The Cunning Canary

It’s a good idea to find out where the nearest doctor’s surgery is when you arrive… just in case! There are English speaking dentists and doctors around the tourists resorts of Gran Canaria and they are all qualified to the European standard. If you are looking for a pharmacy, there are quite a few. Just look out for the green cross. There is a list here of all the pharmacies on the island and when they are open.

Photo By Elrudojulio

Insurance and E111 Cards 

Well I like to call myself a sun worshipper but sometimes the heat here is overwhelming! Since Gran Canaria is situated off the north coast of Africa, we get a lot of their weather blowing over here and the location is also responsible for other strange weather conditions.

Photo By J.F.Marrero

Calimas and Siroccos

A calima is an oppressively hot, dusty wind which comes across from the Sahara desert. It happens sometimes in winter but usually in the summer. It makes the sky look hazy but it is really a fine layer of dust. Some calimas last a few hours, others days!

Many illegal immigrants from Africa spend the meagre savings they have on a passage to Gran Canaria. Rather than arriving in the land of milk and honey where accommodation and work are easy to come by (as they have been told), most of them arrive dead, almost dead or don’t arrive at all. They come over in “pateras” which are small boats.

 
Photo By ConilsInFronteras

The crossing can take weeks (depending on the wind and whether they even stay on course) and food and water runs out long before then. There is also no shelter from the weather.

I did a dolphin trip last week when my family was over and it was really good so I thought I’d share it with you! You can book dolphin trips in Puerto Escala (Puerto Rico) - just ask for Kevin or Nina. There is a tour guide on the boat called Ronnie. He speaks English, German, Spanish and Dutch and he will look after you.

How Much Does it Cost? 

This trip is 24 euros for adults and 12 euros for kids, which isn’t bad because if you don’t see dolphins or whales you can repeat the trip! You can buy drinks and snacks on board and don’t worry - there is a loo!

Holidays in Gran Canaria aren’t complete without a visit to Puerto de Mogan. Nicknamed “Little Venice” it’s full of waterways and quaint houses. If you want to visit Puerto de Mogan market, go on a Friday. You can get the hourly ferry from Arguineguin or Puerto Rico (Puerto Base or Puerto Escala harbour). If you get the ferry, you will get views of Amadores beach on the way, which is another nice place to visit. The market in Mogan is on from 9am until 2pm. You can get the bus or a taxi if you’re worried about getting seasick!

Activities 

Gran Canaria is a great place for a holiday for several reasons. First of all, you are pretty much guaranteed warm sunshine! If you visit in June, July, August or September the weather can be pretty hot - expect temperatures up to a sweltering 40ºC. The coolest months are December, January and February but the temperature rarely drops below 15ºC and the daytimes are usually sunny enough to chill out in a bikini or a pair or shorts.

Photo By PhotoPhob

Gran Canaria has had strong links with space ever since a tracking station was constructed in 1960. This European Space Agency tracking station cemented Gran Canaria’s strong links with the United States and was used in various missions including some of the Apollo space missions.

Photo By PingNews

There are more than 20 powerful telescopes at this facility and the exceptional quality of the Canarian sky is legally protected.

There are new plans to construct a theme park in the area where the satellite is to let you experience being an astronaut for a day! Future plans for this area, near Maspalomas in the south, include space camps.

More and more people want to “get away from it all” when they come on holiday. And that doesn’t mean lying by a pool where kids are dive-bombing in, splashing you every 10 seconds, babies are screaming and people are shouting at each other. It doesn’t mean walking down the busiest tourist street on the island, hearing “you want dinner here?” or “buy a camera, only 10 euros” or “looky looky sunglasses” every minute or so. Actually those things can be fun and remind you that you are actually on holiday but what about if you could still enjoy the sun and still enjoy what the island has to offer but be even more away from it?

Semanta Santa, or Holy Week and Easter, is one of the biggest Canarian festivals, the Canary Islands being a Catholic Island. This is between 16th and 23rd March, Sunday 16th March being Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and 23rd March being Easter Sunday (Domingo de Resurrección) and Easter Monday (Luna de Pascua). Easter is usually in April but it falls very early this year.

Photo By CGT

The Rally El Corte Inglés is the biggest car rally held in Gran Canaria. Every year there are many people, both visitors and Canarians, who watch this rally, where domestic and international competitors battle it out across Gran Canaria for their chance to win the Corte Inglés Rally Trophy.

The course has 8 different stages, including those around San Mateo, Telde, San Mateo, Vallesco, Teror and Llanos de la Pez. Some of the stages have difficult mountainous terrain.

Over 100 teams take part in this rally, which is held in April every year. It is free to watch and this year will take place from 17th to 19th April. This year’s rally is Gran Canaria’s 32nd.