Secret coves, special times

When you are driving around in the car on a sizzling summer day, you have to wonder why on earth you are not outside enjoying the sun.
At least though, with the car, you have a chance to explore one of the many hidden coves around the island.
It happened on such a day while between Puntagorda and Santo Domingo that we got the map out. We noticed a couple of places where it looked like you could get down to the sea, first on a rough track and then by foot.
We found what we thought was the track leading off the main road although it wasn’t signposted in any way. We bumped our way along the track for 10 minutes until it opened out into a parking space big enough for a couple of cars. It was no surprise to see that there were no other cars.

The sea, still some 200 metres below us, looked enticing and we tried to decide how much we were prepared to carry down the narrow path. Swimsuits, mask and snorkel was a given.

It seems to us that really, no matter where you go on La Palma, no matter how difficult the access, no matter how remote, people will have been there before doing the seemingly impossible. After a shaky start trying to locate the exact route of the path, it narrowing and becoming increasingly difficult as limbs were forced to dangle over the edge, we came to a part with ‘proper’ concrete steps and a rail. To imagine the workers carrying the materials down did not bear thinking about.

After a good 20 minutes we arrived at the little rocky beach at the bottom. We were pretty pleased with our discovery of this seemingly deserted cove – even if there were 3 dwellings there. We can only think that the materials were brought in by boat. It really does defy belief.

Ready to get in the water now, we climbed over a huge rock, then a smaller one and then a smaller again until we could slide into the sea.

Ah, bliss!

The sun, glittering on the water like a million stars, the cool and refreshing sea, the sound of the water slapping against the rocks and …. just us.

It really is quite special. Why don't you try it sometime?

Going Chinese

Whilst La Palma is sometimes a surprising island, I have to admit this photo was not taken here. It was taken on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Why a picture of it on this blog I hear you say. Because that is where we were May/July.

If you have any questions re Hong Kong or indeed mainland China itself, please feel free to ask!

Acting the Goat

What is it about goats?

I remember the first time I saw a goat herd on the road in La Palma. We had to sit and wait in the car until they had all passed by. I was so excited, I pleaded for (and got) us to turn the car around and see them all over again.

I suppose it is just something you do not regularly see in the UK. But here in the area of Garafia in the north of La Palma, there are more goats than people and it is a regular treat to see them as they return home for their milking session.

Most people who live around here, deep in the countryside, are at least partly self-sufficient. Potatoes are the norm. In fact, potatoes are so synonymous with a meal, that it is common to say, ‘Your papas (potatoes) are ready,’ when in fact people really mean that the meal is ready which might not even contain potatoes. But potatoes really are the staple diet and they are eaten most days by the Palmerans. The two main methods of cooking are plain boiled or as papas arrugadas, which are part-boiled and part-steamed using plenty of sea salt. In fact you could be forgiven for thinking that the many little terraces with potatoes growing on them are for commercial purposes, but they are generally for personal and family consumption. No self-respecting Palmeran in the country would think to buy potatoes –and they are not usually available in the village shops anyway. And so even relatives who live in a flat in the city get to share in the harvest of the country.

For fruit and other vegetables, it very much depends on the altitude. Of course, orange trees abound and more exotic fruits such as papaya grown nearer to sea level. Avocados, plums, apples and figs are often found growing on deserted trees and are there for the picking. Truly a Garden of Eden! Palmerans are not great vegetable eaters but some of the favourites to grow are broad beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, onions and cabbage. Of course, orange trees abound

Like us, many people also keep chickens. They are easy and quite cheap to look after and provide wholesome fresh eggs. We do not eat the chickens themselves but the cockerels are quite sought after for the dinner table as they have less fat than the females.

Some people will keep a pig for food though this takes greater skill and commitment. The unwanted vegetables, scraps and leftovers are all boiled up every three days or so and fed to the pig. The pig kindly turns it all into pork which is highly regarded and after 3 to 4 months, he meets his fete. Kind recompense indeed for all his work. The farmer kills the pig, and along with a couple of neighbours, prepares it for eating. Then 20 to 50 friends, neighbours and family are invited to help eat at least half of it and the rest is kept for freezing. Because everyone shares in the country, the farmer can guarantee an invitation to share in someone else’s pig while he is waiting for his next piglet to put on weight.

Rabbit is another popular meat and they are either bred specifically for eating or wild ones are hunted. Many people in the north keep a couple of hunting dogs – rather like whippets – and on specified days which are allowed for hunting, set out to bag a couple to augment the meat supply.

It is not surprising then that goats top the list for the provision of food. With meat, milk and cheese, what look to me like cuteness on four legs are in fact more like meals on wheels.

Photo: Goats in Don Pedro, Garafia.

The balconies of Santa Cruz de La Palma

I love the balconies which iconically adorn so many of the houses and public buildings in the capital of the island. Some are simple in their design though none the less pretty for it while others seem needlessly ornate with their intricate wood carvings. Some are smartly varnished sturdy constructions while others are so dilapidated, they defy gravity as they age into mellow state of ‘not quite level anymore.’ Some are so tiny, you would have to operate a ticket system to take your turn at standing out there whilst others beg for large group gatherings to help fill their ample proportions. But all could tell a tale or two.

In fact, we can thank Andalusia for the balconies as it was migrants from that country who brought the style to La Palma. Later, the Portuguese had an influence on the designs and these ideas were then taken by the Palmerans to Venezuela and Cuba.

But the balconies were not simply there to adorn a building or to while away the time topping up the tan or doing the equivalent of the Daily Telegraph crossword. One of their main purposes was to keep an eye on movements at sea and to this end, some of the balconies are curiously fully enclosed with a small sliding peep-hole from where to watch – unwatched. . For it is from these balconies that there is an unhindered view to the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean. At one time they literally bordered the shores though nowadays, having reclaimed a section of land, there is a wide, mainly dual carriageway road and a car park in between. Maybe not an improvement in some eyes but it would certainly tend to stop most pirate ships dropping in for tea.

Knowing La Palma, you would not expect the curiosity to end there. Like any good tale, it has a mysterious thread which runs through it. For some reason best known to himself, King Felipe II took a dislike to balconies. Maybe he thought they put a chap at a disadvantage because you see, the balconies are actually at the back of the house. Therefore, on seeing a ship on the horizon that he didn’t want to see, this would leave the occupant ample time to pack, say a lengthy farewell to friends and family and bake a final loaf in the oven before fleeing out of the front door into the myriad of narrow streets. But whatever reason, the order was sent by ship that all balconies on La Palma and other Canary Islands should be torn down.

And the best bit of the story is that the ship, along with its order, never actually arrived here on La Palma.

Curious.