Lanzarote continued

24th August:

The day started with more washing and cleaning for Jules’s arrival and to clean the sheets and clothes generally and it is surprising how it builds up. It was a hot day and Mark enquired about hiring car and then found out about a tour of the secrets of Lanzarote and after a little discussion we decided to book this for the next day.

The Red Baron needed to be fully dry, repaired and put away. As there was no wind we hauled it up in its sock for a while and there was an old minor tear in the sock which needed repairing as if this spread then it would affect the effectiveness of the sock when raising and lowering the Red Baron. We therefore got out our sail repair kit and fixed it with some Spinnaker tape. The Red Baron was then put away under the forepeak bunk again and Angus and I tidied up all the sheets (ropes) and blocks and out them away.

 Mark and Corinne decided to walk to the next village, a fishing village, for perhaps some lunch and Angus and I once we finished our jobs went for a beer and a snack. I got a taxi at 4.00pm to the airport to meet Jules and this was the first time I had been in a vehicle on land. Other than the coast it looked very bleak in land and there were lots of stone walls and terraces and little vegetation. It will be interesting to see what our tour will reveal tomorrow.

 Mark and Corinne had had a good walk and lunch, albeit rather hot and they then went for a swim at a stony beach they had passed.

 Jules’s flight was on time and it was good to see her. She had met a nice lady on the plane and had clearly had a good chat and this lady had suggested there was a sand storm going on in the south called La Climina. This is where sand is brought over by the wind from the Sahara.

We decided to go out for supper at a Spanish fish restaurant in the marina and had a good meal and only Angus could face an ice cream after. It was very hot and we went to be prepared for our tour the text day and Angus’s departure.

25th August:

We woke early as the wind (which seemed to have disappeared for a few days) had returned and I could hear the mooring lines creak and Stormbird move slightly as she was pushed by the wind. I put on some lines and after breakfast said goodbye to Angus who was flying home, the last of the Madeira/Canaries crew. 

We in turn walked to the point where we were told we could be picked up by bus. The bus arrived on time and instead of a minibus which is what I expected it was a large coach.  We had not been on a coach tour for years and was not sure what to expect. However, we got on and it was well worth it. 

Some describe Lanzarote as Lands a grotty- bit unkind but most come for the weather, sea and beaches and nightlife. Few really venture and experience the real Lanzarote. Our guide Alexandra spoke good English and she was originally from Belgium but had been in Lanzarote since she was 10. The Island is 60 km long and about 26km wide. It has 210km of coastline but only 32 km of beach and the rest is rock. It is only 100km from Africa and has only about 186,000 inhabitants but has approximately 3 million visitors a year. It is therefore very dependent on tourism and fishing. It apparently does grow potatoes, pumpkins, peaches, mulberries and strawberries and has a lot of vines but there was little evidence of this so far. 

Despite the tourism there is very few high rise hotels/buildings etc as Cesar Manrique (1919-1992) set a philosophy of no buildings over 5 stories which is still followed  today. Manrique had a lot of influence on the Island. Alexandra, the guide, chatted away and explained a number of these things. She said there is little rain here which is a problem and normally only between December and March when things flourish and grow. Where you see fields with volcanic ash on them that is deliberate. It is not as if they have been left desolate but apparently the ash attracts moisture and retains it and this is like a fertiliser really for the fields where they later cultivate.

We started our tour by driving to Jamoes del Agua followed by Cueva de Los Verdes (caves) and I will explain more as it is very relevant to the rest of the Island.  

There are more than 300 volcanic cones on Lanzarote and it was formed from the sea 25 million years ago. However, there were a lot of eruptions in the 18th century which killed all life and the last eruption was in 1824. To describe it as a volcanic Island is an understatement.

The most recent cone is called La Caruna and a large lava flow went down to the sea and extended the Island as it cooled by a considerable degree. However, with this lava flow the top began to cool and solidify and the centre continued to flow underground. When the lava from the volcanic crater stopped then the lava continued to flow into the sea but left a void and a tunnel of caves which they have now discovered and you can visit. The first has been created into a nightclub and restaurant with a pool of water in the centre which contains albino crabs which are only about 4mm – very small. It has a sea water swimming pool which the public used to use but it is now kept clean. The caves here contain assorted plants but is gives you the sense of the vast amount of lava which must have flowed.

 The second cave system (the largest volcanic tunnel in the world) is about a km long and you go down about 40 meters and walk through caverns and grottos which are largely dry and you see different types of lava in different states as it cooled. The tunnels lead you up and down and at times you have to bend almost double. The caves are lit by lights and serene music is played to give you the right atmosphere. It was very impressive and in one cavern there was a concert hall. The temperature was a cool 21 degrees, but it felt so comfortable after the burning surface. Then Alexandra said there is one cavern we are going to go to where you must a metre back as there is no barrier and I am going to throw a stone down to see how long it takes to hit the bottom. We crept up to this cavern and peered down and it seemed to disappear about 80-90 meters down. Jules had a bit of vertigo and stood well back.  Along the cavern was a small path and Jules thought that we were going to be asked to go along the narrow path by the cavern. In the end Alexandra asked a little boy to throw the stone into the cavern and as he did so within a second there was a splash. There was no cavern, but it was a small pool of water which acted like a perfect mirror and was merely reflecting the ceiling of the cavern we were in. Jules was relieved and her fear subsided. It had been a good trick.

 This cave system was impressive and they had clearly picked a good route and we ascended to be rather blinded by the light and were hit by the rise in temperature. We got back into the air-conditioned coach and headed off to the North of the Island and the Mirador del Rio which is a viewpoint toward La Graciosa. This was interesting as this where we had been. Although there was quite a lot of mist and cloud this cleared from time to time and we saw great views over to La Graciosa and the anchorage where we had been a few days before. We did not realise then there was such a viewpoint. It also gave us a good view looking down the Island. 

We moved on further south and passed through a number of villages between the lava fields and it seemed as if there was little there. There were small stone walls from which vines grew behind as the walls protected them from the wind but little vegetation and life must be hard here. Alexandra then told us about lunch which was to be in a village in the valley of the 1,000 palm trees. This we eventually entered and were fed a buffet with water and wine included. It was filling and I suppose bit like a transport café Lanzarote style as other coaches came, albeit more tastefully done.

We then moved on to the Timanfaya national park whose route meanders through many volcanic cones and lava fields and rocks. The landscape was like what I envisage Mars would look like. It seemed as if all life had ended. There was nothing but this fascinating but desolate landscape for mile after mile and one could not help being mesmerised.  

We did stop at the only live volcano left and a man dug up a few small pebbles and they were not to handle. He then took us to a hole going down from which very hot air was emanating and he put down some old straw which then burst into flames. Finally, they had some small pipes going into the ground into which he poured hot water and then geezers burst out of the pipes.

We then left the park and were dropped off at our pickup point near our marina. It has been a fascinating day and we feel that we know really what Lanzarote is all about. It is not grotty but an interesting Island if you care to explore it and the nearest to Mars as I can imagine.     

We went to have a light supper in the Italian restaurant and went to bed after what had been a long day.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions – do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com