El Golfo in Lanzarote

This is a unique part of the coast where a volcanic crater had fallen forming a spectacular green Lagoon...there was a steep walk to go up to other side to see the blue lagoon and it was too windy, ...I was wearing skirt and you know what...it flew up shamelessly...I immediately ran to souvenir store close by and purchased shorts to avoid more embarrassment....

While I shopped for shorts, rest of the group walked up the hill to see the green lagoon on the other side. It was too late for me to join the group on the top of the hill to see the green lagoon. Later, when I came home, I googled to see what I had missed, my bad! I missed the most beautiful view.

image source:Google

This lagoon is in a semi-circular volcanic crater left by an extinct volcano. The rest of the crater has been eroded away by the sea. The green colour of the water is caused due to microorganisms in the crater.

I sat in the restaurant instead to enjoy a cup of coffee and breathe in beautiful view till the group came back from their short walk up in the hills.

Exploring Lanzarote: part 3

Exploring Lanzarote: part 2

Exploring Lanzarote: part 1

Un-visit to Shivneri Fort

The road was narrow. On one side were the steep hills and a deep valley on the other side. Our car moved slowly up the slope. I went click, click, click, like some curious tourist, clicking the pictures of trees, stones and leaves. Most of my pictures will be deleted ofcourse, but thats the advantage of having digital camera. As we neared our next site, I adjusted the setting of my camera to get different look. What setting I should set for our next site? Portrait? Landscape? I had read about Shivneri fort and was curious to visit it. It seemed like an important historical place to visit. This is the place where the great Maratha warrior Shri Shivaji Maharaj was born.

Shahaji, the father of Shivaji Maharaj,a general in Adil Sha of Bijapur sultanate put pregnant Jijibai for her security in Shivneri.Shivneri is a hill fortress with steep rocks in the mountain ranges of Sahyadri.

As we neared the historical site, we were in for a surprise. Such an important tourist spot and there was too much commotion. The honking is the next most famous passtime of our drivers in India. if the FM radio is not working due to poor reception in their vehicle, you will hear them honking for some music. a person with musical ear might rubbish this honking as irksome noise. But for un-musical person, there was a reason. There was no parking space, not enough space to drive through the road to reach the steps! All I saw was traffic jam.

Big huge tourist buses, scrambling for space with different sized cars, trying to reverse in small space to escape the mayhem, little wonder that the expert drivers were not plunged down the deep valley to give me some extra-ordinary shots..

My friends complained about the 700 crores rotting in Swiss banks when they could be easily used to beautify the tourist spots and create jobs for low income groups.

"Are not the authorities in the higher place aware that there are thousands of tourists who would be interested in visiting such historical places." grumbled my friend, "The least the government could do was to build a proper infrastructure to make the people’s life easier and pleasant."

There was open space one kilometer away from the actual site and those who braved to climb up the fort to appreciate the site had to walk a mile in the hot sun to board the comfortable vehicle which was parked so faraway.

Had I climbed up the fort I would have seen the museum and also a Badami Talav, my friends went up there and came back panting, sweating and grumpily shared their experience with us.  
 

I was not that brave to climb those steep and high rocks they called steps. I am a delicate darling and only pure comfort will suffice. I chose to wait in the vehicle, rather than climb up the fort and then walk back one kilometer in hot sun. I shut myself  from this commotion by switching on my smart phone and entering the virtual world, reading the comments of my friends on twitter and facebook. The face-to-face interaction in the real world is diminishing nowadays and online virtual friends walk into my mind to scream their rants. When I woke back to the real world surrounding me, I sat listening to the endless rants of my friends who complained non stop about our inefficient system of government and their insensitivity towards common man’s comfort.

I could not solve their woes and I am sure nobody will.

It happens only in India

World Tourism Day

This Saturday, a ´World Day of Tourism ´ was celebrated in Icod De Los Vinos. There was a parade of musician dressed in the traditional clothes on the streets. Different workshops were organised in the park where children learnt to make toys from plywood, tins, wires and bamboos Some of the children enjoyed wheeling around in the home made carts.

World Tourism Day on 27th September can be best celebrated in Icod De Los Vinos.

