Part 4: Samos

SAMOS — THE ISLAND I ALMOST HATED

The Ferry From Hell — 5 Hours To Get Into Greece

The next morning I gathered all my things and had the hotel call me a taxi.

It was the same guy from before, and he was like:

"Why didn’t you call me?"

I literally said something like:

"Well, you’re here anyway, right?"

😂

He didn’t really have anything to say.

He took me to the ferry.

I already had a built-up expectation for ferries to Greek islands.

I was expecting:

"Easy peasy fa shizzee."

😂

The driver drops me off, and there is a fat-ass line.

And this was just to get the ticket.

I would say it was probably a little over an hour before we even boarded.

It took about 45 minutes to an hour just to get the ticket.

Then I entered the building and had to do security and immigration.

That part honestly wasn’t that bad.

It just took time.

Finally, everything was done.

The boat was supposed to leave, but it ended up leaving over an hour late.

The ferry was packed.

I didn’t know the process, so I made a mistake.

I put my luggage on the first floor and went upstairs because there was no room downstairs.

That was dumb.

Always stay near the exit with your things.

Because what happened next was worse.

We finally get to Samos and exit the boat.

And then I spent five hours getting through immigration.

I was near the back of the line, and it just took forever.

Five hours.

Standing in the hot-ass sun.

No shade.

Waiting to pass immigration.

The building was small.

There were only two immigration officers processing everyone.

Whether that was the reason or not, I don’t know.

It wasn’t like there were thousands of people.

Maybe 100–200 people.

But it took forever.

And honestly?

I was pissed.

It took an entire day from me.

My plan was:

Arrive in Samos around 9 AM.

Have the rental car stuff done by 10.

Start exploring.

Instead, it was almost 3:30 PM by the time I finally got to my rental.

The crazy thing?

The car was already there.

Parked.

Waiting for me.

I didn’t even have to do the paperwork until later.

And because I lost so much time, my first reaction was already negative.

I was blaming Samos instead of the system that caused the problem.

I hadn’t even given the island a chance, but I was already thinking:

"This is going to suck."

The Laundry Family That Changed My Mood

I was talking to the owners of the house I rented, and I desperately needed clothes washed.

So they connected me with their laundry service.

They closed at 3:30.

I told them:

"If you’re willing to wait a little, I’ll drive there and try to get there as close to 3:30 as possible."

They agreed.

The laundry place was only about a 5–10 minute drive away.

I arrived a little after 3:30, and a man was there waiting to greet me.

Super cool guy.

I don’t remember his name, or his sons' names who were also there.

But his wife’s name was Cleopatra.

He joked that we would only remember his wife’s name.

He was right.

😂

The whole family was cool.

Even the kid.

He was sitting in the corner drawing pictures while the parents were talking with me.

This was exactly the type of random interaction I like when traveling.

I was still a little bummed about where I was staying.

Apparently, I was way out of the way from Samos town.

I was in the cuts.

And that’s exactly why I rented a car.

Remember, I rent the cheapest place.

And I got the cheapest, most inconvenient place you could probably get.

😂

But the good thing was the laundry family knew the owners of my rental well.

They told me the village we were going to was actually one of the best villages on the island.

And the house itself?

They said it was great.

They actually rented it themselves because they liked it so much.

I was feeling a little better.

And that feeling grew because while I was still pissed at Samos for no reason, the husband started telling me a shit ton about the island.

Where to go.

Where to eat.

Things about the village.

Places I should see.

This information was priceless.

When I told him what happened at the port, his wife explained there was a big holiday in Turkey, so a lot of Turkish people came over that day.

Just my luck.

😂

But honestly?

My luck on this trip had been almost perfect.

Almost 30 days traveling.

Eventually, there had to be a bad day.

This was it.

I was just hoping it would be the only one.

I hung out with them for a while, soaking up that Greek hospitality.

And while the husband said Samos was far better than Chios, I noticed something immediately:

The Greeks had the same hospitality I experienced in Chios.

And the cat culture was fully alive here too.

I found Greeks genuinely hospitable.

Let me throw this in as well.

I found Turkish people hospitable too.

But personally?

I just had better vibes from the Greeks overall.

That’s just my experience.

After that, I was off.

