I, as well as my mom and two cousins, Kati and Casey, stood looming over the steep eight-hundred stairs below us decorated with donkeys and their brave riders. After long minutes of contemplation, the gears in our brains, which before had been vigorously spinning, were now slowing down to a normal pace that decided: Yes. The four of us would go out on a whim and take the adventure of riding a donkey up those curious stairs. We ventured our way towards the cable cars which would carry us down to the glistening water of the Aegean Sea. The four of us would soon be carried off of the mighty cliff, known as Santorini, Greece.

As soon as I stepped off of the cable car and onto the port, salt from the ocean drifted into my nose and my ears were filled with the flopping of the waves that smacked into the dock. Passer buyers were happily chatting away in Greek and drinking fruit smoothies which were purchased at a nearby café. They smiled kindly as we shuffled past and made our way to the donkey business. When we arrived, a stereotypical Greek man took our money and guided us over to the loading platform. He had a beard as white as the traditional Greek houses, a small navy hat, and was about as tall as me. The skin around each eye was creased with wrinkles and he smelled of sweat, animals, and a day of hard work.

Kati courageously volunteered as the first tribute to saddle onto her chestnut- colored donkey. The old man nodded with a smile and before we knew it she was off! A little surprised yelp escaped her mouth as she disappeared behind the corner ahead. My mom was next to go, then Casey, then me. I had no idea what I was getting into. My heart trembled with nervousness as the man helped me onto my donkey’s back. After I was settled on the saddle, my hands reached forward to grasp the reins and pulled back in surprise when they found that there were none! Instead, I located the knob on the saddle and made do with that.

My mind seemed to have the illusion that the ride would be identical to Lena’s from “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”?a gentle, fun, and memorable way to climb back up the trail of stairs. I would ride off into the sunset to the quant towns secluded in deep aromas of lamb, olives, and Frappes with whipped cream squirted on top. I was disappointed to find that the donkey that carried me, white with speckles of grey, had a different idea. As the Greek man untied my steed’s harness, the donkey took off at a very surprising trot up the stairs! I lurched forward and hugged his neck which was warm from the sun and hours’ worth of work transporting tourists.

Our team of two barged, banged, and stampeded through anyone in sight. We wound our way around the first corner while the click-clack of the hooves echoed throughout the seven-foot tall white-washed walls surrounding the giant stairwell. Death glares and grumbles were thrown at anyone riding a donkey as people were walking the opposite direction, down to the port. I yearned to tell them that I did not have either reins or brakes and was utterly out of control. Instead, I tried saying a simple “sorry” as my donkey rushed by them, hoping maybe they would understand.

Next, I spotted my mom up ahead laughing. How could she possibly be laughing at a time like this? My eyes soon found the answer. A horrified Casey sat stuck on her blonde-colored donkey which had stopped and was rubbing its hairy neck on the wall. With the little knowledge she knew from riding horses, she tried coaxing the donkey with kind words and gently kicking her heels against its round belly. Honestly, she looked ridiculous.

My eyes then searched for Kati. There was not a single trace of her. After turning my head around, I finally found her flaming red, curly hair. Her donkey apparently decided it would stop for a break as well, while interested tourists eyed the two with curiosity. Giggles of mine irrupted from within me like a volcano; first brimming with chuckles and then exploding into hard-core laughter as I saw the poor situation she and Casey were in. My head was thrown back and I swayed forward and back, unable to keep my amusement concealed. Apparently Karma was watching over me though as my donkey abruptly stopped in the middle of the path. As if it was clamped shut with a clip, my laughter abruptly ceased. “Come on now, you can do it!” I said imploringly as I tried to pat his neck and kick my feet around its big round belly. Before I knew it, Kati zoomed past me and laughed hysterically just as I had before. While I impatiently waited for my donkey to move on, I took the time to inhale deeply and soak up my surroundings. The air was rich with Greek conversation, children’s shouting fits, and the laughter of friends. The salty sea breeze was mixed with the fragrance of flowers and leather from the colorful saddle that I sat upon. We were about halfway up the cliff and I could now see up over the wall. Catching a bird’s eye view, my vision was exposed to the beautiful blue ocean laid out before me. Millions of diamonds glistened while floating atop the sun-kissed Aegean Sea. Islands in the distance were perched on top of the water while above me the cliffs of Santorini held small villages of smooth white buildings and bustling streets. Everything looked postcard worthy, and it was all right in front of me, just as alive as I was. Unfortunately as my whole mind, body, and soul was being enveloped into my daydreaming, the donkey once again began to move, but this time at a much slower and much more appreciated pace, which broke my thoughts.

Higher and higher we climbed the never ending stairs. As I passed my mom and her black donkey who had a hard muzzle wrapped around its mouth (I can’t imagine why the need for a muzzle), she whispered, “Only two-hundred and thirty steps to go!” A sigh of relief left my mouth and I pet my donkey encouragingly. While we were making our way towards a sharp turn, I realized that the protective wall had suddenly become half the height of the animal. Instantaneously, my fingers tightened around the white straw-like mane and my eyes widened with fear as the donkey continued towards the edge. Just beyond the cliff existed a plummeting drop that ended harshly with the surface of the ocean. As well as a sudden sweat forming on the back of my neck, butterflies popped into my stomach, swirling and twirling. Thoughts flew around my head such as, “This is it. We’ll go right off over the wall if we don’t stop now.” When I was just about to cry out in terror, my steed did the first logical thing of the whole journey? it turned just in time! Every muscle in my body relaxed and the butterflies in my stomach slowly evaporated.

Before long, we stopped once again. “This is ridiculous!” my mind cried. I then laughed in spite of myself. The donkey had stopped because we had made it! I flung myself from the crazy creature and sprinted to meet up with the other three a few yards ahead, just glad that I was still alive.