A small rock in the Atlantic

Dragon trees

One of the most exotic looking plants on La Palma are the dragon trees.

The latin name is Dracaena draco Although they grow anything up to 12 metres tall, botanically, dragon trees aren't trees. They don't have annual rings, for one thing. Actually, they're classified in the same order (Asparagales) as garlic and asparagus, although they look nothing like each other. In fact, dragon trees look mostly like broccoli on steroids.

They grow throughout the Canary Islands, and also in Cape Verde, the Azores, Maderia, and western Morocco.

Because they don't have annual rings, it's hard to tell their age. The trunk branches every time they flower, which isn't every year. So you can tell how often a trees has flowered, and make an educated guess at its age that way. The tree in the photo has flowered just twice. The oldest ones seem to be about 650 years old.

The resin is reddish. In ancient Roman times, people used to dry it and sell it to alchemists as dragon blood. It must have fetched a packet.

The Canary Islands used to have a large, flightless bird, something like a Dodo. This bird ate dragon tree fruits, so the seeds evolved to have a hard protective covering to survive the bird's digestive tract. Now that the bird is extinct, this covering makes it had for the seed to germinate. The north of La Palma is one of the few places where the trees are reproducing naturally. In other places they put the seeds in an acid bath for a few hours (much like the inside of a bird) to remove the hard coating before planting the seed.

One of the best places to see them is at Buracas, below the village of Las Tricias in Garafía. That's where I took this photo. There's another lovely group at La Tosca, in Barlovento, which you can see from a viewpoint on the main road from Barlovento village to Gallegos. And there's the famous twin dragon trees in Breña Alta.

Labels: Canaries, Canary Island flora, Canary islands, Dracaena draco, dragon tree, Garafia, La Palma, Plants

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La Zarza Rock Carvings

Tree heather

One of the best archaeological sites on La Palma is La Zarza and La Zarzita, in Garafía.

You have to walk, but it's a beautiful stroll through woods of heather and bayberry trees. Yes, heather is a tree here - see the top photo.

The whole walk takes about an hour, and first bit of the path is the steepest. It's clearly signposted.

Rock carvings at La Zarza, Garafia, La Palma

You reach La Zarza first. Here there is a cave with rock carvings around the entrance. The 29 carvings themselves are low relief swirls and meanders. they are definitely pre-Hispanic, made by the Benawara at least 500 years ago. They were only discovered in 1941.

Rock carvings at La Zarza, Garafia, La Palma

They remind me a little of cup and ring stones on the Yorkshire Moors, only these are much more elaborate. It must have taken hours and hours to produce the designs, hammering on the rock "canvas" with another rock.

La Zarzita is a short walk away, and has 18 carvings.

The woods at La Zarzita, Garafia, La Palma

La Zarza and La Zarzita are the most spectacular, but there are lots of similar sites on the island. Archeologists disagree on the meaning of the carvings. Certainly they're nearly always found near water and/or pasture for goats, so most of the explanations focus on fertility and water cults.

Rock carvings at La Zarzita, Garafia, La Palma

Most visitors arrive by car. The car park is signposted, just off the main road around the north of the island, between La Mata and Llano Negro. Entrance is free to residents of Garafía, and 1.80€ for everyone else, and includes a small museum. In summer they open from 11 am - 7 pm and in winter, from 11 am to 5 pm.

There's another famous archeological site at Belmaco in Mazo. That has an easier, less beautiful walk, more inhabited caves, and a larger museum, but the rock carvings are smaller and there are fewer of them.

The woods at La Zarzita, Garafia, La Palma

Labels: archaeology, Benaoristas, flora, Garafia, La Palma

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San Antonio del Monte

Yesterday was the biggest livestock fair on the island.

San Antonio del Monte used to be a village, but the villagers moved away. About the only thing that's left is the church of St. Anthony and the feast day, with it's massive fair. Apart from the animals, there's a craft fair, and of course lots of stalls selling cheap toys, food and drink.

It's a pretty enough little church, and for most of the day it's crowded with people visiting the saint and touching his belt.

After the mass, the statues are taken out to the fairground in a procession, and the priest blesses the animals.

Normally, it's baking hot at the fair, but as you can see, we were in the clouds yesterday. This wasn't good for photography, but it was a lot more comfortable.

After the procession and blessing, they have live music and dancing.

Labels: fiesta, Garafia, san antonio

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November Rainbow Gathering

According to wikipedia, a rainbow gathering is "a temporary intentional community, typically held in an outdoor setting, espousing and practicing ideals of peace, love, harmony, freedom and community, as a consciously expressed alternative to mainstream popular culture, consumerism, capitalism and mass media."

And we have one on a beach in Garafia about now. "The dates are from new moon of November to the new moon of December." I believe that means that it starts on Thursday 27th and ends on Wednesday December 24th.

And to get there, take the bus from Los Llanos towards Garafía and "say to the bus driver you want to go to El Callejoncito, he will left you in the beggining of the road to go down to the beach, where the family will be in peaceful & beautiful Natural paradise… waiting for you."

Labels: counterculture, Garafia, La Palma, rainbow gathering

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How to Drive Quickly Across Garafía

Don't. You can't. And it's dangerous to try.

And anyway, you're on holiday, aren't you? Relax, take it slow, and enjoy the spectacular scenery. After all, that lovely scenery is the reason for the twisty roads.

And if you get stuck behind an old man driving at 30 km/h, count yourself lucky. I seem to get constantly stuck behind one who drives at 25 km/h.

Labels: Canaries, Canary islands, Garafia, La Palma