The Trap

Above image shows part of the spectacular landscape at El Cepo near the village of Las Rosas, close to La Gomera's northern coast. 'El Cepo' translates as 'The Trap' and indeed there are many traps in the area, as there are precipitous drops and no marked paths. However, La Gomera's steep landscape contains lots of vertigo-inducing cliffs and mountain passes, so caution is always advised. 

This strange video is a must see and a great laugh

I found the above video on the web accidentally and I had to laugh so much it actually hurt. It purports to introduce first-time visitors to La Gomera and give ''essential tips'' for tourists.

It gets really mad from about 0!:15 into the video when a lioness is seen striding through the grass with the voiceover saying that La Gomera's wildlife boasts animals that are ''otherwise extinct in most places''. Now, why is this 'La Gomera lion' wearing a collar ?

No prizes for spotting the many more ridiculous errors in the video and the disjointed imagery. The voiceover and pronunciation are hilarious, too.

This video was obviously generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and confirms my reasons for always calling same artificial ignorance. 

There is some nice footage from La Gomera in it, too, and some factual information. But there's definitely no tuk-tuks in La Gomera bringing you into a jungle, etc., etc....

The author's travel vlog even dares to call itself ''Official Travel Guide'' and states: ''Whether you're planning your travel for 2023 or simply seeking inspiration from travel magazines, our La Gomera - Essential Tips for First-Time Visitors to the Canary Islands video is a must-watch.'' Yeah, no, essentially wrong.

Just imagine some poor innocent who doesn't know anything about La Gomera viewing this video and then deciding to visit to see the non-existent lions...

Unusual series of earthquakes

The latest tremor (above, red star marks epicentre) occurred late at night on the first of November 2023, again near the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera and was of 2.5 magnitude.The other markers show where and how intensely it was felt by the population.  (Source: IGN)

There has been a series of minor earthquakes reported by the Spanish agency IGN (Instituto Geografico Nacional) in or very close to La Gomera , some of which were widely felt all over the island. Most were on the eastern side near the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. This somewhat unusual event began last Saturday night and by Monday about 15 minor quakes up to magnitude 2.8 on the Richter scale had been reported by IGN. Some of these quakes were widely felt across the island with reports of the typical low rumbling noise that accompanies earth tremors also coming from various parts of the island. Even the director of the Canarian branch of IGN, Itahiza Dominguez, called these events ''un poco anomala'' ( a bit abnormal) when asked for an explanation by the press. She also said that since the installation of the latest seismograph in La Gomera in 2017 there had been only 17 earth tremors registered by said station previously.

More than that six year total has now occurred in the past few days. However, La Gomera has been volcanically 'dead and cold' i.e. inactive for more than a million years. As it is one of the oldest Canary Islands in origin, the latest activity is unusual and probably points to tectonic movements of some kind, according to Dominguez.

The depths of the epicentres initially were between 10 and 23 kms, but the latest quakes had their origin only 4 to 8 kilometres underground.

There's a rumour going around that the seismograph was triggered by undersea cable laying preparation works for the electricity inter-connector between Tenerife and La Gomera, which is to come ashore in the municipal area of San Sebastian de La Gomera, causing the rumble similar to those heard and felt across the island. It has also been known that very heavy swells at sea pounding La Gomera's coastline will cause the sensitive seismic station high in the mountains of La Gomera's Garajonay national park to register tremors, as do rock blasting operations and tunnelling for roads. However the scientists at IGN are no fools and usually are wise to these causes. They will not report those tremors  as earthquakes and won't list them in their bulletins. 

Overall, La Gomera remains one of the safest places in the Canary Islands in general and seismically in particular. Maybe the vibrations were caused by some blown-in minstrels blowing their didgeridoos too enthusiastically...

