image of a night time fire

How to almost die in Greece- 5 simple steps!!

As I do with everything of a very serious nature, I am having to turn this into a hilarious post to avoid the reality that yeah- I could have very easily been dead yesterday.

So, in case you’re having a bad week, a bad hair day, or you’re just bored with life- here’s how to efficiently end your days on this earth- Greek Style!

1. Think you are strong like bull
2. Volunteer to help a friend clear their olive grove
3. Make big brush piles & add petrol
4. Crumple newspaper at the bottom and light it on fire
5. Nude sun bathe down the hill while waiting for the fires to “finish burning”

Now, reading that list makes me sound like a total idiot (which I very well may be), but I assure you these events came about in a manner that seemed totally legit. Let’s go back, Tarantino style.

When a friend in Greece is undertaking a project, if you are not otherwise occupied, that means you are undertaking the project- that’s how friends work.

My friend, Nicos was going to clear his olive grove the last few days, so of course I volunteered to come along. The first few days weren’t bad, cutting branches and burning them in small piles. Then came the bigger pieces. Literally, I can now throw a small olive tree (about 6 feet tall) about 4 yards and land it in a burning pile- with no problem. I was pretty excited about this new development, but we realized if we hoped to get the job done in only one more day, we would need an extra hand.

Nicos got a friend, Christos to help us out, and we set off at 9am the next morning for the grove. By 10am we had 5 piles burning and were making good time- great! We continued at a breakneck pace until 2pm, when Nicos had to leave to get more petrol. We decided we would break under the trees while he was gone and just wait for the few piles to finish dying out. I left Christos at the top to watch the fires and I went down the hill.

I have this thing about the sun in Greece, if it’s at all humanly possible I want to be absorbing it with every inch of my body. So I hid myself behind a tree and decided I was gonna sunbathe in the nude for a few minutes. By the time I had my top off, a really nice wind came and made me wonder if I wouldn’t be too cold. I realized the wind was REALLY cold, then I heard the noise that every person who has lived in California their whole life knows- the sound of a tree burning.

I grabbed my top and started running up the hill yelling to Christos. He got up from under the tree he was laying under and started running. I finally saw the fire, flames about 10 feet high taking its toll on the sweet olive tree. Then, another gust of wind. This one tree spread 6 small fires all around it- less than 10 seconds. These 6 small fires turned into 8 fires, which turned into 10 fires- all under 20 seconds.

I was 99% certain if I ran up the hill we could stamp out the fires and save the rest of the grove. The very thought of Greece, specifically my dear Olympia burning again was too terrifying.

I ran up and started to stamp a few of the smaller ones- then came another gust of wind and the small fire that was under my feet shot a flame straight up and licked my chest. I looked down at the hole that was just burned in my shirt, and realized I was an idiot. My life is not worth a few olive trees.

I yelled up to Christos whose 6 small fires had become 1 rather large fire that it was time for us to go down the mountain and get help. He ignored me and kept stomping on the fires. I yelled at him one more time and he ignored me. As I started running, leaping, or bounding down the hill I vowed that if the fire didn’t kill him, I was going to!

I reached the bottom of the gorge and started running up the next hill towards the freeway. I was literally doing the splits up the hill, climbing over trees, landing on rocks- running for my life,- running for Christos’ life. I took one look behind me and saw much more smoke and flames than I wanted to.

The worst place to be is above the fire, and yet- this is where Christos was, chasing the fire, leaping into it and stamping on the flames with his Nikes. I was praying to everything I believed in, and things I didn’t believe in, please stop the wind, just stop the wind. I looked back across the valley to other side of the mountain- Christos was now stamping on fires and using a branch to put out another fire at the same time. Oh, I’m going to kill him if he lives through this.

Being as the grove was on a freeway at the end of a tunnel, the cars had about 5 seconds to see me before they were into the next curving tunnel. As cars passed me going about 200 kph I realized no one was going to stop unless I forced them to. I took my shirt back off and started running into the road. As I did this, I hearing Christos yelling. “ola kala- ola kala!!!!” (all good) I looked, and sure enough all the small fires had been stamped out and only 3 mature trees were up in flames. Then he threw himself on the ground.

I put my shirt back on and started cussing up a storm. Then I looked at my shirt, saw the hole in the fabric, and I was throwing up before I even realized it.

When Nicos arrived I filled him in on the situation and told him he better run up there and thank that boy, because if it wasn’t for him, that whole grove would be in flames. I refused to go back and help finish the job- I sat on the side of the freeway while they finished burning two more large piles.

