Living my myth in Greece

Greece and the Philippines have more in common than we think. Vast expanses of beautiful beaches fronting the blue green sea? Check. Fresh seafood? Check. Their people having a penchant for eating great food? Check. Tiangges? Check. And what else? Margie Moran.

To those whose memories need refreshing: At the last Miss Universe hosted by Greece, our very own Margie Moran won the coveted beauty title to the cheers of Filipinos and Greeks alike. Even sans the swimsuit competition (out of respect for the Greek goddesses), Margie won the hearts of the audience right from the beginning of the pageant, where she received the most thunderous applause. She further endeared herself and the Philippines into the collective Greek pop culture in the question-and-answer portion. She was asked what would she do with the money if she won the pageant. Margie answered that she would buy a house and lot and invest the rest of the money in the bank. This made the audience laugh because at such a young age, she seemed to know how to manage money (according to my friend Miguel Pastor, who was around at that time already).

I didn’t go to Greece to relinquish Margie Moran’s crown, or to relive the Miss Universe experience (wouldn’t that be fabulous though?). My travel buddy, a.k.a fashion designer extraordinaire Rajo Laurel, and I, thanks to Ligaya Tabirao of Meteor Tours Inc., were there to check out the fun things that we could do for the Famous 9, and maybe do some partying on the side since the Greeks reputedly know how to party!

In the city of Athena, or Athens if you will, we went to the requisite tourist spots. We tried distracting the handsome presidential guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but they wouldn’t even meet our eyes. Our workout for the trip consisted of climbing the seemingly endless flight of stairs at the Acropolis. Said to be around 850 steps, it seemed a lot higher, but thank God for Adidas shoes or my feet would’ve died. We caught our breath at the top of the mountain, only to be blown away by the majestic Parthenon, where coincidentally, Margie won the Miss Universe Pageant in 1973. This would be a great spot for a photo shoot with the Bench models, in the midst of the gods and goddesses of ancient civilization. I could just see it now...

We had lunch at the Plaka, which happens to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe. The guilt from gorging on that much Greek food was appeased by the memory of the buns of steel workout we got on the Acropolis stairs.

After dark, the city comes alive with lights and music blaring from bars and clubs. No one can party like the Greeks and in Greece where it just kicks it up right after midnight and ends at the crack of dawn. We danced our way through crowds of party people at Psiri, hoping to bump into Athena Onassis, or even break some plates, but no such luck.

Like sailors who have a girl in every port (and we ran into a bunch of sailors in an ice cream parlor, of all places), we have a friend in almost every country we visit. Rajo looked up Alexandra Katsaiti, the very popular and beautifully fab Greek stylist and fashion trendsetter. It’s great having friends all over; Alex made us feel at home in her city and even introduced us to the hottest Greek models. Who knows? They might even be here for the next Bench underwear show (hint! hint!). We didn’t even have to pull her hair until she promised to help us have a grand time when we come back with Famous 9! I just love Greek hospitality.

Early the next day, we left for the port of Rafina and took the Sea Jet to the island of Mykonos, which is like our own Boracay (whatever!). The blindingly white houses with their bright blue roofs and trimmings, and red doors looked like they were molded and baked under the Mediterranean sun. It was like stepping into another world. I was amazed to learn that Mykonos houses are required by law to be painted white, and that they repaint them yearly, right before summer. Now wouldn’t that be a good idea for the Philippines?

In Mykonos, we ran into a Filipino friend, Romel Calaluan, in whose cozy seven-bedroom house stay members of Europe and America’s rich and famous (British fashion icon Alexander McQueen was the last one, days before we arrived). I only had time for a quick tan by his pool, and an even quicker lunch of piniritong galunggong at pusit and Greek salad. Talk about merging cultures! We ended our visit with a round of the all-time favorite Pinoy pastime: karaoke.

We were in Greece during the Holy Week. So I suppose it was only fitting that we visited the Grand Meteoran Monastery in Meteora on Holy Thursday. Hiking up those mountains to get to the monastery was my penance for the season. But once there, my soul was soothed at seeing the simple way that these monks live.

There’s nothing like celebrating the Holy Week with fellow Filipinos. We caught up with Ligaya and the VIPs of various travel agencies from all over the country, including chairman Robert Lim Joseph Jr. of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies-Philippines, Inc. (NAITAS); Gay Reario, sales and marketing manager of In Stone International, and Ligaya mugged for the camera in front of the monastery. We chatted with Manila International Travel’s President and general manager Daisy Ople; Skynet Travel Corporations’ president and general manager Dorothy Aytona; and Roberto A. Hukom, Gulf Air’s acting manager in the Philippines about the sites that we’ve seen in Greece. Lullet S. Yau, Cebu Fortune Travel’s cruise consultant; Pan Asiaworld Holidays, Inc. general manager Imelda Pasquil; general manager of Land and Sky Travel in Davao Elizabeth Reyes; and general manager Grace Zablan-Axalan of Tradewings Tours and Travel Corporation gamely posed for photos as well.

We were really sorry to leave Greece. After all, we hadn’t decided on what myth we wanted to live yet (we were thinking along the lines of Troy). We’d love to do a Jackie O. and marry a Greek millionaire, but I guess we’d have to settle with another trip back with Famous 9 here real soon.

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For inquiries and more information, call Ligaya Tabirao of Meteor Travel and Tours at 564-7613, 0918-9125177, 0927-5118814.