the adventure continues: travels with ale 3

I’m the happiest man in the world! Ale had told me that she would receive her visa on Monday and would arrive in Lanzarote on Wednesday. I had a lovely weekend and on Monday. I walked a lot and sat at various cafés to write.

As an aside, I love cafés. I was hooked when I first started reading French literature and the authors described all the various cafés in Paris- Café de la Paix, Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore, Café de la Rotonde, La Coupole- where artists, lovers, and philosophers would gather to exchange ideas and inspire each other. Imagine Picasso, Henry Miller, Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, and so many other artists having beers together. Even more intriguing is that many of them, and the rest of the world, did not yet know they would become legendary artists.

From a very young age I started actively seeking out cafés with a great ambiance, people, and a terrific general vibe; and of course, the coffee! One such café in New York City that played a prominent role in my life was the Hungarian pastry shop on 111th St and Amsterdam Avenue. I did most of my studying there during my time at Columbia University and medical school at Stony Brook, and it was there that I started my first feeble attempts at writing. Many often asked how I could possibly study in such a

noisy place, but like most things, it just requires practice. I loved it! I actually wrote a long section in my first novel “The Twin Flames, the Master, and the Game,” about a café that the main character opens, which is exactly the café I’ve always had in mind to open one day!

I found one lovely café in La Costa Teguise, Lanzarote, called Café Succulenta. It’s a lovely place with a beautiful energy that inspired me to spend the day writing.

Afterward, I took a lovely swim at one of my favorite beaches here, La Playa de Jablillo,

and then head home to freshen up for dinner. I opened the door to the apartment and immediately heard a loud “Boo!” It was Ale! What a surprise! I was overwhelmed with joy! So happy!

We rented bikes on the following day (Tuesday) and rode south along the coastline to Puerto del Carmen (15miles), which was absolutely splendid. We both agreed that the next time we visited Lanzarote, this is where we would stay.

On Wednesday, we rode the bikes 20 miles north to Arzola where we caught a ferry to Graciosa, a small island just north of Lanzarote. It’s so tiny! It has one village and a population of 700 people. One of the locals tried to dissuade us from riding our bikes to Francesca beach, but we were obstinate and set out to get there.

After 200 meters on the road, it was clear why he said that it was not a good idea. There were no roads! It was all sand and consequently impossible to ride the bikes. We left our bikes on the side of the road, walked a bit before hitching a ride to the idyllic Francesca Beach. Beleza!

It was a long and amazing ride. It just felt so wonderful to be outdoors, the wind in my face, the sun in my eyes. I felt privileged to be using my body, breathing heavily, sweating, and my legs burning. To breathe! Living for life! Such a gift to be in such a beautiful environment. The sights, gorgeous coastline with bright blue waters extending towards an infinite horizon.

The island is volcanic. Consequently, the island is dry and covered by volcanic dust and rocks. There’s such a tremendous variety of cacti everywhere, some were of unimaginable sizes, as large as trees.

The beauty to which I refer has less to do with the actual environment, but rather its very existence and the privilege to be an observer and participant in this grandiose vision.

While riding our bikes on Lanzarote, we passed by fields where they were growing “Tunas,” which are prickly pears. What was striking to me was the resilience of nature. How such a variety of cacti and plants can grow in this arid, volcanic earth. Humankind also shares this resilience, this beauty, which is also inspiring. Will our capacity to push the limits of our resilience on this impossibly gorgeous planet that is hurtling through dark space, unwittingly lead to our extinction? I’ve often heard that humankind needs to save the planet. I personally find this idea quite arrogant and bordering on the absurd. Planet earth has already demonstrated its resilience and there will come a point where our misadventures will result in climate changes that will wipe us off the face of the earth. The earth will be fine!

Until there is a radical change in the collective consciousness of humankind, where the vector forces towards a more holistic, life-affirming way of cohabitating planet earth predominate, as opposed to those leading us to extinction, all we can do is do our bit and enjoy the ride! The adventure continues! Adelante!