I sat with my back to the grove and practiced meditating breaths. Two hours later, when they were finished Christos comes immediately up to me. “you are okay?” I forgot that I wanted to kill him. I smiled, pointed to the hole in my shirt, and said “ola kala” (all okay).

One wrong wind and this boy would have never seen his 30th birthday. If we had both fallen asleep under our trees, who knows what would have happened. All I know is, I’m alive, and though I am more bruised than a Law & Order SVU actress I still have air in my lungs- that’s all I need.



Brandy Bell loves adventuring around the world. She's been a solo female traveler since 2006 and has visited over 25 countries, made countless international friends, and now writes to inspire you to travel in a sustainable and responsible way.


'How to almost die in Greece- 5 simple steps!!' have 14 comments

  1. April 13, 2010 @ 3:49 pm Amy

    Wow! I know that you want to experience all that you possibly can, but could you please avoid all future near death experiences? Thank you so much. I’m so glad that everyone is OK. Your post had me on the edge of my seat. Please take care of yourself!

    Hugs~

    Reply

    • April 13, 2010 @ 3:56 pm livevicuriously

      well I can guarantee there will be no more near misses by fires that I induce! My post had ME on the edge of my seat too, to say the least….

      Reply

  2. April 13, 2010 @ 3:59 pm Paula Swenson

    Great Zeus’s beard! *phew* try not to do that again, parokalo! ola kala.

    hugs – Paula

    Reply

    • April 16, 2010 @ 2:52 pm livevicuriously

      uhm YEAH! I am really over the idea of burning things… for some time. still more than happy to help a friend unless it involves 10 feet raging flames and carbon monoxide 😀 hahaha. miss you both!

      Reply

  3. April 13, 2010 @ 6:03 pm Mom as in the one who gave birth to you..

    Once I realized that you obviously lived through the ordeal…I said, “WAIT! she had her top off?” So after the “I almost died”, being naked does not seem so bad.
    Love that you are living life fully in Greece, note the emphasis on living!
    Love ya, Mom

    Reply

    • April 16, 2010 @ 2:51 pm livevicuriously

      well as a 24 year old female- yeah, I had my top off. did you think I took my showers fully clothed too?

      Reply

  4. April 14, 2010 @ 12:08 am Amy Jo

    as I read this I could hear the sharp cracking and splitting of a burning tree, and I love that in an emergency you know that to get attention all you have to do is show you boobs

    Reply

    • April 16, 2010 @ 2:50 pm livevicuriously

      thats exactly the noise I heard before i realized I was about to go up in flames (and not the cool way). Boobs are the answer to all life’s problems, anyone who doesnt believe that doesnt have cool boobs!

      Reply

  5. April 14, 2010 @ 12:21 am Mom

    Well aside from the fact that you had such a near miss, that was an amazing post. Like Amy said “it had me on the edge of my seat”. I too, am so thankful that all ended well and you and your friends are alive and well. I haven’t read your post to Pop yet. Frankly don’t know if I will, so you will just have to imagine what Pop would say about your near death experience if I did tell Him. Seeeeeee???????I don’t think I will tell him. I love you…please take special care of yourself.

    Reply

    • April 16, 2010 @ 2:49 pm livevicuriously

      UHM. Pop should not hear about such things. you should tell him I was out planting flowers and wearing sunscreen or something totally generic and safe sounding. thank god he doesnt know how to work the internet.

      Reply

  6. April 15, 2010 @ 7:08 pm Round the World Packing List aka Everything I Own « Que Sera Sera

    […] suit 16 pairs of panties * 11 pairs of socks * 2 bras * 1 long sleeve workout shirt (now hole-y, thanks to the fire incident* 5 recreational shirts * 1 Donati Family Vineyard T Shirt (yeah baby!) * 2 light black sweaters * 1 […]

    Reply

  7. April 16, 2010 @ 1:00 pm Olga from Athens

    Owwaa!!! Lord!! Reading these lines nearly made me stop breathing!!! God, please take care my dear Brandy!!

    I am so thankfull that you are ok now….

    see you 🙂

    Olga

    Reply

    • April 16, 2010 @ 2:43 pm livevicuriously

      My sweet girl!!! I was just about to send you a message on couchsurfing! I will be coming back to Athina May 8 & 9 – I’d love to see you again and spend some more time with you getting to know each other. It’s my turn to cook! 🙂 xoxo ~

      Reply

      • April 20, 2010 @ 9:36 am Olga from Athens

        8 and 9!! GREAT!! 🙂 😀

        Couch is already waiting for you!!!

        see you in Athens!!

        Reply


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