Fai Tira Blog 18.00 UTC  4th November

Fai Tira still in Lanzarote.    28:54.99N 13:42.35W

 

Wednesday saw us going separate ways.  I went diving with a group of BWR guys and then to the nudist beaches of Papagayo with Mike and Mary, whilst John and Dee went exploring the island in a hire car.  So first I will tell you about my day.

We arrived at the dive centre which is based at the marina and the dive leader and owner put us at our ease with his informative and helpful attitude.  We donned our gear and headed for the dive site by fast rib.  It was a nice shallow first dive for us all, as we were all a bit rusty not having dived for a while.  We saw a large shoal of Barracuda and Cuttle fish.  The next dive was a bit more testing.  We were told about this big Grouper called Felix who was tame and came up to you.  This was correct.  As soon as we left the vicinity of the boat anchor this very large fish about a metre long came swimming up to us.  It got so close that I was able to touch it.  Its mouth could have easily swallowed my closed fist.  What a fabulous experience. 

 

 

                                                            Felix the Grouper

 

Shortly after that a Leopard Shark swam by no more than ten feet away.  We carried on with the dive which was a lot deeper than the first and also had a fair bit of current to contend with.  What a great morning. Unfortunately I have no photos of the dive as they are still in my camera.

                        Leopard Shark

 

I meet Mike and Mary for lunch and then proceeded to Papagayo.  This is now a national park but you can only approach it by dirt road.  The beaches there are superb with lovely soft white sand.  When I first visited Lanzarote this was where all the nudists used to go, but now not one to be seen!!!    Sorry Baz no photos this year. Mike had a couple of dips in the sea as I slept in the sun and Mary chilled out reading her book.

  

                                    Papagayo                                                                                Mike and Mary with clothes on.

 

 As the sun began to set we headed off to the Sunset bar which is situated on the top of the pass which joins Playa Blanca to the rest of the island.  We sat there with a beer and watched the sun go down over the horizon.  It wasn’t the best sunset we have seen as it was a bit cloudy but the location and spectacle was very nice. 

 

                        View from the Sunset bar.                                                      A lovely meal.  Thanks Mike and Mary.

 

We then returned to the Marina where Mike, Mary and I had a very special meal in a wonderful restaurant.  We all agreed that Lanzarote is a special place and a we all would visit again. 

 

John and Dee went off in there hire car to explore the north of the island.  They virtually did the same route has we had done on Sunday. They went to La Santa and watched the surfing, then to Famara and then to Mirrador via Teguise and Haria.

 

Our day was quite tame by comparison. That is apart from the drama involved in piloting a left hand drive car down public roads on the wrong side, for the first time in my life.

Anyhow being the experienced driver I am, I soon got the hang of it (only took about 8 hours) and then, after rearranging the front suspension geometry on one or two kerbs, it eventually became a piece of cake.

So with map in hand and a general knowledge of the good locations, we headed up country, trying to avoid the main roads in an attempt to take in the smaller villages in an effort to see more of the real side of this diverse community.

We soon found ourselves travelling along minor roads that would easily fall under the category of dirt track in the U.K., often wondering whether we might end up in trying to do a three point turn in some ones back garden.

The communities were often spread over quite long distances, with no real centre and subsequently giving a lack of incentive to stop and explore. But even when viewed from the confines of a passing car, the hardships of cultivation in such baron, exposed albeit fertile, conditions, were obvious. And everywhere the signs of ingenuity that we’d previously witnessed in the wine making region, with plants growing in deep black pits, encased by volcanic dry stone walls for protection.

Other attempts to seek out these skinny routes, was starting to prove difficult. Although a serendipitous turn while stumbling through a village looking for a scenic route around a volcano, had the effect of guiding us to small ghost like hamlet on the edge of the Atlantic, where the beach was being bashed by huge surf.

 In the height of the season, it was easy to imagine a thriving community, but this is November and there were just two brave souls out there battling the elements and we were treated to our own private display of energetic and sometimes acrobatic surfing.

  

                                    A lone surfer                                                                           Deserted holiday town                      

 

The coastline became more dramatic the further north we progressed, with huge walls of volcanic rock, starting in the sky and tumbling down to the sea, etched with the effects of weather and erosion from millions of years of natures’ activity.

The road along the coast eventually expired, due to the inability to climb a sheer wall, forcing us further inland. We passed through the town of Teguise at around lunch time, a good excuse for a stop. What a great move.

This place is tucked beneath a hill overlooked by a fortress that dominates the horizon.

The white walled buildings are linked by a warren of small streets, and every where the minaret like spire of the church, stands proud on the skyline ensuring that its’ presence can’t be ignored.

A road side café  beckoned. We were just going to have coffee, but the smells and presentation of food, enticed us to indulge.

It was simple stuff, but the flavours and setting fantastic. Potatoes de Canario, bread, Mojo sauce. strong black coffee followed by cold beer, all consumed in delightful surroundings and all at the price of six Euros for both of us. Style , substance and value!!

   

                                    Skyline of Teguise                                                                              Fortress on a hill

 

 

    

            Sketch of view from the café                                     Cactus against a wall

It was difficult to leave. Every turn presented something to be photographed or investigated, beautifully sculptured skylines, delicate cafes and obscure galleries.

It was late in the afternoon when we left. The road took us through los Vallies, a dramatic area of terraced gardens. We climbed steadily, before experiencing the helter skelter drop, round hairpin bends ,that took us back down to a level where our pulses had a chance to stabalise

The final assent, up the narrow road, to the Mirador Del Rio was amazing, but hardly preparation for the views to follow.

The café bar with its’ sheet glass walls, allows uninterrupted views across the Atlantic causeway to the coastline, marina and anchorages of the island of La Graciosa, thousands of feet below, providing a sensation that, I imagine, could easily verge on panic for the faint hearted.

   

                        It’s a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way down

That was our day then. It was dark when we arrived back. Dee was leaving the next day. Goodbyes are always emotional and never seem to get any easier, but I know she enjoyed a trip that’s transformed her view of Lanzarote

 

  

 

 

Bye for now. 

Pete and John