Our journey to Asprovalta consisted of a few hours of windy roads along the coast through the moisture deprived countryside. When we arrived to the festival, we glady welcomed our new accommodation in Hotel Karatsi, just outside of the festival site. This friendly, family-owned hotel was set amidst a series of courtyards that lie beneath a woven canopy of olive trees and grapevines. Without wasting any time, we picked up a bottle of South African red wine for some proper sundowners on our back balcony that overlooked the western mountains rising gracefully from the sea. That night we joined members of the Ultimae family already on site for a traditional Greek feast consisting of nearly everything on the menu which had us loosening our waistlines before the main course arrived. The weather, which had been rainy up until we arrived to Greece, was nearly perfect while we were there, with periodic sea breezes to help keep the heat down. The festival lay adjacent to the beach at a campground full of trees, and even with 4,500 people there, it was far from feeling crowded. The music and sound on the main stage overall was disappointing, but the chillout, where we were required to spend most of our time was a consistent mood of relaxed beats and ambience. The organization of the festival was far from perfect and every time something was delayed, overlooked, or half-assed, you'd hear someone expectedly murmur, "the Greek way." Ultimae Records was featured all day Saturday through Sunday morning and I drowsily followed that evening with a well-received sunset dj slot. The vibe of the festival was without a doubt the highlight, and the warm and amazing people I met ensure many long-lasting friendships. I was able to meet nearly all the chillout artists, many of my favorites, and even a few cheery old schoolers like Gaudi, Alex Patterson, and Youth. Stage managing was not so demanding, but kept me looking at the beach more so than actually using it. On the last day I had one my most powerfully moving reiki experiences involving Sunny and my dear new friend Zareen, a local from Athens. High on gratitude, blissed on many new-found friends, lubricated by olive oil, and overdosed on feta, we all exchanged our last smiles and toasted "Yamas" (the Greek equivalent of "cheers" or "boom") over a family dinner. From there I packed up my stock of honey tahini and welcomed the cooling rain that began just hours after the festival ended, escorting us back to our early morning airport departure.

All of four flights home have been smooth, except for delayed baggage, and I enjoyed the comfort of my cotton khaki shoes while sipping red wine and consuming cupfulls of warm nuts in business class. Happy that the Rockies are our home to return to, Sharon and I are already talking about how we can refine our travel plans and continue to improve and lengthen this international sojourn in the summers to come.