Get a free knife just before boarding your flight

 The following article and above image appeared in Canarian Weekly last month and I'm sharing this worrying story with you below. The large knife was spotted at Fuerteventura airport, but the magazine with the free knife was probably on sale in some other airports as well:

'' FUERTEVENTURA AIRPORT: 

BUY A MAGAZINE WITH A FREE KITCHEN KNIFE BEFORE BOARDING

9/21/23, 7:57 AM  By Canarian Weekly  Fuerteventura  Photo Credit: Noticias Fuerteventura

The security policies at airports following the September 11th attacks in 2001 have left us all with frustrating experiences when travelling by air. Security systems implemented over 20 years ago sometimes require us to almost strip naked before passing through a scanner, and even empty our bags.

However, having a tube of toothpaste or a pot of hair gel confiscated seems even more incredulous when after passing through security at Fuerteventura airport, you come across a newsstand selling a cooking magazine with a six-inch knife (the blade alone appears 6 inches long to me, Ed.) attached to the front, free with the publication!

Passengers were left stunned when they saw a well-known Spanish cooking magazine in departures at Fuerteventura airport, with a ‘Dafne’ kitchen knife as a free gift available to buy and take on the plane.

At the time of this publication, the magazine is still on the shelves and there has been no comment from the airport authorities. Makes you wonder why they bother to confiscate your tweezers or nail clippers! ''

I didn't expect that: ONE MILLION visits to this blog

When I started this blog in August 2012 during the devastating La Gomera fire I never expected anything and hadn't a clue about blogging. I just wanted to report what was going on here as there wasn't much information from or about La Gomera in English. The international media didn't bother checking facts, never mind sending correspondents, and just reported La Gomera's disaster as part of other fires in the Mediterranean with a bit of sensationalism mixed in.

Initially Mr. Google tempted me to allow advertising on this blog, from which I earned precisely ONE cent, before quickly realising that I didn't need  ads clutter and the possibility of maybe earning some more cents. So I pulled the advertising, but had I known that I would get to a million views in just over ten years, maybe that was the wrong decision. However I'm just as happy being poor and to still boast on the banner above: Ads-free. INDEPENDENT.

Surprisingly and unexpectedly my blog has now clocked up over one million visits (see counter on sidebar⇒) as the interest in this blog has grown over the years. While some of the clicks probably are purely accidental, the interest in the island of La Gomera has grown substantially. 

Unsurprisingly most of my readers came from English speaking countries, but lagomera1.blogspot.com was also read in every corner of the globe. Even some of the international press as well as local and Spanish media have used material from this blog, some with my permission, some without. Anyone is welcome to freely use material from this blog as long as the linked source is quoted as lagomera1.blogspot.com. Indeed sometimes I use material concerning La Gomera from other media, but I always strive to clearly indicate the source with a link to same.

There's also a lot of regular readers, some of whom I may have disappointed over recent years as I don't post that often anymore. Apologies to them, but thankfully there aren't a lot of exciting  affairs in La Gomera to report, and I've always tried to steer well clear of local politics and expats' antics unless it is unavoidable.

To be honest, as I'm getting older I'm getting lazier and after nearly 1.150 posts I often don't remember what I've already covered and what not. 

So here's a call for help:

If you love La Gomera and would like to contribute, please use the comments function to contact me with a comment not to be published and your contact email and you've got yourself an unpaid job to publish posts with or without your name on this blog. Interesting images are always welcome, too. 

La Gomera is well worth the effort.

Thanks a million to you all, and special thanks  to the many readers who commented favourably and to the many new friends that I made through this blog.

               Anyway, here's to the next million or two of YOU.  Slainte, cheers y salud !

Twin peaks and a giant's organ

Tenerife's Teide mountain, at more than 12.000 feet Spain's highest peak, seen in the background left with a rock of similar shape at La Gomera's most north-western point near the famous landmark cliffs of Los Organos. These spectacular basalt formations (below) can only be seen from the sea and a trip to Los Organos from Valle Gran on an excursion boat is highly recommended, but the seas can be rough in this windswept remote corner of La Gomera.

Partial view of Los Organos. The whole cliff, resembling a giant's church organ, is about 600ft wide and rises to 250ft tall, with enormous prismatic columns of basalt that drop down the cliff face into the sea and continue under water, all visible only from a boat in the clear Atlantic around La Gomera.

