The Indians are coming to town

Call it crazy and you won't be far wrong.  The Indians are coming to town.  OK so to be more precise, it's the Indianos and it is more a case of 'going to town.'
It is all about the fiesta of the Indianos you see which has its main day on Monday, 7th March.  It is a rather clever portrayal of people returning to La Palma having earned 'a fortune' in Cuba.  Really - how else could you pursuade a significant percentage of the population to dress up in white - white shirt, white trousers, or pretty white dresses and white parasols, depending on your pursuasion.  And if there was any doubt about the white which is intended to represent wealth, there is plenty of talcum powder being thrown about.  And I am talking about kilos, be in no doubt about that!  Oh, and the ocassional  travel bag stuffed with monopoly money just to emphasise the point.

So if you are on La Palma already, it could be worth you heading for Santa Cruz to see what the fun is all about.  Just follow the music (there are street bands on most corners and a marching band plays as they parade through the town), the supermarket trolleys stuffed full with 'ron y cola' (rum and coke) which act as mobile bars and the cloud of talc.  Alternatively, if you are due at the airport on Monday, you can expect to be shunted off onto the Santa Cruz bypass - unless you make a concerted effort to get in.  I suggest you park up in Los Cancajos and catch the bus though as traffic is not allowed to pass through the centre of town and parking is not going to be a happening thing. I predict fun, fun, fun. 
Here is a link for the Special Indianos Bus Timetable

La Fajana de Garafia - Part I

La Fajana, (pronounced Fahana) is a popular place name on La Palma and it is always a good idea to make sure you know which La Fajana is being referred to. But La Fajana de Garafia is one of my favourite places which is pretty handy as it is only a twelve minute drive away from here in Franceses.  It amazes me on so many levels and, in an attempt to explain the place, it is what many writers would probably call improbable.
The adventure starts with the drive down to La Fajana - but first you need to find the little wooden sign to it.  Actually, it is located just opposite the village shop ... but then the village shop doesn't have a sign to say that it is a shop and so if it closed, it looks just like any other house.  Ah La Palma, we love you!
But once on the road to La Fajana it is all plain sailing with plenty of tacking this way and that as you navigate the car down the winding way.  Remember to watch out for cars coming the other way though along with rockfalls and the occasional walker on the GR130 walking route which crosses the road in a couple of places.
After ten minutes of driving down what some people regard as the edge of the world (actually it is not nearly as dramatic as that and only a case of driving down the side of a ravine), you will eventually come to a place where the land meets the sea.  Almost.  This is the tiny hamlet and port village of La Fajana.

Most likely you will have been expecting to find something quite substantial to warrant any type of road to it at all but instead you will find one of the shortests streets of houses on the island.  In fact, only eleven people live there.  Strolling along the length of the street which takes all of two minutes you may not notice some of the best things tucked away almost out of sight - a bakery, an old wine press, a couple of cows and the little plaza.  It's a place in which to take your time so make sure your speed dial is set to saunter.  And you never know - you might even see a person!
At the end of the street, the track disappears away into the bananas and the distance.  However, a sharp right turn will lead you through the plantation where you can look at the bananas fact to face.  

As you wend your way down this recently restored path and turn a corner, you realise that so far you have been surrounded by silence but now there is the sudden sound of the sea, a certain freshness in the air and a sense of  excitment.  And in a few moments you will actually get to see what the fuss is all about as the clear waters of the mighty Atlantic greet you.  

  

These days, stone steps and sturdy wooden handrails lead you down on to the beach.  Sometimes it is a sand beach, sometimes sand and stones and sometime just stone. Whatever the case, it is there for all to enjoy.
Ah yes, I didn't mention La Fajana Part II yet, did I?

Taking the high road

'Aren't the roads good!' is a comment made by many guests. Well, yes they certainly are ... but they weren't always like that.
This section of the LP1, which is the main road running right round La Palma, is near Llano Negro, Garafia, and is particularly wide and straight.  Most of it the roads on La Palma are substantially narrower and twistier than this - however the lack of traffic is completely normal!
The 'original' LP1 in the north is the road that runs straight on in Barlovento and, after squeezing through three narrow tunnels and some pretty impressive scenery, arrives at La Cruce some 35 minutes later. Goatherds are a common sight.

 It is one of the most beautiful drives on La Palma and a 'must do.'  If nothing else, you should drive through the tunnels which were dug with hand tools, just wide enough for the little old bus to get through.  Because it really is the 'high road' it can sometimes be in cloud, so make sure you have a clear day for your trip because, whilst it has its own appeal driving in ethereal clouds, you will miss the spectacular views.

 However, while it was a huge improvement, the road did not go anywhere near Franceses.  Our neighbour told us that  people used to have to make the one-hour walk up to this road to catch the bus - now it runs through the village.

You can still find some stretches of the road previous to that.  There is one we often take visitors on, just behind La Mata.

 Or there is one just by a house next to the petrol station of San Antonio.  It is good to walk on foot or drive in a 4 x 4, but not suitable for cars (hire cars are not insured for off-road tracks).  No wonder that it used to take 4 hours or more to drive to the capital.

Love Actually

Where do our guests come from - are they all English?  This is something we are often asked and the answer is, they come from all over!  Britain and the rest of Europe of course but also Japan, Latvia, Finland and sometimes America.
Just last week we had a lovely guest from Appleton, Wisconsin, USA who had come all the way to La Palma to walk the GR130. It's a very long way to come for a very long walk.  What a star!  And I think I can honestly say that I have never (knowingly) met anyone from Wisconsin before and my only knowledge of the place is from that well-known film.  I think we can hazard a guess that the portrayal of Wisconsin in the film was not strictly accurate. 
In fact, it seems Wisconsin is the dairy capital of the United States and Appleton sits in its heartland.   And it is in Appleton that you can find Wilmar's who are famous for their small batch fresh chocolates.

So I have just two things to say to our guest:- many thanks for making the big trip over to come and stay here and well done for your impressive walking endeavours on La Palma.  Oh, and thank you for the chocolates!