I made a couple scenic stops for photos and videos, but it was about a 20-minute drive to the village.

And that’s when the next adventure started.

Pagondas — The Village I Didn’t Want To Stay In

All that done, I was off.

I made a couple scenic stops to take videos and photos, but it was about a 20-minute drive to the village.

I had my GPS on, and I was driving through these windy, empty "mountain" roads.

I put "mountain" in quotes because I have been to the Himalayas.

My guide, Sam, always called everything a hill.

I would mention some mountain from another country and he would say something like:

"Oh, that hill."

😂

I always think of Sam when talking about mountains.

I get into this narrow-ass village road.

I’m loving the architecture.

But I’m not loving the road.

The GPS takes me to this building, and I start looking for parking.

I drive up the road, which eventually becomes dirt, and it brings me right back to my Taiwan days.

I had to back out.

And this is the major problem with driving on these Greek islands and narrow streets.

You can fuck yourself hard.

Sometimes it’s better to just turn around and avoid spending an hour backing out of some terrible situation.

I ended up parking near the GPS point.

Why I didn’t just do that from the beginning was beyond me.

😂

The owner texted me and told me she was on the way.

When she arrived, I thought the building was the house.

It wasn’t.

Honestly, I doubt there is an accurate GPS point for where she took me.

The GPS point was basically the town square.

Empty at 5 PM.

Small as fuck.

She had me follow her.

She made a left where I had gone straight earlier and had to back out.

We went up this funky road, all uphill.

My rental car was struggling a little, but I made it.

I was tripping because this was basically one road going both directions.

I would hate to think about coming up or down this road and another car appearing.

Again, it reminded me of Taiwan.

And those weren’t exactly happy memories.

😂

She led me to a small parking lot and then to the house.

The laundry family was right.

This place was hella nice.

It was a legit house.

Big-ass kitchen.

Living room.

Dining room.

Stairs leading to the bedroom.

Rooftop access.

Backyard.

Even a fireplace.

This was by far the nicest place I stayed on the entire trip.

The only negative was getting there.

That was the problem.

I was thinking about leaving.

But then I thought:

"It’s getting late."

"I don’t know what to do."

"I don’t want to randomly drive around trying to find food and then have to come back."

And honestly?

I was scared to drive out of the village and back in.

😂

If I was going to leave this place, I would do it in the morning.

I would wake up, do a shit ton of stuff, and come back.

I wasn’t going to go through all this trouble just for one night.

The laundry family told me the owners of my place also had a restaurant in the square that served authentic Greek food.

The owner confirmed it.

She said I would meet her husband if I decided to eat there.

After she left, I handled my business and wandered the streets.

I figured I would randomly find the square.

I walked by a church.

And then that fucking bell hit right next to me.

It was exactly 6 PM.

It startled the shit out of me.

😂

Failed my Fortitude save.

I found two corner stores and bought some supplies.

Found the square.

Dropped my stuff off at the house.

Then returned to eat.

I had my nice authentic Greek meal.

Kebab or something.

I honestly don’t remember exactly.

But it was good.

Greeks eat late.

So while I was finishing my meal, all these old Greek people started coming out into the square.

And honestly?

It was beautiful.

Just natural.

Authentic.

People living their lives.

I smiled at some people, but I didn’t go crazy trying to get into everyone’s business.

I’m a guest.

I’m not trying to invade people’s space.

I also met the husband.

And this dude was awesome.

I had forgotten my outlet converter back at the hotel in Kuşadası.

I mentioned it to his wife.

She told him.

And while I was eating, he came over and gave me one.

Free.

No big deal.

Just helping me out.

After dinner, I wandered around the village.

And this was definitely an isolated, cutty-ass small village.

There was nothing to do here.

If I didn’t have a car, I would have been fucked.

😂

Don’t get me wrong.

As a home base?

Perfect.

Beautiful.

Quiet.

But I would not want to stay here the entire time.

I would have been hella bored.

Oh, and there were mosquitoes, gnats, fleas, whatever the hell they were.

Something was attacking me during dinner.

Painful bites.

That itchy sensation.

Fucking sucked.

Eventually, I went back to the house and slept.

I had already lost a day.

That meant swimming and beaches were going to suffer.

