Day 115: Puerto Del Rosario, Canary Islands

Puerto Del Rosario is the capital city of Fuerteventura. It really felt like we were back in Europe, even though we were off the coast of southern Morocco. The Canary Islands are part of Spain, and felt very international with Italian, French and English spoken.

We booked an E-bike MTB tour, and didn’t realize that the meeting spot was in another village about 25 minutes away, so we had to take a cab (no Uber) and it was a bit of sticker shock! We arrived before the guide, and he set us up and instructed us on the use of the electronics on the bikes.

The first leg was a gravel road that went through an old volcano crater, and by one of the younger volcanoes. We rode to a village where we stopped for coffee and a snack. We left the village and crossed the road and were in the desert.

We hiked up a wash and there were several geologic layers, caused by volcanic activity. There were a lot of fossilized shells, and these curious rocks, which were fossilized bees. The desert riding was a little challenging with some soft sand. Next, we took a windy road across the island to a beach.

The beach had this sand that looked like popcorn. It was apparently fossilized seaweed. We were told that there used to be much, much more, but tourists were taking it home as a souvenir, so now there is a €3000 fine if you are caught taking it. I’m glad there is still some left, and another example of the destruction of the planet by the human race.

We finished the ride with a nice tailwind, and our guide called us a taxi, but it never came, so we grabbed lunch at a curry place. We found a cab to return us to the port, and I wandered around Puerto Del Rosario looking for an open pharmacy. They seem to do Spanish siestas, so a lot of places were closed in the afternoon. I liked the Canary Islands and understand their popularity.

Sail Away

Desert