Tenerife

February 13, 2007

We just returned from five blissful days on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Geninha, Filinto, Lipe, Susana, Duarte, Marcos, Jenna and I all flew on a chartered jet to the island just off the coast of Africa last Wednesday night. Waking the first morning, we had no idea what to expect as all we could see during the drive to our hotel the night before were lights from the stores and streets surrounding us. Pulling back the curtains, we saw a glimpse of what the next 5 days would hold for us. Sunshine poured into the room. Outside was a lush green landscape filled with palm trees, tropical plants and banana trees. In the distance was the snow-covered peak of the volcano “Teide”. To our left, we could see a broad expanse of blue ocean inviting us for a visit before breakfast.

Happy to wear shorts and sandals after months of winter, we walked the short distance for a quick peak at the beach. Because this is a volcanic island, there was a black sand beach, remnants from the volcano that last erupted in 1909. The water was cold and clear. Even in the early morning hours, we could already feel the hot sun touching our pale skin.

It took a couple of days to get into synch with the whole family. Lipe and Susana are young. They like to stay up late and sleep late. Geninha and Filinto are older and they like to go to bed early. We have the kids so everything is more complicated. Even with two youngsters in tow, we were always waiting in the lobby 15-20 minutes after our agreed-upon meeting time because someone was late for some odd reason. Fortunately, we did figure out how to work together and by the third day, we were all meeting for meals at the same time, sharing ideas that worked for everyone and hopping in the van together for a full day of fun.

The places we visited were incredible. Lipe had visited Tenerife two times prior to this visit because he is a paraglider. Tenerife is famous for its strong thermals which are necessary for long flights. Because of Lipe’s easy navigation, we were able to find beautiful places off of the beaten path. We enjoyed two days at a white sand beach (the sand was brought in from the Sahara desert) at the base of the volcano. The beach was protected with a large rock barrier in the ocean that kept the waves from disturbing the swimming area. We had a calm place to swim, lots of sunshine and sand for Marcos and Jenna to dig in and cafés right on the beach for snacks when we were hungry. Each day, we would leave sandy, salty and happy.

Nightlife is excellent in Tenerife. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed any kind of nightlife, so the experience was that much better. Geninha and Filinto were not interested in going out after dinner, so each night they would stay with the kids. Yeah!! In Spain, dinner is served around 9:00pm, so the discos didn’t pick up until around midnight. In the interim time between dinner and dancing, we would frequent a cozy little bar called “Budha Pequena” (small budha). It had comfy couches around coffee tables and lots of candlelit corners for us to enjoy good conversation. Susana and I liked to order mojitos or sangria. Lipe always ordered whiskey. Duarte went for the caiperinhas. After a drink at little budha, we would stroll through the town center, which had a large playground that was crawling with kids even at the late hour of 11:00pm. Lots of live music erupted from the open cafés surrounding the square providing entertainment for the people enjoying the warm night air and a late night coffee or drink. After our walk, we hopped from one bar or disco or salsa dancing place to another throughout the night. We would return to our hotel around 2:00am after an exuberant night of dancing, laughing, drinking and fun. Lipe and Susana usually stayed out later than us because they didn’t have the 6:00am rooster-like child that we had to look forward to each day.

One day we went to the “playa de las Americas” (the beach of the Americas). This beach was as far south on the island as we could go. The drive was curvy and uncomfortable. We had to stop too many times due to carsickness. But once we arrived, we found an incredible beach. It was filled with tourists from everywhere who were also basking in the warm sun with there pale bodies. The mix of people ranged from young, partying college students to elderly couples. This beach was excellent because it had a rock barrier that allowed one big wave to roll into the cove at a time. This was perfect for body surfing – which is just what we did for most of the afternoon.

Marcos’ favorite thing to do on the beach was to make a big monster truck out of sand. With the help of his grandfather, father and uncle they built monster truck seats deep into the sand. The truck had a front seat, a back seat, spare tire, windshield and dashboard. With sand toys they created a steering wheel, gear shift and rearview mirrors. After the truck was completed, we would all jump in while Marcos drove. Lipe would sing while the rest of us leaned to the left and leaned to the right pretending to moving with the places Marcos was taking us. Once again, we attracted a great deal of attention on the beach. It was so much fun.

Tenerife was good for me. Sunshine always makes me feel good but there was something else that I gained from the experience. Being in a touristy location allowed me the opportunity to live as I am accustomed to living. For the first time in 6 weeks, I wasn’t different, nor did I stand out and I was able to speak English to people. Because we were in Spain, a place that was different even for Duarte, I was able to be a part of decisions and plans as we were discovering a new place together. Have a better grasp on life for even a few days gave me perspective on my state of being in Portugal. Though we had been living the dream life in Portugal, I had been feeling irritable and not all together happy. I think I now know why… as someone who values independence and the ability to lead and to make things happen in my life, I had been living in a place so entirely different that I wouldn’t allow my true self to emerge. Through my own coping techniques, I was coasting rather than grounding myself. Now with this new perspective, I am determined to live more deliberately being careful not to let my spirit be caged. I started Portuguese lessons on Tuesday and already I feel like I have more autonomy. It’s exciting! I think this experience will only get better from here.