| CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN (con't) |
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LANZAROTE Our sail from Graciosa to Lanzarote was a rough passage, a beat to get around the top of the island, heavy seas and lots of wind. We chose Arrecife as our destination anchorage as it is the most protected spot on Lanzarote. We settled into a harbor adjacent to the working dock, where the cruise liners make their berthing so the area was noisy day and night. It was a tight fit to get as many boats into the narrow bay as there eventually was, especially with the bordering reefs and 8 foot tide range! At the end of the bay was a tiny beach where it was possible to land the dingy (but no where to lock it up) and walk into the town of Arrecife, about a mile away. There had been reports of dinghies stolen in the area so security was a major concern. |
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Nov 4 We arranged to share a rental car with Djarrka to tour the island. The hardest part was finding a place to go ashore and leave the dinghy near the main part of town. Arrecife is not very cruiser friendly in that respect. Several others this year have already had their dinghies and/or outboards stolen, even when locked up. It seemed the only place to tie up was at the bottom of a very tall rickety ladder which went to the top of the commercial dock, with the dinghy squished in behind the coastguard boat with a long cable to lock the dinghy. Not conducive for transporting groceries, that's for sure. We finally managed to take the dinghy through the fishing harbor and into a sleazy, shaky marina but the access to shore was always locked. We talked a live aboard into letting us through the gate and just hoped we could raise someone when we returned later to let us back in. We walked along the pleasant palm lined town waterfront promenade of Arrecife in search of a rental agency. Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote, a city that goes back to the 15th century, the period of frequent pirate attacks. Today it is a large built up commercial center with high rise development behind a breakwall with beautiful beaches. |
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We drove north to check out Puerto Blanca, the alternate anchorage on Lanzarote. We found the small town touristy but charming, although the anchorage was not very protected. We walked along the high rocky ridge with nice stretches of beach tucked away in coves along the shore. Stark white cubic buildings, 3 stories high, were the norm in architecture here. |
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Fire Mountains North to the Montanas del Fuego (Fire Mountains), the zone of recent volcanic activity and area of the major National Park on Lanzarote. We drove through acres of stark barren lava fields until we reached the Park Gate that wanted us to pay 8 Euros each to go any further. Naturally we turned around! We laughed at the sight of tourists ridiculously perched on camels tied together in long trains picking their way down from the top of the crater. |
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A stop at the Information Center showed us everything we needed to see about the dormant volcanic area and the history, and it was free. Throughout the island were works by artist Cesar Manrique, local hero who made huge mobile sculptures that moved with the wind. We drove to the museum to see his work but the entrance fee was 8 Euros so we passed. |
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We passed miles of lava rock walls, many bounding huge square areas of fertile black volcanic soil, void of any vegetation at all. Looking like dirt farms, I imagine something is grown in these areas at other times of the year. |
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Some of the rock walls were placed in rows just feet apart, used to cultivate vines for wine. Other rock formations were in the shape of crescents that sheltered little trees. |
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A lot of man hours building rock walls, especially when some of them were painted white along the tops. |
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We headed across the interior of the island passing through some very special little villages, their austere white boxy houses striking against the barren ashland background. Fields and fields of prickly pear cactus plantations, bounded again by the lava rock fences, covered the landscape. I am told that this cactus is cultivated for the crimson dye that is extracted from the insects which feed on the plants. |
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When we arrived at the "Cactus Garden" we didn't bother to park, just sent someone to check that it was indeed another 8 Euros to enter. Onward we drove. |
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There are some interesting cactus and succulents on the island, many are cultivated or used for fencing. Pictured right is the Dragon Tree, that only grows on Lanzarote. The plant does not have rings so it is impossible to determine the age. |
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In San Bartolome we stopped for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Talking to a Spanish Chinaman in English was a bit satirical but the lunch was excellent. An eruption formed some supposedly interesting lava caves, subterranean complexes with restaurant, nightclub, swimming pool and seawater lagoon. We pulled into the parking lot, amidst hoards of tourists and tour busses only to discover the "8 Euro" fee, so we moved on. Further down the road, a tube of solidified lava stretching for 6 km underground invited tourists to pay another 8 Euros. We decide we had seen enough caves in our travels and gave it a miss! |
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A twisty narrow rock wall lined road led to a nosebleed high viewpoint on exposed cliffs 2000 feet high, where we looked down on the anchorage at La Graciosa. We saw some of our friends anchored in the bay, another island away! |
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| On the way back to Arrecife, we passed through the oasis town of Haria, palm trees and white cube houses in a picturesque village. | ||||
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We returned the rental car and managed to get back through the gates to our dinghy, arriving back at Ascension around 8 pm. A great day all in all. Nov 5 The weather was becoming rather unsettled, the wind increasing in intensity every day. We discovered our anchor chain was wrapped up in the rocks so we re-anchored in prep for the expected blow predicted later. With 8 boats in the small anchorage, it was a full house. No room for any more. Nov 8-9 The wind continued to howl. Donned with raingear, the girls got dropped off on the beach to get groceries while the boys stayed on watch with the boats. It was gusting 39 knots so it was a wet ride in. We found a large supermarket and spent several hours just so we wouldn't have to return to the boats and the howling wind any sooner than we had to. Laden with a month's supply of food, we took a taxi back to the anchorage. Nov 10 The wind bowls covering the boat with dirt and filling our eyes with grit. We renamed the island LANZAGROTE! The waves splash against the boat and tempers are volatile but that's part of this lifestyle. The wind is supposed to continue for 3 more days. I am looking forward to getting to a greener island with less dirt in the air.
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