Samos is smaller than Chios, but it still takes time to get around.

Even when places are only 30 kilometers away, the roads are not made for speed.

You take your time.

Funny enough, after all the frustration getting here, I was starting to realize Samos might actually be exactly what I was looking for.

FIRST FULL DAY IN SAMOS — MOUNTAIN VILLAGES, WATERFALLS, AND LEARNING THE ROADS

My first full day in Samos had some things I needed to take care of because I couldn’t do them the day before because of immigration.

I needed to get my clothes.

I needed to go to the rental place and finish the paperwork.

So I had to change my plans around and make the day make sense.

The Village Roads — Taiwan Flashbacks

I left the parking lot and accidentally took the wrong road.

Not the shitty road back into the village that the owner took me on.

A different road that brought me deeper into the village.

I realized too late.

I fucked myself.

😂

I got out of my car because I already knew I was going to hate backing up uphill on this narrow-ass street.

I stopped.

Got out.

Walked ahead to see if I could continue.

I couldn’t.

The road got too narrow and basically became undrivable.

But I did see a little farther down that there was enough space where I could turn around.

So I did.

Lesson learned.

I would never make that mistake again.

I drove to the laundry mat.

I could have texted, but they were nice people, and I wanted to stop by and talk and see if my stuff was ready.

Cleopatra told me around 3:30.

I told her my plan and that maybe I would make it around then.

I had to go to Kokkari to finish the rental paperwork.

So I decided I would hit the mountain towns:

Manolates and Vourliotes.

Both were near Kokkari.

Cleopatra’s husband told me to do some hiking in Manolates and recommended the Blue Chairs restaurant in Vourliotes.

Sure.

I didn’t really have much of a plan.

Kokkari — Rental Paperwork And A Quick Stop

I drove to Kokkari.

I went to the rental place, but Nikos, the guy I got the rental from, wasn’t there.

They told me I would have to come back.

Then they told me Nikos was coming.

Five minutes later he arrived.

He couldn’t stay long, but I got all the paperwork done.

Easy.

Manolates — The Beautiful Village With Nobody Home

I drove up to Manolates first because it was still early.

If I was going to hike in 90+ degree weather, I wanted to do it in the morning.

Manolates was a beautiful village.

Unfortunately, I arrived when nobody was there.

It was empty.

Shops were closed.

A lot of the homes had artistic items displayed outside for sale.

There was a tiny square.

But I only saw two residents.

A priest who wasn’t rude, but also wasn’t exactly friendly.

And a woman relaxing and eating breakfast in front of her home.

I asked her about trails.

She didn’t really know.

I checked AllTrails and couldn’t find anything nearby.

I did find a tiny playground and a dunk court.

I found farmland.

And I found this really nice cafe with an amazing view.

It was closed, but the cleaner didn’t have any issue with me walking around and checking it out.

That’s where I saw three tourists.

I walked up a dirt path farther to see if I could find some hiking.

But it just led me toward farmland and kept going uphill.

After a while, I decided to head back down, explore the village a little more, and bounce.

I would have liked to have seen Manolates when it was active.

I’m sure it would have had a completely different feeling.

But it was still early.

My hiking plans didn’t really happen.

Potami Waterfalls — I Forgot The One Thing I Needed

I also wanted to swim.

I had all my swim gear.

Well...

Almost.

Despite not having a wet bag, I figured I would make it work.

😂

I decided to drive about 30 minutes to Potami Waterfall.

When I arrived, there were already people there.

It was almost 10 AM.

And then I realized:

I brought everything.

My GoPro.

My waterproof camera.

All my gear.

Everything.

Except...

A towel.

And swimming trunks.

😂

I was pissed.

But I was already there.

So I went anyway.

The hike was easy.

Families were doing it.

Young people.

Old people.

Everyone.

Honestly, it felt like a hike I would do back home in California.

One thing I noticed between Samos and Chios:

Both islands were beautiful.

But Chios felt more barren to me.

Samos had way more trees.

Way more forest areas.

It felt greener.

I got to the waterfall area.

And then I found out the waterfall itself isn’t really something you just walk up to.

You have to swim between the cliff sides through the water, and eventually you reach it.

I was pissed.

