Fuerteventura 4

 

August 14, 2021

More of my Fuerteventura Aventure with Jo, continuing the flashback to spring break of 2018

Jo and I biked off the road and onto the dunes, miles of white sand and shimmering ocean around us.  There were a line of three large hotels grouped together facing the ocean, each with a gate that lead into a central courtyard like our Hotel Lido.  Further down the beach about half a mile was another hotel with a dull blue roof, and after that - just sand and sky.  There were about two dozen people on the huge stretch of beach in front of the hotels, some with swim suites, but most were naked.  

It was a bit of work to pedal the bikes over the sand, and our naked bodies were soon glistening with sweat.  After we biked past the last hotel, the sand became more compact and easier to bike over.  Rock formations circled crystal clear natural pools where foamy waves occasionally spilled in over the rocks.  Some of these pools had a few beach goers, but many were completely empty.  Jo and I couldn’t resist the pools.  We left our bikes in the sand and clamored up one of the rock ledges that defined a large natural pool.  We gazed with amazement at the pristine sand that rimmed the edge of the natural pool.  When we realized we were still wearing our bike helmets, we burst out laughing, pulled them off, and splashed into the wonderful ocean water.

All along the beach, we continued that way; coming wet out of the ocean, riding our bikes until we were dry and hot, running back into the ocean.  The road continued next to the beach and a few small apartment houses emerged out of the dune sand, but we biked past the last apartment house and the road, the cars, everything man made disappeared from view from the water’s edge.  We noticed that there was no longer anyone else anywhere along the beach.  It was just me and Jo, completely naked, surrounded by nothing but the vast horizon of sky and water.  We biked for half an hour more, but I felt that even with lots of sun block, I was still getting cooked.  

We biked back down the coast along the edge of town and stopped where a small cove with a black sand beach cut into the center of the old village of El Cotillo.  We found a beach side tapas stand and enjoyed a late lunch under the welcome shade of a brightly stripped awning.  We didn’t have towels, but the vendor gives us plenty of paper towels so we could sit on the picnic benches.  We wanted to just keep going, both of us wanting to travel endlessly, and naked into the wind swept beaches and dunes, but we had done a lot that day and we had a whole week ahead of us.