Hiring a bike is an easy proposition on Mykonos.Credit: Cameron Atfield
Cameron Atfield has a perfect day zooming around a Greek Island.
There's nothing like a four-wheel-drive careering down a hill towards you, horn blazing, to remind you that most of the world doesn't share Australia's leftist ideals.
Not in a political sense, mind you, but a more fundamentally basic and intrinsically life-threatening way.
The Little Venice precinct makes me wonder why they didn't call Venice 'Big Mykonos'.Credit: Cameron Atfield
While left is right on Australian roads, left is oh so very wrong on Greek roads and, for that matter, most roads on this planet.
That interesting travel fact became abundantly clear to me as the 4WD loomed large in my line of sight as I negotiated a sharp left turn.
Tip number one for quad-biking in Greece: don't hug the left corner.
But other than the occasional near-death experience, there really is no better way to explore Mykonos than on the back of a bike.
The day before the incident that saw my life flash before my eyes (frankly, I would have preferred a re-run of The Blues Brothers), we made the early morning three-hour journey from Athens' Pireaus port to Mykonos, on board an Australian-made, 95-metre high-speed catamaran ferry.
From the hustle and bustle of the Greek capital - and a journey with who I could only presume was a suicidal taxi driver - the two hour journey is a welcome chance for relaxation.
Once we arrive at the Mykonos port, we're greeted by hundreds of locals spruiking their hotels, villas, guestrooms and hostels.
The crush provides opportunity for some old fashioned haggling and then, deal done, we're crammed into the back of a van and taken through the narrow, slightly terrifying roads.
The van weaves through hundreds of mopeds and quad-bikes, which leads us to wonder just how none of them are ending up in the grill or under the tyres.
It's a question that lingers, but having arrived at the villa with a zero body count, our bravery knows no bounds and we set off to find our own deathtraps to explore the island.
Hiring a bike is an easy proposition on Mykonos. All you need is a valid driver's licence, a credit card and €25 a day to hire a moped.
However, being the manly man that I am, I opt for the €35, 150cc quad-bike. Such a man.
After a tentative, slightly nervous start in which the speedometer barely nudges a not-so-manly 20km/h, the confidence lifts and, with it, so does the speed.
It was about now, nudging 50km/h, that my decision not to hire a helmet (given that they are optional) makes me more than a little nervous.
But the confidence builds and the exhilaration of taking in the endless spectacular views and the wind in my hair (well, scalp) on top of a four-wheeler is, well, exhilarating.
We go off track and make our way up a goat track to the top of a mountain, taking in the view.
You can hardly say Mykonos is a traditionally beautiful island. But its barren landscape does have a moon-like quality and, almost everywhere, there are spectacular views of the Mediterranean.
Ah yes, the Mediterranean. After a day scooting around in 30-degree heat, that's well worth a swim. We stop in on the west coast at the Agios Yannis Beach, park our bikes and take a dip.
The beach, perhaps most famous for being the setting for UK film Shirley Valentine, is a popular location.
The high salt content in the Aegean Sea - an embayment of the Mediterranean - makes it almost impossible to drown, with the buoyancy providing a sensation that is almost, but not quite, enough to distract from the numerous topless sunbathers.
No doubt they're enjoying the fact that there is an ozone layer in the northern hemisphere.
Feeling refreshed, we get back on our bikes and head back to Chora, the whitewashed capital.
There's the famous Mykonos windmills, sadly quite inactive in the still of the evening, and the Little Venice precinct makes me wonder why they didn't call Venice 'Big Mykonos'.
Bikes safely returned, it's time for some people-watching down by the water.
As the sun goes down in the sky, and the beer and food goes down into our bellies, it's hard to think of a better day.
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