Power outage in whole island lasting 48+ hours

La Gomera's outdated diesel powered electricity-generating station belching fumes (archive image)

A fire broke out in La Gomera's diesel powered electricity-generation plant in the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera during the early hours of Sunday morning. Consequently from around 3am the whole island had been without power even though the newly erected wind turbines were producing plenty of electricity. The operating company Endesa, Spain's largest energy supplier, stated that this was due to all power generated having to go through the old power station for distribution around the island and that they have over 100 people working to restore power and repair the damage, but there's no information about the extent or the cause of the fire.

The island's president Casimiro Curbelo vented his anger yesterday, stating that many components in the old generating station were outdated and should have been replaced at least ten years ago. He called for Endesa to rise to their responsibility and said that it is Endesa's duty to guarantee the power supply. He also stated ''what La Gomera is living through since the early hours of Sunday morning shouldn't be allowed in the 21st century''.

Meanwhile power has been partially restored to most parts of the island as more and more large emergency generators have been brought in from neighbouring islands with 12 more being shipped today from Cadiz in Spain. First to have their power restored were medical and other essential facilities. However even those who had their power restored today report that it is intermittent as the demand is high when for example refrigeration restarts after such a long interruption and even all the emergency generators combined can't supply peak demand in the heat of summer. For this reason most public events scheduled to take place over the next couple of weeks have been postponed. The population should ''use electricity responsibly'', i.e. use as little as possible, according to Endesa, as the supply is fragile and unstable.

Multinational Spanish company Endesa never had the best reputation in La Gomera, to put it mildly, and seem to be a prime example of how La Gomera and the Canary Islands in general are being treated badly as Spain's colony and to be exploited by Madrid and Spanish companies. Endesa had revenue of nearly 33 billion Euros last year but are very slow to invest in La Gomera's electrical infrastructure, while charging high prices. Economically unimportant La Gomera's difficult terrain and low population density just doesn't make a huge profit for a multinational utility company.

Old woes caused by old foes

...now in La Gomera ???
(Source: Endesa.com)

I remember a few years ago there was a bundle of mains supply cables fallen to the ground from my old neighbour's house with some blank wires showing where the insulation was chafed through by the now corroded away wall bracket. The incident was reported by all neighbours immediately and many times thereafter but nothing happened even though every time it rained or when there was high humidity, noisy blue and green sparks were dancing around merrily several feet in the air and the wires began glowing ominously with louder explosive bursts showering the surroundings in orange to white glowing embers. Endesa eventually put a bit of insulating tape around 'the wound' and tied it high again while wearing 3000-Volt-proof rubber gloves. The crew were very proud of having the latter and said this protection was ''muy importante'' when working in La Gomera. A few months later a study was undertaken for new electricity lines, but only after the whole lot had fallen down again, now sparking away even more crazily in damp weather with the added effect of steam hissing from 'the wound' as well. Concerned neighbours kept reporting same to Endesa angrily, but were being assured by the emergency phone line operator that all would be fixed ''pronto'', soothingly adding ''at least you still have mains power''. Thankfully La Gomera's climate is mostly dry. 

Only about seven years later Endesa crews, who I must stress are very competent and amicable but suffering a mean employer, arrived and erected a couple of new poles with modern lines and all could breathe a sigh of relief with the electric fireworks and excitement in damp weather gone for good.

La Gomera had no electricity grid until the 1970s and much of the infrastructure dates back to those years, having been patched up here and there over the decades.

The current electricity emergency will continue for some time as the damage to equipment from Sunday's fire at the generating plant seems to be extensive. Endesa are now pointing the finger at Madrid as apparently they had previously notified the Spanish government of the poor state of the infrastructure.

The island's parliament today held an extraordinary emergency session and unanimously approved a motion calling on Endesa to cover the cost of losses suffered by business and private customers. The island's executive will defend the island's citizens' claims legally and will assist in preparing same, it was announced. An urgent demand for a reform of legislation governing the power supply of and in islands under Spanish jurisdiction will be sent to Madrid.

