Athens Greece: Old Friends, Temples, and The Ultimate FAFO Night
This is CompassChaos13: A Real Travel Podcast where Compass Plans, Chaos Rules - Connections Happen Memories of Global Adventures
HEATHER (V.O.): I’m Heather, your adventure narrator and warm body for the hosts for this flying circus.
Today, we drive back into Greece.
COMPASS: It started with Chaos’s need to try a legal form of weed…
CHAOS: it ended with being walked back to Ifeel Athens Hotel , it is linked in the full transcript of this recording on our website. No commissions or kickbacks, just completely in love with this property and the staff, on the arm of hubby missing big Greek cultural and local connections.
HEATHER (V.O.): Before we depart on this adventure, a few safety checks. First: any brand we mention is one we actually use and trust. We get zero monetary gain for these—if that ever changes, we promise total transparency. Second: this flight is for adults only. Expect questionable language, emotional turbulence and not so subtle adult references. Finally, there are no warnings when the unexpected happens, because there are no warnings in real life…
HEATHER (V.O.): Now, let’s Meet your dueling hosts: Compass, the one who plans—and Chaos, the one who burns them. Together, they find the magic in the mess.
COMPASS (V.O.): I’m Compass. My plan is to experience the top tourist things. But, as usual, my head-space companion Chaos has other plans.
CHAOS: Hey Hey Chaos here! I am the patron saint of "we’ll figure it out,". I bring the unexpected, and the reason you want to hear travel tales.. that are actually worth listening to!
COMPASS (V.O.): Together, we bring the connection.
HEATHER (V.O.): Sit back, relax, and push that subscribe button……
CHAOS: So, buckle up buttercups, for this recent tale in Athens Greece……, because honestly the best stories definitely aren't planned.
Compass: I swore we left this memory in the Boardroom, where the only record is the audio…
Chaos: That wasn’t a memory that was a quick bonding moment with James Hammond of Winging It Travel Podcast, you remember before we had him name his Compass…. He had his Chaos name, Hammo. Which what his real life time friends know him as….
Compass: Like how ours know you by Heather…. They call me Elizabeth…..
Chaos: No one has ever called us Elizabeth, except our mom. That is still only reserved with the full name and when mom thinks we crossed a line.
Compass: You crossed a line….
Chaos: Cantaloupe and kumkuait…. And stop trying to delay the inevitable. It’s happening with or without you….
Compass: [defeated] ahhhhhh, let’s just get it done then…
Chaos: (laughing) …….. How many times has a woman said that in her lifetime
Compass: That is another day you owe me..
Chaos: No Fucking Way!! That was a leigt question. My guess is at least 6,666.6
Compass: There is no way a woman has just got it done 6,666.6 times unless your Lisa Ann of the adult entertainment industry.
Chaos: i dont know, there are women out there that have been married for a long time…. Just to shut someone up… I don't think I'm too far off on the numbers. Any of our kin want to take on that math problem go for it. I honestly don't have the room or the spare power…..it's full in here as it is (laughing)
Compass: let's just… move on shall we
Chaos: Almost proved my point, way to self correct. Can't have me be right. Anyway we just spent half the day driving from Meteora to Athens with a stop at Thermopylae. Everyone should know the famous Battle of Thermopylae which took place roughly 480 bc, or at least the movie 300!!
Compass: This is where the Greek City States including Sparta came together to fight the Persians… think the 13 colonies coming together to fight the British. Only at the end they didn't form a country, they were ruled by Xerxes the Persian King. Pro Vet Tip: When on a road trip, as we are in this memory part of the Albania/Greece Roadtrip, there are several things that our kin need to know. First, minimum two nights at each place anything less will not be worth it. Second, always try to work your overnights within a 6 hour drive on Google maps then factor in two stops one should be something interesting to experience or see with lunch the second should be a bathroom break. Third, always get accommodations that include breakfast, eat well and take some for the road.
Chaos: You done? Rethorictal don't answer cause I know you can go on… so having left our amazing adults only boutique hotel called Tsikeli Hotel Meteora at about what 9am or so…just after a delicis breakfast
Compass: Yeah about that time… it was only about an hour and a half to get to Thermopylae. When heading towards Athens, south, the hilltop called Kolonos Hill will be on the right. There is a dirt parking lot. It is a short hike up a decent grade dirt trail to a plaque that memorializes the 300 Spartans and the 700 Thespians that didn't pull back or retreat but stayed, fought and sacrificed. That plaque translates to "Go tell the Spartans, passerby, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.”
