sunset over Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Just Can’t Get Enough

Monday November 17, 2014

sunset over Playa Papagayo

That’s right, we’re back in Playa Papagayo. We just can’t seem to get enough of this place. When the swells at Los Lobos started to become a little too unbearable, coupled with the fact that we knew we’d need to go grocery shopping in the next few days, we couldn’t think of any place we’d rather be. Well, we would like to be on our way to Gran Canaria, but not until the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers departs, because I am not ready to deal with that kind of crazyness right now.

Unfortunately the swells we were trying to escape just five miles away aren’t a whole bunch better in this spot as the winds have been lightly blowing from the south and the west where we’re completely exposed to them. There hasn’t been any seasickness on board though, and I’m taking it as a challenge as to what’s coming in the next few weeks. I know I won’t be lucky enough to experience two completely calm crossings in a row. But if I can just get used to some light rocking back and forth then I might be ok. The funny thing is I seem to be handling them better than Matt half the time. My succubus powers must be increasing.

Most of our afternoons and evenings have been spent in the cockpit just enjoying the fresh air around us. It still doesn’t cease to amaze me how much I can not get enough of this simple act after spending three months in marinas where A.) There was nothing much to view from that spot; B.) It was too cold and/or rainy; and C.) There were so many cruise ship tourist wandering past our boat that I felt like an animal on display at a zoo if I were to venture outside the cabin where they could see me. But this….sigh…this has been heaven. And the views here are unimaginable. Especially the sunsets reflecting on the mountains and rocks.

During our al fresco wine-fest each evening, Matt would partake in his favorite act of taking out the binocs and watching ‘the show’ on shore. The show that we’ve noticed from our first time here happens every single night without fail. Some girl and her boyfriend will come to one of the coves in the mid to late afternoon and do the usual lounging and swimming activities that we did ourselves. But as the crowd begins to thin as others make their way back to their hotels to clean themselves up before going out to dinner, the girl will slowly become more confident and have her boyfriend begin photographing her in this picturesque landscape. It usually starts with her just standing on the beach or maybe wading into the water with the basic hands on the hip pose.

But, as the crowds disperse even further, the girl always gets more brazen. The poses become maybe a little silly. Cartwheels and handstands. Then once they are the only ones left in the cove they become sexy, laying and rolling in the sand as they both assume there is no one left to see them. I swear this goes on every single night and we’ve actually begun taking bets in the late afternoon of which couple will be the one performing the photo shoot in a few hours. Somehow I always seem to loose this bet. I guess Matt has a talent for seeking out hidden brazenness in girls and the boys having fun with apparently the best sex pills as everyone was having a great time afterwards.

We’ve been extremely enjoying our time here and have no reason to leave anytime soon. It is sad that we might have to miss out on a few of the far west Canary Islands since they seem to share landscapes that are closest to the Azores, but we’ve heard anchorages are almost impossible to find over there and we have a good thing going at the moment. Besides, as Matt likes to keep telling me, as soon as the new boat is up and ready to go we’ll be right back to the Azores on our way up to the Baltic Sea. I’ll let him keep dreaming just a little longer.

drinking wine with Georgie

Matt with his binocs

Georgie in the sunset

sunset over Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

sunset over Serendipity

dusk at Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

Sagres beer & beach

R&R in Playa Papagayo

Tuesday November 4, 2014

Papagayo Peninsula, Lanzarote

As if spending three days fully relaxing at Playa Francecsa after we’d just made our way over from Madeira wasn’t enough, we’ve been doing nothing more but the same ever since we arrived here in Playa Papagayo.  Unless you count forcing yourself off the boat to lounge in sandy coves with sparkling seas in front of you hard work.  Oh, and there was that one trip into Playa Blanca for exploring, a lunch out, and internet.

Our first full day in the Peninsula it was a little overcast, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to get out to do a little exploring.  Not that there seemed to be much more than just sand and a few rocks to the untrained eye, but according to the Canaries guidebook that our dear friends on Skebenga bequeathed us, there was a very popular and eye catching cove at the southern end of the point.  It seemed as if everyone visiting this island had the same guidebook I did since even though it was a bit out of the way, the beach was crowded and the one restaurant overlooking had every table full.

The cove itself was beautiful with emerald green waters dotted with rocks and coral, sporting the random head and bum of someone snorkeling through it.  The somewhat hazy sky did dampen my perfect shots a little though, and after making Matt stand on a rock at the top for 25 minutes waiting for the sun to come back out so I could get that perfect guidebook worth shot of the cove, I relented and we walked back to the dinghy and scouted a place to head back the next day with beach supplies in tow.

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Getting fully back into beach mode we spent the next few days tucked into one of three coves along the coast.  Although they seem inacessable, we’d still find small crowds of Brits and Spaniards that would either take the death defying (ok, not really) hike down from the top of the cliffs, or wait for low tide and stroll over the exposed and flattened rocks.  It was still more secluded and much cooler looking than the main beach though, so every day we’d load up the dinghy with our sport-a-seats and a cooler full of beer and snacks, and land ourselves there for a few hours of lounging.

Even though I should be promoting good skin care by Bellamianta and staying out of the sun as much as possible, I completely spent a few days drinking in as much as possible.  There are few things I love more than the feel of a warm sun on bare skin, and seeing as how we hadn’t had a beach in front of us in months and being covered in clouds for the latter part of our time in Portugal, I figured I could sacrifice a few days.  Slathered in SPF 30 from head to toe.

