Good Vibes on the Tides

January 30th ~ Island Time

Since Kim and Cooper had scheduled their trip to Lisbon over the weekend, I didn’t want to be left out of all the fun! So, after checking for flight steals and deals, I ended up booking my four day stay on the island of Gran Canaria. The island is one of Spain’s Canary Islands located off the coast of Africa known for its harsh volcanic features and soft white-sand beaches. I was super excited to get the chance to see the Canaries and take some time to myself to relax and enjoy some peaceful solo adventures.

I arrived around noon on the island and took a bus from the airport to the capital city of Las Palmas. Gran Canaria is truly volcanic in nature covered with sharp, jagged rocks and few vegetation covering its surface. Soon after I checked into my hippie surfing hostel and dropped off my bags, I snagged lunch from a grocery store around the corner and hit the beach! The weather was amazing and the sun was strong. It turned out to be a perfect day for a swim in the ocean and sunbathing on the beach. 

As it grew colder in the evening hours, I decided to walk along the Playa de las Canteras all the way to the edge of the bay to the Confital. After a long walk, I climbed out to some rocks overlooking the bay and greater island nearby an old military bunker. There I watched a few brave surfers catch huge waves and some fisherman hoping for a final catch of the day before enjoying the sun set over Gran Canaria. 

Afterwards, I returned to my hostel to rest for a couple hours before joining other guests in my hostel on a Tapas Tour of Las Palmas. We all split taxis to the Old Town where there were streets lined with bars selling cheap drinks and tapas by the plate! I stayed out for a couple hours before returning to the hostel with a few others for the night. 

January 31st ~ Surfs Up!

Not only did my new friends from the night before invite me out to tapas, but they also encouraged me to sign up for my first ever surfing class! I was a bit nervous going into it, but soon all my fears dropped away leaving only pure joy behind. Luckily I was able to get a last minute spot in the morning to join the Quicksilver Surf School for a two hour lesson. While the technique in theory was quite simple, surfing is really hard — just as I expected it to be! I was able to get up only a few times during the lesson, but I really did have a blast. The instructors were really focused on making sure each of us learned good form, but also made it an unforgettable experience. I didn’t end up getting any pictures of myself — I guess there is one downside of traveling alone — but I swear it won’t be my last time on a surfboard! 

After my lesson and a few bumps and bruises later, I picked up my bags from my hostel and checked out. Before heading to my next destination, I walked to the city’s market and their castle — both were a slight let down to be honest. Nevertheless, I got on my way and soon found myself traveling South on a bus headed to Maspalomas. I arrived late in the afternoon to my bed-and-breakfast and quickly unpacked. That evening I walked from my hotel to the Faro — the Lighthouse that defines Gran Canaria’s southern coast. I bought another easy dinner from a grocery store and took my meal to the area beneath the Faro and surrounding beach to read my book leading up to sunset. So far all of my sunsets on the island have been incredible, so I promised myself not to miss a single one. This one was worth the wait. 

Sunset View from El Faro

February 1st ~ A Slice of Paradise

Waking up, I found that my hosts had made me a small breakfast-to-go since I was headed on an early morning adventure up into the mountains. I walked to the bus station near the Faro to catch my ride to the natural symbol of the island — Roque Nublo. My bus heading up was full of other tourists looking to go inland towards the high peaks and pine forest towns. The road up the mountain was amazingly steep and cut deeply into the cliffsides. There were many blind corners and the road was so narrow that only inches separated the cars between ourselves and the mountain. I was transfixed and thrown back in time to my memories of the insane car trips I made while in South America! 

I was the only one to get off the bus in Ayacata — a very small pueblo — because the bus would not stop at the trailhead to Roque Nublo up the hill. From the pueblo, I found a small, winding path that led up the steep hill behind the houses to the trailhead. Along the way I came across many different types of cacti and other desert flowers — all of which were in an incredible bloom. At the “top” I arrived at the main trailhead along with tons of other tourists who had arrived easily by car. After a short break, I entered the pines. The wind was much stronger near the crest, but with the height I received amazing 360 degree views of the island. With lots of dramatic country and steep drops, the hike reminded me greatly of desert hiking in Oregon and by Smith Rock State Park. At the very top, the ground was smoothed by years of erosion of the sandstone rocks and I finally arrived at the base of Roque Nublo and its sister La Rana. I walked around both of them taking in not only their spectacular features, but the amazing views of the entirety of Gran Canaria. I even saw a couple of the other Canary Islands from the top! 

Eventually I began my long walk back down to Ayacata and settled in front of a small chapel where my bus dropped me off and would eventually pick me back up. There, I read my book under the shade of a few trees and relaxed my tired legs. However, it wasn’t long before a girl who was a few years older than me came and sat with me. We started talking and soon came to the conclusion that we both needed to take the next bus back to Maspalomas at 5pm...three hours from then. We debated about how we might spend our time, but she brought up the idea of potentially hitching a ride back down the mountain. We were near a popular tourist restaurant, so we thought our chances were good. It took a couple tries, but finally a trio of retired Swedes living in Maspalomas for the winter gave us a ride all the way back down! 

My hitch hiking buddy and I walked together to the Faro from where we were dropped off in Maspalomas and then split up. For the second evening in a row, I had dinner and relaxed by the Faro — however this time settling under the shade of a large palm tree to rest. I also walked through the nearby sand dunes and enjoyed yet another gorgeous sunset from my little slice of paradise. 

February 2nd ~ Eat. Beach. Sleep. Repeat!

I enjoyed breakfast set out by my hosts in the morning before checking out and finding myself on the way on yet another adventure. I decided to take the recommendation from my hitch hiking buddy to spend my final hours on Gran Canaria at Los Amadores beach and then in the marina town of Mogán. I took a bus from the Faro to the beach tracing the coastline as we drove along. When I arrived I was stunned by te white sand and turquoise waters. The small area was protected by a large cove which provided for an amazing place to swim and relax. I left my belongings in a locker near the beach and spent the morning enjoying the sun and chilling swims in the sea. 

Once I was content with my final hours on the beach, I caught the next bus to Mogán. The small town was very pretty with overgrown flowers draping between the alleys. The marina was a nice touch and provided some entertainment watching the small boats sail in and out to the great beyond. I walked around for a bit before treating myself to an amazing lunch of grilled swordfish and a piña colada along the marina. It was just the perfection I was looking for. Afterwards, I sat near the beach to people watch and take in my few final hours of island life. Later that afternoon I got my bus from Mogán to the airport where I awaited for my late flight back to Sevilla all the while wishing I did not have to go back to work the following morning. 

Again, it was another time of firsts and I can’t believe surfing was one of them! I met some truly wonderful people, those of which I probably would not have ever met if I had not been traveling solo. Constantly I found myself surrounded by beauty — whether it was in the landscape or in the moment — and was even reminded of home in the middle of the Atlantic. Once more, I am so glad to be making the most of my time while abroad creating memories, testing fears, and making connections around the world.