Hálki
, a tiny
(20
square
kilometres),
waterless,
limestone
speck
west of
Rhodes,
is a
fully
fledged
member
of the
Dodecanese,
though
all but
about
three
hundred
of the
former
population
of three
thousand
emigrated
(mostly
to
Rhodes
or to
Florida)
in the
wake of
a
devastating
sponge
blight
during
the
early
1900s.
Despite
a
renaissance
through
tourism
in
recent
years,
the
island
is
tranquil
compared
with its
big
neighbour,
with a
slightly
weird,
hushed
atmosphere
owing to
foreigners
in their
villas
vastly
outnumbering
locals
for much
of the
year.
The big
event of
the day
is the
arrival
of the
regular
afternoon
kaďki
from
Kámiros
Skála on
Rhodes.
Hálki
first
attracted
outside
attention
in 1983,
when
UNESCO
designated
it the "isle
of peace
and
friendship"
and the
seat of
regular
international
youth
conferences.
Some 150
crumbling
houses
were to
be
restored
at
UNESCO's
expense
as
accommodation
for
delegates,
but by
1987
just one
hotel
had been
completed,
and the
only
sign of
"peace
and
friendship"
was a
stream
of
UNESCO
and
Athenian
bureaucrats
staging
musical
binges
under
the
rubric
of "ecological
seminars".
Confronted
with an
apparent
scam,
the
islanders
sent
UNESCO
packing
and
contracted
two UK
package
operators
to
complete
restorations
and
bring in
paying
guests.
There is
now in
fact a
third
tour
company
present,
and most
of the
ruins
have
been
refurbished
