A Journey to the Misty Island of Beauty Where Time Has Stood Still
 
From Your Roving Mark Reporter.  241117
 
We had always promised to go to Island that time has forgotten so one day this September we decided now was the time, off we went to the Port of Los Christianos and boarded the triple hulled high speed Fred Olsen Ferry which sails between Tenerife and La Gomera, yes we were in the Canaries.
Boarding
On Board

It was a beautiful sunny day when we left but even so as can be seen from the pictures on board the ferry it wasn’t until we got really close that the Island that it appeared out of the mist, the docking port is called San Sebastian and nothing seems very special about it, but in fact this place has a special story to tell, as this is where Christopher Columbus sailed from in 1492 with his three ships to the America’s, he had stopped here to replenish his crews food and water supplies, intending to stay only four days the widow of Hernan Peraza, Beatriz de Bobadilla Countess of La Gomera offered him vital support in preparations of the fleet, only intending to stay for four days he ended up staying for one month, she gave him cuttings of sugarcane which became the first to reach the New World.
Ships Radar
Look out on Board No Sign of Gomera
In the old part of the small town there are several Interesting buildings, one which is very pleasing on the eye is the brightly painted Customs house which has a deep well on the front patio which supposedly Columbus took water from to Baptise the New World, a gloomy church where he made his last confession and the wooden balconied “Casa de Colon” portrayed as his former dwelling. However some of these claims are a bit dubious but it has to handed to the Gomero’s breezy disregard for detail when it comes these unexpected claims to fame.
Still No Sign
Just the Mist
Seats Around the Bar
From the capital you can drive through soaring ravines, sleepy mountain villages down to deserted rocky beeches without ever encountering a set of traffic lights. Stopping on a red mountain path and looking down it was like seeing a kaleidoscope which had broken open, below it was an intensely green and fragmented world of palms, bananas trees, huge ferns and mossy boulders blanketed by flowering vines, in the distance beyond the Atlantic seemed to stretch away into infinity, there are no snakes or spiders on Gomera but I did spot a Cleopatra butterfly floating lazily bye with its yellow wings tipped in tiny pink spots.
Approaching the Island
Farming Settlement
To be honest just writing about it makes me want to go back, tomorrow if possible!
First Views
More Views
One Road
We set off in a Northerly direction through ravines on an excellent but twisty road, the only one they have but with a better surface than many of our roads have nowadays, this side of the Island is quite volcanic with soaring outcrops and deep valleys, we stopped for a few minutes to admire the view just before the entrance to the only tunnel on the Island and I was interested to spot where the original road went clinging to the mountain side with a sheer drop, no wonder they eventually built the tunnel!
Lets Get The Bus
The Hat Two Loves “Mark & City”
One Tunnel
The Guide and Local Drink
My guide said to us be ready for a surprise, we entered the tunnel from a what appeared to be like a Lunar landscape and on exit we were greeted with lush green hillsides, palms, trees, flowers and wherever there was any rock faces they were full of “rock roses” truly amazing.
Stop Off for Lunch
Local Vegetation
Second Biggest Settlement
We stopped for lunch at an excellent mountain restaurant complete with local wines and the islands special strong (alcoholic firewater) Gomeron which contains Honey from Palm Trees.
Rock Face
Stone Roses
Linda loves Cats
Following the meal we were delighted to watch a genuine demonstration of the ancient way of communicating across deep ravines by means of a whistled speech called “Silbo Gomera” which can be heard up to two miles away and is indigenous to the Island, it’s existence has been documented back to Roman times. Invented by the first inhabitants of the Island the Guanches, when this means of communication was threatened with extinction at the dawn of the 21st century the local government required all children to learn it in school.
The Mist Never Goes Away
Ancient Trees and Plants
Our Fabulous Guide Hugs a Tree
My Wife Linda Does the Same
Following lunch we headed for Garajonay National Park which was declared a world Heritage site in 1986, the upper slopes are covered by the Laurasilva or Laurel rain forest, where up to 50 inches of rain falls each year. This forest is full of sub tropical vegetation that was common in Mediterranean Europe in the Tertiary period, like you I thought what period ?, so I looked it up, that’s any time between 60 Million and 3 Million years ago. It’s really is an amazing area which I found to be quite spiritual especially when we were advised to hug the trees like the locals, the guide was right. The whole area was completely silent, no animal noises scurrying about, no birds fluttering about just silence; amongst other interesting information we were shown the forest Dandelions which were 6’ tall yes 6’ tall.
I did the Same, Yes It Felt Good
Guide Describing some of the Strange Plants
It requires little imagination to picture it as a scene from Jurassic Park with the beasties emerging from the half light but as I said earlier on Gomera there are no snakes, deadly spiders or creepy crawlies.
A Volcanic Funnel
General View
The Capital (Town)
I could go on for ever about this wonderful Island but before I close I will just mention that we went to one of the best view points on the island called Ermita de las Nieves (the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snow” from here all you could here was the wind blowing through the pines and looking into the far distance you can clearly see “Mount Tiede” the highest peak in all of Spain, sometimes the 12,000 ft volcano appears to be hovering on a featherbed of clouds and strangely though it seems Gomeros regard Mount Tiedi as part of their Island because they see it all the time whilst the people of Tenerife say quite often they can’t see it because it’s shrouded in mist, personally I would say let them keep Tiedi and keep Gomera just the way it is.
Customs House
Time to Go “Sorry to Part”
Los Christianos, What a Great Day We Had
Hope you liked this small insight into the Island that Time Forgot, next time you visit Tenerife make the effort, take the trip to the Wonderful Island of Gomera, no traffic, no pollution, peace and quiet, locals say “just close your eyes and breath it all in you won’t be disappointed”, they are right.
Trust Me I’m a Mark Mason.
 
Words and pictures by Austin N Fletcher.
Flixton Shepherd Eastwood. No.1173