Count the Aussie yobbo on Corfu

Arriving on Corfu early in the morning we were herded like cattle through the incredibly inefficient check-in procedures of our next hostel. A hedonistic temple to the gods of alcohol and sex, the Pink Palace is not your average hostel. Its spring break mixed with school camp with a little university college thrown in. Packed to the gills in summer with four to five hundred mostly under 22 year olds, the place is not for the holidaying family. It’s full of shirtless boys sporting plumber’s cracks trying to drink as much as possible and impress everything that’s female. In saying that, we did have a good time. As everyone is young and drinks too much, no one gets up before four in the afternoon, leaving the daily activities (like quad bike or kayak tours around the island) well under subscribed.

Adam, Kelly and I indulged our hoon side for a day and toured the island on 4 wheelers with the help of a guide. Despite getting lost on the off-road section and losing our guide, the day was great fun, and as always at the pink palace, was finished with a compulsory shot of Ouzo. We all felt proud we had actually left the backpackers as it seems hardly anyone staying there does. More of a resort complex than a backpackers, it professes to have everything you need. When asked the location of the nearest supermarket one of the reception girls said (in such a strong southern drawl she reminded me of Huckleberry Fin), ”what would yo’all want with a supermarket, we’ve got all you’ll ever need right here”.

After a few more days on the beach and a few nights with some like-minded Aussies (slightly older and past wet T-shirt competitions) our time in Greece had come to an end. We said our temporary good-byes to Adam (we’ll meet up again soon in Croatia) and he headed back to Athens on the way to London, U2 and the Edinburgh festival. For us it’s north, up through Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia Herzegovina, and back to travelling as a duo.

Photos:
1 - Adam and Ryan with view over Cofu.
2 - The 4 wheeler tour group
3 - Adam and his Wheels
4 - Kelly offroad