Tenerife pt 2

 

now that's a forecast!

We settled into the second week of Tenerife with the forecast set fair and nothing in particular in mind. We had a couple of ideas about trips to higher ground and also to keep the sports track training going. I believe we were late going out for the Saturday morning homemade parkrun, but despite starting in fairly hot weather I managed a sub 20minute 5k and faster than the previous. 58 seconds faster than Cramond a few weeks ago. It felt like progress.

12.5 laps

another near death experience!

I also felt less wiped out than earlier attempts and track sessions. I was getting better at starting at the right pace and not pushing the first few laps which makes a difference in the last few laps. I celebrated by returning to the track after a shower and food, for a gentle wander (with the big camera) among the butterflies and dragonflies. I think it was one of the hotter days and several visits may have been made to the tap at the North end of the track, a very handy facility. I would also keep water bottles in the ice compartment of the fridge which wasn't quite cold enough to freeze them. I had a reservoir sleeve in my backpack with a reflective silver lining that kept them fairly cold for a couple of hours.

atlantic canary

scarlet darter female

that thing again!

There is a really good wall near the track which emperors and monarchs would use as a partition to patrol. I spent hours trying to get them in flight, going past the excellent backdrop, and mostly failed. I had to set the shutter speed high (not a problem in the full sun) then zoom in a bit but not too much, then point the camera in their general direction as they flew nearby and hope they were in the frame. Occasionally I got lucky but there were no eureka moments. Mostly I got (too) wide shots which I could crop a bit. But it is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. (Sunscreen on baldy bit, nose and shoulders essential!)

That above is the only spider I saw apart from the ubiquitous black and white jobs. It was quite large by comparison but not tropical large. Also I have no idea what it was up to emerging from its previous skin but also having a couple of offspring in tow. My attention was more on the flying things, though had there been more of a variety of spiders (and there possibly is - we are, after all, South of Marrakesh) my inclination would be to photograph them from a healthy distance.

I also wanted to get better shots of the potter wasps. The male has a yellow mark on his head; this might be one, although again, not an insect inclined to hold still for any time and pose for a photo.

a pair of jousting emperors - both males
having a chat about territory I suspect

I also made an effort with this bird, which seems to be Berthelot's Pipet, endemic to the Canaries and Madiera. They are all over the island and hop around in pairs, often coming very close to where you are standing. They might hop away if you try to get too close but are otherwise as friendly as robins. They also readily disappear into the background dirt paths, being much the same colour, so I enjoyed the opportunity to get a couple of photos when one jumped up onto a flower basket at the sports ground which separated it from the background due to depth of field. 

Another bird that seemed nearly omnipresent were the kestrels. If you raised your eyes there was almost always one flying overhead in large circles checking out waste ground for lizards and prey. And if not flying, then check the palm trees, tv aerials and high hotel roofs for a perched bird. Like the one here who was having a breather in the circular aperture high in a building. I'd love to say I spotted it there, instead I watched it alight there after it took off from nearby and flew over. They were everywhere we went (more down at the coast than in the high mountains) and it was a delight to come across them regularly. A couple of our walks were greatly enhanced by having one land near and getting half decent photos.

So Mrs Black Hen we were looking for all those baby chicks we saw the other day and wondered if you had any thoughts? Nope, well here is some sunflower seeds anyway... and oh, look! How did you fit all these fluffy chicks underneath just so? Yes they are delightful!

token shot of being abroad and seeing a local product whose trade name 

would be less successful if they used it in the English speaking world
"I didn't expect to find wee bags of ejaculate in my Colon"

parakeet photo-ed from our balcony

blackbird photo-ed from our balcony

The next day, Sunday 18th was superb. We were running out of nearby routes in the Rother book but there was one that looked okay, directly inland from Puerto de la Cruz up in the forests above La Oratava. We had been up there several times before and although they were nice routes, a lot of the forest paths are similar. Samey even. This one promised "summit joy" and climbed up through 3,000ft of forest. We got on the appropriate bus which took us up 40 mins of hairpin switchbacks to the terminus at La Caldera. Another route we had done from here had been in the chilly shade of the mountain and so we knew to take duvet jackets and hats just in case. (They were never needed.) As well as food and drink for the 5 or 6 hrs. As you climb past 6000ft it can be an odd mix of very hot in the direct sunshine and cool or cold in the shade. In the car park as we stepped off the bus we were welcomed by a red admiral. It sat calmly, warming up in the sunshine.

