The wind is still strong and the sea fairly rough. We head off from Turkey to the Greek island of Chios in the tender with captain Paul. It is only about 8 nautical miles but because of the rough sea it takes about half an hour. As we have not legally checked into Greece we find a small Harbour outside the town, then get a taxi into Chios.
Our first impression is that this is a bit of a ghost town. The shops are shut and a lot are vacant. We are told that they open in the mornings and close at lunch time and don't reopen. There is a very good small Byzantine museum we visit with a very keen and interested caretaker. In the collection there are some good very Byzantine icons and frescoes. The waterfront is long with lots of cafes and bars which are open, but not many people.
The tourist book shows a pretty village with fancy rendered buildings. We take a taxi 25 kilometers to 'Pyrgi'. Our taxi driver is very friendly and explains that Chios is famous for growing 'Mastic'. It is the sap from a tree used for natural medicines. It is the only place in the world it grows and it has been an important product for over 2500 years.
The town off Pyrgi is quaint with its geometric rendered houses, but has the feeling of being deserted, with a bunch of old people sitting outside their houses in narrow small streets.
Chios has had a sad history. The Turks invaded in the 1700's and slaughtered half the population. It has also had several very devastating earthquakes. It has a lot of very good beaches, but we could not envisage returning to this island.
We tried to organize another scuba dive but once again were let down by the dive center, so no go.
JB and Mick