On The Island

The sun and heat kind of got to me today while hiking a loop in the hills that passed by several small Greek Orthodox Chapels and the remains of a couple of ancient abandoned villages. At one time in history Gavdos had a population of nearly 8,000. Now it has a permanent population of around 50 with a peak summer number of around 3,000. All over the island there is evidence of where people once lived. There are lots of overgrown terraced plots, fallen down stone structures, and what appear to be man made cisterns constructed like small holding ponds. Goats are common and I can’t tell if they are tended to or feral. Probably both.

The winds shifted and the beach where I’m staying was calmer today than the last two days. The water was divine as I found myself hopping in and out once I returned from the walk. I really like where I’m staying and having had a good look all over the island I definitely lucked out on the right place for me.

After today's hike I decided to have lunch at a rather smart looking hippy cafe near Agios Ioannis beach. On my way there I saw a man who looked half Greek, half African, with slight build and dreadlocks walking along the road. He had a cotton woven day pack slung over his shoulder that was emanating reggae music. Nice friendly tunes mon at the right volume. So, I stopped. It’s kind of a general rule on a small island like Gavdos. You stop for someone on the road.

He asked if I was going to Agios Ioannis beach. I replied with a nod and he hopped in. His dog followed. I didn’t see the dog at first but it was small, not too small, total chill, well behaved, and charismatic. The little rascal hopped right in like he knew what he was doing and got comfortable in the backseat. Not a problem at all.

I asked the man, who seemed roughly my age, where he was from. He told me he was half Greek and half Ethiopian. He said he first came to the island about 20 years ago but has been living full time on the island for about 10 years. He knows Lily and told me what village she lives in. I told him if he saw her to tell her someone from Texas was looking for her. He asked me how long I was on the island for and I told him I planned to leave on Sunday. He said Sunday the sea is supposed to rough so the ferry probably will not run but Monday will be ok.

I had lunch at the smart seaside hippy cafe. They were doing a good business. A table of Greek guys about my age, all thin and sporting a rasta look with a lot of gray in their beards, sat around a table while the cafe played nice reggae beats at the perfect volume. The guy who I had given a ride to sat with them. They looked like the tanned and seasoned old guard of the end of the road. It’s a very different vibe at Agios Ioannis than Korfos beach where I’m staying but I get it. The spinach lasagna I ordered was excellent by the way.

After lunch I figured I should go down to the ferry dock and make a reservation for Sunday. A ferry was just coming in and the only time the ticket office is open is right around ferry time. The woman at the booth confirmed that I may not be able to get out on Sunday but Monday should be ok. I made a reservation for both days. While doing so I got boxed in by the traffic so I just sat and watched.

Well, with July around the corner today’s ferry was pretty loaded. Completely different from the one I arrived on just a few days ago. The vehicle hold was full. One car drove off with bed, chairs, etc all roped atop the roof. A German couple approached me asking if I knew about the island and showed me their printed booking info from booking.com. I told them I knew where their place is and that someone should pick them up. We scanned the small congested dock area and spotted a vehicle with their accommodation name. It kind of made me feel like a local for a moment but really I think I simply looked like an English speaking tourist more than anything.

But really, Gavdos is almost exclusively Greek. You can get around fine with simple basic English but all I hear is Greek being spoken outside of some Germans here and there speaking a little English and a few Italians speaking Italian. It’s kind of funny. Last week I met a small group of Italians and actually pulled off a little easy conversation by blending the few Italian words I know with a little Spanish. The two languages are very similar.

So, I called George today, the rental car guy, and told him I’m going to need the car a little longer. He sounded happy to hear from me, as we exchanged words and laughs, more or less understanding mostly what each other was saying.

Tomorrow I think I’ll take it a little easier…..