vanessa atalata (UK version)

We felt it was a great omen and sure enough everything that day went along just splendidly. There was a decent enough toilet near the car park to meet Mary's needs. I had a feeling I suspected which way the route went and my gps confirmed this. The route was an extended figure 8 and without wondering much about the reason for this, we paid enough attention to it to follow the loops in the direction they were intended. The walking was fairly steep up through the laurel forest as we knew it would be. Things are a bit easier on the return journey, although when you're fresh a good up hill stomp is just fine. Even when it goes on for several hours.

vanessa vulcania (Canaries version)

A mile up the hill and this vulcania, a cracking specimen, is basking in the sunshine. A good excuse to stop for photos. It keeps hopping up the hill ahead of us making it tricky to get anything other than a backlit shot. I sneak round the side and get the shot before it flies off.  

onwards and upwards

So this is our route starting at the Northern top of the page. We took the West side of the first loop, then the middle section then the Eastern side of the second loop till we reached the summit path that goes North to the summit and subsidiary summit. Before returning to the Southern tip to travel down the hill (and up the map) on the western side of the second loop. After retracing the middle section we took the Eastern side of the lower loop back to the car park. Total distance 10 miles.

second mile marker was a painted lady

We stopped for a lunch sandwich after a couple of hours. It was very pleasant but apart from the butterfly mile markers there was little wildlife, and the same trees and bushes and path smooth or path lumpy was all a bit similar. But we were in good spirits and felt the climb was good hill training. 

red admiral and another RA or maybe PL

At the end of the third mile with another red admiral we were pretty sure
that something special was going on.

close to the edge

The air starts to get thinner as you get up towards 6 and 7 thousand feet. It makes you feel a little light-headed but not bang-you-feel-weird. It creeps into your periphery slowly and like a weak beer gives you just an inkling of otherly-ness. The treeline grew thinner. We could see more around us as the vegetation became more sparse and there was definitely a drumroll, an anticipation. The trail veered left to something of a gully edge and I hoped it wouldn't be too alarming a drop off. We held our nerve and I went ahead telling Mary when it was safe to breath again, her legs a bit shaky after a short section of right next to a big drop. The surface is dry and rubbly dirt and a slip or trip is not an option. After paying very close attention to our movements for 10 minutes we veer away from the heights and it's like we're moving into a new landscape. Low bushes and shrubs and mostly dirt and stones. The path is nearly indistinguishable as you can choose any line between shin high bushes. We have stopped climbing and are approaching a plateau. We have to watch our feet and navigate this way and that round annoying bushes, rocks and roots and for a while we aren't looking around us, just in our own worlds making progress through this maze of a million shrubby bushes and then when we do look up it's like fuck! we are on Mars!

On the distant horizon there are alien hotels. Humans don't live in buildings like that!? It is very difficult to judge distances and I'm not sure how close we are going to get to them. Is our summit the small hump to our right or on a hill 2 miles away?

Another bit further on and all the red soil seems to have been raked. I say soil but it is moondust or sand or very small gravel. Like a giant Japanese zen garden. You can see the tracks left by the rake. Then medium sized rocks placed at regular intervals. They are all evenly spaced out. I am all evenly spaced out. Mary is over there. She is sending a text to her sister in Scotland with a photo saying we are on fucking Mars. It does feel like a different planet to the frosty December of Edinburgh. We are both really enjoying the new surroundings. The music we were listening to for two and half hours, a classical symphony, has suddenly been mixed into a quartet playing space jazz in a five four beat. We are climbing up the hill wearing big smiles wondering what we are going to find on the top.  Like someone has looked at the surface of Mars and then gone ahead and built this. The path is more pronounced again and it becomes a compressed snake winding into the sky. This is fantastic. Legs that felt heavy in the trees now feel light and springy and my eyes are greedy for all this cinemascope landscape. It is too huge to fit into just one photo.

