PLANNING to Hike the Canary Islands

On By Rick McIn hiking, travelLeave a comment

I spontaneously flew to the Canary Islands from the U.K.

Flights are cheap.

Weather is great in November. 😎

On arrival I found you couldn’t easily purchase camping fuel. Nor are hiking guidebooks available for sale.

Surprising.

I decided to stay just one week. And only on Tenerife. Reconnaissance.

But I’ll be back.

The best islands for hiking are:

Some of the best hikes require complicated permits. Some are only open on weekends. I’ll need to do more planning next time.

I’m thinking at least 3 weeks. At least 4 islands.

Buy my hiking books online. Book permits well in advance.

November ➙ February look to be the best months.

There are plenty of European tourists. But I didn’t meet even one American or Canadian over a week.

Also, you need to speak Spanglish here.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

P.S.

Once I bought a cheap flight to Lisbon, I found the fuel canister I needed in a hostel FREE BOX. So I know they exist on the Canary Islands.

They MIGHT be for sale from either Leroy Merlin or Decathlon in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. Some have found them at petrol stations and ferreterias, hardware stores.

Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

In this one, small town police chief Bruno Courrèges investigates how a visiting American student could have ended up dead in a well.

Another great murder mystery set in France.

Plenty of gourmet food and wine, as well.

Bruno Courrèges initially assumes that she died of an overdose.

But Claudia’s doctor soon persuades him that things may not be so simple, setting Bruno on an investigation that will lead him from the Renaissance to the French Resistance and beyond.

Claudia had been studying with Monsieur de Bourdeille, a renowned art historian who became extraordinarily wealthy through the sale of paintings that may have been falsely attributed—or so Claudia suggested shortly before her death.

Burning Bright by Nick Petrie

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Book 1 in the series, The Drifter, was good.

This is the second featuring featuring war veteran Peter Ash — Burning Bright — and it’s even more entertaining. I’m hooked.

If you like the Jack Reacher books, you’ll like these.

… Peter Ash sought peace and quiet among the towering redwoods of northern California, but the trip isn’t quite the balm he’d hoped for. The dense forest and close fog cause his claustrophobia to buzz and spark, and then he stumbles upon a grizzly, long thought to have vanished from this part of the country. In a fight of man against bear, Peter doesn’t favor his odds, so he makes a strategic retreat up a nearby sapling.

There, he finds something strange: a climbing rope, affixed to a distant branch above. It leads to another, and another, up through the giant tree canopy, and ending at a hanging platform. On the platform is a woman on the run. From below them come the sounds of men and gunshots. …

interview – 15 Minutes With: Nick Petrie, Author


John Lewis Christmas ad 2022

On By Rick McIn ethics, videoLeave a comment

The John Lewis Christmas ad is now such a big annual tradition that it feels like the official start of the festive season. …

Mashable

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is fantastic.

“Over 108,000 children in the UK are in the care system. We’re making a longterm commitment to support the futures of young people from care.”

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The main architectural symbol is Auditorio de Tenerife, not that impressive up close.

Better are the Spanish parks and plazas.

Most tourists head straight to the pool or the beach every day.

Not a beach guy, I spent only about an hour walking this edge of this one — because SHARKS. 😀

Photobomber

A Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino

On By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as “Detective Galileo“, is speaking at a small coastal town on whether or not to approve an underwater mining operation.

The night after the tense panel discussion, one of the resort’s guests is found dead on the seashore at the base of the local cliffs. The local police at first believe it was a simple accident-that he wandered over the edge while walking on unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night. But when they discover that the victim was a former policeman and that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, they begin to suspect he was murdered, and his body tossed off the cliff to misdirect the police. …

Amazon

This time the police don’t ask Yukawa for help. But he decides to solve the crime on his own.

As always, there are subtle and surprising twists and turns.

This book was adapted into a film.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I enjoyed 3 nights in Puerto de la Cruz on the island of Tenerife.

Staying that long because of the superb hostel with ultra-modern “pods”.

My first impression of “Port of the Cross” was to be disappointed in the waterfront. It’s not nearly as developed as other tourist cities. The beaches are volcanic black stone and ash.

I ASSuME it’s because the Atlantic waves are so massive here. Much of the coastline is protective concrete.

Once finding my way around, there are lovely tourist spots, especially in the evening.

Here’s the plaza closest to my hostel.

Sunset.

One highlight is the botanical garden. Almost anything can grow here.

All in all, tourists are happy in Puerto de la Cruz. Mostly Europeans. I didn’t meet even one Canadian or American in a week on Tenerife. It could be they are in all inclusive resorts.

Atypicap Capsule Hostel, Canary Islands

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, travel2 Comments

Atypicap Capsule Hostel is the first capsule establishment in the Canary Islands.

I’ve stayed in a few airport Capsule hotels — but this is the best hostel version I’ve ever seen. ALL hostels should offer these capsules. Singles and doubles.

Cost for my single in 2022 was $26.15 / night (25.24 EU).

Shared leisure areas, kitchen, bathrooms for individual use, and a Chill-Out Terrace on the roof with bar service.

Electronic door-opening and closing with card. Lockers.

Equipped with USB connections and Bluetooth, air ventilation, 26-inch screen with headphone connection where you can download the multimedia content on your device (mobile, tablet or laptop), wifi, a 15x12x12 cm safe, adjustable led lights for reading, luminous alarm clock, vanity mirror, digital thermometer, power outlet, cloth hangers, smoke detector, and ‘do not disturb’ option.

Details.

Under Currents by Nora Roberts

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I hate to admit it, but Romance writer Nora Roberts is a storyteller of the quality of Stephen King or Jeffrey Archer.

And she’s so prolific! Sometimes writing 3 books simultaneously.

Under Currents (2019) is very good. A family story looking at domestic abuse from many different angles.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Devil’s Hour – season 1

On By Rick McIn TV1 Comment

Better than a Hollywood film.

This series is an example of the golden age of streaming television.

The Devil’s Hour is a British drama thriller … on Amazon Prime Video.

The Devil’s Hour tells the story of Lucy who wakes up by terrifying visions every night at exactly 3:33 AM, in the middle of the so-called devil’s hour between 3 AM and 4 AM.

Her eight-year-old son is withdrawn and emotionless.

Her mother speaks to empty chairs.

Her house is haunted by the echoes of a life that isn’t her own.

When Lucy’s name is inexplicably connected to a string of brutal murders in the area, the answers that have evaded her all these years will finally come into focus …

Cast and acting all fantastic.

Best of the best?

Perhaps Benjamin Chivers as Isaac.

Some critics complain the story is too complicated. And too slow to be resolved. Fair points.

Personally, I’m really hoping it’s renewed for season 2.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.