We weren’t planning to go to the Canary Islands, but after tension in the Middle East rose, our Semester at Sea ship was diverted from Morocco, docking instead for two glorious days in the Canary Islands.
It felt a bit like being back home in Hawaii, with jagged cliffs, green hills and gorgeous beaches. I figured that Tenerife would be over-touristy since it’s a hotspot for cruises, but it wasn’t at all. For the most part, we were really the only foreigners there, and I was pleasantly surprised at the slow pace of everything.
This volcanic island is full of black sand beaches, and on our first day there, we hopped on a local bus to Tananaga, a small part of the island about 45 minutes by bus away from the main city of Santa Cruz.
The bus cost 1 Euro, and rose high over the hills on a windy mountain road that was so beautiful, and so majestic, it took my breath away. At one point, we were over the clouds of the city, and all we could see were points of the mountain, sticking out above the cloud layer.
When we broke through the clouds, all you could see were little multi-colored houses dotting the green hillside, and turquoise ocean at the foot of it all. It’s probably the most scenic bus rides I’ve ever taken, and I’ve spent thousands of hours on buses in my time as a traveler (seriously, I’ve counted.)
Our time in Tananaga was fantastic. We hit the beach for a bit, but when the rain began we headed to a nearby restaurant to have a few beers and watch the surf. Inside, I found a table of older locals, playing classical Canary Island songs on 12-string guitars. Their voices were so beautiful, and the songs so full of emotion.
I walked over to them, and sat for a while and listened. Before I knew it, they invited me to sit down with them, and I spent the next 4 hours singing, dancing, drinking wine, and laughing with them at all that was lost in translation.
It was the first time in this trip that I had thought: Wow, I’m really traveling. Europe was such a whirlwind, an amazing one–but we were in a new country every week and it was so quick. Here, I had the chance to slow down and really enjoy, and have an authentic experience in which I was meeting new people who wanted nothing from me but the pleasure of my company.
It felt like home. They felt like family. We had such a great time, that when it was time for us to get on the bus, they came out and waved us goodbye.
I left feeling rejuvenated in a way I haven’t been in quite some time. And that, my friends, is how I fell in love with the Canary Islands.
I’m going to upload a video of one of their songs when we reach Cape Town tomorrow.. stay tuned!