There'll be a lot of spoiled food going to the piggery and the dump over the coming days. Eating ice cream is definitely not recommended for a while !

Last night's bushfire now under control

The scene of the incident, with the blue lights of the emergency services visible (image: gomeranoticias.com)

 There was a fire in an area of bushy vegetation and palm trees in the La Dehesa area near Chipude in the municipal area of Vallehermoso, at the foot of historic La Fortaleza table mountain. The village of La Dehesa is also home to one of only seven petrol stations in La Gomera, which was an additional fire hazard.

The fire was first reported at around 11pm last night and the emergency services were quickly on the scene, working all night to contain the fire. This morning the blaze was brought under control with 16 hectares having been affected by the fire. The Canary Islands are currently on alert for a high risk of fires due to the recent high temperatures and strong winds.

La Gomera's disastrous fire of 2012 started not too far from last night's blaze.

Warning of heavy rains in western Canary Islands

A status orange warning of very heavy downpours, thunderstorms and strong winds has been issued for the western Canary Islands today June 7th 2023 by the Spanish meteorological agency. In La Gomera the island's government has activated its emergency plan and all hiking trails, walks and unpaved forestry tracks have been officially closed for today.

Yesterday some significant rainfalls were already recorded in many parts of La Gomera and today even heavier rain with accumulations of up to 20mm in just one hour and 12-hour totals of up to 60mm may be expected. There's also a warning of westerly winds blowing in excess of 70 km/h in exposed areas and  thunderstorm activity.

All this is due to a complex area of low pressure, presently around 994 hPa, situated NW of the Canary Islands and named storm Oscar.

Please be aware that there is a high risk of rockfalls, which will remain for a couple of days once the storm has cleared away and the sun heats up the wet mountainsides.

The lighthouse of La Gomera

La Gomera's lighthouse Faro San Cristobal, situated a few miles north of the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera seen at sunset, with Tenerife's Teide mountain top towering in the background on left.

The sacred mountain La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza, La Gomera's sacred table mountain just south of national park's forest near the island's former capital of Chipude, was once an important ritual site and later served as one of the last strongholds of the indigenous Gomerans against the Spanish conquerors. Seen here from the east (Mirador de Igualero) at sunset when mists often drift across the top. The Spanish word la fortaleza means strength, toughness or fortitude, but also translates as fort or fortress.

A similar view of La Fortaleza photographed in daytime. The mountain rises to 1.231 metres asl (over 4.000 ft) and the remote hamlets of Erque and Erquito lie in the deep valley below.

The ancient stone alignments and original religious sites on top were mostly destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores and what remained was further severely disturbed in the 1980's by a group of German esotericists who rearranged the stones and rocks they found to create spirals and other formations according to their own convictions. This happened before the site had been properly investigated and documented by archaeologists and consequently it could not be brought back to its original state. So there's no need to revere what you find there as it's not authentic, bar the rocks themselves, and there's also the addition of a modern Christian cross.

Above is a view of La Fortaleza taken from the western side about a kilometre from Chipude, with the village of Pavon, on the road to La Dama, at its foot. From there the table mountain top can be accessed via a slowly ascending winding path (signposted). However, the final ascent is demanding and not suitable for those suffering from vertigo. Bear in mind that you'll also have to climb down the same route as there is no other path back. In the past years some steps were hewn into the rock face that made the clamber up a bit easier, but you'll still need both hands and feet to do it. The spectacular views from the top are the reward for those who make the climb. As the late Tim Hart wrote in his excellent 'La Gomera - A Guide...' (ISBN 0-9547989-0-2): ''...to the top, where you feel as if you are on a giant altar to the god of the sky, as did the Guanches, and they called him Arahan''.

There's a petrol station and also the Bar Los Camioneros close by on the road to La Dama should you need to refuel, or indeed pre-fuel to muster courage and 'fortaleza' for the ascent.

