Reptile, anyone?

If you are coming on holiday to La Palma then one of the things that might interest you apart from taking in the culture, views and tranquility is reptile spotting.

 There are two main sorts on La Palma, those being the lagarto lizard and the gecko. Broadly speaking the lagartos are the ones that you will see during the day as they peak out from rocky walls or sprint across the road or path with the impressive speed of a clockwork toy or nibble at your banana when you're not looking. Geckos on the other hand are altogether more demure generally sticking (literally) to walls and ceilings and prefer evenings when tasty moths are about.

When you first start to spot the lagarto lizards you will quickly realise that there are two distinct groups of these - the larger, blue-cheeked variety with a head resembling a miniature dinasour -

 and the smaller brown lizard who dresses in stripes. Yes, you guessed it - blue for a boy and, well, brown, for a girl.

If you absolutely hate reptiles though or have a phobia about them, then don't worry because they really won't bother you or even eat you alive. Mostly. They only measure around 20cm in length which includes the tail, so not quite of the mammoth proportions of the Komodo dragon at around 3 metres. Now the Komodo's have been known to attack and devour a person. Raugh! Just fooling.
However, whilst the lagartos have many plus points from an interest point of view, such as their ability to jettison their tail in an emergency (cats like lagartos) the geckos win hands down for me.

 Not only are they gravity-defying with their amazing sticky little hands and a much calmer character than the lagartos but they have the kind of perpetual wide-eyed look of the innocent.  They seem to say 'Who?  Me?'  You've just gotta love them!

Charco Azul - Blue Lagoon

When it comes to a drop of the wet stuff our favourite haunt is located at La Fajana de Barlovento.  Yes, it's a great place for swimming and snorkelling!  However, by way of a change, we decided to go for a swim at Charco Azul, the Blue Lagoon as I call it, which is near the picturesque village of San Andres, below Los Sauces on the east coast of La Palma.
The Charco Azul has in fact only just recently re-opened after a rock fall and I am pleased to say that it has been restored back to its former beautiful self.

 

It's a great place for people of all ages as it has a large children's pool complete with a couple of seawater pools, sea water fountain, changing rooms and plenty of flat space for sunbathing.  So, if you are heading that way, don't forget to take your cossie and you can look forward to a dip in the blue.

And don't worry about how you are going to replace those used-up calories after all that swimming as there are also a couple of restaurants handy.  One overlooks the pools and the other, called Romecabezas (either meaning 'brain teaser' or 'headbreaker' I'll let you take your pick) is just around the corner.   Mmm, wonder if the 'headbreaker' reference is anything to do with the rockfall which did in fact submerge the other restaurant!  Either way, the cliff wall has now been impressively and securely netted.  Yet another feat of engineering for La Palma!
However, no matter how attractive Charco Azul is, I think our favourite will continue to be La Fajana de Barlovento.  It's not just the choice of pools, abundance of fish, fantastic underwater topography in the sea, but it's nearer to our finca.  And that means it's also nearer for guests staying at their rural accommodation to rent in Garafia!