The Voice Box

    This was my first real visit to Gran Canaria. Of course, I had been here once before, but that it was only for a day trip, while on a visit to Tenerife. The surprise for me about the Canary islands is that they are much larger than I anticipated. I had assumed that it would be possible to visit more than one in a day. I was quite wrong. I stayed in Las Palmas at the El Parque Hotel, and that was quite fabulous. I loved the idea of staying in the centre, and simply taking the bus to the various regions. The first visit was the Jardin Botanico Canaria, which much larger than I expected. Another surprising aspect was the setting , along the steep hillside, way down to flatland below. Succulents and national endemic plants took pride of place. It was an amazing collection. I was determined to see all of the island, and so the following day I was on a bus to Maspalomas. Here, I came face to face with the tourist holiday side. It was we...