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An inescapable fact for those aspiring to visit Europe is that the Euro is trading two to one against the Sing dollar. While there are ways to save money here and there - buy your meals at the supermarket instead of dine out, for example - so you can have your European vacation and not break the piggy bank, I decided to go spartan: I camped my way through Greece - a copy of Map of Greece in hand and tent in my backpack.
I also brought a few changes of clothing, a miner-style flashlight, inflatable sleeping mat and a portable fan. Those who want to cook their own meals can throw in pots and utensils. The trade off, of course, is a heavier burden. My pack was tolerable at 15kg.
But, the freedom of not having to reserve accommodation and not worrying about hotel vacancies upon arrival was incredible. July and August are peak tourist seasons in Greece, which means travelers face tough competition in finding a place to sleep. As campgrounds are spacious, I knew I would always have a place to crash.
Judging by the number of foreign and local campers I met at the grounds, I was not alone in my thinking. A land of pillowy-white beaches and glorious sunshine, Greece makes for easy camping.
Its geography also favours the free-and-easy traveller, as many spectacular sights are located on the scattering of islands that surround the mainland. You want to see Santorini? That's a five-hour journey from Athens and that's on the fast ferry.
My overnight trip took 14 hours. At 32 Euros (S$64), this was the cheapest fare to the Cycladic islands. When Santorini (officially known as Thira) finally came into view, it was majestic. Bright, whitewashed buildings clung to the sides of steep cliffs, set against a backdrop of azure.
My partner and I disembarked and unloaded our packs into a rental car and made our way past an arid landscape to Perissa beach on the southern tip of the island.
The campground was easy to find, marked out - like all the others - in the Map of Greece. On average, they charge 7 Euros (S$14) per person, 5 Euros per tent and 3 Euros per car per night. In comparison, a domatia, or room, costs about 40 Euros a night.
Upon arriving, we set up camp on the sand, across the road from the beach. Pitching a tent is a straightforward procedure but one that requires practice. Choose a spot where your head will be higher than your feet, use an inflatable mattress to cushion your body against the ground and by all means, make sure you don’t set up on a line of ants. To this day, we still remember the screams of a fellow camper.
Our accommodations set, we began our exploration of Santorini, threading the narrow, winding village lanes lined with blue doors and window panes set in white-washed walls.
No visit to Santorini is complete without a trip to the touristy town of Oia for one of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. As the sun began to dip, the talc-coloured buildings took on colours, burning yellow then deep orange before softening into pink.
With so many hours of daylight in the summer, sunset was an unusually drawn out affair lasting 30 to 40 minutes. As the last of the fiery disc blinked out of sight, awestruck onlookers erupted into appreciative applause.
When we didn't cook, we munched on gyros, the Greek takeout staple that soon became our own. Available throughout the country, gyros is a filling sandwich of aromatic grilled pork or chicken wrapped in pita bread and topped with juicy sliced tomato, onion and french fries. At 1.50 Euro a pop, it's a steal.
Gyros are offered in many restaurants where an average meal can set you back by 8 to 10 Euros. Just look for the slab of grilled meat in the window.
Our trip took us to the Cycladic islands of Folengandros, where the bougainvillea-lined streets of the Hora, or town centre, compensated for its dusty campsite; and Naxos, where we were glued to the wonderful beach across from the campground. It was the best stretch of sand we had encountered, fine and white, with dare-to-bare sunbathers lounging on its many deck chairs and a nudist colony half a kilometre away.
Then it was off to Peloponnese, where the ancient city of Corinth stands in the north-east. Atop its hill is the impressive fortress of Acrocorinth. Among the ruins are the remains of the Temple of Aphrodite, once the home of sexual orgies that St Paul condemned in his letters.
Ancient Olympia, a five-and-a-half hour drive west of Corinth, will appeal to history buffs and fans of the Olympic Games. Many columns and broken buildings still stand on the sprawling grounds and it was quite easy to imagine the magnificence of the first Games.
As campers, we were impressed by the small, lovely family-run camp site on Rion beach just outside Patra. There was soothing grass - a luxury in the one of driest summers in Greek history, as the raging fires a month later attest.
Camping, being quite communal in nature, makes it easy to meet and swop stories with fellow travelers and locals. This spirit of camaraderie allowed us to see another side of the Greeks who, being tourist-weary, can come across as surly and dismissive.
At one site, a young Greek couple confided their plans to elope to Prague later this year.
"We want to be together and we don't want our families to stop us because they think we are too young," 18-year-old Leeda said in halting English.
My three-week vacation came to less than S$3,000, but it is such moments that make a trip priceless. - TODAY/ym
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