Chaos: anyone that doesn't know the first rule of Spartan law is “with your shield or on your shield” meaning you come home carrying your shield or you die facing your enemy. Retreat, surrender or breaking form is not an option. Your choice as a Spartan, victory for the state of Sparta or death. Goddess' I do love the Spartans.
Compass: of course you would. We hiked up the hill to the plaque to pay our respects. The view is peaceful and beautiful, even though the ground is soaked in ancient blood and bones.
Chaos: We took a few pics of the view, the plaque and the monument across the highway. As much as I want to take my chances running the gauntlet of the Fates, hubby, Compass.and Transport all ganged up me so testing the Fates was not currently an option. On to Athens we go…
Compass: We arrived at about 245 and checked into the Ifeel Athens Hotel our girl Savina was there from 2021 to check us in with a smile, a hug and funny face selfies….Yeah when Chaos greets old friends things get silly..
Chaos: Always memorable….. (laughing).... So we have arrived in Athens!! After checking out which room they gave us, each is different so I like being surprised…. One time I will use the big claw foot tubs looking over the street….. Life Adventure Goal number…. Ahh numbers don’t matter.
Compass: So what a goal is to bathe in full view of others on rooftops and third floors… then when we get up to full view of all looking up or down the road. Pass…
Chaos: So cute you think you have a choice…… But for another time, since I know you are trying to stall this memory…. With the room scoped out, it was time to hit the streets of Athens and just go. The only thing on hubby and Compass’s agenda for tonight was slovaki, beer and coffee. First I wanted to walk the streets again…. Through Monstraki Square, wandering down the roads of shops trying to remember by memory how to get to the main pedestrian walkway of the Acropolis….. We got there after a wonderful wander later. We stopped and had a coffee at one of the cafes along the slopes, watching the last of the tourists filter out of the ancient scared site. The flood lights came on lighting up the Acropolis as we paid for our coffee and made our way back down through Monstraki Square with a stop to have a beer or two and people watch before moving over to one of our favorite restaurants in Athens, Saavas.
Compass: Saavas was a recommendation from a driver we hired on our first arrival in Athens…. Heather, Chaos and myself have been waiting for this for 5 days… We had not eaten since breakfast….
Chaos: I wanted to be prepared to goorge at Saavas.
Compass: Yeah well……. Your a nasty person when you are hungry. You are probably the reason they made the snickers commercial, Eat a snickers…
Chaos: If that be the case you would see Lilth turn into Mary……
Compass: Which one…
Chaos: Does it really matter? Take your pick and your staling won’t work.
Compass: I wasn’t stalling I was just saying because as I remember at some point between the Monstraki Square beer and the slovaki we weren’t playing nice with hubby and I can’t remember why…
Chaos: Oh yeah, I remember being a Saavas, remember being mad….. Remember chugging a huge beer, which I had barely sipped because I was stuffing Transport pie hole with slovaki…. I think it was a full liter…. But I honestly for the life of Transport can’t remember why we were mad….. It wasn’t that important if I can’t remember or you….. And we know Transport can’t remember shit.
Compass: Sad, but true! So for whatever reason we were mad…. We left Saavas mad, full on beer and souvlaki and began walking down Ermou (not sure street, blvd or what) it’s a major artery that runs east/west through Athens. We headed away from Monstraki Square…
Chaos: DA DA DAAAAA Here comes inhaling to wreck our night!!! [laughing]..... And girl do I mean WRECK…….
Compass: [Moans in agony].... REALLY….. Do WE HAVE TO DO THIS….
Chaos: It’s happing regardless….. So down Ermou we walk, still mad at what I have no clue…. Hubby sees a smoke shop and makes a detour….. While in Europe I like the flavored vapes and you can get them with very little to no nicotine…. So I grab one with low nicotine, hubby gets one without nicotine he quit over 10 years ago….. Hubby asks the guy behind the counter about Delta-8 or THC-H. From my general knowledge it is a synthetic form of THC. Hubby and the man behind the counter start talking I try to follow but the language behind is too much for me when I am on an adventure. I don’t want to think, it is just do. He explains Delta-8 and that it packs a punch… Well, I smoke the real stuff so what can synthetic do……. We are about to find out.