After the third day of doing nothing but soaking up sun and Portuguese beers, we decided to do a little wandering to the main beach to see what we could find.  Turns out, it was all people fully eligible for retirement that could not be coaxed into wearing a stitch of clothing.  Masses of them engulfed the sands as they could not be persuaded to sit still; strolling, swimming, and bending over all over the place.  It was kind of cute, really.  The way they ran into the water with all the enthusiasm of a four year old child who was just told they were allowed to have cupcakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.   These silverhairs were camped on the beach with cups full of beer, a sun high in the sky, and good friends surrounding.  It was kind of like watching MTV Beach House: The Golden Years.

At the far end of the beach, after we’d passed the gauntlet of saggy skinemax, we were rewarded with a relatively easy climb to the tops of one of the cliffs which afforded rapturous views of the anchorage and beach below.  The wind up there was something else though, and Matt was literally worried that I’d blow away.  Trust me, it’s one place you do not want to take a spill.

I wish I could have included more photos of this area as it was so stunning, but it was also really hard to get any shots without  any T&W (ta-ta’s and wang).  So just take my word when I tell you it’s a place not to miss on your trip through the Canaries.  Unless you can’t handle ta-ta’s and wang.

Papagaya Peninsula, Lanzarote

Sagres beer & beach

Papagayo Peninsula, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Matt & Jessica on Lanzarote

 When we finally dragged ourselves back to the ‘Dip in the late afternoon we wallowed in lazy time including naps, matinees, and many snacks.  When the sun started to go down we’d take our seats in the cockpit to watch the show, all the while helping to empty the 5L box of white wine we purchased in Portugal.

I know, cry for us all you want, we lead such a ‘tough’ life, but I think our time here is exactly what we needed.  A return to our type of cruising filled with swaying on the hook, days full of sun & sand, and nights full of starry skies.

sunset over Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

georgie

11.4.14 (7)

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Sunday Sandstorm

Sunday November 2, 2014

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

There seems to be an odd sensation with the weather here in the Papagayo Peninsula where, even though every afternoon and evening is sunny and picturesque, almost every single morning has brought something resembling the apocalypse on the horizon. This desert landscape can look menacing enough on it’s own at times, barren and jagged and desolate. The setting sun can also make it look as something out of a daydream, perfect burnt oranges and reds creating a smouldering fire of boulders and mountain peaks. These mornings however, make our little 34 ft boat look as if it’s going to be swallowed whole by the enormous clouds that gather in the distance and edge closer.

Our second morning here I was up with the sun, which is quite an odd occurrence in our house boathold. Giving in to Georgie’s whines and mews as she stared at the plexiglass keeping her from observing these new and strange surroundings, I decided to join her for some fresh air and to try and keep myself from making too much noise down below and disturbing Matt while he still slept.

The scene to the east where the sun was making it’s way over the cliffs seemed normal enough, but then turning my head toward Playa Blanca in the opposite direction, massive clouds swallowed the sky. Very beautifully though. Bright oranges and yellows reflected off them as the sun was still shining in it’s full glory just above the horizon.  For a few minutes I sat up on deck trying to watch the direction these monsters were headed and wondering what kind of destruction they could hold for Serendipity if they came our way.

Staring for a good long while I noticed they should be moving away from us and I could fully enjoy watching the destruction they might cause elsewhere since it would no longer involve me.  The clouds that had looked like they were going to stomp down on the land and leave Lanzarote’s mountains and volcanoes flat eventually spread out just as the sun was rising high enough to meet them in the sky.  A large and sprawling rainbow began to form in the spaces between gray and blue in the sky and left me stunned for a good thirty minutes until it disappeared.

storm clouds over Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

Georgie in Playa Papagayo

rainbow over Playa Papagaya, Lanzarote

Georgie & rainbow

rainbow over Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

This morning however, it was the strong and powerful winds that got me out of bed with the sunrise instead of Georgie.  Since Matt still had not stirred yet I went outside to check everything out and see if it was one of those things where I could quickly join him back in bed.  It was not.

The winds on the water looked just as fierce as they sounded and after turning on our instruments I saw they were holding in the low 30’s and gusting up to 40.  On top of the winds, sitting just above the highest peak in the Papagayo Peninsula was a black mass that was definitely headed our way this time.  The colors of it all were so strange, not like the storms we’re used to, and I didn’t know what that meant for us.  Rain?  Tornado?  Voldemort?

As I watched the darkness grow closer and closer I kept waiting for the worst part of it to hit us, watching it come over the water and striking the boats in front of us.  Except, when it did get to us, nothing changed.  There was no rain, no increased wind, just a little decrease in visibility.  It took me a few minutes to figure out, but then it finally hit me.  A sandstorm!  Duh, I knew Lanzarote had them, I’d just read about it on Bumfuzzle’s account of their time on the island.  (It’s how I find out important information like they have a KFC)

Even though Matt would be much more upset about these tiny red particles of dust hitting us than a thunderstorm, or possibly even Voldemort since he would at least be kind enough to only leave wizard’s bodies in his wake which are easy enough just to roll overboard, I watched in astonishment as this sand rained down in the distance and illuminated hazy rainbows on the water.  Don’t worry Matt, I’m sure whatever threatening weather tomorrow morning holds will wash away all the dust.

sandstorm over Lanzarote, Canary Islands

sandstorm over Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

rainbow in a sandstorm