08.03.2023: The start of a new adventure

My things were in order, my backpack packed (it is giant and just… so red. I love that thing) and the flight leaving in a few hours. I had even arranged things with my university! (Look at me actually being organized XD)

It was finally time to leave the cold, dark days of the German winter (that I had already mostly lived through, the gods truly know no merci) and travel to greener pastures. Or well.. sunnier ones I guess. There really is not a lot of green on Fuerteventura.

My parents had offered to drive me to the airport (because public transport had failed me and taxis cost an arm and a leg around there). The flight left at 13.40, so like any sensible person, we left home at 10.30 (i think?) and went on the 1 hour drive.

(Sidenote: few things make me more paranoid than the thought of missing a flight. Anyone else? )

We arrived at the Euro Airport Basel well within the timelimit and I started the exciting adventure of figuring out which part of the airport I needed to go to.

For those that don’t know, the Euro Airport is international and has a Swiss and a French/European (as in EU) side. The parts are separated throuout most of the building, so figurig out where to go at the entrance is very helpfull and saves time. (I also still don’t know if it is built on French or Swiss soil, but thats kind of beside the point. Its very close to the border either way )

Once that was cleared up, I said goodbye, got my hugs and went to check in my carry-on. Since I was carrying most of my earthly posessions with me, I could sadly not save the money on that. It all went very fast and without problems, since there were not many people there on a weekday

Apart from the initial border situation, the airport is actually very easy to navigate. Once you get past bordercontrol (which was automatic, that was a weird moment honestly. Maybe because it was a flight from one european country to another? Still) you reach a capitalist wetdream/nightmare of dutyfree shops.

Past that you reach the waiting areas, find you corresponding one and settle down. It was nothing to write home about (Yes, I see the irony) but it was pretty relaxed, on account of how few people there were, and it had a pretty nice caffe right next to it. Just in case you are into overpriced pastries.

The flight itself was delayed about half an hour due to weather things and I worried I would not catch the bus that would get me all the way to my host, as it was the last direct one. Aside from that though, it all went really well and I only got scholded once by an attendant for taking my seatbelt of too early.

Arrival in Fuerteventura

The airport in Fuerteventura though? That was something else. It is called “Aeropuerto de Fuerteventura” and it has to be the chilles Airport I’ve ever heard of. You literally just walk out of the plane, go to the right luggage collection belt (which is super fast), get your luggage and your done! I don’t think I spent more than 15 minutes in that building!

Also the runway is right next to the sea, which is just a vibe.

This meant that I still had time to catch the bus, which was also, in true Spanish tradition, a comfortable 20 minutes late. Thats just kind of a fact of life here.

So I got in, messaged my lovely host Ina that I was on my way, and then proceded to keep intensely staring at our progress in google maps until I got off. The busses here don’t give you an indication of where you are or what station is next, so unless you see the town signs Maps is your easiest option.

I could have also just asked the busdriver, but I was tired and didn’t think about it. Cut me some slack.

I did manage to get off at the right bus station, where Ina picked me up and we walked to her house. There I met all 4 dogs and 4 kids she has. I also met my fellow workawayer Steffi, with whom I would be sharing a room.

There is not much more to tell about my first day, since i just had dinner with everyone and the passed out on account of being very tired.

My first impression

Fuerteventure is unlike any place I’ve been before. It is dry and rocky and the roads are very dusty, sometimes even the paved ones. Towns and villages are small clusters of houses between long strecked of nothing, broken up by the occasional lone building or goat heard.

Tap water is not drinkable, since it comes from seawater desalination plants, so residents need to by drinking water in 8l canisters. Essentially all vegetation is artifitially watered and thus dependent on human intervention.

It is a harsh and unforgiving place dried out by unrelenting sunlight, often ending in steep cliffs and it makes no attempts at hiding that.

Personally I love it.

There is something so… primal about this landscape, something untamable and timeless that hits me in all the vulnerable gooey bits.

It is a stark reminder that us humans, for all our advancements and gadgetery, do not control our world. Any livelyhood that was so painstakingly carved out, is entirely dependent on outside help and intervention. Naturally, there would not beenough water here to keep the poeple alive, and neither would there be enough food.

That people live here regardless, is a testament of how far we have come. That they are incredubly kind and welcoming, with good humor and a relaxed attitude, reminds me once again, that we are not nearly as bad as our worst parts, as tempting as that pessimism might be. Sometimes we just need a new perspective

It is only after I started travelling after all, that I fell back in love with humanity.