A beautiful November morning, an early dive into the water. It is still chilly above water but the temperature of the water is lovely. Many fish greet me and with a snorkel the beautiful colours can be seen. A little further on a group of fish that graze, as it were. They eat the algae and leaves of the water plants on the bottom. Above water the red coloured crabs lie in the sun on the rocks. Not just lying there, when I come closer they run up the rocks.
It was quiet in the summer but now there are many swimmers who take an early dive. All enjoying the beautiful ambiance here in Charco. So later in the day it gets quite busy on the Monkey Rock. On November 9th it was a very hot day, 30 degrees. The entire Monkey Rock was packed. There were about sixty people. Still that did not cause any problems: it was very cozy. The people sat together like monkeys.The Monkey Rock lived up to its name. A plunge to cooldown was part of that. There was more than enough space in the sea.
On November 5th we were surprised by a rain shower. That was a long time ago. As muchas 12 mm, which is a lot for Lanzarote. Because it rained heavily, water also ran through the streets here. We could do with a nice downpour and Nature here as well. And now at the end of November the green is coming and some flowers as well. A bit like spring is in the air.
Water, so important, after a rain with only 12 mm water nature reacts immediately. These photos were taken In the dunes 3 weeks after the rain.
CHARCO NEWS
*Some repairs have been done at the tidal pool. Holes filled up by volunteers from the village. A new railing has also been made
*The taxi that drives twice a day from Charco to Mala is now used regularly. In Mala there is a bus connection, but later in the day it is not possible to return. Hitchhiking is always possible.
Departure: 8.55 am / 1.25 pm, weekends 7.15 and 11.55 am
*Finca Del Mar has a new name. ‘Juwel des Meeres’.
Bookings: Ingeborg: *31618525178
*The buggies that regularly raced through the village now follow a different route. This after consultation from ‘the team’ as there were complaints of nuisance due to the noise and speed.
* The Monkey Rock has been designated by the municipality as ‘Zona de Baño’. This means that fishing is not allowed. If this does happen, we can kindly ask the fishermen to find another spot. There was a lot of stench due to leftover fishremains.
*The shop In centró Comercial of the ‘good time girls’, Ingeborg and Elske is now open more often and is run by Simon (Ireland) or Herman (Netherlands). You can also go there for an English or Dutch chat.
News of the ‘Fisherman’s Hut Shipwreck’.
The remains of Tomás Ladrón de Guevara and José Antonio López, who drowned 51 years ago off the coast of Lanzarote, will finally be reunited with their families in Cádíz after DNA tests confirmed their identities.
The uncleand nephew died along with ten crew members when their fishing boat, the Domenech de Varó, sank off the coast of Mala on February 6, 1973. Due to communication problems with the mainland, the Cádiz authorities were unable to be informed of the recovery of five bodies. In 2022, the son of one of the victims, José Manuel Pose, discovered that there were five unidentified bodies in a cemetery in Arrecife and that these could be the missing crew members.
Tomás Ladrón’s daughter Ana said yesterday: “I can’t stop crying with happiness.It was a hard day, happy, sad and emotional.”
Source: la voz lanzarote.
This is what Alan wrote last year:
As many of you readers will remember, when I was researching the history of Charco del Palo I came across a story that caught my imagination. The story is of the shipwreck that happened on the 6th February 1973, 50 years ago. The name of the ship was ‘Domenech De Varó’. Out of a crew of 12, only two survived, three bodies were found and were given a Christian burial in the cemetery of San Roman Arrecife. Of the two survivors the Captain was? I have no knowledge but the second survivor is still alive. On the Spanish mainland an association was formed from all the families and friends who lost lives on the wreck. I have been lucky to be part of that friendship and these last few weeks have been very surprising to say the least. Luis Moreno a local historian along with the President of the families association came here on a visit to mark the 50th anniversary of the Shipwreck. It was while here that they spent time looking at records, working their way through a huge amounts of paperwork, as is normal. It was while checking the records of the cemetery that an anomaly was found. A page in the records book has five empty records. The names of the three identified victims, Jose Bernal Rodriguez, Antonio Rodriguez Zaragoza and Manuel Valiente, can clearly be seen on the page and then there are five empty spaces. In the notes part of the document it states that all the five bodies were washed up along the coastline between the wreck site and Arrecife a few day after the original three. How and why the five were not linked to the other three remains a mystery which will probably never be resolved but someone somewhere made a huge mistake by missing the link especially as it was front page news in the local papers. Because of the mistake the families back on the Spanish mainland were never informed about the five bodies, in fact it has been said that a curtain had been drawn and there was nothing else to be done after finding the original three. So 50 years later the families association is requesting the testing of the remains to determine who the bodies are. This, I am afraid, will take agreat deal of time and also money. The really sad thing is that when I was looking into this story a number of years back, I was contacted by members of the families, who were then on the island and would like to meet. Having met, they were totally surprised when I said I knew exactly where the wreck went down, and immediately asked me to take them there.
Alan, Thank you again Alan for your investigation and help in this case.
LANZAROTE NEWS
*Lanzarote has sent its first truckload of essential supplies to the Valencia region to help those affected by the recent floods. There will also be a charity concert in Puerto del Carmen.
*Olive trees
In Guatiza there is a trial in progress of planting of olive trees on a field where there used to be ‘Tuneras’. The remains of the decaying cacti have been removed and new trees have been planted. Let us hope that this will be a good substitute for what was once the glory of this area ‘the Tuneras with the cocinillas’.
