Flyin into the Fuertaventura. Sick!!!! I’m like this close to Africa!!!! It looks amazing and I can’t wait to get on the beach. Stepping off the plane I can immediately feel the warm air. We stayed at a place called Las Olas in Corralejo, which just by itself would be a sweet vacation, especially during prime season. The rooms are decent, definitely worth 30euro for six nights
Our neighbor from below is just some old guy and his wife who likes to party as well. He welcomes us with a pretty expensive and tasty red wine. Good start. We hit the beach within an hour of getting off the plane. I sat down to sangria and seafood paella on a beachside restaurant, which for some reason I kept calling papaya to the servers. So good, big portion, and so cheap compared to Dublin. I was full until late in the night. I really love paella. Its healthy, got to be easy to make, and looks cheap to make. I will say however, that a few nights later when we treated ourselves to a fine dining experience I tried some phenomenal paella that totally killed this, but I had paella and sangria everyday for lunch on the beach. Next up was a massage on the beach. Some little weird asian lady was roaming around giving cheap massages and you can bargain with everyone anyway so I got a 45 minute massage for 10euro on the beach. It was pretty decent as well, though everyone laughed at me for getting it. I would bet it was kinda awkward to be around.
Speaking of awkward, these were definitely clothing optional beaches. Seriously though, I got used to dealing with naked old men quick, and it was alright because there were plenty of more attractive naked things all around. But that just wasn’t a big deal either. So on the whole I am for the freedom to be nude on beaches. If you want to, then you ought to be able to.
The beaches we stayed on for most of the trip were within 5-10 minutes walk of our place and were developed, so it was very convenient and easy to relax. The waters were super clear, the beaches a nice pure sand though there were sections of volcanic seaside which were cool to look at. Directly off the beaches is a cute volcanic isle called Isle de Lobos so the whole setting is just super picturesque for a tropical paradise. We essentially went to Europe’s Hawaii. Just more deserty and less tropical. Waves were great on some beaches, and calm waters were elsewhere.
It’s Spanish owned so at night we behaved as Spaniards and stayed up til the sunrose all but one night. I should say I did, not we. For some reason four of the group were on and off sick the whole time which sucked for them, and only five of us really went hard the whole time. We all went our own ways at times too so the stories are great. There are no rules on this Island. I mean there are, but you can do whatever you want and I will just say that what happened in the Canaries will stay on the Canaries.
Favorite vacation drinks. Maspalomas Sunrise (a totally fruity and embarrassing drink- a splurge at a nice pool bar), Super Coronas (how did I not know about these), and San Miguel (the best cheap beer ever). But at all the clubs there were free tasty shots and cocktail being handed out. I don’t know how these places turn a profit because I paid for like 3 drinks the whole time I was there outside of preparties, and we did damage all night.
Nightlife generally went as follows: party at Las Olas until midnight, got to this giant building of bars and karaoke places til 2 or 2:30, then go down to Waikiki club til morning and see what adventures you get roped into while hanging around down there and on the beach. Wake up at say 11 the next day, go the beach, eat, pass out, play in the water, pass out happy hour, eat, go back to the pool, nap, eat, start hanging out again. It was cool.
Snorkeling was great except because I went with the group, I didn’t get to stay as long as I would have liked, or paid for. Saw huge anemones, lots of tropical fish, and uglier fish, saw a lizard fish snatch a smaller fish, and the coolest part was seeing an octopus. I should have touched it. It looked big, like at least 2 meters. I decided it might grab me, thereby ending my life, but it probably just would have inked and gone. Anyway, I swam down til I was within like 2 feet of it, and no one else did, so I guess I’m cool like that. We had a good bit of fun with a sea cucumber, and just kinda enjoyed the clear waters and the reef. It was cool passing over the reef into the deeper parts, and just laying on top of the water looking at the mountains, sandstorms, sun, and waves.
I already miss the place, the freshness, the people, the weather. Man, I could get used to that. How cool would it be to retire there and open up a restaurant or rent out a space just to supplement your income. Got me thinking. I’m finding that my time abroad, although really just this year in general (which has been a heck of a ride with plenty of new experiences), is most of all clarifying for me what I want to get out of life. I still feel pretty vague about some things, but goals are forming, which is nice because I have just been wandering aimlessly since getting to college and my outlook is changing too, and its more relaxed.
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