Though the mountains were gorgeous and we liked our accommodations, something was just off on Gran Canaria for us. We had come seeking beach time and Clint and I weren't digging the over-commercialized coastal towns. We started to plot our exit by researching other islands in the Canary chain and chose the island of Fuerteventura. It was the closest to Gran Canaria and known for its beautiful beaches. Thank God, we chose the nearest one because little did we know, the journey there would be awful!!
We boarded our 2-hour long ferry ride with the excitement that comes along with exploring a new place. It wasn't until we got out of the car to walk up to the main deck that we noticed how much the large vessel was rocking. At first, we laughed at how each of us was stumbling all over the place. Then the laughing quickly turned into panicking when I realized we hadn't taken anything to prevent motion sickness. Our last two boat rides in Croatia were so smooth that the possibility of seasickness hadn't crossed my mind. I should have known better with my history! Feeling the nausea coming on strong, I doled out the last two-and-a-half Dramamine tablets I had luckily stashed away in my purse to the family.
The next two hours were so brutal. The kids and I couldn't even lift our heads or open our eyes without feeling like we were going to be sick. I breathed into the barf bag they provided the last 30 minutes before docking and held my breath with the roll of each wave. Clint fortunately has earned his sea legs, so he wasn't too affected by the swaying. He asked the crew if this boat ride was typical and they said "yes!" I can't imagine going through that again, but we have a return trip booked to catch our flight back to Portugal next week. The first thing Kate said when she could talk again was, "Let's stay on this island for the rest of our trip so we can fly home straight from here [avoiding taking the ferry back]." Austin wanted to hire a private jet to fly us out of here, so we didn't have to repeat the torment. That would be nice! I couldn't even talk about the ferry ride for the next 30-hours because it took me that long to feel normal again. Just the mere thought of it sent my stomach into a frenzy.
Still breathing into the bag after exiting the ferry. My new mask!
But, despite what felt like a never-ending journey, we are so happy we decided to island-hop to Fuerteventura. We have now learned our lesson to seek surf destinations because whenever we land in a surf town, the vibe is always just right.
After waiting a day for the nausea to subside, we took advantage of having our own wheels and headed out on a mini two-hour road trip to the north side of the island.
Kate equipped with road snacks.
It's a geologist's dream here! Due to the lack of vegetation, it's easy to see Fuerteventura's geologic history which I found fascinating. The dry terrain is anything but boring—the soil and rocks change colors every 30 miles. It varies from golden retriever-colored gold, to rusty red, to caramel, to black cinder. There are large areas roped off for scientific research that add to the feeling that we are part of a sci-fi mystery on another planet!
Many old ruins along the side of the road.
Flying drone at a rest stop.
Climbing Calderon Hondo—one of many volcanoes on the Fuertevetura.
The 70-meter deep crater of Calderon Hondo volcano. Hundreds of squirrels live in this crater!
Mountains like these pop up everywhere on the island even though Fuerteventura is the flattest of the Canary Islands.
Our last stop was at a beach lined with volcanic rock. The outlined formations were so cool.
Kudos to this guy for keeping us safe on the two-lane highways which quickly turn into one-lane highways.
Those aren't shadows and highlights on the mountain but rather varying soil.