Because obviously I couldn’t do it.

I had no swimming trunks.

No towel.

No way I was walking around soaked.

😂

There was also a cafe where people could go in and swim toward the waterfall.

But it was above, and honestly, I didn’t care enough to do it.

I left disappointed.

But at the same time, I was already thinking:

"I might come back here."

Vourliotes — The Village That Had Life

I drove back toward Vourliotes, the other mountain town.

This was a beautiful drive.

There were turnouts where you could stop and take photos.

Not only of the classic Greek island coastline below, but also the village itself sitting in the trees and mountains.

Vourliotes felt bigger.

There was more life.

More tourists.

More activity.

I went to the restaurant and ordered rabbit because I had never tried it before.

It was good.

I talked with the owner about traveling.

He told me his son was a high-level Michelin star chef.

I don’t know much about chefs or stars, but he was proud.

And the food was good.

Eventually, I finished eating and decided to explore more of the village before leaving.

Driving Samos — Every Road Is A Beach

Just to be clear:

Samos coastal driving is beautiful.

I enjoyed driving here immensely.

It’s funny because not only in Samos, but also Turkey and Chios, you have all these nice beaches.

But honestly?

Every spot is nice.

I would see some old Greek or Turkish dude just chilling.

Sunbathing.

Swimming right off the road.

A small beach.

WITH sand.

And yet everyone goes to the official beaches.

I’m driving around seeing places where I could easily post up.

I don’t really see the point of going to a "beach" when anywhere can be your beach.

With exceptions.

Obviously, if you’re looking for fish, snorkeling, or something specific, that’s different.

Pythagoreio — The Tourist Side Of Samos

I arrived exactly at 3:30 to pick up my clothes.

Perfect timing.

Since I was close to Pythagoreio, where my ferry would eventually leave from, I decided to explore and get some ice cream.

Pythagoreio felt more touristy than Chios town.

But on a much smaller scale.

It was becoming obvious that tourists just centralize around certain areas.

And this was one of those areas.

I mean, it was cool.

Same old stuff:

Cafes.

Ice cream shops.

Restaurants.

Stores.

White girls going to the corner store buying beer.

😂

Not much has changed since I was their age.

I got ice cream.

Bought some supplies for my house since I was out in the cuts.

After that, I honestly don’t even remember what I had for dinner.

Maybe I just had snacks.

When I travel, I usually eat one or two meals a day to save money.

This trip I was usually eating two meals.

But it’s possible I just snacked because...

I was scared to drive back into the village at night.

😂

The Drive Back — The Road Was In My Head

This was the part I was dreading.

Driving back to the house.

The village roads.

One road.

Both directions.

What happens if another car comes?

Who moves?

What’s the etiquette?

I had no idea.

To spare the suspense:

While I did have to back up a few times out of tight situations, I never really got into any fucked-up situations.

Every time I met another car, I got lucky.

We were near a turnout.

There was space.

It worked out.

But that doesn’t mean everyone will have the same luck.

Honestly?

Going back was overhyped in my head.

It really wasn’t that hard.

After the first full day, I knew:

I could handle the village.

DAY 2 — THE DAY SAMOS FINALLY STARTED WINNING

Potami Waterfalls — The Journey Was Better Than The Destination

I had to come back.

I didn’t really want to the first time, but I wanted to experience this waterfall properly.

This time I had everything ready.

I got there early.

There was only one couple who got there before me.

I left most of my shit in the car.

I only brought my towel, GoPro, keys, shoes, and my mask.

I could still look for fish.

It felt so good stepping into the fresh water.

The pool area itself was shallow, but once you go between the rock cliffs, it gets deep and you have to swim.

It’s a short swim.

The waterfall was there.

And honestly?

It was pretty generic.

As a matter of fact, if I was hiking and randomly saw this waterfall off to the side while walking, I probably wouldn’t even take a picture.

😂

I heard noises of someone else past the waterfall, above and beyond.

I didn’t want to scale that waterfall.

I just didn’t want to slip.

I figured there had to be another way.

When I got back, the couple told me you actually have to climb up that waterfall to see the second one.

When I asked how that one was, they told me they never did it.

😂

This is another example where the journey was better than the destination.

I loved getting in.

Swimming.

