Wednesday 16 March 2005. Our ship has docked in Arrecife, Lanzarote and we are in the middle of a coach excursion. Having left the Mirador del Rio, we arrive at Jameos del Agua.
The first thing we see is a stonking great hole in the top of a nearby mountain. When the volcano Monte Corona erupted several millions of years ago, a searing stream of molten lava burst out from its interior.
It carved a tunnel for over seven kilometres underground until it reached the nearby Atlantic Ocean then... it kept going. It is the longest volcanic tunnel in the world and extends out under the floor of the Atlantic.
Here you can climb down into the tunnel and explore it for a short distance. There is a handy bar at one end should you feel in need of refreshment, or just a bit of dutch courage in case the mountain tries its hand again whilst you are there.
Our walk through the tunnel is only a short one because a few yards further on the pressure of the lava trying to bore through solid rock and backing up caused a huge explosion and created a hole in the roof of the tunnel. Little blind white crabs live in the water here. No one is sure why. Presumably they got in through another such explosive hole but this one must have been under the ocean. However, normally these little blind crabs live at immense depths (where eyes would not be of much use so far from penetrating sunlight) and here the water is only a few feet deep.
And out into the roofless bit. The artists César Manrique has turned the place into a tourist attraction, sculpting the (now thankfully cool and solid) lava into terraces, spiral staircases, and a landscaped pool without crabs.
Here I've climbed one of the said spiral staircases for a higher viewpoint and a troubled look at the dark sky. Is that pesky mountain going to blow again...?
Lanzarote can be justly proud of César Manrique (that's the artist, César Manrique) but our guide mentioned César Manrique so much we were sick of his name (César Manrique) by the time we finished the tour!
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