Lago Martianez

After school today, I checked out the waters that had been beckoning me over the last few days.  I had hesitated because the weather wasn’t exactly hot hot.

I tested the waters in the sea nearby.  With the black sand/rock the water wasn’t as cold as I had expected.  But I thought I’d leave it for tomorrow and go to the Lago Martianez pool for today.  That is a huge and stunning set of pools or artificial lagoons.  Entry was reasonable at EUR5.50.

Not having read up about the place, I was surprised the water was salty.  In fact, it was so salty I could sit afloat as if in a lazyboy armchair position.  Not sure if I could have read a newspaper like in the Dead Sea.  It was very pleasant and warm both in and out of the water.  I did one complete circuit of their largest pool and sunned myself briefly.

Hopping into the water a second time when the sun was behind clouds, it felt surprisingly chilly.  I thought it was just me but lots of newcomers were hesitating when they first walked into the water.  It just shows the nature of the weather in Puerto de la Cruz.

I learnt that the ocean currents and wind prevail on the north side of the island.  There is rain here whereas on the south side it’s like a desert.  Combined with the fact that there aren’t nice sandy  beaches right here, I can understand why some prefer the south.  Also, the sea here is quite dangerous with currents.  So, it is excellent that the Lago Martianez is there for locals and tourists to enjoy.

This turned out to be my last touristy activity in Tenerife.  With school in the afternoon and no car, it wasn’t practical or worthwhile to do trips to other places.  I would have loved to go to Teide, the highest mountain in Spain but public transport was once a day and tours leave in the morning during school time.  I was a little miffed that two of my classmates went to Teide without asking me.  Everyone was nice in class but not too social.  The mountain may be similar to landscapes I’ve seen in the highlands of Gran Canaria but I still would like to have a chance with Teide another time.

Also, I ended up eating in my apartment a lot.  With a kitchen, I made simple meals of salads or wraps with ingredients sourced from the supermarket.  Because of my highly disciplined nature, I was intent of finishing all of the ingredients without wastage, which meant that I didn’t go out for meals much.

It was a win-win-win situation eating in.  Apart from saving money, I was eating healthier, and also not having wine/beer/sangria with dinner then ice cream after!  In Spain, it is often better value to have the “Menu del dia” consisting of an appetiser, main with alcohol and then dessert … rather than just a main and a drink.