Seeing some generic freshwater fish.

Finally experiencing the waterfall.

It was the experience itself.

Potami Beach — Beautiful, But Wrong Conditions

After that, I went to Potami Beach.

This was a cool beach with some rock outcroppings and some hella cool multicolored pebbles that just gleamed when wet.

The problem was the water was a little choppy.

That resulted in low visibility.

Cool beach.

But conditions weren’t optimal.

I bounced after about a half hour.

Pythagoras Cave — I Hate This Shit, But I’m Doing It Anyway

I was debating Pythagoras Cave.

I hella wanted to go here.

But it was kind of out of the way all alone.

I don’t really like driving far just to see one thing.

But I do know the Pythagorean theorem.

Might as well see where this hermit was posted thousands of years ago.

😂

I heard the road was windy and there were two ways.

One required 4x4.

The other was the normal way.

I wasn’t sure which one Google Maps would give me.

So I drove to Marathokampos, a village nearby.

From there, I drove toward the cave.

This gave me serious deja vu.

Taiwan mountain road flashbacks.

No Wi-Fi.

Narrow roads along a huge hillside.

At any moment another car could come and ruin the day.

I just get paranoid on these windy mountain roads.

What felt like an hour — and was probably only about 5 kilometers — eventually brought me to the area.

There was a small parking lot.

Almost full.

But it wasn’t crowded.

There was a cafe next to the parking lot.

I asked some questions because I heard there were two caves.

One with a shrine and church.

Another where Pythagoras actually posted up, but it was harder to reach.

Everything was confirmed.

So I went up.

By this time, I was seasoned.

I had been doing 30,000+ steps daily.

Sometimes way more.

Walking in 105+ degree heat.

I read some blog saying if you go in summer, go early morning or afternoon.

I arrived a little after 11 AM.

I wasn’t worried.

Neither were the other people already there.

It’s all uphill and steps.

But honestly?

While you arrive breathing hard, it wasn’t difficult.

I wasn’t physically exhausted.

Just winded.

There’s a small church about halfway up, which was tight.

At the top there’s a shrine and a cave.

You can actually go deep into this cave.

I turned on my iPhone light.

It didn’t do shit.

😂

I decided to post for a minute and then head down.

I’m not walking deep into a cave with little to no light.

Fuck that.

The Second Cave — Doing Things I Hate

The trail to the other cave starts slightly before the first church.

That path is just rocks.

I’m kind of on all fours with all my gear.

In these situations, I turn off the camera and put my things away.

I need to concentrate.

As I said:

I don’t like this shit.

Eventually, you come to this wall with a rope.

Yup.

You have to do what I hate even more.

Climb.

It wasn’t much taller than me if I raised my arm.

But if you fall?

You’re getting fucked up.

Sharp rocks.

No joke.

There were two children there.

I was thinking about turning around.

But then I thought:

"If they can do it, I can."

Then I thought about my childhood.

I jumped off one-story buildings.

Ran across monkey bars at full speed.

Climbed trees.

I would have done this easily back then.

I asked the kids if it was easy.

They said yes.

I made a face.

Then I climbed.

😂

Going up wasn’t that bad.

But I knew going down would be horrible.

I continued along because there wasn’t really a path anymore.

Just an arrow pointing toward the cave.

The cave was sick.

Wide open space.

Then it went upward and had an opening with an amazing view.

This was where Pythagoras posted for a hot minute.

I was here too.

It was kind of like the House of Mary.

But free.

I mean...

It’s a cave.

😂

Do you need to go?

No.

The shitty drive.

The road.

The heat.

The climb.

It all kind of sucks.

It was more about the story of the guy and the history.

But honestly?

I don’t know shit about Pythagoras except his theorem.

😂

I guess I still like to challenge myself.

Getting Down Was Worse

Now it was time to go down.

I didn’t like this at all.

The rope was off to the side, and I had to figure out the safest way.

I spent some time deciding how I wanted to do it.

I moved the rope where I needed it.

I climbed down.

I made it.

But it wasn’t fun.

It scared me.

I had to think through every move.

Finally, I reached the cafe.

I started talking to the owner.

I ordered fresh orange juice.

It was expensive.

But honestly?

I felt like I accomplished something.

