Kayaking in the sea
Trip Start
Apr 10, 2006
1
28
52
Trip End
Jul 04, 2006
Cinque Terre, Italy
Monday, May 8, 2006
I was a little sore from the hike yesterday. My calves are tight as a rock. This morning, we took our sweet time getting ready then headed to a cafe for some breakfast. We saw a sign yesterday that said "American Breakfast $5.00" so we were all over that. I ordered an omelet with ham, sausage, and bacon. Everyone ordered the same thing. When the food came out, it was just scrambled eggs with 1 piece of Bacon, 1 hot dog weenie, and a small thin piece of ham on the side. None of the meat was inside the eggs. Not much of an omelet. Regardless, it was good. I also had my first cup of coffee here. I can't remember what it was called, but it had frothy milk on top. I put 3 packets of sugar in it. I hate the taste of coffee, but this was okay
Leaving Cinque Terre
. There has been a train strike so no trains were guaranteed. These Italian trains SUCK! They are always late if they even show up at all. We finally got a train back to Montorosso where we went yesterday. We rented 4 kayak for 2 hours and went paddling around the Italian meditation sea. We decided to go north up the coast line to the point of the harbor and see what was around that corner. We paddled for about an hour strait into the current to get there. I am going to be so sore tomorrow.
We finally make it to this rocky beach and decided to take a quick break. We got off our kayak and climbed up the slippery rocks. There was tons of slate rock along the shore that had fallen off the 400 feet cliffs behind us. We were picking up the big pieces and smashing them into a million little pieces on the other normal rocks. There is something in a guys genetic makeup that makes us enjoy things like smashing big rocks. All 4 of us were doing it for a while. It was fun. I can't tell you how many quotes from 'Castaway' we used that day. Ryan even got a small cut on his foot and drew a picture on his arm in blood. He didn't cut himself bad enough to make "Wilison". A few 'Lord of the Flies' comments came out too.
We left the rocky beach and kept pushing forward to tip of the cliff. We finally get around it and there were more cliffs. I made it around into a little inlet first and had a moment to just look around alone and take it all in. The cliffs were massive and very sharp and jagged. The sun was shining on the cliffs showing every last detail and the water was glistening with the suns reflection
me on that rock
. I could see the bottom... the water is so clear. There were large boulders underwater, but they were smooth unlike the rocks on the shore. I guess the years of waves crashing on them smoothes them out. There was a little cave towards the back of this inlet. I started paddling towards it, but I noticed the water level rising and lowering about 6 feet each time a wave would come in our out. I used my better judgement and didn't go in it...even though I really wanted to. It was time to paddle back and return our kayak. I spent most of my energy getting there so we took our leisure time headed back. The view coming back was great because we could see all five villages of Cinque Terre along the coast because we were so far out in the ocean. You would see green hills with brown cliffs speckled with 5 villages that were all so colorful. It was beautiful. Ryan and Markus were a ways a head of Ian and I, so we just talked and slowly paddled back. Both Markus and Ian are smart guys. They were friends from high school and now they are in their last year of law school. They are taking a 5 week course on International Criminal Law in Florence. It will be nice when I get there because I can stay in their place for free. Markus's dad is a famous international heart surgeon and is in laughia right now getting some award from the laughian president for helping them get a heart clinic setup in that country
our last dinner
. These guys are all very smart, but party as much as the rest of us. Ryan knows more about foreign politics and international business then anyone I have ever met before and he is only 22. If you met him at the bar, you would never have known. Especially when he's drunk and sounds like spacoli from Fast Times. He has a bright future ahead of him.
After Ian and I turned our kayak back in, Ryan and Markus had already started talking to 2 girls from Virginia Beach. They were pretty cool and we decided to meet them out for the night. They are staying in a different village then us, so they came to our place for a few drinks before we went out. After 5 bottles of wine, we headed out. The bar we went to the night before was closed. I guess because it was a Sunday night. We found a few locals that I had meet the night before when we were with Maya from Hawaii. We talked them into going into their restaurant and selling is 2 more bottles of wine. We just walked down to the beach and sat on some rocks and drank and talked with about 8 other people from all over the world. It got a little crazy. There was this large rock that I was standing on talking down to Markus and Ian. Ryan took a picture because he said I looked like Moses talking to my people. So we took a few more, but this time they were praying towards me and I had my arms outstretched like I was saying something important. If you look closely, I'm making the "shocker" with my right hand...good stuff!
We get back to our apartment and there were no more trains running, so those girls had to stay at our house. The couch turns into a sleeper sofa so we got that set up. Ryan had the worst gas and was dropping bombs like Hiroshima. They we so bad...OMG! The girls were covering their faces with blankets and stuff. I was gagging and Ryan was just laughing like its no big deal. That boy has no shame. Finally we all get to sleep it must have been 4:30 am.
One of the girls got up in the middle of the night and went to Ryans bed and just started giving him head while he was sleeping. Then after a minute or 2, she started crying because she has a boyfriend back home. She asked Ryan to talk to her about it. I guess she was looking for some reassurance or something and Ryan said, "there's nothing to talk about....go back to sleep" I guessed that pissed her off because they both bolted first thing in the morning. Girls are just as shady as guys when it comes to shit like that. They just keep it on the down low better. I guess that's why she waited until her friend was asleep before she commenced to poll smoking...so her friend wouldn't know.
Girls are stupid.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Cinque Terre. After that Ryan is headed to London to met his grandfather for a week or so, then he has a group of friends coming to meet him in Scotland and they are going to play some golf. How cool is that? Then, after that, he is going to Africa to climb Mt. Killamajara.
Markus and Ian are going to Venice for a few days, then they start school in Florence on May 14.
I was going to go to Milan and catch a flight to Istanbul, Turkey to meet up with Clint Gonzalez, old TKE from SWT. His dad is getting married there this week, so we are going to try to meet up in the Greek Islands or maybe Croatia soon. Did yall know he lives over here. I didn't.
So now I have to decide what I'm going to do next. I think I will go stay with a family friend in Milan for a few days and just lay low. I might go to Venise with Markus and Ian first, then go to Milan in a few days while they are getting settled into their new place then come to Florence to stay with them. After that I want to hit Rome, then Pompeii to see that huge volcano that froze those peoples bodies in mid-stride. After that, I'm headed to the Greek Islands, then back up to Croatia, Hungry, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Amsterdam, then back home.
I'm most excited about the Greek Islands and the pictures I have seen from Croatia look like heaven.
I'm going to miss traveling with these guys...especially Ryan. They are so much fun and we have become really close in these last 10 days. Hopefully I will find other like-minded people when I'm headed down the boot of Italy. Florence has about 10,000 American students studying there. I should be able met people there with out any problems.
We'll see what happens next!
