P is for Pafos and T is for Tomb-Raider

I awoke VERY early the next morning (4.30am) partially thanks to the jetlag, but mostly thanks to the snoring. It is very much akin to a chainsaw. I took my sheet downstairs and curled up on the couch. This was after I had already tried earplugs and headphones to no avail.

Up bright and early and knackered I waited for everyone else to rise. Dad was first, naturally. Mum was second. We decided that today we would head into Pafos today. I really wanted to see some old ruins along the way so we headed out. First we went to Pissouri village as it was on the doorstep. Little old streets that are only one car wide, lots of stone houses and extreme sun. It is built on the side of a hill and over looks the bay. It is quite beautiful really but again, very dry. I haven't seen anything to say how people work here. There is little industry that I can see. Perhaps they raise goats and wine. Probably.

We next head over to the Temple of Aphrodite. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was quite lovely. There are lots of stones cast about, the remains of houses and columns. There are still a few mosaic floors that are open to the air and public. I got to visit the house of Leda where there is a mosaic of Leda and the Swan.

I took a lot of photos but that wasn't all I took... on the ground, amongst the dirt in the already excavated sections I came across some small peices of pottery with ceramic paint. When I first picked it up I was surprised by how bright the colouring was and I was a bit like "It can't be real, I don't even think they had those colours." Well, I went into the museum and yes, yes they do. I was stoked. Here was my little piece of Aphrodites Temple just for me. Mum found a second peice though it was uncoloured it was still pretty.
We next headed across to Pafos to visit the archeological dig. There I was able to look at things like the House of Theseus which I think is fair to say was rather palatial. I also visited the House of Dionysus, where they have the remains of all of these mosaics of various people and seasons and Dionyus himself. It is lovely and cool too as it is all housed inside an open tent so that the elements can't destroy it anymore.
After visting both of these houses we went for a walk along to the Odeion (amphitheatre) which is in surprisingly good condition. I sat in the seats that Greeks and Roman has sat in before me, I stood on the stage as the ancient actors had, and I had my photo taken with my shawl wrapped around me like a toga just because I could.
We were very hot by that point as it was the middle of the day. We grabbed some cold water and headed down to the port where we had an overpriced salad. Me and mum asked for avacado shrimp salad, which consisted of about two whole tomatoes chopped up, half a cucumber chopped up, heaps of lettuce (and I do mean heaps) and finally topped with canned shrimp and half an avacado. Best part of the meal was the garlic bread and the cold Keo shandy. The local beer is really tasty and is very smooth especially with lemonade. It goes down fast.
It was so hot by that point and I was sweating so much we decided to call it a day and headed back to the house. Not before we saw Aphrodite's rock. It was quite a mission to find and when we did there is no parking bay near it, so we found a look out point further along. Aphrodite's beach and rock is supposedly where she washed up. It is a very scenic place and I would well imagine Aphrodite stepping naked from the warm blue waters, hair hanging to her knees and people falling at her feet. Apparently you are supposed to swim around the rock three times and if you do you are in for luck in love.
That afternoon we went for a swim in the pool at the house and while drying off I got burnt. I am now sporting a lovely burnt-brown coloured skin and some serious tan lines. Still feeling jetlagged and not at all well, we have dinner out at the Captain's Table before it is time for bed. Tonight I am sleeping on the couch. I told Aunty Dorothy it is because it is too hot up in that room. That is only half the truth but I can't tell her the truth.

First Day of Exploration - Let's go to the beach and drink!

The next morning when I woke up, it was to the sound of Aunty Dorothy's dulcet snoring tones. Quite the wake-up call. Once up it was time to take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that I was on holiday. It is hard to do when you have been working non-stop to get everything ready for your departure in the middle of the school term. I couldn't sit still so I took myself off for a walk to the beach with dad. Pissouri Bay is very peaceful and quiet - it hasn't quite become the holiday hotspot yet, though it is easy to see that it will be soon.

We walked to the beach front and the water was crystal clear so we decided to take a swim. How rocky can a beach be! I thought I had reasonably good feet, kiwi feet, but apparently not. We went for a paddle in the sea and it was so refreshing but gods, my feet felt like they had been cut by stone and glass.
Deciding that I was ill-prepared for the beach I stopped in at a shop and bought a hat. Much better. I also ended up getting jandals for my poor feet.