I deserved it.

I did not envy leaving.

I was paranoid about the drive back.

I asked her if I could continue down another way.

She said:

"Yes, if you have 4x4."

😂

Nikos told me I was fully covered with insurance until I went off-road.

So I had to go back the way I came.

That bothered me almost as much as the rope.

I asked the owner where she lived.

She said the village nearby.

I asked:

"So you drive this fucking road every day? At least twice?"

She said:

"Yup. You get used to it."

We talked a little more.

Then it was time to go.

The drive back was smooth.

Still scary.

The car came.

I got lucky with the turnouts.

As usual, going back is always faster than going there.

Kokkari, Samos Town, And Finding The Perfect Village

Despite all the driving I did to get to these different locations, it was still fairly early.

Instead of cutting across the island, I decided to drive back north, near the waterfall, and just follow the coast.

I liked that drive that much.

Kokkari — Beautiful Until The Tourists Arrived

I decided to go back to Kokkari, where I signed the rental car paperwork.

I was only there for a minute earlier, but it had this really cool vibe.

It was like a strip with cafes and restaurants, and then a long beach.

It reminded me of a fancier European Barra de Navidad.

When I got there again, it still had that feeling.

For a hot second, I thought:

"If I ever come back to Samos, I’m staying here."

Because honestly?

It was beautiful.

Then I saw all the tourists.

😂

I took that back real quick.

As much as I liked the look of Kokkari, I just couldn’t vibe with being around that many tourists.

This was another area where everyone was centralized.

I walked the strip.

Took some photos.

And bounced.

Samos Town — Same Setup, Different Country

After that, I went to Samos Town.

I didn’t spend much time here.

I just drove in along the main road, parked, and took some pictures.

I didn’t want to drive deep into town.

I didn’t want to get trapped.

So I parked where I could see the town from a distance and walked around.

It was a similar setup to Chios and everywhere else.

On the water.

Cafes.

Stores.

Restaurants.

More tourists.

Same setup.

Different country.

Panagia Spiliani Monastery — A Cool Cave And A Break From The Heat

I still had some time, so I went to Panagia Spiliani Monastery.

It reopened at 5 PM, which was perfect timing.

This place was okay.

What made it really nice was the cave.

That part was cool.

Honestly, even just getting out of the heat, it was worth it.

But there was a shrine down there.

And you know...

It was alright.

😂

I also stumbled upon the Ancient Theatre of Pythagoreio, which was nearby.

It sounds way better than it actually is.

It’s basically a stage with some bleachers and some old ruined stuff.

But it’s free.

It’s hella close.

So why not?

The Village Nobody Was Going To

Soon I would realize why I lucked out so much with the isolated, remote village I was staying in.

Remember at the laundry mat, when I was talking to the owner?

He mentioned a very special seafood restaurant.

This place only opens at 8 PM.

It gets crowded fast.

The fish is the catch of the day.

Super fresh.

And it turned out this place was only 5–10 minutes from the village I was staying in.

Before going back to the house, I decided to find the restaurant first.

I wanted to know the details.

Shitty roads?

Narrow streets?

Anything?

I wanted no surprises when I came back later.

I got to the restaurant.

And I was blown away.

Not because of the restaurant itself.

There was an old lady there cleaning, and I tried to reserve a table for 8 PM.

I don’t think she understood me.

😂

But then I started looking around.

This village had wide streets.

This was the only place on my entire trip where I had easy-ass parking everywhere.

Wide streets.

Like back home.

What’s more?

This was on the coast.

It had shops.

An ice cream store.

Cafes.

Restaurants.

Everything.

But it was empty.

Okay, that’s not fair.

It wasn’t empty.

But there were very few people.

This was the spot.

If I ever returned to Samos, this is where I would stay.

It had everything Pythagoreio had.

Everything Samos Town had.

Every other tourist town had.

Minus the crowds.

Why was nobody here?

I don’t know.

I would be here every day.

The Seafood Restaurant — Sri Lanka Flashbacks

I headed back to the house.

Posted up.

Showered.

Got ready.

I drove a little early because I wanted to walk around the strip first.

Still, there weren’t many people.

By 7:50, I headed to the restaurant.

And it delivered.

