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Lanzarote - Arrecife What You Did There


Sunny Jim

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On 1/25/2023 at 5:18 PM, Sunny Jim said:

The climate does seem to be kind to 4x4s that would rust at home. Suzuki Vitara.

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Ideal for the local twisties, Seicento Sport.

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Though I'd pick this GT Turbo over the Fiat.

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Almost as ubiquitous as the Merc taxi, a fucking pan pipe band.

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Yes,  they were playing Simon and bleedin' Garfunkel!

Tchau for now, your Man In Madeira signing off for today. 

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Those pan pipe guys have been there for years.

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2 hours ago, mat_the_cat said:

Some great photos, and not just of the chod; but...  

...you say that like it's a bad thing?

And last night I was woken up by the mooring lines slapping and rubbing. 

In other circumstances I wouldn't mind being woken up by a slap and a rub...

Sailing does lend itself to innuendo. 😁

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  • Sunny Jim changed the title to Elevenerife M9!
  • Sunny Jim changed the title to (Sod 'em and) La Gomera
On 05/02/2023 at 18:34, Sunny Jim said:

Will report back! 

Local Heather is indeed mahoosive. 

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Will extend search area for local honey.

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Rather than spam the board with loads of images if anyone's interested I've uploaded pictures of La Gomera to my Dropbox here

I'm with @juular, it's my new favourite place.

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10 minutes ago, juular said:

Your photos are absolutely stunning. 

I looked at them and decided I am colder than I was before.

12 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

Will extend search area for local honey.

Be careful with that, you can catch all sorts of stuff.

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Seat Arona Hire Car Review and Road Test 

Rent it, dent it, bang it, prang it
Bump it, dump it, scorch it, torch it
Crash and burn it, don’t return it
Lost deposit, let ’em earn it
Who cares, it’s on the firm
It’s a hire car baby

~ John Cooper Clarke 

The seasoned traveller will eschew the swanky premises of Avis or Europacar and instead walk a few blocks to the edge of town.  A flea-bitten, possibly rabid dog in the alleyway outside the premises will let him know he has found a suitable establishment and indeed Rentacar La Rueda proved to be such.

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Upon enquiring within your correspondent was informed he could hire a Seat Arona for the day for a very reasonable rate if he was prepared to pay cash. He was offered no collision damage waivers or other such fripperies and no deposit was sought or taken.  Paperwork was minimal, a quick look at my passport and licence and I was handed the keys and was on my way. I'll post them back through the letter box in the morning as arranged. 

Based on the Volkswagen Polo platform, the Seat Arona is a subcompact SUV crossover (B segment). The exterior of this example was remarkably damage-free considering its provenance but the off-side b pillar interior trim surrounding the seat belt was hanging off and the driver's sun visor was MIA.

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The washer fluid reservoir was empty and the dash displayed the warning 'Front Assist Unavailable' but these are mere trifles at this price point. 

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The seats in the Seat were rather firm for this reviewer's bony arse but the interior was an otherwise pleasant place to be. 

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La Gomera is bereft of motorways or even dual carriageways but the Arona proved itself an adept cruiser on the island's three A roads provided one could maintain momentum through the bends. Where it really surprised was its ability when the tarmac ran out, the crossover extra ground clearance coming into its own on more than one occasion.

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In spite of its high centre of gravity it also coped well on the island's caminos sinuosos.

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Sunny Jim Rating

Drive - 6/10

Affordability - 9/10

Fun - 27/10

Overall - 14/10

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Buttered fuitcake bonus @AnnoyingPentium

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  • Sunny Jim changed the title to (Sod 'em and) La Gomera: Hire Car Road Test

Never even heard of La Gomera before, looks a breathtaking place!  Nice Arona too, had a nearly brand new one of those as a hire car in the Czech Republic last year and it was a very nice drive.

Looking forward to more from your adventures, I'm very jealous!  (PS: the red-pink Hyundai is an Atoz, not a Getz ;) )

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Lovely to see some photographs of La Gomera.  I went about 10 years ago to install (an incredibly high powered) FM transmitter for one of the English speaking radio stations.  Having sailed from Tenerife, it felt wonderfully unspoilt and like it had largely been left alone.

Nice pics!

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