Arrived in Corfu on Saturday night, and it was charter heaven (or a nightmare, perhaps). Tons of charter air tourists getting off planes, and heading into charter buses to stay at charter hotels..... not this traveller!
So, hmmmm, where to stay. No sign of the little old ladies trying to rent out rooms that you read about in the travel books. Ask at the tourist information office, and the nice woman looks at me like I am out of my mind. "Everyone makes arrangements before arriving" she says. Well, I don't have any. "Anywhere cheap?" I ask. She says not in Corfu town, but maybe somewhere in her village, about a 35 euro taxi ride from here.
Oh god, what now. I decide that the town is within walking distance, so will walk there. What I will do when I get there is anyone's guess. Put on the backback (thank god I packed light), and headed out the door.
A man speaks to me in German, and I reply "English only". He immeadiately switches to English, and asks if I need a room. Well, yes I do. He lives in a little village nearby, has a few rooms to rent, he just dropped off a nice German couple who stayed 12 days.
I decide to trust my instincts and go along with this - he seems like a nice guy. Do I have to pay for a taxi? No, I have my car here - no charge of course. He says the room is 30 euros, and has a double bed and private bath. And its in a Greek village - how authentic.
We zip through a bunch of narrow streets, and in about 12 minutes arrive at his place. The room is just nice, cute, charming and clean. This will do just nicely. After I get settled, George appears again, bottle of wine and fresh bread in hand. He tells me he has to go to his brother's birthday party, but please enjoy the wine and bread in the meantime. A charge, of course not!
Next morning it is sunny and warm, and I awake to the sound of church bells, roosters and lambs. This really is a Greek village, how cool. George appears with fresh eggs right from the chicken (yes, I know that's where all eggs come from, but you know what I mean!). He also has a little pot of hot coffee, and we sit outside my room on some deck chairs enjoying the sun and conversation.
Later, he takes me to his friend Tony's to check out cars. He helps me negotiate a good rate, and I get a nice little Kia for 200 euros for an entire week. OK, I guess this is not budget travel, but I really want to explore the island.
I follow him back to the pension, carefully noting the landmarks. The streets have no names or number, so you just have to remember landmarks. My last turn is by the pink house, and I follow the road until the double potholes, and turn left into George's place.
I then head off to Corfu town, to check out the old fort, the harbour, and the great shops and restaurants. It is a bit of a zoo - I later find out why - three cruise ships in town. Oh well, grab some mousaka in an outdoor cafe (still not sounding like budget travel, Neil).
Later, take a spectacular drive around the north end of the island. It is much more mountainous than I thought. It was an amazing drive, and lots of fun, as the car was a standard. Using info I had written down from Wikitravel, managed to find the lone nude beach in the area. Stopped for a little sun, then drove back over the mountains to Corfu town.
Grab some dinner and breakfast food, and put it in the fridge in my room. George arrvies later with more wine, and we sit outside chatting for a couple of hours. I have made a local connection, and am really liking it.
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