Going to Market - Puntagorda Mercadillo

You know how it is when you go back to a place that you haven't visited for ages? It looks so much smaller and less interesting than how you remember it from last time. That's the theory anyway!
But maybe it doesn't quite work like that when you are an adult, well at least that what we found when we re-visited the weekend market at Puntagorda on the west side of La Palma.

It must be a good few years since we went to the market - enticed out of our lair in the north of La Palma by the suggestion of a picnic at nearby El Fayal, one of the several lovely recreation areas on La Palma set in a wooded area.

The picnic was great of course and a good chance to meet up with friends in a beautiful setting. At the moment, because it is so dry in the wooded area, BBQ's are not allowed but that's no excuse not to have a picnic.
The market just across the road looked quite busy with people coming and going - those going were laden with all manner of goodies - and once inside, we were pleasantly surprised at the number of stalls. Clearly in our absence, the market has become much more popular and with many more stalls.

I'm quite into handicrafts at the moment so made a bee-line for hand-made jewellery. If you like leather friendship bracelets, bags, purses and even sandals then you will indeed be spoilt for choice. But my eye was firmly on the bracelets and necklaces made from dragon tree seeds. In fact I recently bought a bracelet made from dragon trees while I was on a quick hop over to Fuerteventura and since we have many dragon trees on the finca which are in flower, it's been my ambition ever since to make one myself. My attempts at drying the seeds weren't at all successful so whilst I didn't buy any bracelets at the market, I was really pleased to see loose seeds on sale. So that's me occupied for the next few evenings!

Also on offer were other handicrafts - La Palma T-shirts, a stand with everything made in felt - hats, bags, baby shoes, waistcoats, all in sunny colours.

Ceramics too, lovely paper craft - bookmarks and pretty little cards - silvercraft and a stand with ornaments made from driftwood. There's a thought for the various bits of driftwood we find at the beach below us!

I was also hoping to buy some nice fresh veg and it's good to know that you can buy fresh produce on a weekend when most of the shops are closed. The fact that it is all grown locally certainly adds to the feel good factor and the choice and quality was excellent. Also rather interestingly, the produce is given to you in a brown paper bag, just like in the old days!

For those that want to get a head start in the vegetable garden, then this is where it all happens with lots of plants on offer - courgettes, lettuces, beans, tomatoes, cauliflower and peppers to name but a few.
Also other plants for the garden and house including aloe vera plants.

Apart from the fruit and veg stalls there are also lots of other edibles - local cheeses either smoked or semi-cured, great big fat cakes just begging to be eaten (quite a queue at that stand I can tell you!), black and green olives sat in half barrels and even meat on sale too. That will be exceptionally useful when BBQ's are allowed at the recreation area again.

Just one last thing to complete the purchases. Made on La Palma from a La Palma produce - wine. Cheers!

Chilling out at La Laguna de Barlovento

La Palma is known amongst those 'in the know' as one of the most mountainous islands in the world for its size. But what even those 'in the know' don't always know is that there are some really interesting flat areas too - and that really is worth knowing!
Yes it's true; there are flat areas on La Palma, not just for walking but also for recreation. And since La Palma takes its recreation very seriously, there are quite a few dotted about the island.
One of the flatest however lies a little way out of the town of Barlovento in the north east of La Palma. Slightly deceptively named 'La Laguna de Barlovento' and easy to spot on the map with what appears to be a large lake, the apparent lake is in fact a water reservoir formed from what was a crater. One of the largest in the Canaries with a capacity of 5.000.000 m³ of water, it is sadly non-operational at the moment due to a ruputure last year of mammoth proportions (in fact, more the size of a large bus than a mammoth).

However, don't despair entirely as there is water at La Laguna de Barlovento in the form of an attractive duck pond. With various breeds of ducks, very often along with their ducklings, there are also geese that wander about the area of the pond and spend what looks like a very happy time in the shady, marshy parts under trees. 

In fact, this large park has many hidden assets and a gentle stroll around will lead you through wooded paths to a few surprises. One of my favourites has got to be the bbq's - individual brick-built affairs complete with bbq, sink, table and benches. Firewood is supplied so best stop off at the Spar supermarket just down the road in Barlovento for a few burgers, buns and firelighters and you're all set. A bbq-roasted courgette topped with goat's cheese and La Palma mojo sauce is a great alternative too, not just for vegetarians :) so don't miss out on this outdoor treat. There is a charge of a few euros for the facility so do call in at the warden's office on the way through to let them know you are there and to pay your dues.
Apart from this being a particularly flat area, it is also quite high and often cool which can be another benefit for those who don't like full on heat. For this reason, it is a popular area at weekends for Palmerans who enjoy the open space and the sometimes cooler weather. The largest bbq buildings do get booked ahead but there are usually plenty of the smaller ones still available.

