Anke Feenstra - Jan/February 2004

SURFING CAMP

Day 1

Today was the day... my surfing holiday had started! I’m also going to the Canaries for the first time, exciting!

From snowy Holland I arrived on very sunny and beautiful Lanzarote only 4 hours later. I was met at the airport by Heriberto from the surf school. During the trip to Caleta de Famara I got my first real impression of the island, and it appealed to me very much. When we arrived in Famara Heriberto first showed me the beach where the surf lessons are taking place and then he showed me the ‘surf camp’. A very laid back house with a good kitchen, 2 bathrooms, several rooms with 2 or 3 beds and a roof terrace. This is where everybody stays who does the surf camp or the surfari for the week. It appears that besides me there is one other guy staying here who does the surfari, and a couple who are doing the surf camp.

After dumping my stuff in my (private!) room I went for a walk around the village. Famara has those white square houses with green woodwork which are typical for Lanzarote. The village is really very small, with two supermarkets, two surf shops, and quite a few restaurants and bars. I liked it instantly. Afterwards I went to have a look at the beach to see if I could find the group, but I couldn’t. Back in the camp I met Simon (UK), the guy who does the surfari. We went to the (very cool) roof terrace with beer and crisps and had a nice afternoon. He’s leaving Saturday already, that’s a shame. He told me he was going to have dinner with the other two people (Trudy and Ross, UK) and that I was welcome to join them. Of course I was glad to do so. When Trudy and Ross arrived at the camp we walked to Casa Garcia, a very nice and central place. It was a pleasant first evening!

Day 2

Around ten o’ clock the four of us (Simon, Trudy, Ross, me) met our teacher Marcus (Germany) at the surf school. After the warming up on the beach Marcus explained me some surfing theory, while Ross and Simon went into the water. Trudy stayed on the beach for a while. Today I only had to catch the waves as well as I could while lying on my stomach. It went quite well, and Marcus is a very kind and enthusiastic teacher. He noticed also the slightest mistakes, which is good! For lunch we had nice rolls with ham and cheese and some juice. I really liked this first day. The sun is nice and hot and I enjoy being out of the cold Dutch weather so much!

After again a nice afternoon on the roof terrace with Simon we had dinner all together in the village at the expense of the school because this had been the last day for Simon, Trudy and Ross. We had great paella at Bar Sol, where Ross and Trudy got their well deserved diplomas and some photographs. In the camp we had champagne (catered for by Simon) and went to bed pretty early… surfing wears you out!

Day 3

I had a private lesson today while Ross and Trudy spent their last day sight seeing. Simon went with Marcus and me to Playa Famara. It went pretty well again, the waves are gentle and very good for beginners. A few times I even stood up, yay! When we were back at the school I was allowed to take a board back to the surf house with me, in case I wanted to go surfing on Sunday. In the surf house I met Anke from Belgium; now there are two Ankes! She’ll be my only companion for the rest of my week. This is really very quiet; we can each have our own bathroom now. Fortunately we got along very well from the first moment. Around five o’ clock Simon, Ross and Trudy stuffed all their belongings (including Simon’s board!) into Ross and Trudy’s rental Renault Clio and after saying goodbyes they drove off, to the airport. I was sad to say goodbye to them!

Anke and I went out for dinner, we went to Casa Garcia. There is more to choose from in the village, but this place is just very good. We had the fish of the day, very nice! When we got back to the camp Marcus was there, watching “3 degrees”, a surf dvd. Anke and I made plans to go to the market in Teguise tomorrow. After watching the movie we quickly went to bed because we were very tired. It feels good after a day in the sun though!

Day 4

I really did go surfing this morning, around nine o’ clock. Anke also came up the beach and had a chat with a nice Welshman, John, who was walking his dog. Back in the surf house there was a note left by Marcus saying that he went surfing, so he couldn’t take us to Teguise with his van. We tried to call a taxi, but it was impossible to pick us up, so we decided to go hitchhiking. A friendly French lady picked us up and brought us all the way there. That was great! It wasn’t difficult to see where we had to go, it seemed like all the tourists on Lanzarote had decided to visit the market! But nevertheless it was a really nice and big market. We had a good time and bought a lot of souvenirs. Also, Teguise is a pretty place; you notice the African influence here. Around two o’ clock it was over, and we tried to get a lift back to Famara. That worked out pretty well. Two sisters from Gran Canaria dropped us at the junction to Famara, and the very first car brought us home. This was an older British couple, very friendly people. The rest of the afternoon Anke went to the beach, and have been relaxing on the roof terrace. Tonight we were going to cook dinner, but it appeared that the shops weren’t open on Sundays, although Simon told me they were. So out for dinner we went again, this time to Casa Ramon. Here we met John the Welshman again, with his little son and some friends. It feels good to ‘know’ a few people in this place!