The New Age dawns in La Gomera

The boutique apartments with small shopping arcade and the attached 'Piano Bar' on the promenade in La Playa, Valle Gran Rey, collectively trading as 'Gomeralounge' is set for transformation to be La Gomera's first esoteric New Age Centre. ''This new exciting development constitutes a further organic cultural shift in the direction of my important societal aims'' owner Thomas Mueller is quoted as stating recently, adding that he will ''continue the wearisome work to culturally educate the mostly rural populace of La Gomera. I promise to strive to maintain my successful fostering of mainland flamenco in this remote isle, while also giving a platform to my own culturally significant work'', to quote Maestro Mueller from one of his frequent lengthy public speeches. By the way, with his voice and accent he sounds uncannily like former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.

The penny wise patron of the arts is now going to hand over the reigns of his flagship premises to Sandra and Daniel who amassed a fortune through crypto-currency dealings and are now in a position to acquire the business. Thomas Mueller is a German entrepreneur known all over La Gomera as the ''postcard baron''. He made his own fortune through various enterprises like the 'El Fotografo' postcard emporium, the now derelict 'Castillo del Mar' in Vallehermoso, apartment blocks, ice cream parlours, dance studios as well as bars and shops. Also known as a minor film-maker and music producer, 'Don Thomas' is now planning retirement with first  letting go of his Gomera Lounge Enterprises.

A tired looking 'Don Thomas' in his gaudy Gomera Lounge Piano Bar in 2017

The new owners of the Gomera Lounge and Piano Bar will continue Thomas' good work with a new impulse of New Age enthusiasm and intend to '' foster Valle Gran Rey's new spirit of esoteric endeavour'' which recently has seen a profusion of workshops on offer in La Gomera, mostly in German. 

They ranged from avocado-stone carving and ''dancing to the sound of your soul'', learning to sleep in the trees of the forest in the national park to ''disovering the inner self'' and ''human design''. Schooling in mysticism and crypto-currency investing was also offered. The latter workshop was tutored recently by Gomera Lounge's new owners Sandra and Daniel (see poster on right), who wanted to share how they became so wealthy so fast after leaving behind their previous regular lives in Germany. They are now running an ''academy for financial intelligence'' and found a solid investment in the Gomera Lounge complex, which is ideally suited for their goals of fostering the New Age movement and building the crypto-currency economy.

Gomera Lounge's ostentatious themed apartments, ranging from ''Bali'' to ''1001 nights'' offer accommodation for the ever-increasing number of esoterically minded tourists visiting La Gomera and especially Valle Gran Rey who are looking for magic inspiration and mystic enlightenment. These are all seeking suitably esoteric environs and are willing to pay above the standard rate for same. The premises' attached Piano Bar will be serving as a showy workshop venue during the day soon, but will continue to offer live music at night. However, in future they will concentrate in the programme more on performances on the mellow mystic side of music. This will continue Thomas Mueller's work in that direction and he has assured customers that his kitschy and tacky (sorry, but that's my opinion, Ed.) elephant video will continue to be shown in an endless loop on the large flat screen in the bar.

The business transaction and subsequent transformation will take a while, but it has transpired that after a short closure for minor refurbishment and ''spiritual cleansing'', the grand reopening of the premises is planned to take place on April 1st 2024, with a ''Meaningful Macrame'' workshop, a Hang Handpan concert and trendy band ''The Mystic Melancholics'' playing dopey dances. The donation box will be passed around as usual and you're expected to give generously as the artists will not get paid by the hosts so as not to break with the Piano Bar's tradition . The popular Nestle products will remain on sale, however, and drink prices will continue to be progressively upmarket as before, we've heard.

Most crypto-currencies will be accepted and are to replace cash transactions 'pronto' (asap), while the Lounge's rooftop jacuzzi with sea views offers customers a relaxing dip should the former take an unexpected dive in the markets.

