The Cunning Canary

Gran Canaria is the gay capital of Europe and the Yumbo Centre and gay-friendly environment attract many people over from various countries. The main parades are centered around the Yumbo area of Playa del Ingles. Gay Pride 2008 is from 5th to 11th May - a whole week of partying!

You can expect to see floats and the most outrageous costumes ever. I went to the one last year and it was about 40ºC so don’t forget to take plenty of water because the crowds are huge and it can be hard to find a shady spot!

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Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine) is a fascinating festival! This takes place at the beginning of March and there are processions through the streets. Some of the outfits are pretty scary. I watched it this year in Arguineguín. At the end of the procession, everyone congregates on the beach to watch the fireworks which were brilliant this year - lots of oohing and aahing from the crowd!

Photo By Dsevilla

The main part of the festival is the burial of the sardine itself although they blew it up this year - there was a loud BOOM, then loads of bits of ashes floating through the air! Very unusual!

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Just a 15 minute walk from Puerto Escala, Amadores (which literally means “The Lovers”) is a great beach to visit. The beach itself is bigger than the one in Puerto Rico and has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants behind. You can rent sunbeds or spread your towel on the sand.

 
Photo By CGT

The sand’s actually different than the powdery Anfi sand or fine Puerto Rico sand. It’s coarser (made from crushed stone) and easier to brush off!

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Puerto Escala is one of the two harbours in Puerto Rico. You can find many activities there such as:

• Dolphin and Whale Trips
• Glass Bottomed Submarine Boat
• Sea Fishing (visit me on the Barakuda Dos desk!)
• Parascending
• Scuba Diving
• Speedboat trips on the Big Red (very scary!)
• Ferries to Mogán and Arguineguín
• A restaurant (nice Canarian cooking!)

Photo By Andy2Boyz

If you stand on the harbour wall at Puerto Escala, it is a great place to watch the Fiesta del Carmen sea parade or Fiesta de la Naval (Festival of the Sea). A 15 minute walk along the path takes you to Amadores Beach which is very pretty. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants there.

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Many people come to Gran Canaria and spend all week in a British restaurant eating steak and chips! If this is what you like, that’s fine. I like a traditional British meal at Christmas but I also like to be adventurous. If you fancy trying some authentic Canarian dishes, read on…

Canarian Potatoes with Mojo Sauce (Papas Arrugadas)
Wherever you go, nearly every main dish comes with this (unless you request chips, a jacket potato or rice) but what exactly are Canarian Potatoes with Mojo Sauce?

Photo By Fernando Carmona

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