Higher still and there's Teide over there looking majestic. The summit (of Montana Limon) is not particularly summity; things level off a bit and there are some rocks but there is no pinnacle, nothing to conquer and plant a flag. We are busy taking bananaramas which go all the way down to the sea and all the way up to Teide twelve thousand feet high. Wow this is a great place. But wait we haven't finished the prescribed route. This is the highest point but we go down there, over there and back up to that other summit there. We wonder if we should bother as it seems more of the same except lower, but yes, we have plenty food and drink and why not; it's just over there.

We follow the gps, go down through some trees and back up a little subsidiary peak which does have more of a summity vibe and a gathering of stones and, this is the clincher, three butterflies circling it. I had earlier asked butterfly jesus if it would be possible to have a red admiral AND a painted lady at the summit. It does seem kind of needy and I'm not sure how I phrased it so that it didn't come across as spoilt brat-like. And luckily I'd said it out loud so that when we saw a red admiral, a painted lady and one other (likely another RA) then we knew we were definitely halfway between here and there. One summit higher than reality. One foot on planet earth and one foot on another green world. We were both giddy with high spirits and the magic of the place. Look at that! And over there! Just wow!

photo: Mary

photo: Mary

and even a photo to prove it!

subsidiary-summit admiral

We retraced our steps back to the first summit and then back down to the southern tip of our map to rejoin the loop. Mary even suggested trying a bit of running. It was well groomed trails (often marked with rocks on either side) on the descent and some easy jogging was done. I was still agog about the surroundings and taking loads of photos. It was both baking hot sunshine and yet cool on account of the altitude. Not much of a breeze, and very dreamlike. We picked up the loop and with reluctance waved bye-bye to this magical landscape as we descended into the treeline once more.

rock bordered trail

Look another admiral, must be mile 7? Spot on!
Is it one of ours or one of theirs? Does it matter?

The trails on this side of the loop were broader and better for tiring legs. It made sense to ascend on the tricky side and return on the easy side. A lot of the upstairs fun came from the relief of being past the hairy bits. A mistake on a descent can carry you further (over an edge) than a trip up-hill. Nice broad paths and a bit more gentle running. (Good route choice Mr Rother.) Butterflies high in the trees, but no signs of blue canaries, I mean chaffinches. I try to investigate any birdcalls I hear but none sound blue. Miles eight to ten drag despite pretty surroundings, because they are miles 8 to 10. A few more twists and turns then the sounds of distant voices in the car park which is a picnic area. 

We had been chasing a time. The time the bus would appear in the car park for homewards. Around mile 7 we reckoned it would be an hour or so till the car park, but it was so much longer we drifted right round to the next hour and the bus was 15 minutes early arriving, so we had only just got to the car park as the bus arrived. Meanwhile Mary had spotted the final RA of the day which was sunning itself on top of a sign board. I had to climb up on a wall to get level with it for a photo. Suitably, like much of the day, it was wonderful.

10 miles and about 3,000ft up and back down
6 hrs total, of which about 45mins lunch and photo-stops
a properly magical day out

Next day was something of a recovery day. Although reviewing at the gps output looks like we did some laps at the track at 10.30am then back to the hotel for a shower then off to the Orchid Garden. It is a quirky private garden open to the public; under a fiver to get in and a great place to have a wander and take photos if you are not in the mood to climb hills or race around town. It seems to be owned by eccentric English colonial types who have filled a medium sized garden with not only lots of orchids, shrubs and trees which grow very well in this climate, but with quirky crockery, unusual tiles and love-birds. (And a cafe.) The flowers and trees attract birds and butterflies and everything about the place has a relaxed charm from the olde world entrance tickets (subsequently used as book markers in the Rother Guide) to the giant iguana Nelson, who is so chilled we didn't notice him until we were about to leave.

I am not absolutely sure about the butterfly above but suspect it's a long-tailed blue. Yes I know it has no tails but neither does the example photo on the mariposaria board. There were a couple of them flying around this same bush and I failed to get an identifying underwing shot. 