Compass: This is where Chaos plays big…. Telling the man we are used to the top end real stuff at home, so let’s go with the lowest to the highest packed punch. One of each please…. So three pre-rolled synthetic joy sticks later we are walking out of the shop and hubby asks if we are going to find a quite place to smoke….
Chaos: our reply was you bet your sweet ass my love! Hubby asked if we wanted to head back toward the Parthenon or over to the Temple of Hephaestus… Temple was closer, less tourists at night and to me more magical. I mean this was a temple to the God of FIRE & FORGE….. I mean he created their weapons and sheilds for Goddess’s sake…. Sorry Athena, I love you I truely do as the Goddess of Wisdom & Tactical Warfare…. But Hephaestus created the weapons and commands fire!!
Compass: Guess who just made Athena’s shit list!! [laughing] and you talk about me pissing off the Goddess’...
Chaos: I’ll be fine don’t worry. Besides, after what happened next I am sure she is relieved we were not at the Parthaeon. {laughing} Pun intended……
Compass: Oh boy…. Just get on with it so we can finish please…
Chaos: [laughing] again….. We have come full circle Kin…. So hubby and Transport find a darker, quite more secluded area on the back side of the Temple outside the perimeter fence. We sit on the ledge of the wall that the fence is erected upon, and light up our synthetic smoke. Starting with of course the most potent one.
Compass: Hindsight, not the best idea….. But not her worst idea either…. Pro Vet Tip: When experimenting with legal substances in any country ALWAYS be extremely safe and practical, especially if you are traveling alone. I never will advise out in public walking down anywhere. Don’t hide but don’t be flamboyant either. Don’t try to smoke herb in a group of tobacco smokers you will stand out like …
Chaos: a third nipple on dude…
Compass: What?! Not the analogy I was going to use but I guess it works
Chaos: Sure it does, who wouldn’t notice a third nipple on a guy that has his shirt off? Please….. Stop interrupting you are just stalling the inevitable.
Compass: Get on with it…..
Chaos: that’s what YOU SAID…. [giggles].... This is too much fun…. Notice how Transport is staying clear of this whole memory…. Is she really trying to dis-associate herself from this memory…. [laughing] I can’t ….. She really has some mental issues… two voices and a severe dis-association complex.
Compass: Yeah well thanks to me, the only reason why she stays out of trouble is because I taught her how to dis-associate from things.
Chaos: ok, enough of the psychosis… back to the good part… Having found a nice place to sit, enjoy the view of the temple lit up only about 200 feet away and our ride or die to our right….. Life was good … and in a few seconds once I was inhaling Life would be perfect once again. Pro Vet Tip: Accept life will never be perfect, but there will be perfect moments in life. Those fleeting moments are worth the adventure that is life. There’s my philosophical three cents.
Compass: You mean two cents…
Chaos: No I never give two fucks… but I will always say my three cents. So I said what I said, now no more stalling… As I slowly drew in a breathe of sweet smoke I stared at the Temple aglow. I was in Athens, again, it felt like home…. In my view as I gazed to the right towards the Temple was also a small grouping of low bushes off in to the left of my peripheral view and hubby to the right, smiling and also enjoying the view… turning my head I exhaled. I may smoke but I am a courteous smoker…my view was now down the pedestrian walkway which was well lit and very few people were walking around. Taking a few minutes to enjoy the scene before inhaling once again only deeper and harder….. Almost making me cough excess…
Compass: So instead she snorts holding it all in….. Jackass! JUST BREATH DAM IT
Chaos: Where is the fun in that… life isn’t just about breathing. So as i am snorting holding it all in…. Transport gets a bit light headed….. Oopssies forgot to bring in oxygen on that one…. Okay breathe… it didn’t take long to feel the effects of Delta-8. What would you say Compass, about 5 minutes between the two hits roughly….
Compass: Yeah about that….
Chaos: 10 minutes and two hits….. Transport was dizzy……….. Oh boy, this bitch better not go down….. Breathe bitch … breathe…… okay, no more tunnel vision or darkening…. Good job… I fucking hate it when she pulls that shit. I really think we need to start a breathing regiment with her three times a day to expand her lungs again. But I digress…. As I just bullied Transport out of passing out, I have her staring down the pedestrian walk trying to focus and listen to a few of the couples that are out walking this November evening.
Compass: I don’t think that was your best idea……. That made things worse I believe.
