Motorcycle Explorer December 2014 Issue 3 | Page 220

W
Blessed air conditioned relief on the ferry, then it
disgorges us for a long wait into the oven of
Igoumenitsa. We scope out the ferry terminal, check
in, then prepare to settle down for a few hours in a
bar. Table secured on the central reservation of a
busy road, we munched sandwiches and drank ice
cold beer in the still warm shade, as we watch the
world go by, darkness falls and the scene is softened
by evening light. Scooters speed everywhere, riders
and passengers carrying babies, coffee’s and take-
away’s with equal abandon. It’s time and back up the
sea front, to the port for a 2 hours wait in the still
suffocating heat. The suns long gone down, but it
must be 75 on the quayside, we shuffle out of boots
and helmets and sit there leaking. Suddenly, the port
CORFU
goes from sleepy static to frantic filling mode, as 3
ferries hove into port in quick succession, are loaded
We hustle across the island, the sat nav taking us on
and back out to sea in under 2 hours. We’re on one,
newly discovered roads, through sleepy hamlets, and
it’s midnight and it’s been a very long day. Cabin and
at one point someone’s garden I think. The road
bed to a chorus of snoring and farting.
through the mountain gets very swoopy, no straights,
all bends, zig-zagging up and down the valleys, as we
press ever closer on our ultimate destination.
Deafening cicada’s populate the olive groves and
chirrup a chorus of white noise. Suddenly the
mountains peter out, the coast drifts into view and
we’re finally there.
e sup on dangerously evil red wine, beer
and…wait for it…pork…AAGH! I’ll be pig bound by the
end of the trip at this rate. Glossing over a dull 30
hours on the ferry, with only a thunderstorm and a
school of dolphins to punctuate the boredom, I slept
for a glorious 14 hours, enjoying it like a good meal.
Finally Land! Albania crests the horizon on our left
and eventually Corfu appears on the left. Creeping
closer, time passes slowly as we edge past in the
narrow channel that separates the two. Into the
mainland port of Igoumenitsa, where we hurriedly
switch ferries for the local bus service to the Island,
and in an hour and something, we’re there!
Tears, hugs and old friends re-met after years of
absence. Eventually we head for the digs and
unpack, shower and attempt to settle into holiday
mode and several beers.
After 5 days on the island, we’re getting antsy. The
wedding has gone off without a hitch. John and Ian
have been off exploring the Island on bikes in t-
shirts and sandals, not perfect, but it was just too hot
for clothes, safety or not. A great break, but we were
ready to hit the road again, slightly more sunburnt
than when we arrived. So once again the bags were
packed. I left out half a dozen t-shirts, and two sets
of Thermals for the Mrs to bring back, so I could pack
my bike trousers in my luggage. I’d be in jeans
(Kevlar re-inforced) for the remaining duration, as
the weather forecast seemed set to smile on us.
Once again, we’re off to Corfu town and the local
ferry bus to the mainland. In the peak of the summer
heat, we melt, wearing only the aforementioned
jeans and light cotton tops, it’s just about bearable.
Every traffic light is a torture, heat rising from the
engines one side, blazing sun on the other, not
helped by John singing “Feeling Hot, hot hot….” at
each stop. He’s riding in sandals, his boots don’t fit
on feet swollen to stumps by mosquito bites.
"The thing about
not wearing your
boots abroad is
you're prone to
mossi bites! Just a
little tip th