From Diary 2.18/11. I start again in the dark, on my way to Los Molinos, an old windmill in Tiscamanita. There are quite a few mills on the island. Some are water pumps, found on thin stands, others are small brick-build grain mills, and definitely the interesting ones. Some are larger, and look like cannon towers, but I have not yet seen a large one, with a hat and wings. 
Most were built between
1850 and 1960.Tiscamanita's mill is very well maintained, but closed. I take a walk in the tourist-free town, and do some botanizing in the surroundings. Here are some beautiful Kleinia neriifolia and a single Caralluma burchardii. The sparrows are sitting on the top of a bush and enjoying the morning sun, I do it from the ground. So far,  it has been a really beautiful walk at sunrise, and I continue
towards Pajara. It continues through the enormous reddish and almost barren
gravel hills and mountains. I have to turn into a small oasis village; Toto.
It really is an adorable little gem. Palm trees, small potato fields,
dilapidated buildings and just so idyllic.A little further on I find Pajara, which is another oasis town, and somewhat larger. Large  fig trees cover the main street, and I find the café
opposite the church. The locals have breakfast here: Sand cake which some
dip in hot milk or their espresso. I stick to a latte without a sidecar.Then I see the whole town, as it is fantastic. There are many romantic ruins, small green gardens, charming houses and the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla is an experience. It is a very dark, but  truly beautiful
church. The entrance is beautifully
carved in yellow lava stone, and it was built from 1687 to 1712. I have read
that it is Aztec-inspired.I walk a little off the gravel roads from the centre, and each one contains so many lovely motifs. I eat delicious, almost ripe dates from the palm, but stay away from the olives, taught by experience. I end up at the second cafe that serves potato  egg cake sandwiches, and only
after I order it, I notes that all the guests are close to a meter in
diameter.
Almost reluctantly I leave all the idyll.I drive a little further south to see the Mirador Astronomico Sicasumbre, which has a fantastic view from a height of 440 meters. And the trip up there is fantastic, with enormous barren reddish-brown hills. The road winds through them, and new motifs constantly reveal themselves.  Mirador Astronomico Sicasumbre is popular with tourists, but there are
plenty of views for everyone.I drive down, and start the trip up north again. Out on the west coast I find Ajuy and Puerto de la Pena, which is a small fishing village with black sand and some caves overlooking the water. There is a huge parking lot that is well filled. But the town is small, and the beach is not particularly big either. But it is far from crowded  here, and I see the few alleys on the way
down to the beach.A path leads through the beautifully eroded sandstone cliffs. In some places, they look like concrete, with embedded lava beach stones. A flock of chipmunks live high on the tourists' snacks, but have to share with the pigeons. Further out along the dark blue sea, some caves can be seen in the lava rocks. A path leads that way, but ends at two  other caves. One leads deep
into the mountain, and may be a lava tunnel.When I feel, I have seen it all, I drive over to Barranco de las Peñitas. It is a deep granite gorge. A trail leads deep into the gorge, and past beautiful places. Here is strangely shaped granite, chipmunks, cactus, green billabongs and a large dam. It looks like it was made by hand, many years ago. The two concrete pipes leading from it have not seen water  for many
years. When I reach the "lake", I can see that it consists entirely of dry red
mud. A tiny church is the only building on the three kilometres that I
follow the path.Where the gorge opens, lie the remains of an old oasis. A few rusty water pump mills still rattle, but most of the palm trees are dead. Otherwise, it is completely calm, a rarity here on the island. I have experienced enough for today, and am returning home. I stop in Pajara for a latte and a slice of tiramisu cake. Day's highlights.  19/11.
Today, I'm going to explore the southernmost part, so I'll start long before
the sun. I drive down to the big reddish-brown hills, where I left off
yesterday. There are starting to be small oases where they meet, and here are the
remains of very large shade houses.I reach La Pared out by the water, just to trudge around in nature. One beach is a chessboard of black lava and white sandstone rocks  .It's low tide, and small fish are trapped in the worn sandstone rocks. A small spring springs out of the sand, where a large dried-up river meets the sea. Here it's green, but mostly the usual succulents, but also star-grass? I think, I hear European mole cricket; Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, and there are quite a few bird calls. I follow the river's canyon inland, and it's through beautiful nature. The  return trip is through the almost barren hills.I drive further down the southern peninsula, now through strange sand-covered mountains. It looks like there is lava under the sand, but it covers the very top of the highest mountains. It actually a waste belt, covering a big part of the northern part of the peninsular. I end up at the perfect sandy beach Playa Risco del Paso, which is enormous,  especially here at low tide. I round the dunes and climb up
to a whole white
layer, in the sandstone cliffs. There are a few buildings here, but no cafes.
There are lots of them of them in Cañada del Río, where I have to go back to
anyway, to cross the motorway. It seems that this is the only way to the
south. The café I end up at, has no vegetarian food, so I have to settle for
an unusually delicious blackcurrant cheesecake .Back past the La Pared road and the sand-covered mountains, to the surprisingly large and modern town of Morro Jable. The GPS shows me a good part of the town, so I avoid the boring ring road. On the other side of the town, the gravel road begins, 17 kilometres before the next destination. It is a completely smooth, but also slippery road that winds through the hills. The views  are fantastic, and they only get better, as the road reaches the
coastal slopes. I look up through the ravines, but see nothing new. Then
suddenly a Euphorbia cactus appears, and I throw the car into a ravine. A
little further on, there is a larger one, and then the entire sea-facing
gravel slope is almost covered with them.I am still a few hundred meters inland, but the blue sea and the waves look fantastic  .At one o'clock I reach the small fishing village of Cofete, which consists of 5-10 old houses and a single old restaurant. I grab some local potatoes - with a fly, which I leave behind, though. I drive out to the enormous sandy beach and the very small local cemetery. Then I follow the Cofete Highway - which is still a small gravel road - all the way down to the southwest corner of the De Jandia peninsula,  and the
lighthouse at Punta de Jandía. The whole trip is through Parque Natural
de Jandia. It continues to be a fantastic road, albeit less beautiful. The last
18 kilometres are paved. Probably because there is only sand here.I come out to a beautiful lighthouse; Faro de Jandia, and walk around the area a bit. There is just not much to see. The other corner also has a lighthouse; Faro  Punta Pesebre, which is not
much bigger than the door. Below the rocks, the waves meet perpendicularly.
I follow the road a little further, until it fades out at some high rocks.
Then there are 25 kilometres of gravel road to Morri Jable, and another 115
kilometres of asphalt home. I grab a latte in the small surf hamlet; Punta de Jandía, which has some impressive waves. I reach home at dusk.
Day's
highlights.And then into the last page; Diary 4. |