Greece
Drag Racing Donkeys
Mac, Anna and I in Oia
After spending my first beautiful day on Santorini cruising on a boat around the island with my two newest American friends Mac and Anna, all three of us were keen to finally watch that Santorini Sunset over one of the most beautiful Island cities in the world.
The boat docked at the bottom of Oia, the city where you will find those gorgeous blue-capped churches nestled on the cliff edge. We were given two options to reach the top of the cliff city: climb the 500 stairs up to the top or jump on a donkey and hope for the best.* We were drained from spending the day relaxing in that beautiful Greek sun and opted for the lazy ladies choice. A relaxing donkey ride up the cliff? What could beat that..? To be honest riding a T-rex would have probably been more relaxing…
The journey ahead
It all happens very quickly. You hesitantly agree to ride the donkey, your 5 euros is collected, you get thrown on your designated donkey by a large Greek man and off you go. Seriously. No safety demonstration. No seat belt demo. No explanation on how to control the wild beast. If your friends are left behind you wave desperately and hope to see them on the other side. Your donkey is on a mission to get his ass up that hill, (pun intended).
These donkeys are insane. I don’t know whether mine was suicidal or just running on a diet of straight Ouzo because not only was he competing with his fellow mules to reach the top of that flight of stairs, he also didn’t seem to care too much about how many walls or trees he, and inadvertently I, collided with on the way… It’s safe to say my bruised and grazed legs gave the impression that we had been involved in some extreme sport, not just a friendly journey up a hill…
Even though my legs were thrown in the air constantly as my donkey crashed into any wall that got in his way, and I felt as though there was a constant risk that I would be thrown down the side of the cliff, the view was absolutely magnificent. The sun was already lowering and the white cave houses sparkled in the evening light.
Although you may spend most of the journey with your life flashing before your eyes, donkey dragging up the side of a Greek island is an amazingly comical experience… And if you are not too traumatised by the end of the journey you may just consider it as a five euro investment in a greater appreciation for pedestrian travel…
*I’m completely against the abuse of animals. But I saw none of the ‘donkey whipping’ or any sign of mistreatment that I later read online concerning donkey tourism on the island. They donkeys looked well-treated but I know that next time I participate in animal-related recreational activities I need to be careful to ensure I am not contributing to a nasty industry.
