CHARCO NEWS
January was a chilly month, with cool evenings and nights. The wind also made it a bit less pleasant.
*La plazita closed down, unfortunately, Manuel was unable to keep it running. Fortunately, Sara and Dani try to take over. We wish them lots of success.
*Yesterday was the first pinchos evening, and it was a success. Good food and good service for drinks. Dani told me that he will continue the way Miquel and Claudio did. With the same menu and be open 6 days a week!
*Cueva Paloma (Obona) now open on Sunday. Thursday closed.
*On 22 January, 8 mm of rain was forecast. It turned out differently: in a few hours we got 40 mm! That is more than the whole of last year (25 mm). This is of course good for nature, but it was far too much in a short time, causing a lot of damage along the coast where a lot of sand was washed away. The tidal pool in particular took the brunt. A lot of sand was washed into it. We will see if the sea takes it away again.
*Contact is being made with the municipality of Teguise for the restoration.
*The unfinished houses on the northern side of Punta del Pasito will be closed off. Or rather, boarded up. It is used a lot by men who ‘meet’ there, which leads to a lot of irritation and disapproval among residents and guests.
GOOD WORK
But Charco will not be Charco. We could not wait for the municipality but joined forces ourselves. A week after the storm, residents and tourists went to the pond and removed stones and repaired holes. In a few hours it looked like never before. Even the pool has been deepened. The pebble back stones has also been partly removed. It is very noticeable that together we can restore something very quickly. Ina brought some sweets and Gisella coffee. Thanks for all the help! CLASS.
LANZAROTE NEWS
*A man from Guatiza was missing. He got into the water at the white beaches past Jameos de Aqua.. They have been looking for him for days. Today, Friday they found him near the coast.
*Don quijote now only the first Saturday in the month live music.
*IRISH tourism remained stable last year, with 28,000-33,000 visitors per month on the island. The highest number of Irish arrivals was recorded in July, when 33,610 arrived to enjoy the sun.
*In the first eleven months of 2024, Lanzarote recorded more than three million tourists per year for the first time in its history. Although the island has previously passed the 3 million mark, in the years 2023, 2019and 2018, it has never done so before in the final month of the year. When the December figures will be released, it is almost certain that Lanzarote willmark a record number of arrivals in 2024.
The least popular months were May with 245,917 visitors, June with 251,568 and September with 254,352.
As to nationality, the British accounted for more than half of all tourists with 1,564,947visitors, with Ireland in second place with 332,560. Excluding repeat visits, this means that one in 16 Irish citizens came to Lanzarote last year, making it easily Lanzarote’s most popular destination.
The ‘CANCREJO ROJO’,
The most common crab you will see in Lanzarote is the cangrejo rojo, or red crab. This crab is part of a large family of rock crabs that live on both sides of the Atlantic, and their cousin in South America is known as the Sally Light foot crab, named after a famous dancer.The reason for the comparison is clear when you try to catch one. These crabs are fast, agile and appear to have eyes in the back of their heads. They also live on smooth rocks and are often found in the splash zone of the waves, making them even more difficult to approach.
If you get bitten by a crab in Lanzarote, it will almost certainly be a marbled rock crab.This is a small crab that lives in crevices on rocks and if you get too close to its burrow it may decide to warn you. The bite can give you a fright, but itis never serious.
Take the time to look in a rock pool and sooner or later you will see other crabs, ranging from hairy porcelain crabs to the small crabs known locally as ‘Viejabait’ because they are used to catch the multi-coloured parrotfish (viejas) that are prized by the locals. If you see men scouring the beach at low tide, chances are they are turning over rocks in search of these crabs.
But don’t just look at the crabs in the rock pools. Focus on those snail-like shells and you may see one or two moving in a strange, jerky way. These are hermit crabs and if you lift one up you will see its claws guarding the entrance to the shell. There is a big market for real estate in the rock pools, as hermit crabs upgrade their homes to larger, more spacious shells.
IN THE DARK
The most famous crabs of Lanzarote are of course the small, white, blind crabs that you can see in Jameos del Agua – and nowhere else in the world.
These little creatures are longer than most crabs, look like a small cray fish andusually live in total darkness. That is why they are blind – you don’t need eyes when there is no light, and because there is no pigment, they are completely white.
The blind crabs are one of the main attractions of Jameos del Agua, although tourism has threatened them. The practice of throwing coins into a pool is strictly forbidden at Jameos, because the metallic elements are harmful to the little crabs.
Source: La Gazette
CHARCO DAILY LIFE
As the insect population is drastically decreasing, so-called insect hotels have been popular in the Netherlands for a few years now. They are small often wooden structures, attractive for insects to improve their well-being. Here in Charco we try to make compost from vegetable and fruit remains. However, you need worms for that. We managed to find them from someone because you don’t find them in the ground here. It works well and beautiful black compost is the result. But it also attracts insects, woodlice and flies. At the moment it is full of all kinds of small creatures that feast on the remains and then produce good compost. So no decreasing population in our garden but growth. Even in dry Lanzarote.
WALKS
It is now almost impossible to park near the Mirador del Rio unless you visit Mirador itself. However, we have found a place from where you can go for a fine walk. When you drive towards the Mirador you will come across a small building. Just before that is a dirt road to the right but also on the left side of the road. Park there and then walk north on the right path. Leave the transmission Tower on the left and continue your path almost to the end of the cliff, with views of both Orsola and La Graciosa. At the end of the day there are fine the sunsets. However, from February 15 it is not allowed to walk on top of the cliff because of birds that breed there. This also applies to the ‘barranco’ near Guatiza.
AGENDA
*La Plazita open Mon-Za 12 am- 21 pm. Fri 7.30 pm Pinchos and music
*Lili’s Paradise closed Wed and Thu. This month no Gian Luka. But Sat 5 – 7 pm music with DJ A. Escorial, reservations :034 629257645
*Tropical Restaurant: opens 6 pm reservations: 0034 69154836
*Cueva Paloma (Obona) now also Sun open but Thu. closed
*Supermarket opens 8.30 am – 6.30 pm, Sun to 3 pm
*Don Quijote first Saturday live music from 8.30 pm. Restaurant opens Mon – Sat 1 – 3.30 / 6 – 8.30 pm
*Cantina de Mala opens Sun 1 pm
*Arepera Mala /Jojoto y millo opens Tue – Sun 1- 11 pm
Recommended
*Pizzas at Casa Paco Arrieta. Discount every Tuesday. Order *34 928848069
*Relaxing massages: Fran: Whatsapp: 0034 667259760 Centró Commercial
*Bungalows: Ingeborg and Elske: 0031 618525178
MARKETS
Puerto Calero – Tue – Fri 9 am – 1 p
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 – 1pm
A few more photos from the workers. They even made a sand castle. Friday there were 14 volunteers helping. GREAT!!
From Charco ‘un abrazo ‘
Yo hear from me next month. Tineke