Chaos: What made it worse was when she decided to fight me and just let the high take over…. That is when things went…. I don’t have a word here….. Compass a little help
Compass: Nasty, humiliating, despicable, shameful, haunting, humiliating, disgusted
Chaos: Okay sorry I asked….
Compass: I have more..
Chaos: We get your point….. Da DA DA DAAAAA here comes Transport to wreck the whole rest of the night….. Dam human vessel. So like i was saying Transport decides that just going with it is better than a controlled release….. Well she found out the hard way. I gave her what she wanted as she sat there on the wall, looking down the pedestrian way, her stomach full with souvlaki and beer …. She could not hear words, I could hear couples talking but could not make out the words just sounds but that wasn’t enough….. We go to the next level which I have dupped the level of detachment… it was like we were floating just above ourself enough to look down and see the top of our head and the pedestrian walkway….
Compass: Now you would think this would be a great time for me to try to do something right or reign this in and start walking it off….. Well, I honestly can’t even remember where in Hades I was and when I saw the top of our head…. I will admit it… I lost my shit! We only just turned 46 a few days before and we were acting like teens being high for the first time… yet we are seasoned smokers…. Nao Bueno, Nao Mas
Chaos: Now you find your Spanish….. Wrong country. Anywhooo, not liking this feeling of detachment I start wrestling for full control of Transport. That is why she is rarely left to her own without Compass or I….. bitch be trouble. Everyone thinks it’s me… whatever.
Compass: What are you grumbling….
Chaos: Just getting to the best part….. As I wrestle back control to bring Transport down from whatever high this was, the tummy starts to rumble……. Oh this better be just gas….
Compass: I was praying for gas….. I didn’t care I would have allowed Heather to rip one in public at that time….. But what happened was just un-sightly.
Chaos: The rumble was no gas…… The rumble was more of a … Hey guess what you're going heave, it's going to be massive and you have moments to figure out how you want this to play out.
Compass: She is not wrong, there was only moments to spare
Chaos: I had Transport turn to look a hubby cause at that moment he also had asked Transport a question…. Do you want to walk….. My reply to hubby.. Ahh, I think I am going to throwup….. His reply.. Really now….. I had Transport looked dead eye at hubby and say yeaup right now…. She slide off the ledge and walked over to the small grouping of bushes just off to the left about 100 feet from where we were just sitting…. Knowing full well there were cameras on the poles at the corners of the Temple perimeter I stuffed Transport’s ass as far into the small bushs as she could go before crouching down like a panther stalking prey… I kept reminding her stealth, quite, remember what our sniper taught us….. Don’t be seen, don’t be heard and don’t be caught.
Compass: Apparently it worked and Chaos was an excellent student….
Chaos: Thank you…. Once we had emptied our stomach… I was only doing this once, I hate throwing up makes me cry…. Early childhood trama I guess still working through it…. I had Transport turn her body while still crouching down so that now when we popped up out of the bushes it looked like we were facing the wall and just examining it instead of some tourist chick popping out of the bushes like an asshole. Transport stood up slowly pretending to check the wall, once in the straight up position I had her linger a bit looking at the Temple grounds that we just turned into a vomiturium. Remember in ancient times there was no wall or fence where we were standing so it was part of a bigger complex this was sacred land. Walking slowly along the wall back to hubby we grabbed our old seat on the wall once again….
Compass: Now you would think there is nothing left or we could hold down whatever remained…..
Chaos: Before we get there, we had just sat back down feeling a bit better. We didn’t have to yak anyway….. But we weren’t right…
Compass: No we weren’t…. Ryan tried to get our mind off our stomach issues. He had advised that once we had ducked behind the bushes he could not see or hear us, even though we were only about 50 to 100 feet away from him while we lost our insides.
Chaos: I must say I was completely thrilled that our sniper training from one of our best friends in life paid off.
Compass: It was not the first time in Heather’s life she has ever been stealthy.
Chaos: No, but first time in recent memory. So as hubby is telling us how eerily silent we were Transports belly starts rumbling again…
Compass: It wasn’t necessarily her stomach as it was her lower intestine. Ryan asks if we were ready to walk… Ahh no just yet…..
