The Chris Cafe in front of the Chris Hotel is one of the most trendy on the island. Well located with a view of the harbor and beyond, it has a cool, lounge vibe and house music always softly pumping in the background. A combination of the incredible amounts of cigarette smoke always wafting from it and my loyalty to a few favorite local spots like Stelios' generally keeps me away. Today, maybe because of the breeze I knew would be there, it came to mind as the place to be.
Indeed it was, but for more than the breeze. An international tour group of young people in their early 20's was gathered at the long, communal table, their Greek tour leaders leading the conversation. They were regrouping in light of the fires on Rhodes – their intended next stop. Instead, they would be staying longer on Patmos and the tour runners had new activities for them for the next day or two while the company came up with new plans.
Rhodes is the seat of government for the Dodecanese island chain – the capital of the prefecture or what we might identify in our system of government as their state. about five islands away, Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese – and a cool one at that. Well, at least it is figuratively because unfortunately, Rhodes is not only sweltering in a heat wave, but it has not one but two wildfires – with 20,000 tourists already displaced. Tourists on Rhodes' Southeast Coast (not its most densely populated, but with some resorts) were evacuated in dramatic fashion via boats on beaches and buses taking them north – with no specific destination or instructions. Near the peak of its busy season, other hotels had no room for unexpected guests – and in some cases hotels that might have had room were closed for safety.
Meanwhile little Patmos is experiencing a breezy, cooler day than the past several and the only trace of the disaster on Rhodes is a brown haze on the horizon – which other than color is not so different from the misty hazes I saw last year in Spring, which are not uncommon to the region in the mornings, much like Los Angeles' marine layer.
To an Angeleno, summer fires on dry brushy landscape – like Rhodes' – are an all-to-familiar tale, especially during a heatwave. Unlike home, there's the odd notion that the fire can spread only so far – these are islands. All the same, like a California fire season, Greece faces 86 separate fires in several locations – including the major islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia as well as locations throughout the mainland. The European Union has dispatched 450 firefighters and seven airplanes to assist Greece. The story is all-too-similar to scenarios we've lived through at home.
For Greece, the economic ramifications are perhaps more grave. A poorly diversified economy leaves Greece vulnerable to disruptions in tourism – especially in summer. This is disproportionately so on islands like Rhodes, Corfu, Evia – and Patmos….A disconcerting number of Patmians open their businesses in mid-to-late May, work through September or October and take the rest of the year off. For Patmos, August is THE month when the island's population peaks at 20,000, compared to the 2,000-3,000 permanent residents.
Several years ago, Patmos realized it couldn't or didn't want to stretch beyond the 20,000 population, lest it ruin the island for everyone – tourists and locals alike. So cruise ship visits became the answer. Patmos began courting more cruise companies to add Patmos to their itineraries. This way, Patmos gets surges of tourists spending their money in four to twelve hour bursts at the end of which all the people get back on their ships and sail away. The business owners of Skala seem to be happy to see their guests arrive and even happier when they leave. Enthusiasm also seems to link to the nationalities the boats bring. Americans, Canadians and British are prized for both their willingness to spend and friendliness. Turks and Italians are fine. French and Israelis are not preferred (for slightly different reasons – French are aloof and look a lot and don't buy; Israelis are perceived as rude and uncaring about the local environment and culture).
All the same, Patmos – like so many Greek islands – cannot afford a tragedy like the one befalling Rhodes.
And speaking of Israelis, my good friend Ziv is supposed to be on Rhodes right now with his family. I haven't yet reached him and want to hear how they're doing (I'm assuming alive and safe because I haven't seen any fatalities reported and authorities did a great job of getting people out of harm's way, even if they didn't have much in the way of emergency accommodations).
As the world burns…. life on Patmos remains much the same. Without a cruise ship in port this afternoon, many shops closed for the 1:00 to 6:00 preferred siesta time. The breeze has lifted the heaviness of the last few days, although the temperature itself is unchanged: highs of 84, lows of 79.
I decided to begin the day with errands – grabbing produce and meat for dinner tonight. Along the way were opportunities to try to advance my home-improvement agenda. I noticed the computer shop has an e-waste recycling bin out front, so I stopped in to see if they would accept the old TV I want to unload. The owner, Tsampikos, needs to put in a call to the e-waste company to arrange a special pickup and have me bring the TV on that day as it's too big for the bin. I realized an electronics professional should know the electricians of the island and indeed he did.
"It may not be possible to get an electrician. They are all too busy," Tsampikos warned me as he wrote down the names and numbers of all three electricians. "And sometimes they are so busy you can't reach them. They just stop responding so they can get their work done."
I have heard this story before, but I decided I need to at least try.
"I am very busy. I cannot come at all. I cannot come today or tomorrow," one of the two electricians named Manolis told me.
I realized the problem – they don't book out very far, they schedule their work a day or two ahead of time.
"It doesn't need to be today or tomorrow, you choose the day and time," I responded.
"I can come after those. Maybe Wednesday."
"Wednesday is fine. You just tell me when,"
"Okay, I can reach on WhatsApp for this number?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I will text you Wednesday. I know your problem. Dimitris called me. Your oven doesn't work."
"No, Dimitris fixed it so the oven works now, it's the dishwasher that doesn't have a line for power."
"So the dishwasher works?"
"No. It needs a new power line to make the dishwasher and the outlet work."
"So, the washer works?"
"No, the dishwasher and the outlet don't work."
"So the problem is the oven?"
"No, Dimitris made the oven work."
"Ok, it's fine. I'll come. I'll text you."
"Great. Thank you!"
Now I hope. At least I have an agreement in principle.
Manolis wasn't the only back and forth today. Manos called while I was doing yoga to tell me my IKEA delivery arrived and could I be at the house for them to deliver it within the hou But at the end of the hour, he texted to say there are four more boxes from IKEA coming tonight and the delivery people want to wait for those so they can deliver it all at the same time tomorrow morning between 10:00 and 10:30. All the better, I told him. My mattress from Rhodes also arrived and the shipping people will contact me by Viber. I don't have Viber, I told Manos – I have WhatsApp and of course regular phone service. He didn't reply. So the fate of my mattress remains unclear – but I assume they know where my house is and they have my number and email. Somehow, someone will either tell me or deliver it, right?
Mohammad the Egyptian carpenter and painter who had gone dark surfaced today too. He had lost his phone, got a new one and changed SIM cards. It was a complicated story with a simple result: he showed up about an hour after Manos reached him. It seems Mohammed had painted the exterior of my house two years ago and knew the way. He is happy to take the bedroom furniture for his family and would like the work of refinishing my closet doors. He also pointed out two places that need repainting due to moisture pockets – a common problem with the stone walls here. I told him I'd be happy for him to take care of those anytime he would like, but no rush. He also knows someone who can come clean my house regularly and will text me with more. He'll also show up tomorrow at 7am to get the furniture. He wants early so he can pull a vehicle up in front of my house before people are up and cruise passengers arrive. Mohammed was easily the most efficient person I've dealt with in my house-related issue.
George the carpenter popped his head into Tsampikos' shop while I was there. He sheepishly told me my quote on new interior doors is coming. Maybe…. At least he felt sheepish.
Knowing most Greek furniture companies close for August, I'm starting to feel some pressure to figure out the living room and kitchen. While locals would like me to wait until September to do anything, I just don't have that luxury of time. Despite the soon-to-swell population, I'm going to keep on chipping away at what needs doing. Kindly, politely – and with flexibility and gratitude. I can gently follow-up with the various service providers to ensure they come but treat them with respect and a namaste.