You could order fries, calamari, and other stuff.

But when it was time for the fish, they called one table at a time.

They brought out the fish they caught that day.

You picked which one you wanted.

It reminded me of Sri Lanka.

We ate at this small hut-like restaurant literally on a cliffside with the ocean below.

The dude’s menu was basically a basket of everything they caught that day.

Best menu I’ve ever seen.

It brought me back to that moment.

I picked my fish.

They cooked it.

The food was fresh.

The food was good.

But honestly?

It wasn’t the best experience.

I told you before:

I don’t like eating for three hours.

That’s why I have such issues eating in Asia.

It’s just a fucking ordeal.

You go get hot pot.

You cook it.

There’s seven people there.

Everyone is talking.

You eat.

Then cook more.

Then eat.

I’m not trying to spend three hours eating.

😂

This was similar.

It just took forever.

I was waiting forever for appetizers.

Waiting forever for the main course.

I expected to get back to the house after sunset.

But it was still light.

Nope.

I didn’t leave until well past 10 PM.

The Red Truck

Now I had to drive at night.

No street lights.

I had no idea if the village would even have lights.

This is where I saw the red truck left over on the road near the village.

This will become important later.

I did make it back.

There were lights in the village.

But getting there was still a little stressful.

The windy roads.

The darkness.

One mistake and you’re over the edge.

Once I got into the village, it was pretty easy.

Then I finally saw them.

The rebel teens.

😂

As I made that left up the hill toward the shitty road that leads to the parking lot.

Three teenagers posted up.

Doing who knows what.

I know what I would have been doing there at that age.

But teenagers from this tiny village at 10 PM just posted in the street?

I have no idea.

😂

It was late.

I had a lot to do tomorrow.

Tomorrow was my last day.

FINAL DAY IN SAMOS — THE ISLAND THAT WON ME OVER

I didn’t get up super early on my final full day in Samos.

My plan was to visit Heraion of Samos.

It opened at 8:30 AM and was maybe 15 minutes away.

Heraion Of Samos — Great History, Great Bathrooms

This was a decent site.

Nothing super impressive.

Except the bathrooms.

😂

The bathrooms were clean as fuck.

The ruins themselves were okay.

There was a fish mosaic that stood out, but most of it was just crumbled ruins with a couple pieces still standing.

It was about 10 euros to get in.

Personally?

I think that’s a little expensive for what you get.

I’d pay 5 or 6 euros max.

I don’t regret going.

But besides the bathroom...

😂

It wasn’t mind-blowing.

Eupalinus Aqueduct — Amazing Engineering, Average Experience

Next was the Eupalinus Aqueduct.

This was also about 10 euros.

And honestly?

Probably not worth the price.

Now, the history of this place?

Amazing.

What they built during that time was incredible.

The engineering was insane.

The experience itself?

Not as impressive.

First off, I couldn’t film.

I could only take pictures as long as nobody else was in the photo.

You go down these stairs into a tunnel.

And that’s basically it.

It’s the same thing the entire time.

For someone tall like me, you’re crouching most of the time.

It gets uncomfortable.

The guy in front of me kept banging his head on the ceiling.

I was trying not to laugh because he was about my height.

😂

I just navigated better than him.

Flawlessly, I might add.

It’s cool.

But the history is what makes it cool.

Pythagoreio — One More Stop Before The Beach

After that, I stopped in Pythagoreio town.

Mostly for ice cream because it was close.

Then I went back to that cool little village where I had dinner the night before.

Again:

Not many people.

Beautiful.

Relaxed.

I ate some bomb-ass seafood and then had a decision.

I could drive five minutes to a beach.

Or I could drive 45 minutes to a beach with a cave.

I chose the closer beach.

The Beach I Didn’t Want To Like

This was the type of beach I would normally clown.

😂

Because it had everything I usually hate.

It was small.

Every umbrella had a number.

Each one had its own little area.

You picked a number and paid 6 euros.

You could order drinks.

Snacks.

Relax.

Normally?

Not my thing.

But the staff were cool as fuck.

I was worried about my stuff, and they told me nobody would steal anything.

They also had free water shoes, masks, and snorkels that you could borrow.

That actually made swimming way easier for me.

I got a tan.

