Money makes the world go round

Again there were Wild West images from Crete, the island that's infamous for its feuds. It seems that the Cretans no longer have patriarchs who look after their family. They seem to have become drug lords who think they're in Colombia. Last year in November, when the police raided Zoniana one officer was nearly killed because some heavily armed men were waiting for them. The whole country was upset and the entire region around the mountain village was combed by a huge police force under the scrutiny of the Greek media. They found masses of weapons, proof of bank robberies that took place on Crete earlier that year and millions of euros in the bank accounts of simple sheep farmers.

On Sunday it happened again. When some police officers went to the village of Malades (near Iraklion) to ask about a marihuana field, they were shot at and one officer was seriously wounded. You can bet that now an even bigger police force will go to Crete, because it;s a disgrace to the Greek government, showing that they've get no control over the drug lords of Crete.

Anyhow, the Greek government is in for a hot summer. Not just from the fact that it seems you are reading last years papers when you see the list of wild fires growing. The scandals around Siemens also seem to be at a peak and have caused a crisis in the Pasok party where high placed members got away with nice big bribes. That's not to say that the other big party of Greece, Neo Democratia, will get away with clean hands.

And then there are the soaring high prices. The government just blames the worldwide food crisis. That is very easy. They won't think about taking a closer look at the wholesale business, nor will they put a stop to the increasing prices (you would almost think that they had some interests there...) Meanwhile the tourists can't believe their eyes entering a supermarket, seeing the high prices the Greeks have to live with.

The only people to oppose this crisis are the extreme right and anarchist parties. Last week in Thessaloniki a right wing demonstration against the high prices was attacked by anarchists. Earlier this month there was a more fun protest in Athens by some masked youth who entered a supermarket, took as many basic products as they could from the shelves and went out on the street to distribute these goods with a flyer saying that this was a protest against the high prices.

The government slowly starts to understand that these high prices could be a reason for dropping numbers of tourists. They really have to worry because tourism is still the biggest earner in Greece.

Seeing Molyvos you wouldn't say that there are less tourists. Yesterday night the streets of the village were overcrowded and the hotels are so full that overbookings are a daily hazard. Elsewhere on the island they still complain that there aren't enough tourists or that they have no money to spend. This is easy to explain. Europe subsidised the new European countries such as the Czech Republic to travel a little around Europe and now Lesvos is filled with masses of Czechs that flew at a very low rate to the island, but have problems facing the high prices here.

Therefore it's good that the Greeks start spreading their holidays and visit the seaside more and more before August. The Greeks usually all went for holidays in August, but now you already see them appearing at the beaches at the end of June. And when a Greek saves or borrows the money for a holiday he really goes for it, without thinking of the increasing prices.

Going out for dinner in Greece used to be less expensive than to go to the shop and make your own meal. Today it's the other way round. Five years ago a dinner would cost around 10 to 15 euros. Now, and especially in Molyvos, you have to count on between 20 and 25 euros a dinner per person. I've said it before, the further you go from the tourist centres, the cheaper it becomes. Last week we went to Skamnioudi (close to Lisvori) where we ate amongst other things ray fish and kalamaria and we ended up with a price below 10 euro a person. (It wasn't at the taverna opposite the little harbour, but a little further along the sandy road following the coast in the direction of Skala Polichnitos.)

It's a shame that Greece has became so expensive for many tourists. Lesvos even became more expensive. The island is not known for the quality of its hotels (I sometimes even wonder if the Lesvorians know how a modern hotel should look). However the reason to come here is that the island is still not spoilt by mass tourism. It's still a charming Greek island with a landscape that has many beautiful spots that you only have to share with just a very few people. You have to pay for this small tourism but I'm sure that it'll be worth every eurocent you spend on it.

Copyright © Smitaki 2008

Cavo Gavathas

Imagine: you are exploring the west coast of the island and when you arrive at Gavathas, you can't go any further because they've built a huge resort... This is going to happen on Crete when the Greek government, the Greek Church and the British investment Group Minoan get their way.

They want to change the westernmost point of Crete into Cavo Sidero, a huge holiday resort, that will be promoted as the biggest eco-friendly luxurious tourist project in Europe. The project will include villages built in traditional style and no less than three golf courses! http://www.minoangroup.com/cavosideroresort.htm

First of all, you should never trust something that is luxurious and eco- friendly. Eco and luxe don't go together. Like you can never fly eco-friendly, even if you pay a lot of money for your 'Green Seat'. Investment companies just put a green sticker on a project, call it eco-friendly and hope that people will believe them.

Take a look at the plans for Cavo Sidero. All scientists agree that Crete will slowly dry up thanks to climate change. Even a child can work out that such a huge project with 6 villages and 3 golf courses will use an enormous amount of water. Will Cretan agriculture have to stop because some tourists want to play golf on a bright green course? (Although it's the increasing Greek agriculture that is one of the causes of water shortages).

The project group says they respect the environment. But how can you keep the landscape green the whole year round? There aren't many landscapes on the Greek islands that remain green in the summer time...

There are many reasons to oppose this project, even if the only reason is that it's a shame that they will disturb such a huge part of the environment and privatise it. You can sign here (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-the-Cretan-landscape) a petition against the decision of the government, which sees Cavo Sidero as a prestige project and against the Greek church that sees money in it because they own the land and want to rent it out to the Minoan Group.

Moreover I think that mass tourism is out. Just like all those silly all inclusive hotels. Those are also pretty eco unfriendly. They waste too much food and they show no respect for the local people. Even on the big tourist island of Rhodes restaurants have had to close because the hotels want to do their own catering. Happily enough a lot of those all inclusive hotels are dominated by Russian tourists who are new to the international tourist scene and have no idea how to behave in public. Coming back from Turkey a lot of Dutch tourists say: never again on an all inclusive!

Lesvos knows only a few of these all inclusive hotels. When the first one opened in Skala Eresos the Greeks felt cheated: The English not only flew the working people to Lesvos, but also the food! So what are the locals getting out of it?

In the west of Lesvos is the little harbour village of Gavathas, not discovered yet by big groups of tourists. It's even prettier than Skala Sykaminia, which is famous for its little Church of the mermaid. Only in July and August will Gavathas have its share of Greek tourists. In the other months, when you are enjoying a meal in one of the two restaurants that look out over the harbour and the bay (there is a third restaurant without this magnificient view) or when you saunter along the street which most inhabitants view as their living room, you will think you have found a lost paradise.

It's as if investment people do everything to find places where they can disturb the peace. Because Gavathas has also been targeted by somebody who has plans that are too great. Between some houses they are trying to squeeze an all inclusive hotel. You won't believe it when you see how close the 5 or so buildings are to each other.

It doesn't look very spectacular and the buildings don't disturb the view of the village too much. But I still wonder how this hotel will change the lives of the small number of inhabitants. Most of them are fishermen and they always smile at the few tourists who visit their idyllic village. The doors of their small houses are always open and most of the day the villagers lounge on wooden benches on the street in front of their houses.

The sandy beach is still not spoilt by rows of sunbeds. That might change next year, if the hotel is ready. So let's hope that all inclusive tourists will not like going to such a little village where there is no shop or bar and you are far away from bigger villages and tourist centres.

At the end of Vatera beach there stands a huge concrete skeleton, like some warning fingers raised to the hills: here as well there was somebody who had the idea to build a big resort, but even before the place was ready, building stopped. Maybe in Gavathas as well, next year this project will still be just concrete. Then only the concrete makers will have made some money from it...

Copyright @ Smitaki 2008