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Delphi to Kerimoti
We took the highway north from Athens heading towards Thiva then inland to Livadia heading towards Delphi. The going was slow and hilly and we soon found that the overheating problem was not fixed. Even on relatively small hills the engine would soon be at boiling point. As the day progressed it seemed to get worse. What should have been any easy ride to Delphi was slow and filled with many overheating stops. There were many colorful shops on the way selling all kinds of goods at tourist prices. We keep telling the troops to wait as things will get cheaper but they are afraid they will miss out so they must get just one more rug. Finally we arrive at Delphi and spend what's left of the day sightseeing. Delphi is a very important shrine in Greece and has a very long history as the site of the Oracle. There is lots to see and everyone disappears to discover their own little bit of Delphi.

Road to Delphi

Delphi

Delphi
The overheating problem has become so serious that we have to do something to fix it. We decide to ring Norm and see what he suggests. His advice is that it is blocked waterways in the cylinder heads and they will need to be cleared. He is air freighting us new head gaskets and "O" rings to Athens which should be there in two days. We decide to head down towards the coast and find a place to stop to effect the repairs. About two hours from Delphi we decide to stop for the night at a small village. There is a little open air restaurant which proves to have great food and because we are off the tourist route, the cheapest wine we have found. Everyone has such a good time that they want to stop here while the repairs are done. First thing in the morning we put Fred on the bus to Athens while Geoff and I start pulling the engine apart. It proves to be just as Norm said, lime scale blocking the small water ways between the engine block and the cylinder heads. It is so bad that it's a wonder the engine had any cooling at all. The attempt at cleaning in Athens had only made thing worse by dislodging scale that then got caught in all the small water ways. By the end of the day we have cleaned out all the scale and are ready to put the engine back together, as soon as Fred gets back with the parts we can finish the job.
We spend another pleasent evening at the restaurant, which is much busier than last night as news of us has spread and all the locals have come to see what all the fuss is about. The girls are very popular and spend the whole night dancing By the end of the evening most of them have mastered Greek Dancing (Sound bite). Not all the locals are pleased to see us, I note some very frosty looks from some of the Greek women, particularly at the short skirts and bare arms. When its time to turn in the men all bid us farewell and keep saying "Avrio" (tomorrow) so I expect they will all be back to try their luck with the girls. We have a New Zealand couple on board Ross & Jocelyn who joined the trip as a couple but since departure, have not spent any time together and the gossip is that they have split up and only agreed to travel together as they are going home to New Zealand. Jos has made a point of speaking to me on several occasions, hangs around with us and often shares our table at meal times. Finally we both got it together and she moved her swag next to mine which on the overland is seen as the ultimate commitment. It will be nice to have someone to keep me warm at night and make the trip even more enjoyable.

Jocelyn
In the morning I found out that Geoff had been sleeping with Celia since we arrived in Athens, so both us drivers would be much keener to turn in early in future. The two girls were very keen to please and we soon found ourselves getting waited on, made to wear clean clothes and have hair cuts. Fred complained that he had lost his drinking companions but he always found someone to keep him company.

About midday Fred arrived back with the parts and Fred and I soon had the engine back together. A test run seemed to say that all was well and we could depart in the morning. We still had to get through another night at the restaurant and even the girls were finding all the attention a little more than they could handle. Single men everywhere are the same I suppose, a bit to drink and a pretty girl are all that is needed to work them into a lather. The girls kept giving us that come and rescue me look and the owners of the restaurant also took some of the men aside and had heated words with them, fortunately there won't be another "Avrio".
After a late start we soon hit the Athens -Thessaloniki highway and turned north to resume our journey. We stopped again at Thermopoli, site of a memorial to Sparticus marking his battle with the Persians. It was decided to stop early tonight or we would be driving late to get through Thessaloniki. They were many small roads leading off the highway and we just picked one we liked the look of. The road took us the two or three kilometers from the highway until we saw the sea come into view. Our luck was in, the road was a dead end going no further than the small village by the sea. At the end of the main, and only street was a small park which we told to make home for the night. There was a restaurant on one side of the street and its tables were on the other side of the road, right on the beach. Some people wanted to cook a meal as they didn't want to spend more money on eating out. They were welcome to dehydrated vegetables when you could have octopus washed down with Domestica (a local wine). Sitting there beside the ocean listening to the waves lap not 30 feet away, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Today we head to Kerimoti the jumping off point for the island of Thassos. Everyone is up early and as we have running water there's a queue to wash and freshen up for the day. We have heard a lot about Kerimoti from Fred, apparently trips have been going there for several years and they will make us feel welcome. The road heads inland after we pass through Thessaloniki before joining the coast again near Retina. Not long after we leave Kavala is the first sign post to Kerimoti, as this is a two day stop everyone is looking forward to arriving. As we enter the village I spot something on the road and slow down, it is covered with chillies like a huge carpet. The locals motion to drive over them and as if that is not unusual enough at the next corner the road is actually covered with carpets, apparently the traffic driving over them helps to tighten the knots. Ahead of us is the harbour, Fred orders a left turn and we follow the coast round about 200 meters before pulling up at the rear of Patros's restaurant.

Time for a quick wash
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An overland journey to India following the India overland trail through Belgium, Germany, Austria Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, & Nepal. Visting sites of Dubrovnic, Split, Kotor, Athens, Kerimoti, Istanbul, Galipolli, Troy, Delphi, Efes, Goreme, Nemrut, Tehran, Esphan, Persepolis, Shiraz, Kerman, Bam, Quetta, Kandahar, Kabul, Bamian Valley, Kyhber Pass, Indus river, Lahore, Punjab, Amritsar, Kashmir, Delhi, Agra, Taj Mahal, Vanaris, Patna, Raj Path, Kathmandu, Himalyas. All this undertaken in a 20 year old Asian Greyhound, Swagman Tours, LS Bristol bus. This Indiaoverland company was held together by Norm Harris an expatriate Aussie living in Windsor. With drivers like Bob Ashford, Geoff Lawrence, Clive Parker, Dave Watt, Ronnie Martin, John Witchard, Ken Mcdonald, Derek Amey & couriers Fred Fisher, Jos Livingstone, Peter Swift, Kieren Smith & mechanics Gordon Hammond, Graham Libby, Pomme John & Rastas just to name a few.