Another epaulet skimmer (m). I looked and looked in the reeds next to the goldfish pond as I had taken photos of a scarlet dropwing when we first visited here. Despite returning every circuit of the garden to the goldfish pond and tiptoeing around the edges where I saw the dropwing, there was only this solitary skimmer. 

There is a cage of lovebirds who, true to their name, go at it like kids at a school disco.

pitcher plants

I think the above Draco tree (dragon tree) had a sign saying 600 years old which was maybe a wink at the one in Icod de los Vinos that claims to be somewhere between 350 and 1000 years old and the oldest in Tenerife. Depending on who you ask. The little baby Jesus was below this one so it must be true. 

and Gloria with the angry eyebrows

It was easy to forget we were just days before Christmas. The tropical weather does not go hand in hand with xmas decorations. I think this largely catholic country does celebrate xmas but perhaps not so much in the cheap and trashy way the UK does. Although there were quite a few examples of exactly the same tinsel and flashing light garden decorations, so it wasn't entirely free of that. It's just they look kind of incongruous in the bright sunshine. And perhaps less xmas trash in the shops, cafes and restaurants. Praise the lord.

speckled wood

collared dove

interesting crockery on a tiled table

speckled wood

monarch

midgey type flies, in the sunlight

Agatha Christie corner

photo Mary

I thought there was some saying about a man with a beer 

was like a monkey with 2 tails - but I can't find any evidence online

tiled table

what it feels like to be a gooseberry

Nelson the iguana. The owner said that he just turned up one day having been thrown over the wall 15 years ago. He made his home here. They called him Nelson due to him missing a fore-limb.

on the way home

Gua Gua is the nickname for the buses. It is unclear whether it has come about from the noise of their horns as they approach yet another tight, blind corner, or elsewhere. Generally we found the Titsa bus service to be really good, regular and easy to work, especially once you got a card. We had remembered to take ours from last trip and they were still valid.

The apartment walls were covered in mirrors to make it appear larger than it was. It is always a challenge to try to get a photo of the receding versions of yourself as they disappear off to infinity. Due to the flaws in the cheap glass, infinity appeared quite a bit sooner than usual.

another version of this sign

Tuesday 20th

And we went on another hoopoe hunt, heading West out of town and aiming to cover the Rambla de Castro area again. Early on a kestrel landed near the next telephone pole along from us. I hoped it would be feeling too lazy to fly off as I approached slowly. Mary could not be bothered retracing her steps. I got really close (covered by the noise of traffic and the kestrel looking elsewhere). It was distracted by another bird which flew close by and had a lizard in its claws. I got distracted too and instead of getting better pics of the female on the wire, I tried to get a photo of the male and ended up letting the female fly off (and the male) without getting any further pics of either. Oh well, the female on the wire was sort of hidden by her own shadow.

bird on a wire

female kestrel

male?
with lizard

take note of that weird shaped rock on the left of Teide
we'll be seeing it later

cubism

another kestrel, on a tv aerial

texture

I saw another kestrel fly in and land on the rough ground where we were heading. As we approached it still hadn't flown off and I said to Mary that there was a bird in the grass up ahead. She only saw the rock on the right of it and told me it was just a rock. To the left of the rock I hissed, quietly! Unfortunately it saw us and flew off before we got in properly close.

more friendly pipit hunting

(immature) male scarlet darter

neck shave for these palms

deja vu again

It was tempting from a distance to write off these 2 youngsters, lost to the world of screens and texting, sat in front of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. However as we got closer to them it became apparent the bloke was flying a drone. I only realised this when I was photographing the pumphouse ruin and saw what looked like a large white feather float through the circular window in the far end of the ruin. I zoomed in and saw that it was a drone. Who is flying the drone? Oh the dude in the yellow t-shirt I had written off as someone too clueless to appreciate the amazing scenery right in front of him. Oops! I have just been searching youTube for the results (because we would prob be in them) but could only find this one here. Which also answers the other question that had occurred. Would it be possible to walk round the top edge of the ruins? (Not for the faint-hearted!)

droning on

a bird in the palm

McLovin

We were going to go back the way we came or go to the cafe at Mirador San Pedro, if it wasn't busy. It was busy so we went a bit up the road to see if we could walk back slightly inland. We got as far as San Agustin but then the pavements ran out and we returned to a cafe that had been calling us, and regrouped while having a clara de limon. And then another. By that time we had worked out there was a bus stop down the road and that that would sort us out. The cold lemony beer was slightly better than I imagined it possible for a drink to be. Beyond outstanding. 

miraculous!