We all headed back to the beach at around 10am and lounged about on sun-lazers until a man came up asking for money for the lying on them. At that point we moved up to the restuarant for cocktails. Who cares that it is only 11am. Not me. We end up having breakfast and I am so jetlagged that when Ruth appears to say hello it takes awhile for my brain to switch on. One Sex on the Beach and Tequila Sunrise later I am feeling very relaxed and very sleepy.
I struggled through the day with jetlag but by 3pm I was shattered so I lay down on the couch at the house for a little snooze. 2 hours later I wake up feeling slightly better and slightly worse - you know that way you do when you just wake up.
We head out for dinner at the Vineyards Restaurant again, only this time we are accompanied by Aunty Pauline, Uncle Ian and Aunty Dorothy.
I try another Cypriot dish called Dolmades which is pork mince, rice and tomatoes all squished together and wrapped inside vineleaves. It was so tasty and I could barely finish it. However, when the waiter came around he said, "Oh, I see you still have one left, so you are not finished. I will come back." I could only smile, nod then face down the last few bitefuls bravely.
By the time we got back at 7pm I was shattered and went to bed. Aunty Dorothy came up soon after...

Cyprus is HOT HOT HOT!

I had arrived in Cyprus at 11am. I got off the plane and was greeted by heat. It is safe to say it was humid and I was knackered. I got off the plane and was trying to figure out where the flight sheets are, you know the ones you fill in to say why you are in the country. There was nothing. I took my passport up to border security, the looked at it, look at me, stamped it and I was off. I still had mean wind and had to make a trip to the loos before I could collect my bag. I grabbed it and headed to the exit. They only security there was asking if I had anything to declare, on a big sign with two paths, Yes or No. There was no one waiting in the No section which made me smile, when you think about NZ where it is manned by about twenty men and women.
Out in the airport I was surprised by how small it was. It was nice and clean though and what more could you want. I headed around to the loos for round 50, it felt like, and then to a seat to wait for three hours for mum and dad. I had to make a few more trips to the loo before they arrived, it is fair to say.
When I got bored of where I was sitting I moved around to a cafe seating area opposite the arrivals. I watched people for a while before settling in to watch a bunch of Cypriots who all work via sitting down at the coffee stands. It is very laid back here, I have noticed.

Mum and dad finally arrive and we head outside. So far, I had been confined to the slightly airconditioned rooms of the airport. Needless to say it was WAAAAAY hotter outside. I was sweating cogs. We jumped in the hire car and made our way to Pissouri Bay where we were be staying.

First impressions of Cyprus landscape: dry, arid, scrubby, rocky. It is very untamed landscape dotted with brush and ruins. It is beautiful in its own way and it is so steeped in history that you can feel it oozing out of the rocks around you. I was seriously feeling the jetlag by this point so when we arrive I was so very grateful.
I couldn't believe how it was still very bright out but it was 6pm. We went for a walk along the street to a restaurant called the Old Vines and sat outside under hanging vines of grapes. It was exactly what I imagined. The salad was divine and being Sunday we got to try the Cypriot dish of Kleftiko which is basically a plate FULL of slow cooked lamb and a potato plonked on the side. The meat was so tender it just fell off the bone.
By 7pm I was so knackered that I was falling asleep at the table. It was time to call it a night. Full, warm and happily on the ground I fell into bed and that was that.

The flight in...

Right, so I am sitting on the tiled floor at Dubai airport. It is currently 26 degrees, it is 7am and I have had to walk almost the entire length of the airport to get to my gate. It was a little bit confusing what with my flight seeming to go to a few destinations. Hope it is the right gate. I’m screwed if I have to walk back to the start. The reason I am sitting on the hard tile floor is because there is no seating bar about 10 chairs, all taken. It is also nice and cool on the floor.

The other problem I am currently having is the high pressure cabins and the creation of wind. I try to hold them in, I don’t always succeed, and if I am honest, I don’t think it is good to keep them in. Could be explosive.

As soon as I got off the plan and made it through Dubai’s poor excuse for customes, I head to the toilets. Much better after having alleviated some pressure. It didn’t last long, of course, so during my cross country trek from one side of the airport to the other I stopped at another set of loos. They were the squatter toilet. I walked back out. I can’t do it. I would take my chances. I set off at a strong pace and using what can be described as hurried desperation, I found some normal loos. THANK GODS!!!

My bum is still and I have to wait another 2 hours, give or take, before the next leg. Can’t wait to touch down in Cyrpus. This feels like the longest flight EVER!

Woohoo! I was upgraded to Business class for the last leg of the journey. Of course, it was Business class on a little plane. My hips were up against the sides of the chair, but there was  lots of leg room and I got fed a two course meal. Pretty nice. It was a good chance to chill out for a few hours. I had a to laugh, mind you, when the plane took off. I don't think my seat worked entirely correctly, so when we took off my seat began to slide back. I was paranoid I was going to be lying down so I was desperately fighting it. Same thing happened when landing. I was sitting beside this lovely indian lady who had also been upgraded. When they came around with the champagne, it was a HELL YES from both of us. How often do we get to have champagne for preflight. Nice.