Day 5

This morning there was a very strong wind, which made the sea choppy and it was very hard to practice what I’d learned so far. We had lunch in the van to be protected from the wind on the beach, and luckily after lunch the waves were a lot smoother. This was a totally different situation, and I succeeded in standing up quite a few times.

I spent quite some time on the roof terrace this afternoon; it’s so lovely to sit there in the last sun of the day, relaxing with a book and a drink! Anke and I made a pasta meal this evening which gave us a nice and homey feeling. Marcus joined us for dinner. We watched his film “3 degrees” again. It’s really a great movie about 3 Australian surfers, Mick Fanning amongst others. It’s cool that the surf school provides a dvd player in the camp!

Day 6

The wind was still blowing this morning. Heriberto and Maike advised us not to go surfing today. Heriberto instead contacted Sefon the surf board shaper in La Santa to get an appointment for us to have a look in his workshop. The three of us left for La Santa as soon as possible. First we had a look in the shop, which was very interesting, and Marcus explained a lot about the process to us both. I was impressed! La Santa is renowned for big and good waves, so we also had a look at El Quemao, one of the best spots on the island. It didn’t work that well today, but still three guys with a body board and one surfer went in. It was unbelievable to see those guys in the huge waves!

Back in Famara we saw that the sea was smoother now, so after lunch we quickly went into the water. It went very well, getting up and stable on the board was no problem anymore! I was really happy. When it was time to go back to the school I wanted to stay in the water and I agreed with Marcus to bring the board back to the camp myself. That extra hour appeared to be very valuable in the end…

While I was enjoying the surf and the roof terrace afterwards Marcus and Anke spent the rest of the afternoon in Jameos del Agua (a place with caves and underground lakes, made into a beautiful artwork by famous local artist César Manrique). For dinner we had the rest of yesterday’s pasta which was again a very nice meal.

Day 7

Today it was so windy that Maike strongly advised us not to go surfing. This was a big disappointment for me because it was my last day and I just got the hang of it… You can’t influence nature. I just hoped the afternoon would be better - like yesterday. In the meantime we went to see Fundación César Manrique in Tahiche, a self-made house where Manrique spent the last years of his life. Also a lot of Manrique’s and other artist’s paintings and sketches can be seen here. The house is extraordinary; the whole place is absolutely worth a visit. So okay, I couldn’t go surfing, but I was really glad that I had the chance to see this place.

After a short stop at the surf house in Famara to pick up Anke’s forgotten wallet and to have a look at the waves, we went all the way to Arrecife to go shopping. It was nice to spend some time there; our attention went mainly to the surf shops! After a while we went back, and I was hoping that the waves at Playa Famara would be good after all. But no such luck… that extra hour on Tuesday had really been my last.

When Anke and I were walking on the beach Marcus came to pick us up, because two friends of his were visiting and we were going to have a barbecue on the roof terrace. That was a nice way to spend my last evening. In a warm breeze and enjoying some local wine, Anke, Vivian and I discussed our plans for the near future; quite inspiring I must say. It mainly had to do with the fact that there is no real surf near our home towns; Antwerp, Berlin and Amsterdam respectively!

Marcus - surf god and all round nice guy Playa Famara and the riscos (cliffs)

Day 8

Today it was really time to go home. I wanted to stay for at least two more weeks! Maike picked me up at the surf house at 9:45 to bring me to the airport. Anke and I said goodbye, but we’ll keep in touch!

Learning to surf was a great experience. I’m afraid I’m hooked now! The conditions were perfect, warm weather, nice company in the camp though a little more people would have been better (Anke and I agreed), and we stayed in a very comfortable house in the relaxed little village that Famara is. We just had a bit of bad luck with the wind.

To everybody I met there – Heriberto, Maike, Marcus, Anke, Simon, Ross and Trudy – thanks for everything! Marcus, you’re a very nice guy and a good teacher. And Mark, thanks for your kindness and efficiency during the booking!

Cheers,
Anke