My goodness, how long ago was that? 2012 we had been the last time on "our island" La Gomera, always times we wanted to go back, never managed, although we were there in the past partly twice a year.
But now there was no stopping us, all other vacation plans flew overboard in a fraction of a second, we had to go there, no matter what the cost. And it didn't matter that the geocache density there is not that high, it has to be "OUR ISLAND".
Oh dear, what are these prices? Anyway, what must be done must be done!
And so we have booked expensive flights to Tenerife South, ordered a moderately expensive car and refreshed 11-year-old acquaintances to find a reasonably tolerable apartment - all Paletti, has worked, the vacation is clear, at the end of April's start.
Months later
Today the alarm clock rings at 3 o'clock in the morning, of course I had ordered the earliest possible outbound and the latest possible return flights, with the long journey you can not fritter away time. And today it actually went quite quickly, instead of the usual 15 hours journey to the apartment, it was today "only" 13, madness! And that, although our flight started with an hour delay, for whatever reason.
Almost 17 o'clock, briefly unpacked and then still fast by "La Playa", look, which changed so.
It is the 29th of April 2023, first day of vacation, weather top, we are then but a little flat. So still briefly by "La Playa", look, where there is still something to eat. Then we only got the "La Avenida", where the food was not bad, but the waiter/waiter/waitress probably had his crass inattention day. When then the bill after three times request still did not come, Silvi is times without further ado to go up. There it became correctly brisk!
The next morning, dream weather!!! Still flattened, we have made ourselves with the rental car on the way to collect one or the other cache here in the valley, not to forget the LAB, "Valle Gran Rey and its beaches". But also a few Tradis had to believe it, two of them were then but a little challenge,"La Hoya / Die Grube"because it went up in sandals but quite crisp and "El círculo de piedras"because I almost ran a blister in sandals again - sand, sweat, stockingless was not a good idea.
Monday, Monday ....
Today is the first "island tour" planned, let's see what the rental car gives so. Actually, it should go in the direction of National Park and "Laguna Grande", but somehow I have the plan then but already overturned on the way!
On the way at the "Mirador del queso" tried, but stupidly we had forgotten that also in Spain the 1st of May is a special day, nix with peace and solitude, tons of cars and motorcycles on the road, no chance to search and log in peace. So further, therefore also the change of plan.
And so it went then in Arure not "straight on", but we have made the detour to the right, El Cercado, Chipude, La Dama to La Rajita. To whom this means nothing, in "La Dama" there are huge banana plantations, "La Rajita" is an old abandoned fish factory, which I always wanted to see. At that time, with the boat, it did not work, but with the car no problem, is anyway an automatic, which drives by itself up and down there.
Unfortunately, the cache that we found in "La Rajita" wanted to take, for us untraceable, an hour of searching at three possible places, then was good. 11 km there and 11 km back for nothing, also an experience.
Oh yes, on the way there we already had bad luck in Chipude, once muggle siege of the cache location, once unsuccessful search in an obvious place, nothing. And on the way back it wasn't any better, but Chipude is on the way, so we'll pass it again.
But then we were able to collect an OC cache that has not been logged for almost exactly four years, "Old Road (La Gomera)", directly behind the second tunnel, if you come from above. One stop, backwards in, there must be no one behind you through the tunnel. But we had already sounded out on the outward journey. On the way out, I had the Guardia Civil at the rear! Nothing happened, no interest in us!
Everything is new in May ....
But not today, today was lazy day. On the one hand, we went for a walk in the valley a bit, have fed us in our favorite heladeria and were not food, but have cooked yourself.
Speaking of food, currently the offer is quite limited, many restaurants are closed, others ..... but more on that later.
Today the week is divided, the quarter is full
The plan this time is clear and will not be overturned! Clockwise around the - fitting for the day - quarter island, Vallehermoso was the goal. Of course with various caches, which were not necessarily on the direct way. I say only "Fisch-Fish-Pescado",
once again such a cache, lonely located, for which you drive 12 km there and the same distance back again - my CO2 print greets. But what a stretch!
Despite many years Gomera I was here never, The name Alojera was familiar to me, but no, soas Geiles I have not seen. Also as "Ökosau" I must say it was worth it. On the way we have then found one or the other cache, solved two Earthcaches, refreshed memories at the Castillo de Mar and then made us across the island again on the way back.
Unfortunately, we have to go back to Vallehermoso, because we could not find the multi, because we had built a mistake into the solution, but no problem, from there it should go anyway' further direction Hermigua.
The following day was lazy day, we stayed in the Valle, more precisely in La Playa, Silvi has poured in the evening at the Italian times properly. And at noon it has then cracked in the place quite violently, something must have happened. The day before yesterday we went to eat again, we wanted to test the "Trasmallo". It was also really good, we will definitely go here again. That had itself then in this afternoon! Is but actually a Tourista with her rental car with momentum from the opposite Braschenparkplatz on the road, has got grip there and is straight into the "Trasmallo" rushed, here is no longer eaten in this vacation, the complete outside scrap. Fortunately nothing worse happened.
On Friday we had our event, we were not at all sure if it could take place as planned, because in advance we had discussed that we wanted to be instead of the beach wall in the Heladeria, but it had closed the last two days. But fortunately everything was open again on Friday, we were able to reserve a table for five, everything was in the green.
Actually, I had not thought that all registered would come, but punctually at 18:30 the seats filled up, two of the registered even came with family.
And as it often happens, when it is pleasant, the planned hour became much more and after more than two hours we parted ways, not without having exchanged contacts and having arranged the tour on the "La Merica" with Agnes. It was nice, thank you all!