7 miles, nearly 5 hrs

on the way "home"

When we got back to the hotel I realised there was a good chance if we didn't check out the rooftop hotel pool soon we might actually get back to Edinburgh without a dip in it. The first time we had a look at it there were loads of old leathery brown people lying on loungers round it and likely to judge anyone doing anything as frivolous as swimming. Because it was a lift up to the 7th floor to look at it, we hadn't checked if it was always so busy.

Being the end of the day when we got up there we just about had the place to ourselves. There was a life guard, nobody in the water and just 2 or 3 leathery handbags browning themselves in the baking sun. The water was warmer than Gullane beach in the height of summer but not much. Once you got in, 20 mins was fine but much more and you were likely to shrivel. I took 5 mins to slowly get in. It felt a bit like torture. Once in, I played about taking selfies underwater which is always fun. It was too small a pool (and sort of L shaped) for any kind of a decent swim. 

Hockney was here

Mary, avoiding a rushed entrance.

I said to Mary not to swim her peculiar form of backstroke
as the lifeguard was liable to jump in and try to save her.

the views at sundown (5.30pm) were superb

me, photo Mary

there were cold showers beside the pool
no expense spared!

Having been impressed by the view from the rooftop pool I flip-flopped down to our room, got changed superquick and caught the lift back to the top floor with my big camera. The sun hadn't gone yet and I enjoyed taking pics of the golden glow looking West and also of a couple of flocks of pigeons that were circling the rooftops.

the pool at kicking out time 
officially it was open till 6pm 

Mt Teide, pigeons, sunset - luck and judgement

The pigeons would swoop and clatter past. I noticed they seemed to be having a splendid time. I also noticed there were 2 flocks. One landed on a nearby rooftop round which they had been circling for 10 minutes. There was a guy rattling a large coffee tin. He used it to call his pigeons in. They landed on the rooftop shed and were breathing heavily with open beaks. Well of course, but you never expect to see birds panting. I remember the first one I saw beak open, chest heaving, was a peregrine at World of Wings bird of prey centre, after it had demonstrated its incredible flying skills. It made me realise these pigeons were doing laps of downtown Puerto de la Cruz like I used to do laps of EH15 with the PRC crew on a Wednesday night. Someone would take the lead and set the pace and everyone tries to keep up. Of course you go as fast as possible, and it is great fun. This seemed to be exactly the same and it made me click with these most commonplace of birds.

I shot some video of them flashing past the buildings and must make a movie of the whole thing as it adds sound, movement and texture to the still photos. There was something about the clear sky, the speed of them zipping by and the sounds of the city that was very appealing. (Normally pigeons are lower on the totem.)

This is their loft. They all land in a group and then one by one hop down and inside till just one is left. Not sure if he is the leader or the tail end charlie, but he follows them inside. 

After the first flock were back in jail (😁) a second flock were still circling round. I think they may have been local feral jobs. I spent a while taking photos of them too and then experimenting with filters to crank the colours a bit. It was a great spot to watch them from as the sun was setting. (I went up the following evening about the same time hoping for more pigeon action but either I was too late or it wasn't a daily show.)

Our final adventure (21st December) was to go into Teide National Park. From PdlCruz there is only one bus at 9.30 from the bus station and one bus back around 4pm. We took food, drink and cold weather clothing. I thought we went prepared but when we got off the bus at the cable car station we found all the available slots for cable cars that day (that were suitable) were taken. You could only book a slot on your mobile phone and there was absolutely no just turning up (as we did in 2007) buy a ticket and hop on. We had our mobiles with us and managed to go online but still no tickets. I was really annoyed that we had fallen foul of what I think of as the Fairy Pools syndrome.

