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Published: January 29th 2010
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We arrived the next day in Lanzarote with no problems and soon were being shown around our new abode in Costa Teguise. The apartment was lovely and spacious with a view of the sea and a pool. We threw our clothes into the wardrobe and headed out to explore picturesque Costa Teguise and sample some traditional Canarian hospitality. Well traditional Canarian hospitality consists of Sky TV, English Breakfasts and Beer. So not all bad, especially when the beer is 1.50 euros from our local bar where our two Canarian hosts (from Bradford originally) kept us up to date with movies. What was harder to find was a decent coffee. We tried the many English bars who quite clearly had only the vaguest notion of what the coffee machine was for and spent quite a while trying to work where to put the nescafe! It turns out the only decent coffee in town is also the cheapest at the cake shop attached to the supermarket. And so we whiled away our time sipping coffee by the road watching people loaded up with carrier bags of groceries wander by.
We couldn't spend all our time at the supermarket so off we went
on foot to the islands capital - Arricife. After 10 hours in the searing heat John agreed I could stop for a coffee. In the distance loomed that temple of good taste IKEA and so a coffee. Unfortunately in order to get to the coffee shop we had to walk around a floor of showrooms selling Billy's, Snagpos and many other useful furniture requirements for a 3x2 flat.
A big bonus is that car hire is dirt cheap and so after a week or two's research we found a bargain and got ourselves a car; well a tin box on shopping trolley wheels would be a better description, but that's a French car for you. Our first trip was to explore the west coast which is wet and wild. The beach at Famara is windswept with majestic views of the volcanic cliffs all coated in a sea fret. This is surfer paradise and far more youthful and svelte like creatures than us leapt into the surf and immediately fell over. We thought it best not to try. Further along a La Santa is where the real surfers go and certainly it was impressive to see the waves crashing onto the shore line as surfers dotted the skyline.
Well this is all very well I hear you say but what about that free beer. This does require some work, but free beer awaits. All you need to do is enter a quiz and as long as the questions aren't all about sport you win. Our prize, 30 euros of beer, which we shared around. Our only word of caution is not to let the drunk at the bar persuade you that your well thought out answers are wrong and that the answer is really John Terry (whoever he may be).
In order that we did not become too bored, friends and relatives rather rashly decided to join us. Each we managed to put under a test of their strength and willpower. Nearly drowning two and giving the worst Xmas ever to another. Just so that they didn't feel cheated John grazed himself on the volcano walk whilst Ray managed to fall off his mountain bike. The lanscape here is hard there's no soft green meadows just vast amounts of jagged laval rock. What we did discover was that despite our apprehensions we did enjoy Lanzarote. This may have something to do with the discovery of a nudist colony where the swimming was outstanding (amongst other things!) and mountain biking routes. Indeed it has become a bit of an adventure sports ground and hosts one of the toughest Iron Man contests. A 2.5km swim from an offshore Island followed by a 180km cycle ride up and down the volcanic landscape and if that wasn't enough they then run a marathon. If anyone is interested to have a go drop us a line and we'll get you the application form and arrange for a doctor!
Our time was up and so to the airport to return to good old blighty. Well that's what we thought until you got the wrong type of snow back there and the UK was shut! Our flight was cancelled (yeh thanks Easyjet - where's our money) and so to Monarch who promptly on our arrival at the airport also cancelled. A frantic search and Ryanair got us a flight to Bristol for a mere years wages in cash and no questions asked. Blimey Bristol was cold but we made it back just in time to London to meet up with a friend and stay up all night clubbing (cheers C). London was cold but we had a great time and even made the boat show. We are back dreaming of yachts and so caught a flight to Mumbai and the forlorn hope of saving enough for a 30 year old Sadler 34.
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Damian
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Thanks for the nudist beach images! *shivers*