Lipsi: Of Sense And Nonsense

Lipsi is the smallest island on our tour. Settled since the Bronze Age, for centuries Lipsi served solely as a goat pasture for the monastery on the larger neighbouring island of Patmos. Today, Lipsi has just 700 inhabitants and is the only place in a wide area that serves water in glass bottles to its 8,000 overnight guests every year.

The village is committed to ecotourism. Plastic sun loungers and jet skis are therefore banned. Lipsi is the only island in the Dodecanese to practise waste separation. Our green dot has been around for over 30 years – and for just as long we have tolerated the fact that 60% ends up in waste incineration for “thermal recycling”. On Lipsi, all the wonderfully separated waste seems to end up in a single, poorly secured landfill site – with a fantastic view of the Aegean Sea.

If you dig just a little deeper, even dirtier spots come to light. Although the wind blows often and strongly here, the electricity is not generated by wind turbines or solar panels. It comes via undersea cables from an oil-fired power station on Kalymnos. The service water, which is nowhere near enough for the number of visitors, is supplied by tankers from distant Rhodes.

I go to the police again. “Where can I kite legally on Lipsi?” is the question. He doesn’t understand English. I show him a picture. He gives me the cut-throat sign, along with a very aggressive “No!”. His body language and facial expressions are what I would expect from an ISIS extremist who has just been told that he has won first prize in the great Greek rectal fisting lottery – and that the grand prize will be paid out immediately. The officer from the equally questioned coastguard right next door gives an equally firm no, but at least remains friendly.

I’m in a really bad mood for a day. The Lipsids are such fake pseudo-ecologists. Windsurfing and seayaks are tolerated. Jet skis are forbidden. What is being launched in front of the only petrol station on the island? Of course, a jet ski. Several motor yachts over 30 metres long are anchored around Lipsi. Consumption per 100km from 200 litres of diesel. Loud quads, old smoking scooters, cars? Allowed, but of course! What is the only thing that is forbidden everywhere, despite there being enough lonely suitable beaches without bathers? The most ecological sport of all. Kitesurfing.

We say goodbye with fresh orange juice in a café. A dog lifts its leg and pisses on my kite bag. Everything really comes together here.