A few years ago someone marketing trips to Skye, started to promote trips to the Fairy Pools. We had seen photos ages ago and had always meant to stop by for a swim and a look when passing through Skye. Never quite got there. Fast forward 20 years and nowadays coach loads of tourists draw up at the nearest roadside stop and 75 people step off and climb up the path to the pools where they take selfies. No rational person would ever want to go anywhere near them nowadays. Same with the Fairy Glen, a place on Skye I have actually been. It was a small valley where unusual geological activity has made a scaled down glen of hills and valleys that had a certain charm. But that was before the tourists started visiting in numbers that couldn't be sustained, building piles of balanced rocks and laying out circles of stones making mazes that other tourists walked until the place was covered in muddy circles.

The lack of infrastructure means these places are oversubscribed and vandalised to a point of them now being horrible, unless you like crowds. Normally I avoid visiting the animal parks and water parks that mainstream tourists populate. I'd rather be off the beaten path. It was only when we arrived at the cable car at the bottom of Teide and saw lines of cars down the road that we realised our mistake. Although we had got the first possible bus there, obviously a lot of other people had already booked rides in the cable car. One went up the hill every 10 minutes and seemed to hold between 20 and 35 people. 

me in altitude gear
back pack, duvet jacket, gaiters and sunglasses

I was trying to rein in my anger by thinking well at least we saved a whole chunk of change. A single ride was 21euros and a return trip was 38 I think. I had planned a walk (see the trails on map below) that went west off the cable car top station and down to the Roque Cinchado via Pico Viejo. Then back to the lower cable car station. This was about 10miles and might have been quite tricky ground to cover in the 4 hrs we would have had after arriving off the cable car. So maybe just as well we didn't get the chance.

7.5 miles from the bottom of the cable car,
South to Roque Cinchado and back

Instead I asked a local official what was a good route since we couldn't get a ride up the hill. At first she pointed to a small hill nearby, and then suggested the 10k hike we actually did when I said we were capable of more than just a couple of hundred yards. One forgets most of the world these days isn't capable of more than a few yards of walking. It is a very sad state of affairs.

Mary knew I was in a very grumpy mood. In order to sort it she asked me to express all the stuff that was getting me upset. I spent the first mile of the hike saying how I hated that we now lived in a world where the mobile phone had won. That you couldn't get a place on the cable car without one. To their credit the cable car company had free wifi without a password at the cable car station so you could book a ride there and then. (If they weren't full. Bear in mind this was a weekday and we got the first available bus there.) I didn't see this as an improvement on last time we were there in 2007 when we just bought a ticket and got on the cable car. But I realise it is the way the world is going which is why I now have a smartphone. Although I do resent it and more often leave it at home rather than carry it everywhere like every other fucking phone zombie out there.

Also I hated tourists. They clog up the most popular places. Now before you point out I am tourist here myself, can I just say I am very much aware of that irony, and try to avoid the mainstream shit for just that reason. That said, I had heard Masca was one of the prettiest villages on Tenerife and that the gorge walk down to the beach was spectacular. Mary had googled it and you now have to book it months ahead and wear the right shoes. That pretty much ended our plans right there. It's the Fairy Pools all over again. Although maybe I should be happy they are trying to preserve the place by limiting the number of hooligans they allow to visit.

Anyway, clever Mary had just about got me to explore and expel all my gripes, and by the time I was taking my duvet jacket off - it was that weird mix of hot and cold again - I was beginning to enjoy the lack of tourists on our walk. You could see the parked cars at the restaurant near the next set of rocks but everyone was driving between places, nobody was walking. Because they can't. 

Having listened to my complaints (or at least pretended to) Mary was then in the mood to have a bitch about a few of the things she felt were wrong in the world so I got a lecture on the NHS and some of the ways and reasons it was going down the plughole. And we didn't stop to clap the nurses. After a while we were both feeling much better.

