Where: Athens, Greece

When: Early May, 2018

The Basics

Data Plan:  €20 for a month on Vodafone

Insurance:  €56 using AXA Schengen Travel Insurance

90-Day Tourist Schengen Visa:  €58.59

Flight from Singapore to Santorini: €178 using Scoot, bought three months in advance. If you’re flying from Southeast Asia, this airline has ridiculously cheap flights to Athens and Berlin. It’s budget so it’s not full-service flight, but the 2.30 AM departure time for an 11 hour non-stop flight means I could just pass out on the flight and reach Athens at about 8.30 AM. Time difference saves me time. - €178

Flight from Athens to Santorini (my next destination): €25.69 after discount with RyanAir. There was a promotion, and I was on Exchange a few months back so I still had the 20% discount and free 20kg luggage, so double discounts! I bought this two months in advance. - €25.69

Accommodation: €12.50 a night at a 6-bed dormitory room in Zorbas Hostel. I booked this with a cashback website called ShopBack and Booking.com two months in advance to save even more money and got €4.54 of cashback. BUT a local friend of mine offered me a place to stay in her home so technically I could’ve saved big on this, so the hostel price was wasted. - €45.46

Day One

9 AM - After an 11 hour non-stop flight, I stretched my legs and got on the X95 bus from the airport to the city centre (€6). It was Labor Day so there were protests everywhere and the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere. I had to take the Metro to Evangelismos (€1.40), and then take the bus but the bus wasn’t operating. My friend’s brother kindly picked me up. I arrived at their home in Vyronas and was greeted by kind parents, a room to myself, and plates and plates of grilled chicken, feta, pickles, potatoes, and vegetables. - €7.40

3.30 PM - The brother took me around and showed me the first Olympic Stadium and the rock. I still can’t believe I was in a different continent yesterday. I walked around Psyri to see some street art and joined a free walking tour.

7 PM - The free walking tour took three hours which was insane. The guide was an archeologist and made me appreciate all the ruins a bit more. He gave us a crash course in Greek military strategy used in the war against the Persians (it’s an incredible David-and-Goliath move, read more here) by drawing in the sand, and we hung out on the hill with wild turtles walking around. We ended in Monastiraki and I gave him €5 as a thank you. - €5

8 PM - I don’t know if it’s the jetlag but I don’t feel hungry at all. I had to run to the local pharmacy to buy some pads. Traveling on your period sucks. - €4.75

Daily Total: €17.15

Day Two

9 AM - Walking around a city is the best way to explore! And also save up on bus and metro fares. I walked to newly renovated Acropolis Museum and got myself a ticket (€3, thank you student ID) and learnt more about ancient Greece. I wanted to go to the Acropolis right after because the guide yesterday said the entrance the museum has a shorter queue but it was long today. - €3

12 PM - I walked to a more touristy neighbourhood and sat at a restaurant with a lot of French tourists. I got myself a moussaka (€8) which was divine but felt heavy. I walked to a nearby ice cream shop and got myself a mango sorbet on a cone (€2.50, to go) and had it on the street steps. - €10.50

4 PM - Headed for Temple of Zeus and bought the combined ticket (€15, student price). Even at the full price of €30, the combined ticket is such a steal since it allows you entry to six attractions. The Acropolis on its own is €20 so might as well get the combined one. - €15

6 PM - Checked out the Ancient Agora. Did you know that Stoics basically meant shopping mall philosophers? Back in the day they used to hang out in the market asking people what love and justice means to them. Now they are viewed wise but come on, if you walked on the street and bearded men came up to you and asked you those questions, I doubt 'wise' would be your first impression.

9 PM - Walked home for dinner with the family, with Planet Earth playing in the background.

Daily Total: €28.50

Day Three

9 AM - I spent the morning having Greek coffee at the balcony with the father, then headed to Syntagma Square to see the guards change and talked to a group of old French tourists.

12 PM - I walked to Monastiraki to have pork souvlaki to-go (€2.30). I usually never get drinks cause I carry around a water bottle to save money, but the cold can of Coke right beside where I was sitting was tempting so I gave in (€1.20). I walked it off and headed to the National Garden to write on my journal, read, and relax while being accompanied by a a gentle giant: a big stray dog. In Athens, I learnt, there’s an organization that ‘adopts’ these stray cats and dogs and gives them food, vaccination, and collars even though they still live on the streets. Would they notice if I hid a dog half my size on the plane back home? Also, some Greek guy just came to me and asked if we could take a photo together so he can post on Facebook so that he could piss of his ex who cheated on him. Taking photos with strangers is a terrible idea, but I despise people who cheat, so game on. - €3.50

3 PM - Went up the Acropolis! It's grand and thankfully not that packed today. I imagined how the Greeks used to live and how they'd interact with these structures.

7 PM - I hiked up the Filopappou Hill, which was quiet. It was beautiful: the Acropolis in front of me, the sun setting behind me, and the Aegean sea and the city of Athens beneath my feet. I lost track of time that I realized that I was supposed to meet a Greek friend I was introduced to by my other Greek friend, so I ran down from the hill and back to Monastiraki.

9 PM - We had a local beer and I had a Greek salad (€11) at an awesome rooftop bar with the view of the Acropolis. Take it from a local: skip A for Athens and 360 that all the blogs recommend, they’re stuffy and overpriced. Go to a hostel called AthenStyle not far from A for Athens and go to Level 6. It has unobstructed views of the Acropolis and the rest of the city with less crowd and lower prices. - €11

10 PM - A Greek guy whom we just met at the bar joined us and we went to have some Greek desserts. Then we walked to a local bar near the Acropolis and had shots of tsipuro, ouzo, and raki. It wasn’t expensive and was all on them, and I’m so grateful for that! We strolled through the city, and joked and laughed as if we were old friends, though a few hours ago we were total strangers. It was late and we took the night bus, which was packed. My friend said we didn’t have to pay the fare since locals don’t anyway, so I didn’t. Please don’t do this! I didn’t know how I was supposed to pay anyway since it was so packed. Sorry!

Daily Total: €14.50

Day Four

9 AM - Greek espresso and homemade bread with butter and jam with the father at the balcony to start the day. He was doing his crossword while listening to Greek radio. I looked out the balcony. I went to a print shop to get a photo frame (€2) and print the family photos (€2.35 for 3) I took to give them as a thank you. - €4.35

12 PM - I checked out the Aristotle Lyceum and Hadrian’s Library. They’re all ruins and the little descriptions does help, but I wish they had more of it so I could fully imagine how it was like when it was used. I forgot to pack my earphones so I bought cheap ones (€9.99) and a chicken gyros (€2.35). I’ve googled the difference between a gyros and souvlaki is (the meat for gyros is from a rotisserie and for souvlaki is from a skewer), but honestly they taste the same to me. - 12.34

3 PM - I went back to the AthenStyle rooftop bar to check it out in the day time, and I must say I like it even more. It was quiet and I had a glass of white wine (€4) in peace with the best seat facing the Acropolis. - €4

5 PM - I hiked up the Lycabettus Hill, which was much steeper than Filopappou! At the top I relaxed at Cafe Lycabettus and treated myself to a bowl of fries. I was so tired that I didn’t take it down but it was probably €6. The spot was nice but the service was terrible. I got my spot at the top to watch the sunset and it was beautiful. - €6

9 PM - I stopped at a neighbourhood sandwich place and got club sandwiches with fries, and the brother came over. I shared my food with him because it was too much and in the end he insisted on paying. I think it’s a cultural thing. Again, very grateful. I made a mental note to treat him and the family if they ever come to wherever I live.

10 PM - The brother took me to some hill, which was a totally local place. There were teenagers drinking and making out, and initially I was terrified cause we were zooming through the city and I wasn’t wearing a helmet. The view of Vyronas with twinkling lights helped calmed me. We then trespassed a hill to see the Olympic Stadium super up close and the Acropolis at night. We reached home at about 2 AM and I was so dead I just showered and just passed out.

Daily Total: €26.69

Day Five

9 AM - After coffee with the father, I walked to the city center and printed boarding passes for my flight to Santorini and Rome. RyanAir gives you a fine or an outrageous free for check-ins at the airport so you have to check in and - if you’re not from the EU - print the ticket yourself. - €0.20

12 PM - I got so sick of eating gyros and souvlaki. I even wrote in my journal, “my soul craves for carbs on a plate, not in sandwich form.” So I went to School Pizza Bar for some carbonara. I know, I know, I’m going to Rome soon so why not eat that there? But I was craving for a meal on a plate and the carbonara was calling my name. - €10

1 PM - The brother picked me up and we rode on a motorcycle for quite some time to the beach. There were no tourists and one stood out for me: a sort of cove with a DJ playing rap, and the sea deep enough for people to dive and cliff jump. It was raining and we rode back home.

6 PM - I said goodbye to the family to thank them for their hospitality. The brother drove me to Syngtagma Square for me to take the bus back to the airport (€6). At the airport I got myself a quarter pounder meal at McDonald’s because they were the only place that was comfortable, opened 24 hours, power sockets, and had strong wifi (€6.30). I had to stay overnight here to wait for my early morning Santorini flight the next day. - €12.30

Daily Total: €22.50

Budgeting Takeaway: Hospitality from Locals

“Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.”

The Greek friend who helped connect me with her family and friends is an absolute angel. I actually only met her briefly on a trip to Switzerland last year but we stayed in touch, and this has led me to a free room to stay, food, new friends, and the opportunity to see the city through their eyes. Wherever you are and especially when you’re traveling, be nice to strangers because at the end, travelers always say “whenever you’re in my city, you have a place to stay and a local guide” and they mean it. Of course, also extend the same gesture to them. Don’t be a rude guest too! Bring treats or souvenirs from your home city, or even a well-written thank you note would do.