Go west, not so young man!

Speak as you find, well I try to, but first you have to find, so after an extra early swim, I headed westward, with Guia de Isora, the village, as my first stop. Barely an hour on the 417 Titsa bus from Los Cristianos, and there I was up in the hills, at a village that hadn’t seen my knobbly knees in at least 5 years.

Church plazaMy prime target was the town hall, but following the main road along I didn’t recognise any tell tale landmarks. Â The view out to the sea in the distance and Playa San Juan just before it was impressive, but it took a coffee stop at a small bar to nudge me up one street level to the main church square, part shrouded in shade, and into the town hall.

I had hoped to view the plans for the proposed new port at Fonsalia, but even after being redirected to the technical office, I was told they were not on public display and the architect had popped out for 10 minutes (that’s Canarian for a couple of hours) so with not much time to spare, I headed back to the main road. The port has been suggested for about 10 years, and will probably drag on for at least as long again.

It’s clear the Socialist (PSOE party) council of Guia de Isora has splashed a bit of money, there is a new auditorium and cultural centre, although both were closed, and the footings of a new youth centre, but some of the narrow and patchwork pavements suggest more work ahead to bring it up to scratch. The bus station is new, and the 493 bus arrived spot on time for the 20 minute drop to the coast.

The tight winding road down through Tijina and Piedra Hincada passed fields of heavily loaded tomato plants and cacti in full bloom, thriving despite the less than half full resevoirs. Safely dropped in Playa San Juan, I headed for the new look beach, just nearing completion on my last trip (Posted March 20Â ) 6 weeks ago. Formerley covered in large stones, they were ground down to give a dark shingle type surface, which has caused an outcry from opponents who wanted a yellow sand beach. Also many sources have said that the covering has already been washed away by the tide, in fact, it is only a band along the shore line, and a similar thing happened on Las Galletas beach.Â

San Juan beach

The promenade has been opened since my last visit and the striped changing huts are in use, all giving a vastly improved appearance. Beaches are a very contentious issue in Tenerife, black volcanic sand is the norm but there is always a clamour for smooth yellow sand and no rocks. In Los Cristianos they have just started work on cleaning the old beach, with suggestions that they will move tons of sand onto the wild and natural Los Tarajales beach. That seems unlikely with many bigger issues still not resolved (Posted March 24) Â on the wilder beach, such as drainage outlets and old shacks that go against the strict new outlook on the coastal law.

San Jaun Prom

The wider area of Guia de Isora is undergoing big changes as tourism takes on a bigger role, and there is a delicate balance to be maintained. One thing is for sure, they wont be able to keep everyone happy.

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