It was 5.45 on the first day of 2017. After an impulsive overnight journey from Athens, I found myself on an island far off the coast of mainland Greece, a few miles from the Turkish town of Cesme. This unknown island was painfully cold, dark and empty. Empty because only a fool would think of visiting Chios at this time of the year, and I was foolish enough.
While I was enjoying the only company of a cat by a 24/7 ‘periptero’, a small kiosk with all kinds of things, I saw a bright red coloured vintage open truck approaching me. I was overjoyed when my Greek friend greeted me with a sigh that he couldn’t get his Mini cooper because of a flat tire, and we would have to settle with this shabby work truck. While he bought a pack of ‘Karelia’, I said goodbye to the cat and dumped my bag into the back of the truck. It took us exactly 15 minutes to reach his place, and for the sun to come into full sight – a morning I had never envisioned before.
After a long stretch of no houses, we passed one and parked ourselves outside the second one. Suddenly, a typical fresh minty smell hit me in my lungs – it was the smell of ‘Mastiha’, gum. I was eager to see how different home looked here, as compared to homes I had seen elsewhere. The door opened to a cozy living room on the right, and a messy kitchen to the left. Straight in was the washroom without any need of a lock – I was sure he didn’t welcome many visitors. The peppy track ‘Tsigana’ by the Burger Project started playing in the background just when I noticed the beautiful fireplace right opposite the sitting area – I knew I had found my place to sleep!
A quick nap and a shower, and I was ready to explore – the only reason why I had taken this leap of faith to visit a stranger on a strange island nobody knew about.
When asked, ‘what’s the plan?’, my friend kept silent and drove me to a place so magical, it has since been etched in my mind. I knew Chios to be the land of Mastiha, but not of ‘Mastihahoria’, the Mastic villages. ‘Pyrgi’, one such magnificent village known for its houses painted in white and black geometric patterns of various shapes and sizes warmed my heart. I will never forget the 85 yr old granny smiling with wrinkles on her face, hand cleaning the mastiha, while we settled in a tiny taverna relishing a lot of bread, tasty house wine and my favorite Greek food – Mastelo cheese, a big juicy chunk of fried cheese, along with colored bell pepper and spices. On our way back to the car, we plucked and ate oranges from trees, and washed our messy hands clean under the natural water tap made by carving the trunk of an old tree.
We reached home just in time to be invited to a big fat Greek family dinner! It was his father’s name day – a day more important and auspicious than one’s birthday. The father, the father’s wife, his baby sister, his extended family, and neighbors - everyone was present. It lasted for 5 hours - the music, the food, the wine, the talking, the laughing, and ‘Opa!’, the dancing! It was a beautifully exhausting day. We left for the night.
Waking up in front of a fireplace was something I had dreamt of often. I hesitantly started packing my stuff. Before leaving the island, he took me to visit a specially-abled friend of his, who was waiting for us at the porch with his four-legged companion. Though a short visit, it was wonderful listening to an authentic conversation between two friends, rolling cigarettes, smoking ‘Karelia’, playing chess and sipping Greek coffee. In no time, the red truck had to drive me back to where I had arrived a day ago. It was time to say goodbye.