The urge to walk was great. The minute I opened my eyes my brain just registered….Walk! So, it was to be.
Backpack attached to relevant body part and hiking pole in hand, I sauntered out for a walk to Agali and back. Everything started out smoothly and calmly…..that is until I got beyond the town and up onto the road high above the sea. That’s when it started…the wild, howling, meltemi wind which is so prevalent in these islands this time of year. And howl it did, and push and pull me. That’s when I decided on a detour to a place signposted as Fira.
The road soon deteriorated into a rocky footpath on an overhang over more rock-strewn fields. From the evidence on the ground, the only recent walkers were donkeys and goats. Then the wind picked up and it started…the attack of the killer tumbleweeds. They were everywhere…flying across my path, congregating in hordes in an attempt to prevent my progress. My hiking pole became a weapon…warding off these airborne devils, and a tool….clearing the pathway.
Eventually, with no Fira anywhere in sight, I gave in and turned back to retrace my steps back to the main road. Turning left, I continued my hike towards Agali. By now the wind had grown even more ferocious. I turned down the road to Agali. Now this is where the true battle commenced. As I turned around to begin my return journey up a very, very steep incline I was assaulted by such a wind….so strong it pushed me back down the hill. I could barely keep myself upright. It was a case of one step forward, four back. My walking pole became an anchor. I was in danger of becoming a tumbleweed myself!
Finally, after much struggling with this invisible attacker, I managed to climb the hill and rejoin the main road. Oh, but that wind was not finished yet…no way. It was then that the army of tumble weeds came at me with a vengeance. They flew here, they flew there. My pole now became a weapon and I brandished it like a sword, deflecting the wild, dry, tumbleweeds which intent on laying me low.
Eventually, things calmed, but the road was strewn with the detritus of my battle.
samahab2000 