And honestly?

This place was pretty damn good for fish.

Lots of rocks.

Lots of places for fish to hide.

I didn’t realize how winded I got swimming with only a mask.

With a snorkel, I could stay out there much longer because I wasn’t constantly holding my breath.

The spot was excellent.

Do I wish I could have gone to the cave beach that was probably empty or mostly empty?

Sure.

But that was also a 1.5-hour investment round trip.

I wanted to relax on my last day.

So this was the right choice.

The Hitchhiker And The Red Truck

I had leftover snacks, so when I got back to the house, I just ate those instead of having dinner.

The final morning in Samos came.

I was packed.

My ferry left at 8 AM.

I wanted to get sunrise photos.

I was not taking any chances.

I had a 4 PM flight from Izmir to Istanbul.

If something went wrong, I wanted time.

I wanted to be near an exit.

I wanted my luggage ready.

I wanted to move fast through immigration.

So I left early.

I’m driving down this isolated road, and this older Greek dude is walking.

He puts his thumb up.

You know what I do.

😂

He gets in the car.

Thanks me in Greek.

Then realizes:

I don’t speak Greek.

😂

We drove past the red truck.

When it came into view, I told him the story.

How I saw it the night after the seafood dinner.

How I wondered what happened.

He started laughing.

Pointing.

And I think he told me it was his truck.

I started laughing too.

Because that red truck had become this random mystery during my time in Samos.

If it was his, my guess is maybe he knew someone in the village and couldn’t get help because it was the weekend.

Monday came.

He left.

Saw me.

And tested his luck.

We talked more.

He asked if I liked Samos mostly through body language.

We exchanged names.

He told me where he lived.

I dropped him off at the gas station where I got gas the day before.

And that was it.

Another random travel connection.

Leaving Samos — The Island That Changed My Mind

Samos was coming to an end.

The trip was coming to an end.

And I felt good.

What started as a bad experience with Samos turned into a great experience.

By the end, I wasn’t even using GPS anymore.

I was just driving.

I knew where I was going.

I knew the roads.

I felt comfortable.

Honestly?

I personally liked Chios better than Samos.

But I had more conversations and made better connections in Samos.

The Adapter Mission

Oh, and before leaving:

The adapter the husband of the house got me stopped working.

I needed another one.

I had to go to Samos Town.

And that became a mission.

😂

I made wrong turns.

Got lost.

Ended up taking the back route into Samos Town.

Which meant...

Those damn narrow streets again.

I got lucky.

Other drivers helped direct me where to go.

And I finally got to experience Samos Town.

Just like I predicted:

The main area had the walking street.

Stores.

Cafes.

Restaurants.

Same same.

But a little different.

I went to the first shop.

They were out.

Second shop?

They had it.

I had all my camera gear out.

I wasn’t filming the store, but I had everything visible.

The owner and worker probably thought I was some big-time influencer.

😂

I told them I lived in multiple countries and traveled to over 50 countries.

I’m not even counting anymore.

Unfortunately, the reality isn’t that glamorous.

I’m just a teacher who likes photography and documenting my trips.

Saying Goodbye To The People Who Helped Me

Before leaving Samos, I had one more stop to make.

Not because I needed anything.

Not because I forgot something.

I wanted to say goodbye.

I drove back to the laundry mat to see the family one more time.

I didn’t need them to do any laundry.

I just wanted to thank them for helping me when I first arrived.

Remember, when I first got to Samos, I was already frustrated.

Five hours at immigration.

Lost time.

Not knowing where I was staying.

Thinking I had made a mistake.

And these people were some of the first people who changed my attitude toward the island.

When I arrived, the son was there.

And he had something waiting for me.

He had drawn me an American flag.

He already had it finished because he wanted to give it to me when I arrived.

Honestly?

That was pretty damn cool.

This kid barely knew me.

I was just some random American who showed up needing laundry done.

But he took the time to make something for me.

Those are the moments I remember.

Not the expensive attractions.

Not the places everyone tells you that you have to see.

A kid drawing an American flag for a stranger.

A random old man cleaning fish at the windmills.

Someone giving you an adapter because you forgot yours.

Those little things are the reason I travel.

Then I said goodbye to everyone and continued on.