There is a hotel and restaurant near some of the more iconic stone monuments in the park. The car park is huge and full of tourists' cars. Now while we hated this and ALL those there, it did bring about one of the highlights of the day. We saw this smallish grey-white bird hopping about the place. It was sat on a railing of the cafe clearly panhandling for snacks. It flew off but I followed it realising it was something I'd never seen before, and that it was unafraid of humans. It would not come to my hand for bribes but it did let me get very close for photos. 

Later that day I had a dusty old memory floating about my head about Helen and Craig being pleased to see a certain type of bird, high in Gran Canaria a few years ago. Details were dim but I remembered it might have been a Great Grey Shrike. I googled that and up pops a load of pics like those right here. A pretty little bird with a bandit's mask over its eyes. Technically I think it may be a Southern Grey Shrike, although wikipedia tells me that name has been scrapped and they are now called either Iberian Grey Shrikes or some chinese one or a Gt Grey Shrike. I'm going to stick with the latter because it makes not a jot of difference. It was a very cute little bird slightly stalkier than a blackbird and around the same size, maybe smaller. It did have a hooked beak though, and looked quite tough. Apparently half of its diet is rodents (I'd imagine lizards here) (and crumbs from buns at this cafe) which it takes and pins on thorns for safe keeping. Giving it the nickname butcher bird. Nice work! 

Roque Cinchado and Teide in background
remember that tiled picture beside Residencia Maritim?
I'll just put it up here so you can compare and contrast the reality vs the ideal.

There is a big collection of rocks, the Roques Garcia (which included Roque Cinchado) which you wander around at this end of the park. Which inspired chat about the Grateful Dead and also the Mighty Bush. We were watching the time quite closely and gave ourselves 2 hrs before returning to the start point. There was only one bus home and Mary was not inclined to miss it. She had us get back to the cable car station an hour early for reasons beyond me, but I think it was the cafe. Which was closed. The gift shop was not closed, unfortunately. 

the sun has been making its own routes in the park

a path through the lunar landscape

The more time we enjoyed outwith the other tourists the more we realised we might have dodged a bullet not going up in the cable car. I can't remember there being much up there in 2007 except a fine view to the coast miles below, and the effects of altitude if you tried to run up steps too quickly. Even where we were (just under 8,000ft) you could still feel the air was thinner. 

 I saw a white butterfly flit by. There were not many about so I looked closely as it went. I noticed the wingtips seemed patterned and kept it in sight. It eventually settled about 80 yards away and I turned around and ran back along the trail after it. I managed to get close enough to get these photos of this Bath White, a new-to-me species. I was very pleased as it was not stopping frequently. I realised Mary, in her quest to get back to the bus stop 45 minutes ahead of the bus, did not wait but kept on going up the trail. So I ran for a bit, delighted to have notched up another new butterfly after 3 trips here. No Mary up ahead so I kept going. I wasn't doing anything more than jogging but noticed I ran short of breath far sooner than normal and had to walk for a bit before running again. Eventually I caught up. 

At first I was nonplussed by these paths. Then I realised it was a good way to contain the tourist pollution, what little of it there is on foot, and that any litter or stuff left behind will be next to the path and people won't be wandering off to despoil the rest of the landscape with toilet roll and rubbish. I think we were in a giant volcano caldera with a range of hills and peaks on the South side forming a crater rim and Teide in the middle. The surrounding landscape was vast and made for amazing views. I encouraged Mary to climb up the small hill on our way back to the bus stop. She ran off (still more concerned about missing buses) rather than enjoy it and I was left to take pics on my own. You could see where a patch of relatively smooth desert sand ran into a impassable jumble of volcanic rocks. And the surrounding hills with different characteristics. I imagine geologists get very excited about this sort of thing.

different combinations of textures

We both really enjoyed the trip into Teide Park and if we go to Tenerife again may have to find a way to explore there again. It is not best or most easily done using the bus service, so maybe a taxi share is a better idea. The bus service is a great way to get around the majority of the island, but there are a few places that might be easier by car. 

The cafe was shut and the souvenir shop was dreadful. Maybe having been exposed to the majesty of the surroundings, made the brightly coloured tat seem even cheaper. Maybe they were just aiming unusually lowbrow, it was hard to know. The bus arrived about the right time and we wondered if we had done the 10 mile descent and hike, if we'd be hotfooting it back along the trail in time. Or hitching a lift in the dark, or getting a 60 euro taxi back into town. 

