Lanzarote, Canary Islands - Day 5

Monday, February 12, 2024

Andi had a rough night last night. He barely slept a wink, making repeated trips to the bathroom and continuing to run a temperature. I feel so badly for him. He hasn’t been able to keep any food or liquids down for three days now. We’re staying in Lanzarote until Friday, so thankfully he has a few more days to rest until we leave the island.

Our original plan was to move airbnbs to another part of the island today, but now that Andi is sick we tried to stay longer in this spot. Unfortunately, it’s booked the rest of this week, so we didn’t have a choice but to move locations. I know it was hard on Andi to pack up and move today, but I was glad to get out of that sick house. Hopefully a change of scenery, and new towels and bed linens, will be just what Andi needs to feel better.

I spent the morning packing our bags, emptying the refrigerator, and cleaning up the airbnb for departure. Moving onto the next place was a lot simpler in Morocco when we staying in hotels! It took me two hours to get everything ready to go. The benefit of staying in an airbnb is having more space and freedom, but it is definitely more work.

We had to be out of the Playa Honda airbnb by 11:00am, but couldn’t check into our new airbnb in the town of Nazaret until 3:00pm. There was sheer panic on Andi’s face as we left the house; he wasn’t sure he could be away from a bathroom that long. It took all of his strength to walk two blocks in the hot sun to our rental car.

European cars are not large. Our four carry-on size bags barely fit into the back of our rental. I’m not sure what you’d do if you traveled with full-size suitcases.

We had four hours to burn until we could check into our next airbnb, so I suggested we go to a movie or to the aquarium (something indoors, close to a bathroom, and preferably air-conditioned). All the movies showing in theaters were playing in Spanish, so we decided to visit the aquarium. Andi drove us in our rental car to the aquarium in the nearby town of Costa Teguise, but decided against going inside once we got there. “I can’t do it,” he said. “I’m going to lay down in the car.” So, Tory, Aden, and I went to the aquarium without him.

The woman working inside was so friendly, and explained all the sea creatures we’d see inside the exhibits. The aquarium was not very big, but it was something fun for Tory and Aden to do nonetheless. Plus, we learned a few facts about animals that we can apply toward school for the day.

Our favorite part of the experience was feeding time for the sharks and sting rays. We watched as an aquarium worker fed the black-tipped sharks pieces of fish attached to a metal pole. The aquarium worker said that black-tip sharks never stop swimming; if they do, they can’t breathe and will die. I wondered how they sleep! The employee explained that part of the shark’s brain goes to sleep while the other part of it keeps working to keep the shark in motion. Then, the other half of its brain sleeps while the first half is at work. Interesting!

We also watched as a diver entered into the big tank to hand-feed the sting rays. The sting rays at the aquarium were 15 and 18-years-old — they were huge! I really enjoyed hearing facts about all the fish & mammals in the tank. The aquarium employee provided her explanation in English, Spanish, and Dutch so that all the kids who were present could listen and understand.

After the aquarium, we still had two hours until we could check into our airbnb. Andi drove us inland to the town of Teguise, near our new neighborhood. Teguise is the oldest settlement on the island of Lanzarote and was established in the 15th century. As we left Costa Teguise and drove to the central part of the island, the landscape changed dramatically. Thanks to its volcanic history, most of the island of Lanzarote has treeless, moonlike landscapes with different colored soils, craters, and gently sloping mountains. We must’ve climbed a bit in altitude, too, because my ears popped.

Andi found a shady spot to park the car in the central part of Teguise. There was a public library here, so I thought we should do some school work while we had time, much to the disappointment of Tory and Aden. Andi thought he might be able to go with us to the library, but after walking a short distance he decided to turn around and go back to the car to lay down. Luckily, there was a public bathroom right next to where we parked so he wouldn’t be far from a toilet. Poor guy!

Tory, Aden, and I continued walking to the pedestrian area in the center part of Teguise. It was so beautiful! The charming town with cobblestone streets and historic architecture made it feel as if we walked into the pages of a storybook.

The kids and I easily located the town library and found a table to sit and do school work. Both of them were complaining though, and Tory’s demeanor turned downright angry. She said she was hungry and begged to go get something to eat at one of the many cafes we passed by on the street.

Fine. I gave into their request for food instead of fighting about school. There were a dozen restaurants and bars in the main square of Teguise, with lots of tourists enjoying food and drinks in the afternoon sun. We walked up to several of them, but the kids couldn’t agree on a place with food they both liked. Aden wanted bbq ribs that he saw on one of the cafe menus; Tory wanted soup and salad at another restaurant. Finally, we all agreed on a place called Cantina Tapas and Tablas which offered both chicken nuggets and hamburgers. I tell ya, traveling with kids is exhausting sometimes.

It took a while to get a table, but eventually we were seated inside the restaurant. I liked the server right away who was attentive and spoke perfect English. Despite his ability to understand me in my native language, I still attempted to place our order in Spanish. He responses back to me were in English so that either means he was being nice, or my Spanish is terrible!

I ordered off the tapas menu and got black cherry tomato confit with local goat cheese and crusty bread. It was delicious paired with a glass of red sangria. Tory ordered a cheeseburger and fries which looked like it was a fresh, hand-formed patty. Aden had chicken tenders which were pieces of real, juicy chicken accompanying a big bowl of crispy, salty fries.

By the time we finished our meals it was 3:00pm — time to check into our airbnb. The kids and I returned to Andi waiting in the car, and drove five minutes down the road to our new airbnb. This new airbnb is in a shared duplex within a quiet neighborhood. We are no longer near the ocean, but in the center of the island of Lanzarote. The house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, kitchen, laundry, and shared pool area. Tory and Aden grumbled a bit about sharing a bedroom after having their own rooms in the last place. You know, you just can’t win sometimes! It looks like a perfectly nice, clean place to sleep to me.

I didn’t really feel like doing school any more than the kids, but I knew we needed to. Aden, Tory, and I spent the next four hours doing their studies on the sofa. I hate doing school work while we’re traveling, I really do, but we have to stay on schedule with their lessons. Today was a particularly unpleasant day of homeschooling.

Around 7:00pm, I made dinner with the few groceries we have left. I made Tory and I a pizza to eat, and for Aden I made spaghetti noodles. Andi thought he might like to eat some plain noodles, too, but they didn’t last inside his stomach. Poor Andi. I honestly don’t know how much longer this sickness can go on for him. He hasn’t been able to keep any food or liquids down.

Tomorrow is my birthday! Though, I’m not sure it’ll be as fun as a celebration as I’d hoped. I just want Andi to feel better. Traveling without my adventure partner is no fun. The kids were so whiny today, and we’re all in a bit of a funk. I hope tomorrow is better.