Back on the island

Finally back again. After three and a half years away, I am finally back in Tenerife.

About my experience here, and how things are going with my bus in the meantime

Tenerife – it feels like coming home. This is where we have spent most of the past 12 years; my daughter grew up here for the most part. We left the island three and a half years ago to travel to Southeast Asia (another dream we had for a long time). It was a wonderful trip, exploring different parts of Thailand and Vietnam. Due to the beginning of the so-called p(l)andemic, the trip turned out a bit different than planned. After we finally flew back to Europe and Germany on one of the last flights in April 2020, I just travelled around mainland Europe. The way to the island felt blocked for a long time; the idea of island life itself too narrow – and I had, despite feelings of homesickness, no real impulse to come back here.

That impulse came in February. During my last road trip, with Horst, the borrowed bus, in the middle of the mountains of the Spanish Basque Country, I received a request to sit house and dog in Tenerife for the summer. And everything in me immediately said YES. So here I am.

And it feels good to be here again! The Atlantic, the holy mountain El Teide, all the other mountains ….. Only now do I really realise how much I missed you! It’s so good to see it all again. And of course – the heavenly fruits here, especially papayas, my absolute favourites!

At the same time – I am in a corner of the island i have never lived before, and I don’t really like this area. Especially in a living situation behind many walls and gates – almost a culture shock after the off-grid tent-caravan-outdoor life during the last months in the Alentejo. It took me a bit of getting used to and finding myself.

So – what about my bus, the travelling raw food café?

I left my bus, which is still being repaired, with the mechanic in Portugal, so that I can hopefully pick it up when I return. Due to the increased need for repairs (see last update) and supply bottlenecks for the ordered spare parts, this has taken quite some time.

Meanwhile, I have actually received the news that it is now ready – yay! So this project will probably go on by the end of July, when i intend to return to Portugal.

Want to help me to pay for the mechanics work and then start with the conversion? I would much appreciate your donation!

Banana harvest

Yesterday, i spent the day far away from the walls and gates here, at the finca where we used to live 5 years ago. A lot has happened there in the meantime, too: There are no more goats and chickens, the finca dog now has a wife and three children, all of them beautiful and very cuddly. And soooo many fruit trees and more are growing there now – wonderful! We harvested loads of bananas (different varieties) and grenadillas; also a few papayas and white sapotes; and there were ripe watermelons too. A lot of it goes into the sale, but right now it looks like I won’t need to buy any more food for the next three weeks. 😀