Chaos: No sooner than those words left Transports lips did she follow up with…. I have to shit, now. Hubby asks if she can make it to the nearest cafe…. Looking around, that was not going to be possible since it was about two to three minute walk to the closest one. Instead of staying put and telling him no…. She slides down the wall and places her feet on the sidewalk. As soon as she stands straight up, it is like the full weight of gravity came down onto her lower intestines pushing everything right to her ass sphincter. Bitch don’t you dare!! CLENCH BITCH CLENCH…… So back to your question Compass… it was now not about holding things down, but in……
Compass: I can’t listen to this… lalalalalalalalla
Chaos: You are such a dick and balls…… not a pussy because that can take a beating and still look good without letting out a single cry… Dad would say this builds character…. I have Transport turn face hubby and say the only place she can make is back to the bushes…..
Compass: I can’t hear you, say what you want….
Chaos: [laughing] this is so much fun….. I wish kin you could see this, Compass has her fingers in her ears, her eyes closed like that is going to help her stop listening and humming…. [laughing harder] I really can’t with her sometimes….. And yet I’m the CRAZY one…. So Transport has enlightened hubby that we are going back to the bushes and starts walking, staying focused on getting to the bushes… as she is walking I hear hubby say…. Is she really doing this….. I could only reply in Transports head .. oh it’s happening baby… if I had her reply we would have lost something… balance… dignity…. Teeth… who knows…
Compass: We did lose our dignity!!
Chaos: I thought you weren’t listening…..
Compass: I felt it!
Chaos: Keep playin a fool… Back to the bushes we go…. Trying to avoid our previous purge that required us to bend at the waist… as Transport was in a half squat it was time to drop trow, finish the squat and do what is necessary…..
Compass: Are you done yet?
Chaos: That’s what they all say….. If you call squatting in the bushes so close to our last bush encounter that I could feel the heat on our ass…. Yes, Transport is just about to scavenge inside her adventure bag for a tissue and get herself upright.
Compass: I can’t believe this was memory was allowed out….
Chaos: What’s done is done… and a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do…. Yeah men, we shit in bushes when it is required get over it.
Compass: So only half of us are mortified that we desacrated ancient sacred ground .. but only a third of us are horrified that this is now out in public
Chaos: Oh get over yourself…. You and Transport are looking at this all wrong. We have been to Athens three times…. On this third time we were accept by the ancient ones. How do you know that in ancient times just under our feet wasn’t an ancient public toilet or a vomitorium? Highly possible…. We were blessed by the Goddess’ and the Gods, we didn’t get caught did we?
Compass: Thankfully no…. and Yes I know those existed, fact…. But that doesn’t mean that it was under our feet and two, that it is acceptable now.
Chaos: Oh but society can revert back to picturials a/k/a emoji’s for communications….. So Transport rights herself and peers out of the bushes before heading back to our original sitting spot and hubby. Walking back slowly she tells hubby that she is completely mortified that she just lost it from all ends on an ancient scared site and does’t know if she should cry or laugh….
Compass: Well, she decided to do both at the same time thanks to us…..
Chaos: Those noises were all sorts of wrong…… Hubby says not everything has to be in the podcast… somethings can be between us….
Compass: He is not wrong! You know most travel podcast are about the places, the food, the culture and people…… not about desacrating a temple.
Chaos: Think of it as what NOT to do, unless absolutely necessary. How else is our kin going survive travel if they can’t survive using bushes as a water closet, like our ancestors did…. Come on this is basic survival skills, they still work when traveling.
Compass: I’m not getting into this with your right now….. So as Heather is trying to silence the argument in her head between Chaos and I, wither this memory comes out or not, Ryan once again asks us how we are feeling… Heather replies, better, but still weird… I was trying to figure out if it was the beer, not eating all day then stuffing ourselves with souvlaki or smoking the Delta 8…. Ryan reminds us that we did chug back a full liter in once gulp after souvlaki and that was all after pounding two beers before even getting to Saava’s. Truth……
Chaos: I honestly don’t know how hubby does it….. He choose us twice a day every day… every morning when he wakes up and every night when he goes to bed….. I don’t even chose us that much, and I’M IN LOVE WITH ME!
Compass: All fact… we got very lucky and that is what happens when we refuse to settle. So even though I lost all dignity or so I thought until this memory drops…. And I am still utterly mortified and horrified by our actions and how nonchalant Chaos talks about it like a specter from the ancient ones… this was not what I consider to the worst part of this whole memory…..
Chaos: Once just once…
Compass: Once… really, missing out on cards against humanity with our friends we went to Cabo with and others because you want to keep up with the boys…. Yeah found out the hard way can’t keep up with the boys when you're out of practice … another night we bowed to Dionysus … and missed out… shall I keep going…
Chaos: If you want…. That is a good memory that still makes us all laugh.
