�� Simon hired a car today and as soon as I�d recovered from defrosting the fridge we set off to explore.� The artist and architect C�r Manrique had an enormous influence over the architecture of the whole island, insisting that all buildings were kept to traditional low, white constructions with green doors and paintwork. The few building we saw that somehow slipped through the net looked horribly out of place. We followed coaches and hire cars all on the same route driving past the salt beds and lunar looking landscape between volcanoes with massive lava fields of lumpy rocks� running to the coast. It looked like lorries had just emptied truckloads of assorted size boulders willy-nilly all through the valley. We arrived at Los Hervideros a great area on the coast where the waves crashing onto the rocks are forced up lava tubes and through corridors. From there we saw the green lake at El Golfo where we were almost in a queue walking from the car park to the photo opportunity. Back on the road and up into the national park of Timanfaya and the wonderful Monta�del Fuego. The green slopes leading up to the red topped mountains could have been made of velvet they looked so smooth. With nowhere to pull over, I took photos through the windscreen then round a bend there appeared a car park the size of Hampshire. It was packed. We were ushered to a parking space and somewhat gobsmacked stood with dropped jaws watching probably two hundred camels being loaded with a never ending queue of people. Tied together in lines they drudged off up between the hills no doubt circling swiftly round the hill and exiting by their coach ready for another batch. We used the loos and left quickly.

�� Things were a little quieter now and our next stop at La Santa looked north to sea and north-east across to Graciosa. We could see our volcano and longed to be back in the calm. The agriculture was rather interesting on the island and as the day moved on we�d wished we�d gone to the agriculture museum to see what was going on. Walled terraces rose up the hills like Madeira but unlike there these were overgrown with weeds and not in use. On flatter ground low walls divided the land into sections, most of which contained gravelly soil and many of which were neatly racked. Hardly any of the land was planted with crops however. Even peoples gardens were set out in the same way although many more of these at least had something growing in them. Those planted with vines had walls built around them to protect them from the winds but everywhere there was a lack of crops. We decided that the whole of the island�s economy is now based on tourism and they can make far more money giving camel rides than growing sprouts.

� The monumento al Campesino by Manrique was very nice but the museum was nowhere to be found and all we could find was a restaurant dishing up dinner to a coach load of visitors and a caf�All very strange. The old capital Teguise was a mass of craft shops but the ice cream went down well on this very hot day. Driving through Haria up to the Mirador del Rio we had some splendid views of the coast we sailed along. From the viewpoint we looked across to our anchorage on Graciosa and back through a sea of volcanoes along the north coast. We urhmed and arhhed about going to the cactus garden on our return along the south coast but have to report it was rather lovely. I took far too many close up shots of the different plants but they all looked so interesting.

�� As usual a hire car means shopping and we found a hypermarket just out of the city to stock up for the next week. The fruit looked lovely but I had a job to find any vegetables that looked like they�d last more than a day. The wildly expensive lumps of compost made me wonder what the locals are eating for dinner tonight. The fresh meat was good and inexpensive though and I practiced a little Spanish albeit poorly in preparation for the transatlantic stock up in Gran Canaria.

�� A quick look at the marina in Puerto Calero followed by an alarming drive past our marina complex to the beach left us in no doubt that tourism has trashed this lovely island. Si looked shattered after his long day driving so having trouble connecting to the marina wifi didn�t help. We drank tea on deck while cooling down in the fresh evening breeze then had Tex-Mex for dinner in the restaurant nearest to the boat. We hit the early evening rush of young families with over tired children and lobster coloured parents but having missed lunch enjoyed our fiery supper. Back on board with anchorages on the cards for the next few days we made use of power for the laptops and would have made more use of the internet if it would let me connect too.

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