Everything Splendid: Canary Islands. Part 2: Maspalomas

The bus ride from Las Palmas to Maspalomas took about an hour and within that time we saw the world around us change drastically. What was overcast, rocky and tropical transformed into what can best be described as Palm Desert on the beach. Bright clear skies, cactus, rugged mountains...oh, and giant Sahara-esque dunes. It was beautiful.

(Awesome lighthouse that pretty much dominated the beach as far as you could see)

(Apparently the Simpsons like to travel too. There was a handkerchief spread out for donations in front of the sand-sculptures. Note to Dad: next time you recreate Cairo at Oceanside, ask for tips!)

(Jordan looking at ocean)

(Me and the ocean! Forever21 top, vintage African skirt from my grandmother's adventures thirty years ago)

(Borrego Springs, anyone?)

(DUNES! I've never been on dunes this big before. We were feeling a bit Lawrence of Arabia.)

(Shadow pics)

(Me, pretending I'm an African princess)

After a while playing around on the dunes and looking like very silly tourists, we realized that it was 7:30 and the Spain vs Portugal World Cup game was on! Wandering down the boardwalk, we came across a PACKED local bar's outside seating. A large TV on the wall was the center of attention and the radio was blasting out speedy Spanish commentary that was almost drowned out by the cries of "Ole!" from the local enthusiasts. Jackpot.

Somehow the server conjured up chairs for us, and after making sure the sun wasn't in our eyes, whisked us up our food and drinks surprisingly quickly considering the chef and bartender were undoubtedly stopping every two seconds to check the game. Best sangria fruit combination: peaches, pineapple and strawberries.

(You could see the ocean from where we were sitting. It was actually closer than it looks in this picture.)

(Loyal fans)

At half-time, all the painted-faced kids ran out onto the beach for their own quick round of futbol and I chatted with the owner about how absolutely beautiful the evening was. The check came with a round of drinks on the house and we left with our ears ringing from the vocal repercussions of an almost goal. We had to leave before the game was over to catch the last bus back (a taxi across the island was 70 euros!), but it was an incredible night all the same.

(Gorgeous sunset. If I go back, I'm definitely spending more time on this side of the island.)

We all fell asleep on the bus ride back, sprawled out across the backseats like the elite of hobos, and only woke up when the bus stopped at the second to last station. At least, there should have been one more stop. We were still waiting for the bus to get moving again when the last other passenger got off, the driver scanned the seats, turned the lights off and left! There we were, locked in a bus in Africa without any idea where we actually were!

After punching nearly every button on the driver's consul, we managed to open the doors. However, you can't close the doors from the outside without a key, so we had to leave the bus open, cashbox intact! When we asked a driver nearby what we should do about getting home, he pointed to a bicycle and laughed saying they cost 2 euros and we should get going. Ha ha ha. We got a taxi.

(Stuck on the Bus of Death)

Down the beach from our hostel in Las Palmas is a pizzeria that we never saw without at least 20 people in it. So we headed there for dessert. Yum! The sparkler on my giant cup of brownies and ice cream was our early Fourth of July. We headed home around midnight as it started to rain.

We got up early for the sunrise, but it was still raining and quite empty so we hung at the hostel until some local restaurants opened for breakfast. Then we headed to the bus station to catch our ride back to the airport.

(Sunrise at Las Palmas)

(Las Palmas in the rain)

(The view from our breakfast spot)

(On the way to the bus stop, I stopped by a panaderia for an amazing fresh Spanish pastry covered in honey and nuts. Yum!)

We stopped at the mall across the street from the station for the guys to use the restroom. It was all locked up but we managed to find one door that was open. Can I say first that there is nothing more creepier than an empty mall with empty escalators going up and down? Oh and the laughter of an invisible child echoing from different corners every few minutes? When I came out of the bathroom, the boys were gone. I hung around for a while but when I couldn't see them and the kiddie arcade games started going off by themselves, I headed for the entrance. On the way, I saw a few men in scrubs aimlessly wandering the halls (umm...was there a hospital nearby? I didn't remember seeing one...) and a cop checking the side doors to make sure they were locked! I hurried out of the Mall of Death and back to the bus stop. The boys weren't there. Ahhh! Fortunately, they showed up a few minutes later and we made it to the airport without further incident. From there it was planes, buses and trains all the way home. Oh and a two year old girl singing Lady Gaga for entertainment.