We took the SITA bus (public transit that runs the length of the Amalfi coast), assuming it was a great way to see the coastline. Of course that presumed that the bus would keep a regular schedule, and that we would have a seat and a window....BAD assumption. When the bus arrived (an hour late) it was jammed packed with tourists. We could not get in via the front door, so managed to push and shove our way into the back door. When the door closed, it almost took Nicholas with it! There we stood, hanging on for dear life for the next 2 hours as the bus tossed and turned around forty-six bezillion hairpin turns. The scenery was magnificent, and fortunately for us, being in the stairwell turned out to be an advantage as we actually had a view out the door window. Everyone else was so jammed in the aisles, most would have missed the very thing they came to see. Anyway, catching a photo of the amazing scenery was quite a challenge - more of a physical acrobatic feat I would say. There I was hanging on for dear life by the toe of my boot, while trying to counterbalance the hairpin turns every few seconds, and focus the camera at the same time. I got so good at it people started handing me their cameras to snap a few for them too!
Here is a small peak of what we saw (I will post more later)and forgive the glare but I had no opportunity to chose my position and we were driving into the sun.
The road stopped in Amalfi...just dead ended at a large chaotic bus stop...too bad for all those poor sucker tourists who rented cars to get there....no parking, no roads to drive on....just a turnaround to go back the way they came! And in this turn around were dozens of busses, all inching their way into some order, three deep, so they could go back the other way. From there we had to find our way to catch a different bus (a whole adventure in and of itself) that would take us up the mountain from Amalfi to the village of Bomerano where we were going to hike the "Path of the Gods" back to Positano...an 8 kilometer easy walk (the book said....HA!).
The bus ride going up was even more spectacular...we went higher and higher up the steep switchbacks...eventually we were high enough (almost 5000 feet above sea level) to see all the way to Sicily. From their we wandered aimlessly looking for the path, very aware of the ticking time....we needed to finish the hike before dark. Let me pause here to talk again about directions. You would think a place like this, where millions come to see the scenery, you would have maps, and signage, and arrows pointing people to where they should go! Not....just incredibly ambiguous directions from people, who I am certain, make it a game to give wrong directions to all those stupid tourists they wish would go home. Anyway, we found the trail. The scenery was out of this world. I could not believe my eyes. SPECTACULAR. Breathtaking! I mean - BREATH taking....as in, left me gasping!! The hike was hard.
Do not believe the TripAdvisor reviews that say it is an "easy gentle slope down." Might be easy for a goat! There was lots of up and down, and thousands of steps, and even some rocky areas I had to climb using my hands and feet...all the while with a breathtaking 4000 foot drop just a foot or two to your side. By the end I was limping, my left knee did not bend, we were sunburned and soaked with sweat and covered in dust. Had we not gotten to the end when we did, Nick may have been carrying me again.
The "end" was a little hut where we could buy beer. As I looked around, it was clear we were NOT in Positano, but quite a bit higher in Nocelle, so I asked the girl what now? She says, "Only 5 more kilometers to Positano."
FIVE KILOMETERS!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I HAVE ONLY WALKED 3.5 KILOMETERS??? Please Lord - take me now, I am thinking! "That's OK," she says, "you can take the short cut over there. It is only 2000 stairs down to Positano!" This is where I fainted.
2000 steps, according to the nice German beside me at the bar, takes 45 minutes to walk down. 2000 stairs with a knee that no longer bends....I don't think so....other options? "There is a bus," she says (God save me), "Just go down 25 stairs, turn right, cross the piazza and go up another 50 stairs and you will find the firmata.
The bus was pulling away just as I dragged my ass up the last step. Sigh. We sat on the road and settled in, knowing we would be there for awhile. Nikki read, and I had a nice conversation with Hans from Germany about Putin and the Ukraine. 1.5 hours later we boarded the crowded, standing room only bus for the winding ride back to Sorrento. EXHAUSTING!
Positano and Amalfi are built on the side of cliffs, sheer mountains. There are no cross streets, only a switchback highway between villages. Between rows of houses at different elevations, are stairs....that's it...stairs, 1000's and 1000's of stairs. Stunning scenery, but what a freaking stupid place to come for a person with joint issues! Duh! What the heck was I thinking?
If travelling by bus, after an exhausting time walking up and down stairs, the scheduled bus you wait for at the side of the highway (sometimes for over an hour) would finally come, only to drive right by you because it was already full. Taxis are exorbitantly exspensive, and out of the question for most people. It is insane....there are millions of tourists that come here to see the coast....only reachable by bus or water....and they don't have enough busses.
Signage here is also pathetic, as has been every single bit of directions we have been given by well meaning people. None of these people know how to give directions beyond, "Go left at the church": leaving you standing there dumbfounded looking at three churches and 15 potential roads branching off of them. Adding to transport frustration is the expense it has cost us to experience it.
My 200$/day budget has morphed into $450/day (and we are staying in very basic accommodations). We cannot even find a stinking cup of coffee for under $7. A light lunch for 2 will set you back $70! I guess that is the price of seeing the world's most beautiful coastline. And I believe it is. The bus ride up to Amalfi put the road to Hana on Maui to shame. But honestly, if you are to come here...come by cruise ship....see the stunning scenery from the water and land, eat better food for free on the boat, and float away while your knees still work and there is still a little money left in your bank account!
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