We had made no plans for a formal trip our second day in Santa Cruz, but at breakfast we decided to see if we get on a jeep tour sponsored by Semester at Sea to The National Park of the Canary Islands in which is located the volcano Teide.
According to Wikipedia: "The oldest mountain ranges on Tenerife rose from the Atlantic Ocean by volcanic eruption which gave birth to the island around twelve million years ago. The island as it is today was formed three million years ago by the fusion of three different islands made up of the mountain ranges of Anaga, Teno and Valle de San Lorenzo, due to volcanic activity from Teide.
The volcano is visible from most parts of the island today, and the crater is 17 km long at some points. Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. There are four historically recorded volcanic eruptions, none of which has led to casualties…" (The most recent irruptions were in 1798 and 1909.)
The peak of Teide, at 3718 meters above sea level and more than 7,000 meters above the ocean floor, is the highest point of the island, Spanish territory and in the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano is the third largest on the planet, and its central location, substantial size, looming silhouette in the distance and its snowy landscape give it a unique personality. The original settlers considered Teide a god and Teide was a place of worship."
A group of about forty of us from the ship got into 5 jeeps. They were really full!
From Santa Cruz, we drove up the mountain to Laguna, through La Esperanza, Las Raices, the Bosque (Forest) of Esperanza, into the National Park finally to a place called Las Roques.
The landscape changed as quickly as the population. At one point we were driving through rain clouds, though we could see the city below.
We saw beautiful pine trees covered in Spanish moss. There were piles of pine needles along the road, we saw trucks carrying it out of the mountains, Paco, our driver, told us that it is used for bedding animals. We saw lots of firefights and we were told that the pine needles are removed to help reduce fire risk. Just a few weeks ago there was fire in the part that was covered more than 6,000 acres!
Soon we were above the clouds.
The highlight of the park is the volcano, El Teide. The peak is 3718 meters above sea level and more than 7,000 meters above the ocean floor. It is the highest point of the island and in the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano is the third largest on the planet. The original settlers considered Teide a god and the mountain was a place of worship.
The cauldron around the volcano was created by volcanic eruptions and much of the terrain looks like the moon or mars! We were told that space equipment that was to be sent to Mars was first tried out here and that Neil Armstrong had been he and he confirmed that it truly does look like the surface of the moon.
The movie, THE CLASH of the TITANS, had several scenes filmed at the site pictured here.
The temperature changed from 72 degrees to 45 degrees in less than an hour of travel – the highest I saw the altitude was 2250 meters!
There was no admission fee to the park. However, the 8 minute ride up to the top of the volcano by cable car cost 25 Euro – about $34. That money helps keep the park clean and in good shape, a 32 passenger car goes up every 16 minutes for at least 8 hours a day! That about $35,000—a pretty good way for those who can pay to help others who cannot still come to the park.
Our driver did not speak English; Barry had sat in the front because his hip was bothering him. Good that he did, he and Paco did lots of taking and Barry was able to translate for the rest of us. Paco talked a lot about the foods of the area. We brought one of the cereals he told us about, Gofio, a three-grain powder that is typically mixed with warm milk at breakfast. But he also told us it could be mixed with water, cocoa, honey, ground almonds, chopped raisins, and coconut. We hope to try to make it at home some time.
Our pace in October will be very different from what we've experienced in September.
In September, we had only 8 class days and 22 days in port. That means we met our classes only 4 times each and that this voyage has really seemed to take on the character of vacation cruise, rather than an academic experience. Some of our colleagues who have done the around the world voyages previously have said that those are much different because of the greater distances between ports and, therefore, the more extended and regular stretches onboard and in class.
Truthfully, Barry is grateful that in October there will be 21 days onboard ship with 19 class days and 2 study days. We will be in Ghana for four days and Cape Town for five. Hopefully, that will strengthen the academic quality of the experience for both students and faculty.
No comments:
Post a Comment