Compass: You're Incorrigible…..
Chaos: Thank you… you are full of compliments today.
Compass: That wasn’t meant to be… nevermind it doesn’t matter what i say
Chaos: Finally you’re getting it…… Now back to the memory, Hubby asks Transport if she is ready to walk….. I scream without hesitation… Yes, bitch go now, walk back down along the Temple towards Agora and then down towards Monstraki Square back to the hotel… I push Transport to move…. She tells hubby she is ready but will need his arm to steady her…as she takes a few steps she was not kidding holy crap, talk about uneasy… wow.
Compass: Yeah you would think that she was out at sea for months or at least that is what it felt like. I had taken over Transports lower half and the muscle power that works directions leading her and Ryan back down towards the hotel the way Chaos demanded. As we entered the narrow street that is now a pedestrian way along the Agroa and the rail tracks our sense were over whelmed by the brightness of the lights and lack of darkness.
Chaos: I was focused on making sure the bitched stayed up and didn’t make a complete ass of herself now that we were back in the general population. As we very slowly strolled, almost tortoise like at some points… Hubby stopped us and said look…. Then pointed into what I think was a restaurant that had the big windows removed for air…
Compass: Oh boy he wants us to focus…. This might not go very well…..
Chaos: It’s about the experience… or in this case the lack there of because of our own doing..
Compass: You and Heather, I had nothing to do with this synthetic decision that was made. I just want souvlaki, a greek coffee, some sweets and a wander around…. No that was a necessity this time it was supposed be a peaceful enjoyable night in Athens before moving on….
Chaos: Shit happens…. [laughing].... That just came out…. [laughing harder]....
Compass: Hubby was trying to point out a wedding going on and said won’t this be something for the podcast to talk about…..
Chaos: Yeah if I could get Transport to stand up on her own, guarantee she wouldn’t throw up on anyone when she opened her mouth to talk and some how get an unknown invite in for us….. Taking internal assessment of physical and mental status… thats a no…
Compass: I have Heather answer yes, if I could see….
Chaos: Well she can talk and walk so lets see if she can film…. You don’t have to see to point a phone and hit the red button… not to be confused with the blue dot… this is the red button…. I have Transport pull out the phone and video as best as we can collectively see…..
Compass: We had to let go of Ryan’s arm to do….. It took all about 90 seconds before the sounds started to fade into background noise and the bright lights of the walk started to get dim…..
Chaos: Fuckin Bitch!! NOPE NOT TODAY HEATHEN…… I’m taking over….. I hit stop and put the phone right in the natural pockets… The bra ladies… the bra… that was a pro vet tip in one of the episodes…. I have Transport tell hubby it is time walk again just slowly…
Compass: I don’t remember much after that to be honest….. I was pissed that we missed out on a huge unexpected connection because we made the choice of a teenager. Who knows if we will ever get another chance like that again..
Chaos: a chance like what to stand outside and watch… what fun is that….. I am a participant not a bystander.
Compass: WE know… we all know…. Hubby walked us slowly back down through Monstraki square with all the people and the flying glowing objects that people were selling… usually we would stop and grab a coffee or beer but all I required right now was a shower and bed… I know Heather felt the same she had physically been through the bushes and back… twice in under 30 minutes. It was by far our roughest night ever in our 20 plus years of travel. You would think Heather and Chaos would have learned, but that my kin is another story… and the following night… but now I digress… We made back to the hotel. As soon as Heather entered we stripped and right into the shower we went… from there I put us right to bed and Ryan tucked us in.
Chaos: It is one of the most memorable and the most unexpected memories by far. Lets be serious, it’s not like we went in going hey lets see how can we desacrate an ancient site… i know let’s vomit and shit near it…. I mean really what asshole does it intentionally. But on the flipside, it was the best view we ever had squating and we survived…. As always.
Compass: Goddess old and new
Heather: Hello Kin, It's Heather I'm going to stop the voices here for today. I know I let the voices take over today… I am still trying to process this memory since it is only from November of 2025. I hope you all are enjoying my memories that I am ensuring I never forget and the connections that will always have a place in my heart. Now it's my favorite time, reflection. As always here are 6 things we hope you take away along with whatever else you got from this memory:
Just because something is legal or over-the-counter in another country doesn't mean it plays by your hometown rules. Synthetic kicks different. Seasoned smoker or not, if you treat a foreign substance like a high-school dare, the universe—or Hephaestus—will happily bring the hammer down to remind you exactly who is in charge. .