A theme for this year is ´Responding to the challenges of climate change and global warming. And Icod De Los Vinos challenges nature against all odd. A ten-thousand year old Dragon tree called Drago Millinario stands there erect in Icod De Los Vinos, greeting the tourists, who bend in all the possible angles to get the best shot of this tree which has the appearance of a giant frayed rope. People are fascinated by its unusual characteristics that include the gnarled wood, geometric buds and the sheer longevity of each specimen have earned it plenty of attention and respect over the years. Guanche ( the early inhabitants of Tenerife) elders and kings held court beneath the canopy of these trees, and the people believed the tree could foretell the future - a fine blossom pointing to a fine harvest. But the dragon tree's most striking feature - the bleeding of red rubbery sap, or dragon's blood, when cut - has not only given the tree its name, but has also been used in a wide variety of applications. The Guanches used it in various healing salves, to keep their teeth healthy and even in their mummification process. More recently it has been used as dye in toothpaste, marble, Italian violins and Venetian ladies' hair. Besides the attraction of this Dragon Tree, there is also another place that has proved to be very popular with visitors and locals alike, and that is the Mariposario del Drago, butterfly gardens and centre. This is at the end of the road known as Avenida de Canarias, very close to the dragon tree. There are exotic flowering plants, bushes, creepers with glass gardens included, which really looks like enchanted paradise with butterflies flittering away all around you. Relaxing music adds to the spell as you wander through the path admiring flowers and butterflies all around you. You go down the steps to see the exhibition room with charts and display model of life cycle of a butter-fly as well as cases of mounted specimens of butterflies that died of natural causes in the garden. There is cinema room that provides screenings of interesting films about all sorts of insects, butterflies and moths. You can spend a whole day in the Icod De Los Vinos. There is a Hindu Bazaar called Tejban S.L. on the other side of the park called Plaza Andres De Lorenzo Caceras´`, which sells local wine, cigars, cameras, watches, accessories and the souvenirs to take back home. The owner, Mr Suresh Moorjani, speaks English and Spanish fluently and is very friendly. While you are there, you could also feast your eyes with the beautiful painting that are exhibited at ´Casa De Los Caceres´ which is the cultural centre of Icod. During the festivals there are musical, drama and poetry performances held there which are performed by talented artists. And don’t forget to enjoy the typical cuisine in Icod. To celebrate the world Tourism day, there are special events in Icod De los Vinos. From 10am to 2 pm there will processions with music and dance and free entry into the park.

Visiting Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Now that the plaster is off from my arm, my family decide to take me around for some adventure. My SIL is not too confident in driving through those crowded streets. We decided to travel by public transports of taxi, tram and Titsa bus. The taxi meter starts with 2.05 euro and with every heartbeat, it increases its meter. If you are watching your budget, it is better to take Titsa Bus. A bono of 12 euro or 30 euro can be purchased, and you can just enjoy the scenic ride comfortably. A normal one-hour ride in the Titsa bus could cost around 3.50 euro and if you take tram or another bus within two hours the second ride is free. Santa Cruz is about sixty kilometers away from my place of residence at Buen Paso and we decide to take Titsa bus, we pass through many tunnels, beaches, flowered paths and scenic villages and it takes us about one hour to reach the town. Santa Cruz is the capital of Tenerife and it is bustling and vibrant port city at the foot of the stunning Anaga Mountains. It is large enough to provide endless variety of things to do and see, yet compact enough to explore by foot or tram. Santa Cruz, being the centre of the Tenerife Metropolitan Area, is the logical hub for the island's motorway network. The concert hall of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava is the first fabulous architectural structure that greets you as you enter the city. The Auditorium – this magnificent icon of the city opened in 2003 and it is home to the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and stages a full and varied programs of music For art lovers you can see the street exhibition of sculptures along the streets as you wheel through the streets. Many of the works of art are along Rambla General Franco, the arterial walkway that runs the length of the city; Parque García Sanabria, the ‘lungs’ of the city and around Plaza de Toros (the Bull Ring). The Santa Cruz harbour is one of the busiest in Spain, and three different quays host regular ferries, fast ferries, cruise ships and merchant ships. Just 8 km outside the city below the quaint fishing village of San Andrés, is Tenerife’s most spectacular beach. One and a half kilometres of beautiful white sand brought from the Spanish Sahara and backed by palm trees. A reef protects the beach from high rollers, creating an idyllic swimming and snorkelling lagoon. Santa Cruz is characterized for its nightlife consisting of discotheques and pubs in the Marina park and Residencial Anaga, as well as pubs in La Noria street. The city is also renowned for it’s massive, popular and at the same time sophisticated carnival, one of the biggest in the World, declared of International Tourist Interest after general Franco's death. It takes the city by storm in February or March every year. During summer there are fiestas all over the city and people are all in the festive mood. We move round the city in trams that are very comfortable and its slow speed allows the comfort of watching the arteries of the city. And it takes all day, to explore the restaurants, beaches, shopping streets, and decide to return back when the limbs start complaining of too much activity. One day to visit Santa Cruz is just not enough to see it all……

