Nicola from Australia, summer 2006
My time as a volunteer in Katelios was wonderful. I'm not even sure how I can describe it, there were so many different things that were a part of it. Firstly, you're doing something that's really worthwhile. Collecting data on nest locations and measuring and tagging turtles. Checking beautiful remote beaches to see if turtles have started nesting there. Counting hatchlings and digging up unhatched eggs to see what happened to them (interesting & smelly).
And teaching tourists how to lower their impact on the beaches so mama turtles aren't discouraged from coming ashore. As a volunteer you can end up doing almost anything! We even tried to build a solar-powered stove out of cardboard and aluminium foil - ok 'tried' is the important word here - we almost got it ... The whole lifestyle is also beautiful. So the shower isn't always hot and there are lizards living in the toilet, but it doesn't matter at all - you're living right next to a beach! I swam every day, went snorkelling and canoeing. You can walk everywhere barefoot and go visit other towns on days off. There's a lot of hard work (pulling full bags of rubbish along a beach comes to mind), but somehow even that was fun ... and there's lots of time to relax, lie in a hammock and go out for a beer. I loved sitting around our big outside table with the other volunteers, listening to the owls and drinking retsina, after a big dinner that often included fresh feta and olives. Mmm. With all the walking and swimming, you really look forwards to meals! The other big thing is the people you meet. The other volunteers, who might be students or travellers from Canada, UK, Germany - and the Greek people who you meet through the Group and in bars and shops. I met some lovely people and made friends there that I'll never forget. Anyone who decides to go to Katelios will have their own adventures, and I hope (and I'm sure) that it will be wonderful for you, as it was for me.