A sad news there was then but still, we have already wondered why the "Casa Maria" so does not open at all. Not that we would have been there more often in earlier years, but it is now an institution - has been! Maria died a few years ago, the heirs are probably not agreed, the thing is for sale, if the rumors do not deceive, at horrendous prices, so that's probably rather nix more!
Weekend
Today should be done again something in the direction of "geocaching", at least the "Baja del secreto" should be due. Then the valley would be cleared, virtually swept clean. But somehow it should not be. In sweltering heat we set off in the direction of "Urea Pool", the babybeach in front of the Charco del Conde, where in the rocks on the left should be the cache. Ui, lush terrain, virtually stumble over stones.
In the end, a "local" dropout who was surfing around there helped us with the unsuccessful search, because he had already heard of our hobby, but had never seen a cache. That's where it will stay for the time being, we found nothing.
But Martin, who was at the event yesterday and who found it in the evening. Maybe we will look for it again, the rest of the week will show. Anyway, in the end a rather wasted day, but during the vacation has also changed the attitude a little, less is more, this is a vacation, not a hunt.
Turn of the year
No, nonsense, we were not in the cryochamber, have missed the time like once the Demolition Man, no, today the pension has moved a bit closer again. Also today was supposed to be more of a leisurely one, tomorrow the big adventure "La Merica" was on the schedule. After the weather app announced extreme weather at the top of the island, we then but refrained from jockeying far across the island to find a few cans. So we "only" went to the upper valley, where there were still three caches lying around, which wanted to be collected. What should I say? One there, one not there, I was not allowed to drive to the last one, I'll probably have to do it alone sometime, but our rental car is fully insured, without deductible.
But nevertheless, we have then still laid out two Opencaching caches and prepared three, so the day was not completely lost.
Chronology of a failure
OK, the headline anticipates it, our trip on the "La Merica" did not go quite as planned, but I won't go into that here, there is a separate report for that.
Anyway, we have survived it and in the evening together with Agnes the belly in the Avenida full, fixed and all, garnished with a powerful thigh cramp in the night.
This then also caused an almost complete breakdown the next day, I was glad that I made it halfway to the beach promenade to console me there with Jarra and local delicacies.
Suddenly then great excitement in the "village". What? No way! Somehow there was a rumor that the head of the Guardia Civil was arrested, but nobody knows anything for sure.
The next day we went again with Agnes across the island, Vallehermoso, Hermigua, Roque de Agando and Laguna Grande were the destinations. And there was also news from the police chief.
In fact, he was arrested, had probably hit someone fatally a long time ago, covered it up and led the investigation himself. And he was busted.
Today is Thursday ...
and we are here only until Saturday. Today we let it go again a little quieter, some of the last days was still to work up, log caches, prepare Earthcaches for logging, write this, wash clothes, what all was so.
We are still thinking about the "Baja del secreto" is still open, I will not be able to go there, but by now we know that it is there and also have the approximate location. In addition, there are the two in Chipude, which we have not found the first time, let's see, maybe we still come off today at noon.
Well, has what, today was so to speak the laziest day of the vacation, once we are briefly down on the beach, otherwise we have made it comfortable in our small bungalow and let the sun shine on our belly. On the beach it was too hot for us and today was also apparently general rest day, there had actually nix, but also garnix on. Only in the second row, in the "Orinoco" there were shady places, the only restaurant that had open. Somewhat bleak for the penultimate day.
Fryday - ultima dia
Today we were once again on the road with Agnes, again a very pleasant day, although associated with a lot of driving. But on the whole still successful.
First we went to Chipude, where we were unsuccessful at two caches the other day. This time we had more luck. The one was this time muggellos and could be found after a short search, with the other I must have fingered x.times right past it, so easy this time was to find.
Subsequently, we left the "Fortalezza" on the right - nix for the last day - and screwed us turn after turn to Playa Santiago, which I still today and after so many years absolutely nothing can gain. We collected the easy caches, left the more difficult ones for next time.
And in the evening, at the last common Jarra and the last common Veterano we also got to hear the latest news, which are actually also old. For example from the Defenestration of Prague - oh nonsense, 2020 the mountain in front of the Bay of Pigs has become tired and has laid down to rest in the sea - or so. Anyway, for years the way to the "Playa de las Arenas" is blocked by rock masses, there's probably a boat service to Finca Argayall, the "Bay of Pigs" only illegally accessible.
Home, sweet home
The night we slept quite well, getting up around 8 o'clock, de suitcases were packed last night already. Actually, we would have had more time, but we wanted to collect one or the other cache on the way and after the experiences of the last few days was not quite clear how the weather would be up on the island.
But we made good progress, wanted the "Mirador de la Laja" still take, but then let it after we almost flew away there. So off to San Sebastian, do the three OC caches and the LAB, drop off the car, wait for the ferry. Everything worked great.
And then came "Aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur Reina Sofía"! Online check-in worked, suitcase dropped off right away, still 1 1/2 hours until departure, security control had the same problem as in Luxembourg on the outbound flight, my knee made the scanner tick out. I was still allowed through, found two seats, waiting.
"Your flight is delayed by one hour!", was suddenly on the board. Now the big chaos broke out, nobody could give information, the passengers should go to gate B32, but there it said "Condor" and Düsendorf, not "Luxair" and Luxembourg, grumpy staff, stinky passengers.
Finally, we take off with almost 2-hour delay, as it turned out later, were probably strong winds and wind shear the cause of the delay.
2:15 a.m. - home again
