ON THE ROCKS TELENDOS NEWSLETTER 2005-2006

G'day to all our friends! We hope that this message reaches each and every one of you in good health and happiness as we would like to have you all back again. Those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you! We hope to have you all back again in the near future. Another summer season is over yet again and what an interesting one it was! Visitor wise we had a slow start but things gradually picked up.

The weather during the season was very pleasant apart from a few drops of rain that we had in May and October. This occurence added a further touch of interest to things for some of our guests. It was a little like a working holiday for some.. All in all it was good fun! I would like to thank you all for all your help & support. The weather on Kalymnos at the moment is still holding up. Let's hope it lasts for a little while longer! Another huge success for Greece - we won the Eurovision song contest with the song “My Number One”!

Furthermore I will try to fill you in on the latest news and gossip from Kalymnos and Telendos. Good news on our airport! It's finally going ahead and will be ready by May 2006. Believe it or not we are going to have an up and running airport by summer 2006! After a 20 year wait for its completion! To begin it will be for internal flights only - to & from Athens & Rhodes with Olympic Airlines. In future there may also be Jumbos, 747-400's or who knows maybe even Concords??? Around the same period the Council will be completing a huge swimming pool by the sports ground and gymnasium of Kalymnos. Also to be completed by May will be the new road from Arginoda to Vathi which will make a huge difference. Visitors will be able to walk, cycle and drive right round Kalymnos. New climbing sectors are also being created for those of you who are into that type of sport. The “Kalymnos Dolphin” has and will once again be very convenient for the Mastihari-Kalymnos crossing and back again. There are six crossings daily. It only takes 20 minutes and the cost is 3.50 euro each way. Since there is such a high demand the Council is considering buying a bigger ferry for the Mastihari-Kalymnos crossing and moving the “Kalymnos Dolphin” to Myrties to do the Mytries-Leros crossing. The purpose of this move is to connect the two islands by providing much more frequent and faster crossings. This will also provide a convenient connection with the flights from Leros airport - another way of getting to Kalymnos!

For Telendos our long awaited path has been finished and is looking good . Only the finishing touches are left which should be completed by the new season. So no more excuses for anyone not visiting! You can now walk, jump, hop, skip, run or even ride a donkey. Get here anyway you like as long as you visit On The Rocks!! Telendos school has also had a face lift and is looking good. The buoys for the yachts have helped boost the island as well. Also the new sandy beaches are great and are being used by a lot of visitors. They are excellent for the children.

The absence of Mr. Karl Petter this season gave Mr. Shelton of England the opportunity to grab the smell of victory, but no chance ... Mr Tony Russel took Karl's place for Norway and thrashed England! Thus the winner of the Telendian Paradise Beach Nude Backgammon Championships of 2005 is of course - Norway AGAIN! No hope for Mr Shelton! The Telendos-Massouri cross swimming competition, Diving Festival and Climbing Festival also took place and went well for Kalymnos.

Overall on The Rocks had an okay season I guess, considering all the construction work and mess that was going on along the path throughout the season. OTR was the "in place" again for meeting friends old and new, for parties, Weddings and for every other occasion in between!

Since the marriage of Nicole & Paul in 2004 and their hugely successful Wedding party, 2005 brought us our first ever marriage that actually took place at On The Rocks and on Telendos . All was organised in the traditional way and Amanda & Darren Champman were joined in holy matrimony, their vows were witnessed by the Mayor of Kalymnos Mr George Roussos on a perfect August evening. The reception that followed was excellent. We had a very fun and unforgettable night. We wish them both the best for their new beginning. Congratulations! There are lots more bookings for 2006. So if your thinking of getting married why not do it on Telendos - for an exceptionally unforgettable and magical experience of a life time. Have a special talk to us at On The Rocks to arrange your special day.

Now down to some family news. My sister Angela had another baby girl named “Kalotina”. So she is now very busy with her two girls, Poppi & Kalotina who are both doing very well. Sevasti my sister-in-law (Poppi's sister) is also pregnant again! Everyone seems to be very busy baby-wise...

We are also busy with our little one - baby Savvas. He is now walking and will be celebrating his 1st Birthday on the 21st of December! Time flies... His first Birthday party! We still can't believe it. Poppi & I are both very happy and we are all fine. Savvas is doing well & is now a very healthy 10 kilos and 75 cm in height! Very tall and handsome - just like his Dad of course! I won the bet for his first words which were “Bamba" – the word for "Daddy” in Greek. We would like to thank those of you who brought gifts for Savvas and for your patience and help with him. We hope he wasn't too loud for anyone! Savvas thanks everyone as well..

All of us at OTR Telendos Savvas especially, hope to see you soon & hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year...