On several of our bus journeys I had developed a habit of feeling very sleepy (I am a pensioner you know!) but waiting till 2 stops before the station to fall asleep. It was great being in a hotel just the next block along from both the bus station and a decent supermarket. 


On the last day it felt appropriate to spend at least some of it by the track. Another blazing day of sunshine meant it was harsh but enjoyable to wander slowly about looking for wildlife. Not that much at the track so Mary suggested we try down towards the beach where there were bushes and trees, which meant shade.

emperor against that back wall at the track

waving goodbye to the track!

giraffes in legwarmers

those small black and white spiders and their massive webs

As we strolled along the beach area we saw the usual chickens and pigeons but also these waders. One of the waders had a gammy leg and was snoozing while the other pecked in the grass looking for goodies. The snoozing one woke up and saw 2 pigeons trying to eat a slice of stale bread. It made the mistake of underestimating the pigeon and flew over to rob the pigeon of his meal. The pigeon immediately overpowered the disabled wader and let it know by standing on its neck while returning to feed on the crust. Mary and I were laughing out loud at this, although the pigeon soon lost interest and flew off. I got the bread and crumbled it into bits small enough for the whimbrel to eat. It was having trouble tearing up the stale bread. It sat happily just a yard or 2 away and I took a million photos. 

whimbrel
(like a curlew but shorter beak)

African Grass Blue

small copper

I think Mary was feeling the heat and headed home while I had one last circuit of the track. I was rewarded with a clouded yellow. Possibly the butterfly we saw the least of there, and usually only on the hottest days, so it felt like a nice finish to the holiday. Or would have been if the little marvel had sat still for a photo. I think it was moving when I saw it first, and it continued to move, down the back straight and into the hammer throwing area of the track centre. Nobody throwing at that point happily. It wasn't moving fast; probably scouring the place for flowers or somewhere to egglay. It didn't share its motivation with me but kept moving at a quick jog. Which was easy to keep up with till it flew up and over one of the floral borders and I had to run round the side. It scanned that area and then flew over the tops of some bushes (more desperate scurrying by me, one eye on the terrain underfoot, one eye on the zig-zagging yellow bastard.) I think I got the first decent photo when it stopped on a flower a few inches off the ground. I had taken about 40 by this point and they weren't keepers. I got a half a second breather but by the time I zoomed in it was off again. Out of stubborn determination I followed. I tried not to crowd it or scare it into retreat, and I only moved in for a close up when it settled on a flower which never lasted more than 4 seconds. For about 15 to 20 mins of following I took dozens of photos of which 2.5 are usable!

female scarlet darter

female epaulet skimmer

African Grass Blue

And that was about that. I was dreading the long haul home but it passed with minimum agonies and I spent most of the plane time writing up the trip on my iPad. (It helped it was at a civilised time of day and we were well rested and fresh.) Mary had the window seat on the way out and I had it on the return. The flight took a great line over the East end of the island so I got the camera out and shot a few photos. It doesn't show the extremes of just how steep it is at ground level but when you consider that the top is 12,000ft high, it does give some idea. 

It was another fantastic holiday. We both really enjoyed seeing new places and wildlife as well as old favourites. The weather, the primary reason for choosing the Canaries, was outstanding. I find the Scottish Winter very difficult to get through without feeling depressed and grumpy. All that gloomy dreariness and christmas is too much to bear, and the sunshine in Tenerife is a lifesaver. And of course the butterflies and birds are fabulous. 

I'm not sure if we will continue to return to Puerto de la Cruz. It has been great for 3 visits but we may have to try somewhere new next time to give ourselves new areas to explore, although it will be hard to beat this town in terms of meeting our needs - the wildlife, butterflies and our own personal running track. And proximity to great hikes. Although we are beginning to run out of nearby routes in the Rother guide book. Meanwhile we have broken up the long dark months of a drab Scottish Winter and return refreshed and ready to soldier through the remaining slush until Spring arrives.

till next time!