The brave ''Nespresso Buddha'' outside the Piano Bar, patiently holding 

my devotional 'incense stick' while I took the photo a few years ago 

Valle Gran Rey seen from the sea

Image taken December 2022

New 4* hotel under construction set to open this year

Image taken from the hotel's website (see below)

 A new 4*star hotel is under construction in La Gomera's north-east near the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera in the townland of Lomo del Clavo. The site was occupied by a semi-finished holiday apartment development that had been deteriorating for years as an ugly, deserted construction site. This is now being redeveloped into an eco-friendly amenity with all mod cons.

The new hotel with its own organic farm, gardens and spa will have far in excess of 500 beds and should give permanent employment to about 100. It boasts conference and events rooms as well as nine restaurants and bars, including to quote the developers: '' Guro Show Bar - A creative and unforgettable programme awaits at the Guro! Get ready for the most original nightlife ''. 

'Bancal Hotel & Spa' intends to open at the end of this year and already presents its own impressive website in English, Spanish and German. 

The developers behind the venture, Corporacion Arca, introduce themselves with '' We are a corporate group that is not afraid to invest, with a collective conscience that includes you and everyone...''. They describe the facility under construction as follows:

 '' Located on a bluff (sic, yeah 'bluff' also means 'cliff' or 'promontory', but let's just hope that  their choice of word wasn't a Freudian slip - Ed.) overlooking the sea just 5 km from the capital, the Lomo del Clavo hotel project has been specially designed for people looking to enjoy the island of La Gomera, its nature, its history and its people.

Situated in an exceptional location with stunning views of Tenerife and its volcano, the Lomo del Clavo Hotel combines design, health and cuisine with the utmost respect for the environment and a sustainable philosophy that begins with the recovery of the landscape through the refurbishment of a space that was completely dilapidated. The use of clean energy, efficient waste management and involvement in the development of local economies are the basis of a philosophy that aims to reconcile tourism with the natural environment.

Facilities:

276 rooms with terrace

3 pools (2 of them infinity) and 2 children’s pools

Nudist area

5 bars

4 restaurants

Garden

Natural forest

Wellness area with gym, in/outdoor directed activities area, water, treatments and hair styling area

Club Store Event Rooms

Covered parking

Electric vehicle charging points

On-site ecological estate...''

The developers intend to plant acres of gardens and orchards, including a large proprietary organic farm, all irrigated with treated waste water from the hotel. 

That arid area could do with a bit of green again, which would indeed be better than the previous dereliction. San Sebastian de La Gomera is ''soon'' to get La Gomera's first and long overdue water desalination plant, so the hotel's water needs shouldn't take away from the town's scarce water supply. But more about water another time...

The Lomo de Clavo construction site near San Sebastian de La Gomera (Image: gomeraverde.es)

Irish break record crossing Atlantic from La Gomera

The winning Irish team on arrival in Antigua (Image: Atlantic Campaigns)

This winter's Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (click here to see previous posts about the race) has been won by an Irish team who set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a team of five rowers. They managed to row  from San Sebastian de La Gomera to Antigua in just 33 days 12 hours and 38 minutes.  

The team comprised of Tom Nolan, Diarmuid Ó Briain, Shane Culleton, Gearoid O'Briain and Derek McMullen crossed the finish line of the The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Saturday evening. They were rowing under the team name, 'Row Hard or Go Home', and set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12 December 2022.They broke the previous record set by 'The Ocean 5' team, who completed the same race in 35 days 19 hours and 50 minutes in 2019.

The five lads had to endure storms and other difficulties during their crossing of the Atlantic in aid of the RNLI and other charities. Today many of their competitors are still far out at sea trying to complete the race including two other Irish teams, a four-person team, also rowing under the name 'Row Hard or Go Home', only has about another 130 nautical miles to go and is currently in 11th place, and solo rower Jamie Carr. He is competing under the name 'Nothing Ventured'  and currently placed second in the solo race with over 1,000 nautical miles still to row.

Another Irishman, Gavan Hennigan from Galway, had previously set a record in 2017 with his impressive solo row in the same event, known as 'the world's toughest rowing race'. He crossed the Atlantic from La Gomera in 49 days and 12 hours on his own.