Hot Round the Clock

 A procession of gulets leaving Yialos and heading back to Datca through the Nimos channel, early on Wednesday morning.

A welcome sight - the watership in Yialos this morning.

When the larger cruise ships come in, they lie off shore and ferry the guests to and fro in the these bright orange life boats.

The upper reaches of the Kali Strata, heading towards the square in Chorio.

It is traditional to sit outside ones house of an evening and watch the passing parade.  Apart from providing an opportunity it catch up on the gossip, it is also considerably cooler than indoors. Air conditioning is still a luxury in most homes here.

An impromptu gate made out of old pallets.  The countryside is drying out fast now.

Cats and cars - getting dustier by the day.  As very few houses on the island have vehicle access and Symi is notoriously short of water car washing is a luxury rather than something routinely done with a bucket, sponge and hosepipe on a Saturday afternoon.

Tomatoes ripening on the Kali Strata.

Mother love on a scooter outside the dentist on the Kataraktis.

The searing temperatures and low humidity of summer strip the trees of their leaves long before autumn comes whistling through the trees in November.

Golden grasses, so dry that they shatter at the touch.

Temperatures continue to rise and Symi is hot round the clock.  July is always the hottest month on Symi. The days are long, the humidity is very low and the rocks just soak up the heat from 6 in the morning until sunset at around half past 8 in the evening, with the result that temperatures are still in the thirties at midnight.  In the big cities like Athens the municipality opens up air conditioned public buildings for people to cool off in.  Here in Symi you will find crowds building up inside Taxas supermarket, mainly in the vicinity of the fruit and vegetable display chillers.  As our air conditioner in the office failed to make it through the winter and all the big fan does is paddle the hot air around we tend to hang out in the supermarket too.  We have pleaded and cajoled with every air con man on the island but they all seem to be up to their eyes in emergency call outs for hotels or have gone fishing.  No doubt it will be repaired come September, when the pressure is off.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana