Mingo.Life

Day 2.

Today, we awoke early to the sun shining bright and hot, so we went down to explore the hotel’s breakfast buffet where I discovered an actual honeycomb was available. Not the pretend stuff, but the real deal: waxy, sticky, bee magic. Naturally, I hacked off a chunk like a medieval knight and slapped it onto some poppyseed bread. Apparently, eating raw honey is supposed to help you adjust to local allergens or something. There was also freshly cooked fish, plenty of fruit, and some good wholesome coffee. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, there was a giant Nutella pump. A pump. As if the universe knew precisely how much joy I needed this morning.

Then it was back to the room to shower (I was sweating already!?) and think about how cold and miserable it was back home, with torrential rains showing on my doorbell camera. It was a breezy 26°C here already by mid-morning. Glorious. I opted for factor 30 sun cream with built-in bug-repellent. Normally, I go with factor 50 because my skin burns faster than cheap toast. But I was getting mauled by mosquitos last time, so I took a different approach and hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

We decided to stretch our legs and take a stroll into Corralejo itself, meandering down the main street, ducking into whatever shops caught our eye. And what did we find? Well… Penises, of course. Not just a few, but a veritable army of wooden willies, all proudly sporting bottle openers. Apparently, nothing says “Welcome to Corralejo” like a parade of carved genitalia. And nothing says “souvenir” quite like cracking open a beer with a novelty phallus. What kind of weird place have we travelled to here? And more importantly, why is everyone pretending this is normal?! I don’t know what’s more amusing, the fact they were on display right near the front door or the great care taken by the cashier when wrapping it up for me in tissue paper.

Next, we stumbled across a giant heart-shaped metal grid, absolutely covered in love padlocks. You know the kind—couples scribble their names on them, lock them in place, and then, presumably, expect to live happily ever after. I couldn’t help but think what a good idea this was (the grid, not the padlocks). I remember our time in Paris and the infestation of romantic padlocks on every single bridge (which I definitely contributed to, sorry). Wandering further, we made our way to a beach, with a friendly “hola, no gracias” to the various waiters enthusiastically trying to get us into their restaurants as we’d not long eaten.

The beach was beautiful. A simply stunning view. This wasn’t even the Grandes Playas enormous national park, which we planned to visit tomorrow, but still, I was taken with it. In the foreground was Lobos island, and behind that, you could make out Lanzarote. It was picture-perfect, like a postcard. A man was throwing bread into the water, and little shoals of fish were gathering to chase it around, completely unafraid of our presence. It was one of those “yeah, I could get used to this” moments. Just don’t Google Lobos Island if you’re a fan of seals.

Then, we found popcorn rock! This stuff is awesome. At first, it simply looked like someone had spilt their popcorn along the beach. Upon closer inspection, you can pick these little fragments up, and they are solid, but they look exactly like popcorn. We found loads just outside Waikkiki beach bar, for those going to Corralejo that want to see some for themselves. The popcorn rock is actually dead white coral or algae that have washed ashore. These fragments, which almost identically resemble pieces of popcorn, are often mistaken for rocks but are marine deposits. The beaches where they are found, like Playa Bajo Negro, Fuerteventura, are popular among tourists because of the unique appearance of these formations. It’s one of those cool, geeky geological quirks that make you feel like you’ve found treasure. Also, very Instagrammable, if that’s your thing.

Then, it was back to the Barceló Corralejo Bay for an a la carte lunch. It would be rude not to, so of course, I ordered the filet steak. Emma had a large fish dish, and we shared some delicious ham croquettes. A cocktail each to go with it, and then I finally got to try “Liquor 43”. This is a Spanish spirit, 31% ABV, which is sweet and creamy with a vanilla flavour. I loved it so much that I vowed to find a litre bottle to take home. Back-story for you, we stayed at an all-inclusive last year (TUI Magic Life), and we both stupidly stood in front of a bottle of it, prime and free for the taking. Next to it was some handy ice and glasses. Instead of, you know, actually trying it, we ended up having an evening long debate about what it might taste like and even googled it. To this day, I have no idea why we did that and didn’t just try it. I blame the cocktails.

After lunch, we ambled back into town. I wanted to swim in the sea, so I grabbed my beach towel and snorkel whilst Emma wandered around some more shops. She declined joining me for a “wild swim” as she’s not half merman like me – I spent my teenage years as a lifeguard and got really good at holding my breath. I enjoyed diving down and looking under rocks for sea life. The water was so warm that I actually paused to make sure I wasn’t inadvertently swimming downstream of someone’s unfortunate decision. A friendly local on the beach was chilling out with a beer, and when I returned to my spot, we had a chat in broken English/Spanish about diving, snorkelling, and fish. The whole beach vibe just felt so relaxed and non-threatening. I enjoyed it so much that I went out a second time. I saw this little sand coloured fellow burying himself and swam down to watch. He shot off in a hurry – and a good thing too, we looked it up later on and found it was most likely to be a Weever Fish (thanks Fishopedia) which has one of the most painful stings a person can experience. Lucky escape. After that, Emma joined me, and we had a cold beer on the beach, just taking in the view and people watching.

We returned to the hotel and for an hour engaged in the most glorious Spanish invention ever: a siesta. I’m a nap person now. After another shower, it was time to dress up nice and hit the town. I’d booked Emma a surprise for dinner, and what follows has definitely made it into my top 5 meals of all time. I most certainly recommend it.

Land of Freedom Restaurant, Corralejo

We walked into an unassuming little square, just off the main strip, having reserved our table via a WhatsApp message weeks before (usually fully booked – a good sign). I was excited as I’d heard a lot about this place online, and for good reason, it transpired. We were greeted by an enthusiastic and funny local character named Charlie who’s energy was infectious as he served the “German Water” (Beer) and the Big Mac (Gourmet Burger) and even sang a little tune as he brought out people’s dishes.

What followed was an excellent meal. They have a “regular” menu, but I brought us here for their tray menu. You get a themed tray of 5 dishes for €23, and for €8 (very reasonable in my opinion), you can add 5 glasses of wine that pair with the dishes excellently. Charlie told me not to worry and that these were small glasses, but I thought there was actually plenty of wine, and I was two sheets to the wind by the end of the meal. Land of Freedom believes in the concept of Slow Food – an internationally recognised culinary movement where the focus is on taking time to cook fresh, enjoy the flavours, and moving away from fast food culture. I loved this experience, and we spent a good 2.5 hours there dining and enjoying our evening under the open sky with a flickering candle between us.

Emma opted for the Sea tray which consisted of; 1) Cheese & Tuna Potato Croquettes, 2) Fresh Tuna in Sesame with Basil Mousse, 3) Mussel and Prawn Soup, 4) Salmon with Avacoda and Shallot and finally 5) Octopus Salad.
I had the delicious Mediterranean tray which included; 1) Mushrooms stuffed with Cheese and Spinach, 2) Gnocchi di Sorrento, 3) Lasagne Bolognese, 4) Meatballs in a Red Wine sauce and finally 5) Paprika Beef Stew served with a lovely hot sauce that Charlie described as “from hell itself”.
To top off this culinary journey, we were offered a complimentary shot of either “Italian Soup” (Limoncello) or “Canarian Soup” (Honey Rum). Unable to choose, Charlie generously suggested I have both! It was a 10/10 experience, and I would happily return.

After this, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves, so we ambled back to the hotel bar and enjoyed a responsible ice cold Coca Cola out of a glass bottle at the bar. Why does it taste so much better out of a glass bottle? Later, we set out for a midnight walk around Corralejo. The sky above was adorned with a dazzling display of stars, and light pollution was refreshingly minimal. I had visions of finding a nightclub and hitting the dance floor with Emma to our favourite reggaeton songs (Danza Kuduro anyone?), but as we wandered, we discovered that most places were as empty as my now crushed hopes and dreams. The usual touts were out, luring passersby with promises of free shots, but it felt like a weeknight ghost town. We decided against dancing on an empty floor and instead took our time walking hand in hand, soaking in the sounds of the crashing waves before retreating back to the hotel. Perhaps a better end to the evening after all.

As we meandered, we let the cool sea breeze wash over us, savouring the peacefulness of the night before heading back to our room. It had been a fantastic day, and we both agreed that breakfast was officially cancelled in favour of a lovely, long sleep under the air conditioning on that giant, comfy bed.

And so concludes Day 2… As usual, you can find the subscribe box at the bottom or side of the page (device dependant) if you’d like to receive our musings directly to your inbox. Come back for Day 3, where a woman meets an electric scooter in a fierce battle that ends with a suspected broken arm.

By the way, if you missed Day One, you can catch up here.