When your internal GPS completely detaches and gravity betrays you, you fall back on your training. Whether it’s military sniper tactics from a best friend or pure survival instinct, knowing how to blend into a shadow, stay dead silent, and rise out of a shrubbery looking like a sophisticated art historian is a top-tier asset.
Travel isn't a curated Instagram feed; it’s an unpredictable beast. You have to accept that life will never be a flawless itinerary, but there will be fleeting, perfect moments—like watching the Acropolis light up over a coffee. Hold onto those, because they are exactly what make the absolute disasters worth the ride
If your partner chooses you twice a day—every single morning when they wake up and every night when they go to bed, you’ve won the relationship lottery. They still choose you after pulling a 360-degree tactical purge in the bushes of an ancient Greek temple, that’s an unbreakable bond. Never settle for someone who won't hand you their arm when your world starts spinning like a top .
When the high hits so hard you find yourself floating above your own skull watching your human vessel fail, you have two choices: fight it and cause a total biological lockdown, or let go. But remember, when you let go, your lower intestines might just take that as a green light to clear the cargo hold. Clench, bitch, clench
You can look at a night like this and be utterly mortified by the desecration of sacred ground, or you can look at it through Chaos’s lens: we were fully, aggressively accepted by the history beneath our feet. For thousands of years, humans have been getting too drunk, eating too much meat, and losing their minds under those exact same stars. We didn't get caught, we survived, and it was undeniably the best view we will ever have while squatting.
THANK YOU, for choosing us. I am going to turn back over to the voices to say their farewell’s.
COMPASS (calm, professional tone) On that note… we hope you enjoyed this episode of CompassChaos13. Join us every Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, or 1300 hours for our fellow travelers in time zones unknown. Are we even Sunday at 1 any more. You ladies are killing me with your dr. summer off attitude. I can’t be the only one holding this down and the 40 hour…… [silence] ….
Compass: Nothing but crickets now.. Really…. Whatever.. Next stop: I honestly don’t know anymore, Chaos has once again burned the memory order list but regardless, every adventure you can bet we’ll be forging even more unforgettable memories while getting back making connections.
CHAOS (excited, playful) somehow, we still make it out alive, barely. But hey, the chaos? Always memorable.
Compass: Listeners, help me out here — please engage with us. Share your travel tales, lessons, and even your “what-was-I-thinking” moments. Tell us where you found…..
Chaos: STOP!! We aren’t doing that… Keep your shit to yourself. We will go on talking about us because we have plenty of stories going back to 1995 and we have plans on the books for the next two years to make more!! Scotland, Portugal, Malta & Tunisia. I think we have them nailed down.. Maybe sneak in Romania…. So keep silent, we only need your ears and a finger. Use the middle one if you want to, in fact I encourage it.. Then you can take that finger…
COMPASS: CHAOS!!
CHAOS: put it right on the share as you post this and the finger to social media using the tag @compasschaos13 … Don’t forget the ONE .. THREE at the end kin.. Very important….if you want us to know what you're saying. If not, you can just talk ABOUT us not to us…. You love us or hate us, either way your talking baby.. Mauh!
COMPASS (cutting in, mock sigh) Put your Head Down on the desk Dam it! We are done. The show’s over. Kin, no matter what Chaos says we do want to hear from you. Tell us where you found connections. I, Compass, want to hear about it. (sound tired) I’m Compass — bringing the planned direction.
CHAOS (proudly): And I’m Chaos — bringing the unexpected!
Compass (in sync): Together, we make global connections.
HEATHER (narrator / flight attendant tone) Welcome back to the present. On behalf of your dueling hosts, Compass and Chaos, thank you for adventuring with CompassChaos13.
Before you stand, please make sure your pants are dry, your eyes are clear, and your snots are wiped — we don’t do refunds for emotional turbulence.
Some of what you heard today may sound unbelievable, but rest assured — it’s all true, and no one on this adventure is innocent.
For photos, travel tips and to read our blogs wander over towww.CompassChaos13.com.Thank you for connecting with us today. We hope YOUR layover in OUR world brought a little curiosity, a bit of laughter, and a lot of connection. YOU are TRULY APPRECIATED
This is CompassChaos13 — signing off.