*The association SEO/Birdlife has installed two live webcams in the Timanfaya National Park so that viewers can observe the behaviour of the Barbary Falcon. It is a subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon that is found in the Canary Islands, North Africa and the Middle East. Its main prey is pigeons. It is classified asa vulnerable species and is rarely seen outside the more remote parts ofLanzarote.
*Because of the drought, 70% fewer grapes were harvested. Therefore, lanzarote wine has now become much more expensive.
*The radar station bulb on top of the kliff is now no longer visible from Charco. It appears half demolished. But I heard that they are building it up again because there is an new radar and that one is bigger.
Water Cuts
For thousands of residents in Lanzarote, water cuts have become an annoying part of daily life. In October, a power cut at the desalination plant left 32 towns and villages without water for periods of a day or more. Although the island’s water supplier, Canal Gestión, provides daily information on areas where water cuts can be expected, many complain that this information is too general and often inaccurate.
Reasons given for the cuts include power cuts at the desalination plant, desalination equipment failures and leaks in the mains, but underneath it all is the clear message that the island’s water supply-system is shaky and operating at the limit of its capacity, with hardly any water reserves available at any time. Almost 60% of all water produced in Lanzarote is lost through leaks and unauthorised use. SO USE WATER WATER WISELY/BE FRUGAL WITH WATER.
Christmas
Christmas is different in Lanzarote. It’s not just that the Three Kings take the place of Santa Claus and that presents are handed out on Epiphany, or that the main mealis enjoyed on Christmas Eve: it’s a completely different attitude to the season– easy-going, festive and charming.The weeks leading up to Christmas have a special atmosphere.The weather is usually warm and sunny, although not scorching, and the streets are filled with people having a good time. And that enjoyment is important, because street life in Lanzarote is all about taking your time, enjoying the atmosphere, relaxing and watching the people go by.
Source: la gazette.
The golfclub
Apart from swimming enthusiasts, there are of course many more possibilities in Lanzarote. For example, the Costa Teguise Golf Club. Near Costa Teguise, a golf course has been built. Of course, these courses use water, so they are beautifully green.This course is also used by tourists who want to play golf for a day. But it is also a place where you can go as a non-golfer to have a look. The friendly atmosphere makes everyone welcome and you can also enjoy your coffee orsomething else there on the terrace. For us it was a pleasure to admire the garden at the entrance and also the view from the terrace. There is also a shop with sportswear.
DAILY LIFE
Here in Charco a lot of surprising things happen. King, my partner, went down the stairs at the monkey rock into the water. As he was facing the water his heels were backwards on the stairs. He felt something sticking to one heel. He stepped up and back again then something stuck to the other heel. He turned around to look under water what it was and came face to face with an octopus. That was a surprising and unexpected encounter. What a beautiful creature. It touched him so much that he has not eaten ‘pulpo’ since then. He may be a vegetarian one day!
There is a beautiful film on Netflix, My Octopus Teacher. Octopus are very intelligent animals. They can even throw something to each other, or hide behind plastic waste so that they are not seen by their enemies. You can come across these beautiful animals in Charco del Palo.
AGENDA
*Lili’s Paradise closed Wed and Thu. Sat at 5 – 8 pm music with DJ A. Escorial, Sun Gian Luca 1.30 – 4.30 pm reservations: 0034629257645
*La plazita open 12 am – 4 pm / 6 – 10 pm, Sat 12 am – 4pm, Sun closed. Friday music with pinchos 7. 30 pm
*Tropical Restaurant: opens 6 pm
*Obona restaurant opens Mon-Sat 1pm.
*Supermarket opens 8.30 am – 6.30 pm, Sun to 3 pm
*Don Quijote almost every saturday live music from 8.30 pm Restaurant opens Mon -Sat 1 -3.30 / 6 – 8.30 pm
*Cantina de Mala opens Wed-Sun 1 pm
*Arepera Mala/Jojoto y millo opens Teu- Sun 1- 11 pm
*Sociedad Guatiza opens Teu-Sun 5 pm – 11 pm weekend open 2 pm.
Recommended:
*Bread from Andy. Every Friday delivered at the supermarket. Order in advance. There is a list by the entrance. Very good!
*My Octopus Teacher (film Netflix)
*Relaxing massages Fran: Whatsapp: 0034 667259760 Centró Commercial
*Pick upor return to the airport: Ingeborg or Elske: 0031 6185251 and info about renting bungalows
*Restaurant El lago Arrieta, Sunday make reservations *34 928848176
Markets
Puerto Calero – Tue – Fri 9 am – 1 pm
Haria Artisanal – Sat 10 am – 2 pm at Plaza de Haría,
Arrecife – Sat at Plaza de San Ginés, 9 – 12 am
Costa Teguise –Wed and Fri at Pueblo Marinero 5 – 8 pm
Teguise – Sun in the city centre 9 am – 2 pm
PALS Flea market – Sun at Lanzarote A Caballo (fourth roundabout past Tias) from 9 – 12 am
Mancha Blanca – Sun at Mancha Blanca, 10 am
Marina Rubicon – Wed – Sat, Playa Blanca, 10 am – 2 pm
Playa Honda – Every third Saturday, Calle Mayor, 10 am – 2pm
Puerto Calero – Teu – Fri 9 am – 1 pm
From Charco wish you a very good Christmas 
with family and Friends. You hear from me next month. Tineke
And if you find figures in the rocks will you please send me a picture. There is so much to see if you look good.
