Tenerife pt7

 

Mid-December pics from Tenerife. Our last week there, which was quite a relaxed time. While we had fewer large adventures this year (mainly due to Mary's knees not being fit for much hill-climbing) we still had a really great holiday, doing quite a bit of running and walking and mostly staying round town. Many of the photos in this final chapter were taken on walks to Parque Taoro and Parque de la Sortija as well as from visits to the track.

First up though, a run around town on the 11th. Mary was just following her nose and I was following Mary. All photos taken with the handheld DJI Pocket. We started by walking for a warm up and then began running when we hit the prom, heading West along to the far end where the buildings meet the beach beyond the volleyball courts. We regularly did reps along and back on the shaded area of walkway there.

We then ran the full length of town along the front to the long haul up and out the East end. Last year this road was closed to cars as they were building this massive funnel over the road, to guide rockfall and landslips away from the road. We enjoyed running up the tunnel to this point last year where barriers stopped any further progress. This year they have finished the project and the road and pavement continue round to join up to the paths that go out through the banana plantations. 

An underpass took us under the main road to a higher road back into town. We realised we'd go past all three hotels we have stayed in at Puerto de la Cruz.

Hotel Teidi Mar - where we stayed in December 2019
our first trip to the North of the island and we've been there most years since

Agatha Chrisie staircase / bookcase

up past Casablanca Apartments (stayed there Jan 2022)
Finished the run at GF Noelia (black dot on map below) where we have stayed since.
Not because it is nice, but more about proximity to track, bus station and supermercado

6+ miles in 80+mins

African grass blue

the track, seen from surrounding hill
the invasion of mobile homes was unusual

some of the more senior among us need a bit
of protection from the sun

pleased to photo this Canarian speckled wood
as they have been quite rare this holiday

It seems like the only properly large dragonflies we have come across here are the same (or similar) to our own Emperor dragonflies. Called Blue Emperors locally but known by the same Latin Scientific names of Anax Imperator. The image above is one of the best I have taken even though it was 4 or 5 metres up a tree. Somehow the green background of leaves and other tree greenery contrive to make a painterly-like photo which appeals even though I got much closer on subsequent occasions. 

on the same perch from a different angle;
closer but less pleasing

I had high hopes for the small contained pond at Parque de la Sortija. You could get right beside the water and it was surrounded by reeds. Ideal for dragonflies and photos of them! However after several visits we had only seen this one species: red-veined darters, which was a little disappointing. I did get some fun video of them tandem egglaying onto the water (as below) and the tropical fish that swam over to the point of dispatch.

monarch

We bumped into Angela (above). She was walking her dog (Kai?) in the park and came a number of years ago from Berlin, I think, to live in the Canaries. We shared a table at the cafe and she was very chatty about her life and family. She came across as much younger than her 85 years.

very fresh small copper
another one reluctant to perch on a flower or anything interesting

park full of posh people walking their dogs

and parakeets

on the way back the view towards the sea

another day another cafe
this one was great and had a large menu of coffees

we checked out this partly manufactured road

This road that seemed to be nearing completion marked a straight line climb (with a few hairpins) up the hill to Parque Taoro. (Itself on a steep incline.) We thought that in order to check it out we would return down the pavement of this not-quite-finished road. I knew the road was blocked at the bottom with a large barrier but hoped there was likely a way through on foot. We risked having to climb all the way back up the zig-zag path. Luckily, when we eventually got to the bottom, there was an unofficial pedestrian through-way over a wall and meeting up with a pavement. 

the black arrow marks our hotel balcony

back to the track for more jollies

I definitely had more of an appetite for taking pics of bugs and birds at the track than Mary. While she enjoyed taking photos of butterflies, once she had one decent image she felt she was done. Whereas I would still be chasing the perfect image which you never really get and therefore was happy to chase kestrels and dragonflies for as long as they would show themselves. I'd set off ahead of M who would come out to the track an hour later and we'd meet up and check out the best corners or go for a walk along the prom.

I disturbed this shy feline who didn't want to be my pal.

still no!

Mary at the track

Lots of these parachutes would descend on a good day from the direction of Teide and eventually come to rest by the beach. Sometimes you'd look up from the track and the air would be heaving with parachutes. Many of them tandem jumps with tourists. Not sure how much it cost but it seemed like quite a lot of hassle and we never even looked into booking it. Maybe one year.

towards the end of the holiday there were a few days
of unsettled weather with some thunderstorms thrown in

We'd be out walking and suddenly it would get dark and there'd be a 15 minute downpour and everyone would hide under shop overhangs or trees. Not like the drab Scottish weather where you get a cold drizzle all day - this was lashing rain, but would at least stop sometime soon and then the sun would come out again. We carried waterproofs for a few days but happily the sun came out for the last days of the holiday, which we spent at the track either running laps or taking photos. It wasn't quite settled enough to plan larger adventures or treks elsewhere so we mostly went to local places or the track.

sandpiper seen near the East end beach

where the surf school waits for smaller waves

There had been some recent misfortune and bad publicity/horror stories around the island about swimmers and tourists coming to grief. Some when red flags had been posted and people ignored them, others, unfortunate incidents where larger than expected waves swept over harbour walls (as photo above) and tourists were swept into the sea. You'll notice the z has been ripped off the Cruz in the harbour shot. This happened while we were there and was possibly high wind and wave combo. There was footage of several tourists being covered by a wave while standing atop that wall - the one with the writing on it.

It certainly makes you pay more attention to the red flags flying at beaches etc. when you read stories like this. There was absolutely no casual attitude of "it'll probably be okay, let's just go in" from that point onwards. The seas around these islands out in the Atlantic are huge and even on windless days can generate massive swells that roll in and break impressively on the rocky shoreline.

One thing we got far more of this year was parakeet photos. I don't think there were loads more about, perhaps we were just tuned into them and half listening out for their raucous calls. They are not as friendly as the London ones who will land on your hand for peanuts but they are not terribly shy either and will sit a few metres away up a tree watching you. I suspect they are too well fed by the date palms etc. to be bribable. The clip below was hilarious. I was outraged on behalf of the female on the right as the male made comical advances. You don't need to be an expert in parakeet body language to understand what the female is thinking. She is already eye-rolling, shrugging and sighing before he moves in.

I couldn't believe they were putting on such a good show. (If I saw this on the internet I'd reckon it was AI which the internet is very full of - parrots etc acting in an all-too-human fashion.) However she ovbs didn't hate him entirely as the two of them then did some synchronised grooming and sat relatively happily together after the failed encounter.

in the mood?

another delightful couple outside the supermarket

pigeons landing

bees at the track

lots of lizards this year too
although having a bag of sunflower seeds really helped bring them forth

I was getting so used to the monarchs appearing at the track that I'd check them for condition before focussing on them. There were quite a few about so only the best specimens got the paparazzi treatment. Not so the clouded yellows this year - after the first couple of days we didn't see any more.

always some kestrels near or in the neighbourhood
often in the palm trees, keeping an eye on things

I had several encounters with Emperors. This one lived in the long grass up the back of the track; at least I saw it there on a couple of occasions. The dogwalkers around there don't always pick up after their dogs so it is not a particularly lovely area, with piles of old fly tipped tiles from demolished hotels (I imagine.) Between patrols of the area it would occasionally land and I'd creep up on it very carefully. If I moved slowly it didn't mind me getting really very close. In fact I had to shoot it at well less than full zoom to keep it all in the frame. 

there was also an epaulet skimmer (m)
a rare and shy blue beauty I didn't see many of

broad scarlet (f)

Mary among the poinsettias

very small speckled (?) cricket

Mary takes to the shade by the track
you can see the workout area just behind which had 
weights and instruments of torture

southern green stink bug about to fly off

caught with wings opening

Spilostethus saxatilis

another of the small blue variations 
Lang's short-tailed blue

as above

and again

geranium bronze

kestrel in a palm tree

more monarchs taking off

this flowering cactus is so fierce it can shred
its own leaves in the strong winds

small white

southern green stink bug

choosing suitable coloured leaf to hide on in plain sight

Canarian speckled wood

good condition monarch

orchid garden tickets

On one of the mixed weather days we went to the Orchid Garden. More out of a sense of duty than excitement. We go most years and it is an eccentric garden full of unusual crockery and lovely plants. Sometimes you get lucky with the wildlife and the pond often has attendant dragonflies. Alas not this time and rather than bore you with photos I've taken and blogged more successfully in previous years I'll just show you my collection of entrance tickets. Assuming they are numbered chronolgically in sequence you could even work out how many people visit each year over the last 5 or 6 years. I keep the tickets in my Rother Walking Guide and as a habit it is exactly as eccentric as the gardens themselves. See previous blogs for full description of Orchid Garden.

We waited quite a long time in the cafe for a slightly overpriced scrambled eggs and bacon with an aqua con gas as we were experimenting with avoiding calorie dense lunchtime beers. We found that sometimes a cold fizzy drink hit the spot and it didn't have to be booze. (BTW both of us weighed in close enough or lighter than pre-holiday weights, so no lasting damage was done over three weeks!)

The rain intensified while at the garden, chasing off any chance of wildlife, and so we beat a hasty retreat.

When considering alternatives to where we'd spend the last full free day; it had to be the track. It was one of the best spots for wildlife and we'd seen some of the best stuff there during the three weeks. A Canarian red admiral fluttered over to say goodbye and landed right beside where Mary was standing. A really nice gesture even though it was a bit old and knackered. Perhaps it thought the same of us. 

a much fresher speckled wood

stink bugs on pomegranates

African grass blue

as above

M whistling through the bushes

pond-patrolling emperor

After the thunderstorms a large puddle had formed on the track. I'm not mentioning it as an excuse: ie the only reason I failed to do my final parkrun sub 22mins by about 12 seconds I think. Yeah running round those puddles really slowed me down! 😆 I mention the puddles because a large blue dragonfly was patrolling continually over the largest, just beside the weights area. I suspected it was the emperor I'd shot up the hill, but there were no identifying features on either specimen to compare (like a notched wing.) I tracked the insect back and forth, hoping it would hover motionless just in front of me and I'd get a miraculous hovering slo-mo video. However it was too quick and a little cautious of my presence. 

pond skater - HOW?

Other questions arose. Like where the hell did the pond skater come from that appeared on this largish body of water? (2 inches deep and 4 x 4 yards wide. And it lasted maybe 2 days before entirely drying up.) Where had it been waiting (waterless) that it could now come skate across this brand new puddle? There were no ponds for half a mile in any direction that I knew of. Maybe previous skaters from previous storm puddles here had laid eggs that wait under the soil for the next puddle to form. We were really quite puzzled.

much as I like the lizards, this older one on the rock here
looked like a rather large dark turd. My apologies Mr L.

Possibly while a small cloud scudded in front of the sun, the emperor stopped buzzing up and down, back and forth over his new pond. I immediately set to checking all the shrubs and trees nearby hoping he had landed somewhere I could get a decent photo. Although he was bright blue and the length of a long thin finger I thought realistically the chances of finding him settled on a plant about eye-level were slim-to-none. But you have to go look, right? Almost immediately I silently whooped with delight as I saw he had perched on a plant within easy reach and about hip height. Fantastic! That bright blue had given him away. I approached really slowly. I think I might have whisper-shouted to Mary and she had shown zero interest. Dragonflies are not her fave things. (I know: hard to believe!)

my finger for scale - photo Mary

Mary eventually reluctantly came over and I put my finger in the pic to give it scale. I did wonder (as it didn't fly off) if I could get it on my finger but it flew off when I got right next to it, seconds after this pic was taken. 

I think it might have been rehearsing how it would interact 

with a female emperor when it eventually met one.

After it flew off, it landed again nearby, and, being bright blue and landing on straw coloured grass, I could see it from many yards away. I walked over and took another photo or two but left it alone after that, as I was only taking photos I already had and was sure it wasn't that keen on all the attention. I hope it received the telepathic appreciation for being a great sport and a fantastic subject. Again, a really nice parting gift from the island.

BTW while we were at the track I was doing the laundry! Our hotel doesn't have a public laundry room but we were pointed towards one in the lobby area of the hotel across the street. 5 euros for a wash (38mins) and 5 euros to tumble dry (50mins). Industrial sized machines that took our entire holiday wardrobes and more. How much more joyful to return to Edinburgh with no washing to do? Anyway I had got some practise in familiarising myself with the machines when Mary booted me out our hotel room while she was working. I had to get Mary to keep an eye on the emperor while I left the track, dashed a hundred yards to the Skyview hotel lobby, transferred the wet wash to the drier and dashed back again!

monarch on that jaggy flowering cactus

vanessa vulcania at the track

kestrel in a palm tree, I know
(has the same rhythm as girlfriend in a coma)

Sort of fitting to end the holiday blog with a pigeon. These humble souls kept me very entertained all holiday. If the weather was lovely towards the end of the day (and it often was) I'd go up to the hotel roof and watch a flock of pigeons kept by a local, fly circles around the sky above the hotel. I have hundreds of photos and far too much video, some realtime, most slo-mo as the clip already posted. I will use the dreary winter months to edit it into something although I suspect it is not everyone's idea of impressive nature. However their flying is amazing and I enjoyed filming it greatly. And always saying hello to the non-fluent lifeguard who watched over the empty rooftop pool.

I also (ahem) encouraged a few visitors to our balcony with left over bread and sunflower seeds. The bread here barely lasts fresh a day. The local Hiperdino sells fantasic integral loaves although Mary found them a little too intense/ungiving for her teeth. I'd buy another of these unsliced masterpieces every visit as they didn't last long one way or another. And sometimes the pigeons got the older ones. 

I already posted a video (on fb) shot on iPhone of luring one of the local scroungers in through the hotel balcony door and into the hotel room where it was very suprised to find itself. They would tapdance on the hollow balcony railing to draw my attention to their request for snacks. There were two mottled feral pigeons (my favourites) a couple of white doves who bullied the smaller pigeons and an even more shy collared dove who managed to get some snacks by use of fawning and sad faces. 

I have a feeling the birds will be disappointed by the subsequent guests in 501.

To make up for the compratively painless (and quick) outward flight, the one home was only just bearable, but long and grim and never-ending. Door to door was 11+hrs of lovelessness. We really enjoyed the Edinburgh Departures Security team not requiring you get all your electronics out to display in a tray. And if you weren't wearing boots you could keep shoes on. Water might even be making a come-back although we didn't try/risk that.

Sadly the guy at Tenerife South asked we did put our electronics in the tray. All those cameras, the iPad, the iPhone, the waterproof camera, the camera flashgun, the DJI, the European plug adapters, the charger cables for all that and more. Best forgotten as quickly as possible otherwise we'd never leave the country again.

Actually not true. There is no excuse for the dull grey low cloud of a Scottish Winter, and the best thing we do every year is travel to a marvelous place where we eat amazing food, drink a little too much and run about in Summer gear in glorious sunshine having a ball. Spirits rise every year at the prospect and it helps fight off the Seasonal Affective Disorder for weeks afterwards.

Post script

This year I was returning to a week of work I had taken on in a rash moment. The prospect of returning from paradise, to seven days hard labour felt like a prison sentence. My thoughts were that if the plane went down, at least I'd be spared a week of filling, scraping and painting in an unheated flat. However it possibly made the transition back to real life a bit less depressing. I was so busy (and so tired) there was no time to consider the shit weather or get depressed about christmas shoppers or the drunks of Leith. I won't say I enjoyed the work but it all went very smoothly and there was no time to luxuriate in post-holiday blues, although there was also no time to keep my recent run training enthusiasm ticking over either. Also not enough blog time. I have only got 2 or 3 days to knock out another 2 or 3 blogs to beat my most-blogs-in-a-year effort. It's going to be down to the wire!