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LANZAROTE
   DIARY  3

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Diary 1  2  3  4 

                From Diary 2.
6/10. I'm up early and can read; Trump is about to become president again. I'm not sure the world will become a better place, but it will certainly become more exciting. The day will be experienced down south. I first drive down to Uga and find the LZ-702 road towards San Bartolome. It should be a beautiful road, but I'm not impressed. The sun is rising, and the golden light helps a little. It is, like the rest of the island, mainly lava gravel with very scattered vegetation. I do some botanizing in a few places, but a few Nettle silk; Cuscuta europaea is the only new thing.
I'm back at Marina Rubicon far too early for Mercadillo Marina Rubicon, which is a Wednesday market, out on the harbour in Playa Blanca. I can't even get a latte in one of the countless, still closed restaurants. I walk through the large and fancy marina, all the way out to the cliffs, outside the city.
People are slowly starting to appear at Mercadillo Marina Rubicon, but no one is in a hurry to unpack their goods. I sit in the sun on the pier, watching the numerous fish in the clear water of the harbour.
Finally, a cafe opens. I sit and watch the other guests, most of whom are still English. Not unexpectedly, I also leave this market empty-handed, as it contains pretty much the same.
Outside the city lies the popular Punta del Papagayo. It is so popular that they can charge three euros for the miserable gravel road. Then I can also see the small promontory Cueva del Aqua and Playa Mujeres. A little inland, there is sparse and dry vegetation on the sand and gravel plain, mostly salt bushes, succulents with paper flowers and Launaea arborescens.
A little further out lies Punta del Papagayo, which is a beautiful coast, all the way down to the southeast. It alternates between high cliffs, golden beaches and blue water. I trudge all the way down to the southernmost point, past the popular beaches. The enormous parking lot is full, when I drive back for dinner.
It is through the small, cosy Femés, up in the mountains, and find lunch in a small place with a nice garden. There is a view all the way down to the coast, a good three kilometres away and 370 meters below. I just walk around the very scattered town, before I continue.
I haven't planned anything else, but I can see some beaches on the way home. The first is Playa Quemada, which only has a pebble beach, but several restaurants. And it is cosy in its own relaxed way.
It is completely different with Puerto Calero, which is a fashionable marina. Then follows Puerto del Carmen, which is a real town, albeit with its share of tourists. I make a big loop through the commercial area and then the port and the beach. It has reached over 30C today, and the wind of the previous days is now only a light breeze. It is easier to get a place in the sun now. This is also a British "colony", where the shopkeepers don't understand my Spanish. A single Chinese store has a strange mix of toys: In addition to Spiderman and the like, there are also penis-shaped beer openers.
I get home again in time for dinner and an early bedtime.  Day's highlights.
7/10. Then by sea: I take the ten-O'clock ferry to Isla Graciosa. I've actually seen the whole island from Mirador del Rio, and it didn't look particularly exciting. But I have the time, so I jump on the surprisingly large and new ferry from Orzola. I'm surrounded by several 2nd grade passengers, and prefer the luxurious chairs on the floor below, still with a full view.
My plan was to cross over to the other side of the Isla Graciosa, and follow the beach back. The Caleta del Sebo town itself isn't big, and probably consists mostly of summer houses.
Right on the outskirts, there are some strange wasp pubs in the sand. They turn out to be petrified pubs of the extinct one; Rebuffoichnus guanche. One of them become my souvenir from the island. I start on a very flat slope, where the low bushes each have their own sand dune. It's exclusively the succulents with paper flowers, and here they also range from white to green, yellow, orange to pink and red. Some areas have enormous amounts of snail encasings, and I find a few live ones, sitting hibernating in the bushes. There are also two species of beetles here – although not alive. One is the Darkling Beetle, Pimelia lutaria. The other might be the Carabid Beetle; Carabus faustus. I see a few small Atlantic lizard; Gallotia atlantica, a couple of Southern Grey Shrike; Lanius meridionalis and a Carrion Crow; Corvus corone. A single fly and a predatory fly are the only living insects.
Before I reach the other side, the volcano Montaña del Mojón lures me in. I walk around the double crater, but I can’t get down to the other side: Steep and loose gravel. But I can see the rocks that make up the northern coast, and it doesn’t look exciting anyway. There is a view of Isla de Montaña Clara.
I have to go back near the village, and swing in for a late lunch. I end up at the bakery, which has beautiful but boring cakes.
Then into the bar next door, for a latte. Most of the customers seem to be loudly but nice locals. It’s tempting to stay seated, but I’d better find a beach.
Just outside the town is one that initially consists of black lava and golden sandstone stones.
Then the beach is sandstone until it changes to lava. It is lots of golden sand, just not at the water's edge, where the lava dominates.
I find petrified wasp pubs on the beach, along with a few shells. The sun disappears, and I wander back to the bar. It will fit in nicely with the three-ferry.
The main road that led to the ferry on Lanzarote went through an area where the sand has been blown over the lava, and it will be explored on the way back. It looks really special, with the black lava and blinding white sand. And here are beautiful but real dry Euphorbia balsamifera. I take a lot of photos for my page about the plant.
Around Punta Mujeres, there is a large area that is amazingly fertile - if you are a Euphorbia balsamifera. But I am sure there are other species too, and I go for a long walk. I find one plant with a blue flower, and a few other new ones.  Day's highlights.

8/10. It's the last day by car, and I start with the beautiful trip from Nazareth down to the southern part, in the middle of the island.
Nazareth is a beautiful sleepy town, and I get to see it quickly. Then I stop in Tiguise, this time without a market and really quiet. I get a few more photos of the old buildings and their beautiful dragon's blood trees. And just a latte and a small meringue.
The next stop is in the old town of San Bartolome, which has some nicer buildings in the old centre. I go for a long walk, but there won't be time for lunch.
Outside La Florida, the large vineyards start, despite the fact that it's very dry here. They either have endless rows of small semicircular walls or long straight walls, all half a meter high.
In Masdache there are some Fincas and Bodegas, but I don't stop until El Grifo. It's also a wine centre, and I continue quickly. A small, miserable road leads out through a large, cracked lava field that is overgrown with lichen. I take a short walk, but don't find anything exciting beyond a Geranium robertianum. The vineyards continue, and I turn into small, cosy Uga, and start with a light lunch. And Uga doesn't really have much more to offer.
Yaiza isn't much more exciting, and I quickly continue to Mirador del Golfo. The parking lot is full, and I'm glad I saw the green lake.
I continue to La Hoya with Laguna de Janubio and the salt mine. A bit further out, I find the black beach Playa de Janubio, and take a walk. In addition to an unimaginably large amount of pearl-sized lava rocks, I find some neon green algae and three salt-tolerant succulents in the lagoon.
I continue all the way down to Playa Blanca, just for a latte - and another light lunch. I just check if the Fuerteventura ferry also sails from the pier I think, as the town has a huge waterfront. Here there is a nice mix of fishermen and tourists, although the tourists are in the majority. I try to find a souvenir, but I probably end up with a few “popcorns”. I spend part of the evening talking to a nice German girl who is going sailing for six months.  Day's highlights.
               And then into the last page; Diary 4.

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