Thursday 29 January.
Today we were going down the coast to the resort of Las Americas. The bus that we used to go to Adeje a couple of weeks ago went there but there was also an express bus that missed out all the deviations to the towns and resorts along the coast and was much quicker. This bus left at 8:15 am so there was no running this morning, a bit of a rest day. After breakfast I wanted to publish my blog but I couldn't get photographs from Google+ to show up for insertion. I also have lots of problems with the iPad when downloading the 'Telegraph' while Moira gets it on to her mini iPad more or less instantly. It takes ages to connect with the Internet while with the Notebook I'm online in a matter of seconds.
We wore our rain jackets when we went out but it wasn't very cold. I carried the day pack with our lunch of sandwiches and a flask of coffee. The bus was on time and it took a direct route along the road up from the coast and also part of the motorway. It only took about 45 minutes and we were at the bus station in Costa Adeje at 9 am. While at the bus terminus we checked out the buses going to Pico de Teide, the large volcano at the centre of the island. There was one leaving at 9:15 am and we reckoned that if we wanted to go there sometime the bus we took from Puerto Santiago would get us to the connection in time.
We walked along the road a short distance and found a walkway going to the beach area. It went down between a number of huge hotels all with swimming pools and sun loungers all around. At the front there was an esplanade that ran in both directions for some distance. We turned left and set out on the paved promenade. The sand on the beach was more gray than black like Puerto Santiago and it got more golden as we progress along the front. The name of the area was a bit confusing and seemed to be called Costa Adeje with Las Americas just one of the beach section along a long stretch of sandy coast. The esplanade finished at a large harbour at the Puerto Los Christianos. The while area was very busy and crowded, lots of people walking and others setting up on the beach to sunbathe, go surfing, or play boules.
As soon as we got off the bus we took off our jackets and packed them in the daypack, it was now quite warm. Along the promenade it was very hot and sunny initially but later some clouds passed over and when the sun was covered it was again cool. The prom was lined with shops and mainly restaurants. The shops were souvenir sellers, supermarkets, massage spas with the latest fad; fish to eat the hard skin from your feet. There were lots of touts handing out leaflets for tours and excursions; one was to the island of La Gomera which we could still see to the west but it was €50 each for a sail to the island. The scenery behind the town was the mountains. That was where we had climbed from Adeje but from this viewpoint they were very attractive and the ridges and peaks stood out sharply in the clear sunlight.
There was a convenient bench after an hour's walking where we stopped for a cup of coffee and a mini chocolate bar. When we reached the harbour at Puerto Los Christianos it was the end of the walk. There was a large double hulled ship loading up there with cars and cargo, later we saw from a distance a similar vessel arriving and entering the harbour. On the way back it was even more crowded with people out for their daily stroll and being much faster than most of them spent our time weaving a way through the throng. When we reached the spot where we had started our coastal walk it was lunch time so sat on a bench facing the ocean while enjoying our sandwiches and coffee. We sat there for a while before heading along the walkway in the other direction.
It was more of the same, restaurants and shops on one side and the sandy beach on the other. We decided to make for the 2pm bus back and finished our walk and headed for the bus station with 45 minute to gat there. It was plenty of time and and we got there with only 15 minutes to wait. There was suppose to be the express bus at that time but a 'slow' one arrived. We weren't sure if we should wait and hope for the express but decided to just take the one that was there and at least know we were going home. This journey took double the time, it seemed to stop at every bus stop with lots of people getting on and off; the time taken to pay for a trip takes ages even with the special prepaid tickets. It was a pleasant enough ride and there is always something different to see in the small villages and resorts that we passed through.
Once back at the flat I made a cup of tea and we relaxed. Moira texted Suzy that we were in and she contacted us later on FaceTime. Hollie was busy eating her dinner and wasn't in a mood for talking to us. They were having lots of snow there and Suzy had worked from home today. It was time for dinner and the TV quizzes when we finished the call. Later there was a programme about a family of four that spend £260 per week on food. The experts were going through a lot of ways for them to save money. We can't understand how we can manage on about £50 for food each week and we eat very well, this family were dining on sausages, hamburgers, meatballs and stuff like that. The experts also tested various brands of tea bags, they went to a bowling club and a number of pots of tea were made and the members tasted them all. Surprise, surprise, one of the cheaper varieties was voted best. These sort of tests are very involved and can't be done willy nilly by dropping into a bowling club. The sampling and the comparison tasting must be done in a way that is statistically valid. I don't know what the programme set out to prove but it didn't confirm anything to me other than that there are a lot of idiots about.
Before bedtime there was this week's edition of 'Death in Paradise'. It is beginning to be much the same week after week. A list of suspects and he solves the mystery in the last few minutes and the solution is always a bit convoluted.
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