1: Find Other Abandoned PassengersI was not the only one abandoned (fortunately and unfortunately). As I was running towards the empty ferry dock, I collided with a young American couple and a woman from Paraguay. They had also been on my cruise. I was still convinced that I had mistaken the location of the ferry dock. They pointed our ferry sailing away to the last island of Aegina. I had honestly been a couple minutes late. However, they had been right on time and the ferry had already been far out at sea. We were stranded, but at least now we had each other. Step 2: Remember That It Was Your FaultFellow Americans, we are not used to being told we are wrong as the customer especially when the company did something wrong (in this case lied about the departure time). Not all countries follow the “customer is always right” culture. This step is important because you will get nowhere blaming natives as a foreigner even if you are the customer. It doesn’t mean people won’t help you. It will just help keep you humble in front of people who don’t want to be called wrong. Accept that it was your fault and move on to step 3. Step 3: Figure Out How to Get Off the Island This can be the most difficult step especially if there’s a language barrier. Your best bet is to find a tour company or hotel where usually they speak English and are used to aiding lost foreigners. The woman from Paraguay, Madre Maria, was a big help in this. She was with a tour group of other people from Paraguay. This included her adult daughter, who abandoned her mother on an island (we were instantly adopted as her new children). The Americans were able to get as far as asking the tour owner to call our cruise company and get the number of the captain of our ship. Unfortunately, the captain did not speak very good English and was not too eager to help (see Step 2). However, I believe that the tour leader for Madre Maria was desperate to remedy the situation and please her customer at the very least. The tour leader spouted off an action plan over the phone and Madre Maria translated our options. We debated staying overnight to catch the next ferry so we could see Aegina. However, we decided the best option was to take the express boat back to Athens (apparently the other cruise would take two days to return to Athens because it had a different route). With a plan of action, it was time to move on to step 4. Step 4: Start Drinking Greek Wine The time allotted by the cruise ship was really enough to hit the main attractions of Poros. Though I guess not enough time for three Americans and Madre Maria to return to the ship. Once you’ve seen the clock tower, the main square, and walked around a few streets then you’ve seen Poros Town. There are some side trips but with the transfer time on ferries and buses, it’s not worth missing your second shot at a ferry. With 3-ish hours to spare, your best option is to just start drinking local Greek wine. It’s delicious, cheap, and helps drown your sorrows of missing the final island tour of Aegina. Step 5: Remember This is What Traveling is About Once you’ve returned safely home, just remember that this is what traveling is about. It’s about making plans and sometimes having them go horribly wrong. It’s about missing out on a few cool Instagram pictures and getting to know some incredible people with different life stories instead (some people with the cutest love stories, I might add). Things usually work out in the end, but the best travel stories usually take place on the way to your destination. For me, traveling is about these stories.
See more photos from my adventure, on Flickr.
Cam-taco
11/20/2014 04:26:42 am
I went straight to Step 4 and skipped your other Steps for Success.
Klarrisa
11/24/2014 01:26:03 am
Good form! :)
Bobbie Allen
11/20/2014 05:05:33 am
I love the "it's your fault" part. You're so wise. :)
Klarrisa
11/24/2014 01:25:34 am
Oh, it's ALWAYS your fault. I've accepted it. Comments are closed.
|