Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

I am back from my holiday in Gran Canaria and, having sorted a multitude of e-mail's and a mountain of snail mail, am just about ready to start posting on my blog once again. The statistics show that there has been many visits to this site during my absence and I apologise to anyone whom I failed to communicate the dates of my vacation.

Having left the UK via snowbound Bristol Airport it was a sheer joy to arrive in Gran Canaria and enjoy wall to wall sunshine day after day with daily temperatures averaging 20C. It was however a rude awakening to arrive back at Bristol Airport just after 10pm to a measly 4C ! The holiday was a great success and certainly helped to recharge my batteries and shorten the worst of the British winter.

The highlight of my holiday was a return visit to Palmitos Park in the mountainous region of Maspolomas in the south of the island. As regular readers of this blog will know, or recall, in July 2007 there was a terrible wild fire on Gran Canaria which caused a huge amount of destruction including that of Palmitos Park. The botanical and zoological reservation suffered heavy losses and it was feared it would take many years to reconstruct the park to its former glory. However, thanks to the dedication of the Board of Directors, Management, Staff and the residents of the island, nothing less than a miracle took place with the reconstruction and restocking of its treasures taking just 12 months before reopening to a grateful public once again. Many congratulations to all concerned for this fantastic achievement.

I was thrilled to hear fellow visitors saying that they would never have known that a catastrophe of such magnitude had befallen the park in recent times. That is indeed a worthy testament and tribute to all those involved in its reconstruction and replenishment. The display of photographs depicting the nightmare tragedy attracted intense interest from the visitors and clear admiration for those who had vowed to restore it to its former glory in record quick time.

Palmitos Park is sympathetic to the requirements of as near a natural habitat for the birds and animals as can possibly be imagined. Every conceivable aspect of their environment and diet is carefully planned to replicate their natural surroundings. The contentment and apparent happiness of the creatures is plain for all to see.

The birds of prey display and the exotic birds display demonstrate this most clearly as they fly freely in the open air and could so easily escape into the mountains if they so desired. There are birds from every continent and one cannot fail but to admire their variety and beauty.

Primates' Island is my favourite spot where the orangutans and gibbons reside. I was greatly relieved to learn that most of these magnificent animals were rescued in the great fire and taken to safety pending the reconstruction of the park.

There are species from all around the world and mammals include fascinating Meer Cats and Wallabies. One can discover the depths of the Pacific in the magical Aquarium. It is a wonderful Oasis and affords visitors the feeling of a walk in Paradise. The beautiful cacti plants, the Orchid House, the Butterfly House, the Reptile enclosure, etc. etc. A visit to Gran Canaria is not complete without a pilgrimage to Palmitos Park! A brand new Dolphinarium is currently under construction and should be ready by early next year. I look forward to yet another return visit. For more information surf to www.palmitospark.es

As you can tell I love Gran Canaria and regularly visit the island to escape the worst of the British winter. I attend Sunday worship at the English Evangelical Church attached to the Templo Ecumenico in central Playa del Ingles and very much enjoy their uplifting services. I would like to pay tribute to Pastor Donald Davies and his wife Val for their dedication in promulgating the Gospel message to the ex-pats and visitors who attend from many countries within Europe and around the world. Donald's wife has been very poorly in recent times and I was disappointed to miss seeing her on my latest visit. She is on my prayer list for a speedy recovery and I praise The Lord for their joint ministry on the island of Gran Canaria together with all their assistants and volunteers.

I was especially delighted to learn of the new initiative which saw the launch last November of the International Evangelical Church in Puerto Rico, G.C. and wish them every success in their shared expansion with the Scandinaviske Turistkirken church.