Evdilos: Isolated Fishing Village on the 'Red Island'

Ikaria is different from most of the Greek islands I have visited. It is not reliant on tourism at all. In fact, tourists are such a rarity on this island that locals would cast an extra look or two when one appears in the town square of Evdilos, the island's second port.

The island of Ikaria also has an unusual social composition. Once the place where Greek communists were exiled by the Junta government following their defeat in the bloody Greek civil war, the islanders of Ikaria came under the intellectual influence of communist exiles and struck up a close friendship with communism. Even now, the communists could still obtain about 30% of the votes in Ikaria when their national average is less than 3%. Hence Ikaria is known as the 'Red Island' in Greece.

For decades, the history of Ikaria had been a story of poverty and emigration. The poorest of all the Greek islands, most inhabitants of Ikaria were dependent on subsistence farming and fishing for their livelihoods. However the islanders have refused to turn to tourism in spite of the difficult economic situations. Hence the villages and communities of Ikaria remain very closely knitted amongst locals, unlike many of the more tourism-oriented Greek islands, where outsiders from Athens have gradually taken over key business infrastructure and economic resources from the indigenous islanders.

Evdilos, the second harbour of Ikaria, one still find plenty of family-owned taverns, cafes and bars cluster around the little village square located right along the scenic harbour front. the somewhat isolated nature of Ikaria and it's communist-friendly stance means that no big hotels or global chain stores are to be seen here.

The focus of Evdilos' social life is the little town square and the bars along the picturesque harbour front. In evening time, locals will gather at one of their favourite cafes and enjoy a drink in the company of fellow villagers and friends.

One thing which I noticed during my short stay in Evdilos is the aloofness of most locals. They seem to pay little notice to outsiders, some of them even display such aloofness bordering on rudeness. At first I thought this might be the side-effect of living in such a small village where everyone knows each other, hence the inevitable distrust towards outsiders. But when I raised this subject matter with the owner of the family-run hotel I stayed at, he told me it is because the villagers (and islanders on Ikaria, to a large extent) have long had a very tense and often strained relationship with the few Chinese immigrants from China who open up shops on Ikaria selling cheap imports from China, hence depriving many islanders of their livelihood. According to him, the Chinese living in Ikaria have often displayed a refusal to respect local customs, as a result of which tension between the villagers and the immigrants becomes a thorny issue in the daily life on the island. He felt that the villagers probably mistook me as a resident on the island - since there are almost no visitors from Asia to Ikaria - and hence the supposed aloofness.

In spite of the less than friendly locals, I enjoy the tranquility of the island. No tourist, no heavy traffics, only lots of nature and many beautiful beaches. The unwillingness of the islanders to turn to tourism as their money-making machine has enabled the local way of life to continue to survive against the onslaught of outside influences. As regard to the 'unfriendly' locals, once they realise I am no hostile foreigner trying to poach their livelihoods or to discount their traditional culture, they begin to smile and wave at me whenever they see me in town.

 In order to explore the pristine coves and beaches of Ikaria, it is advisable to rent a car and drive around the island at your own pace. Buses between the villages are almost non-existent, but with a motorbike or a car, one could visit some hill top villages and enjoy a great night out.

Accommodation in Evdilos: Hotel Athera, a friendly family-run hotel in a pretty blue-and-white building off the main street of Evdilos, is the place to go. The hotel, within walking distance to the harbour, the shops and the restaurants, is open most of the year, offers great accommodation with swimming pool and balcony in impeccable surroundings. Highly recommended.

Copyrights@2010. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.