Canadian World Traveller Winter 2018-19 Issue

3-2-1 Go Tenerife!
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
That is the exact amount, 321, of volcanoes
that reside upon the
Spanish island of Tenerife, which is
astonishing given that it is a relatively small
island. That was lesson number one on a
journey that would prove to have many.
Lesson two, Tenerife is not even close to
Spain, as it is part of the fabled Canary Island
chain in the Atlantic Ocean off of the African
coast and close to Morocco and Mauritania
and is about a three hour flight from the
mainland of Spain.
Lesson number three I found out just getting
off the plane. Yes, there are lovely little
singing canary birds but that is not how this
island chain got its name. In actual fact, they
got their name from the Spanish word for
canine, which translates to a word sounding
like Canary, as wild dogs were found here
many centuries ago. The name stuck.
And that is how our trip would be, every day
we would find out some of the most fascinating
things about this island paradise. We
would venture in every direction to find ever
diversifying climates, breathtaking landscapes,
a colorful history, endless eating
options and laid back, welcoming people.
Anaga Rural Park
On our first full day, we were off to visit the
Anaga Rural Park. It was mere minutes from
our hotel in the town of La Laguna. The drive
alone was worth the venture as we climbed to
dizzying heights along winding roads that
clung to cliff edges. Once there, it felt like a
whole other world. The air was cool and
dense with fog, the trees were heavy with dew
and the mist, when it occasionally lifted,
offered spectacular glimpses of the valley
below.