Festival of Cristo del Calvario,

Fiestas in Tenerife are not quite over. There is fiesta del Santisimo, Cristo del Calvario, in this town of Icod de Los Vinos. There are line-up of events, extending up to 5th of October 2008. This week end they had selection of Icod queen and Icod princess.They have built a beautiful stage with white back ground in Plaza Andres de Lorenzo Caceras, out in the open air. The children’s show is the one that is interesting for me. The children paraded down the steps, gracefully, in their beautiful outfits waving a flying kiss to the audience. While the participants changed into their different outfits, there was variety entertainment show by other talented children There were even Disney characters that kept the children enthralled And when Mickey decided to come down the stage to greet the children, every child wanted to shake his hand. It was a perfect evening to spend in the company of smiling faces of kids of this town.

Visiting Pueblo Chico in Tenerife

Have you ever wondered how Gulliver must have felt in the town of small people surrounded by tiny buildings? Pueblo Chico, a theme park in Tenerife does just that! A trip to Pueblo chico gives a feeling of being high above the buildings and having a bird’s view of the island. The only difference is that you are not likely to be tied down by the tiny strings and nails or trapped down by tiny men. Pueblo Chico is the theme park in Orotava that has all the monuments and important place of interest of Canary Islands in miniatures. Attention has been paid to all the details of the actual monuments around the city to build its replicas in miniatures. Pueblo Chico tells the story of Guanchas, the early inhabitants of Canary Islands in the Stone Age. There is a town created with mud and stones and people in miniature engaged in the different activities such as pottery, farming and hunting. Then there are funeral processions, religious and public gatherings giving a deep insight of the life styles of Guanchas during the stone age. Through the narrow curvy path, surrounded by foliage, shrubs and flowers, we move through the airport with airplanes and traffic, salt pans, villages, cross the highways with moving traffic, Titsa bus depot, trams and reach the towns that have heritage buildings and town halls and amazing architecture. We see the traffic and the people in size of a finger nail and the buildings the size of a fist. There were streams; there were waterfalls, the sea, the boats, the beach, the Volcano. Pueblo chicco has it all. We spent about two hours winding through the path. The fragrance of the flowers and the cloudy climate was the perfect day to spend the afternoon snaking through the flowered path and making a trip through this miniature island.

Evening Walk by Puerto de la Cruz

The evening stroll from Playa Martinez to Lago ( in Puerto De La Cruz ) makes an interesting walk. The streets are even tiled and well-lit path; it is a no traffic zone, it is laced with waterfront on one side and rows of shops and restaurants on other side.This place is a walker’s paradise Puerto De La Cruz is the interesting place in the north of this island. The climate in Puerto de la Cruz is pleasant throughout the year and is flooded with tourist all day long. In the mornings, you will see them bathing at the beach or at Logo (which is the group of swimming pools) and evenings, you will see them jay walking, enjoying the sea breeze. There are lots of activities in this area, even during late hours when the restaurants host live musical shows that are not only entertaining their customers but also to people out on the streets. The restaurants have chairs and tables spread out on the streets. I was tired of walking so I sat and enjoyed sipping coffee and the cool sea breeze and watched the continuous stream of tourist walking at easy pace, It was interesting to stop by to watch the street performers or getting the picture painted by those street painters.