Another great experience at La Laguna is the camping and this might just be for fun, for those walking the GR130 La Palma Camino Real or for anyone wanting to keep the holiday costs low (or a mixture of all three of those things).  You'll either need to bring your own tent or you can hire one of the cabins. The cost is 4.50€ per week day per tent or 9€ per Saturday and Sundays. Be warned though, the end of July and right through August tend to be rather overtaken by large groups singing Ging, Gang, Gooley Spanish style with various Summer Camps. But other than that, you can enjoy the tranquillity of the area. For those camping, there are also free-to-use solar powered showers - the water is generally hot, hot, hot and great after a day of walking or exploring the area. Also, there is an excellent restaurant on site, Las Goteras which is great for a snack or full meal with meat cooked over a log fire.
Another little known facility of La Laguna is the adventure park. It was closed for a short time for maintenance but has re-opened again under the management of Ekalis, a company run by young Palmerans and is an alterntaive type of recreation for tourists and other visitors alike. It is open every weekend and during the week by appointment. To book, ring 922444517 or email ekalis@ekalis.com

For more news around La Palma and what's happening on the finca here in Franceses, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter here: Newsletter

Cooling off in the north of La Palma

This year we have had the driest winter and spring that people can remember - great for those on holiday on La Palma, but not so great for the farmers or those with small-holdings and even just gardens. Along with the lack of rain, these past few months have been hot, hot, hot, or so it seems.
Luckily though, we are fortunate on La Palma to have natural fresh water springs that provide crystal clear water all year round and this is what we use on the land.  For the 'hot, hot, hot' element, we can also use a natural and plentiful water supply - the sea.

 Just below us here at the finca in Franceses lies the old port and beach of La Fajana de Garafia.  Once the most important port across the whole of the north coast, it is now mainly laid to banana plantations which are transported by a road which wends its way up to Franceses and then eventually to the main port of Santa Cruz de La Palma.
In the other bay to the port though is a secluded beach - usually a mixture of sandy and rocky stretches but at the moment, one glorious stretch of sand.  Even if it's not for an actual swim, it's still a good chance to cool off with the help of the mighty Atlantic.

Another favourite of ours are the sea pools at La Fajana de Barlovento which lie halfway between Barlovento and Los Sauces. They are a great place for a swim with three pools in addition to changing facilities and a couple of restaurants.  With lots of colourful fish in the water, they are also really interesting when snorkeling plus a very good place to swim for anybody who is a little less sure of themselves in the water. Here's our blog post about it, Keeping your Hat On.
Other sea pools nearby are at Charco Azul, by San Andres, Los Sauces. Again, great for anyone who is not so water-confident but also great fun for anyone to cool off and have a bit of a swim at the same time. Plus, there is a waterfall in one corner with water crashing into the pool - a bit of a power shower and head massage all at the same time!  This is the blog post we wrote last year about it - Charco Azul, the Blue Lagoon.

For those who love to get in the sea, there is also a bay just by Charco Azul.  The water can be turquoise and it is so tempting, it's difficult to resist!  It's fantastic for snorkeling with lots of fish and even a swim through - hold your breath and dive under a rock archway and pop up the other side.

However, there is a new beach on the block, so to speak, at Puerto Espindola near to San Andres.  It's an excellent sandy beach with an easy entry and exit and you can park the car just by the edge of the beach. There are no changing facilites but there is the excellent restaurant Meson del Mar for a post-swim freshen up and lunch.

Just recently with family staying and a complete day off, we had the great enjoyment of swimming in three different locations on the same day - La Fajana de Barlovento then Charco Azul and finally topped off with a swim at Puerto Espindola.  That's hard to beat for a lot of fun - and cooling off big style!

A thorn by any other name

Walking through the village of Franceses today, it was great to see all the tunos, or prickly pear as some people call them, out in flower. Red, pink, orange, peach and yellows - a whole array of sunny colours.

So how can something so pretty and innocent looking be mounted on an armed weapon such as the cactus?  Innocent looking enough but touch one at your peril - they are covered in spines, the majority of which are so fine as to be practically invisible. Added to which they act like folding anchors so that they pierce and enter the skin with remarkable ease but refuse to come out again until days later by which time they have done their utmost to irritate and annoy. Oh, and hurt a bit too.

However the fruit of the cactus, the tuno, is a delicious fruit and Palmerans from the country are adept at picking them with a couple of random twigs, using them like chopsticks. Or alternatively, there are purpose-made sticks rather like long tongs which are sold in the hardware shops for the very purpose.  At least then you can reach into the clusters of cactus, standing at what is hopefully a safe distance.
But of course as always, what is one man's poison is another man's meat which means that whilst we might not exactly enjoy direct contact with cacti, for something else it's their idea of heaven, and those little follows are the cochineal.
Most people will associate cochineal as a red food colouring but in fact it is an insect which lives on cactus.

A bit of a surprise then to see that the cochineal on the cactus look white as if it has been covered in talcum powder.  That's just their way of protecting themselves from drying out or excessive sun and is in fact a waxy substance.  It doesn't however protect them from their predators - man.

Whilst the cochineal dye, carmine, is used for the colouring of garments and food, it really does take an awful lot of them to produce any substantial amount - about 150,000 insects are needed to make one kilo. Understandable then that synthetic dyes became popular, that is until people became concerned about artificial food colourings and now there is a resurgence into the production of natural dyes.  In  2005 the Canary Islands produced 20 tonnes of cochineal dye - so it's not just bananas that come from la Palma!