Hitchhiking in Lanzarote. From Punta Mujeres to Famara

We woke up in a sleepy fishing village on the north-east coast of Lanzarote. Our couchsurfing host had kindly offered us a cozy room in his house in Punta Mujeres. We thanked him for his hospitality and packed our bags. Our destination for the day was Famara, a surfers' paradise on the opposite side of the island. There we had found a host on Trustroots, a hospitality exchange website that reminded us of the old days of couchsurfing, when it was more about community than business.

As we always do, we chose our favorite means of transportation - hitchhiking. It's not only faster sometimes than public transport, but also more adventurous. You never know how your day will unfold, who you'll meet on the road and what stories you'll get out of the experience.

Our first ride was with a familiar face. We had seen that guy the day before in the harbor, walking his white fluffy dog. She was so popular among the kids in town, we could tell her owner was a kind person. He was with his mom and they were doing some errands on a Saturday morning. They offered to take us a few kilometers down the road to a good spot near a bus stop, where we could catch another ride.

We waved goodbye and put our thumbs up. Within minutes, a German couple stopped for us. They were on their way to the airport to pick up their friends. As we hopped into the car, vibrant paintings in the back seat caught our eye. The woman noticed it, smiled and shared her story with us. She had broken her hip twice and was unable to walk for months but was slowly recovering. Since she couldn't dance all that time, she started drawing. Her paintings were expressive, reflecting her inner strength and resilience. We wished we could chat more with her, but they were in a hurry and left us in Tahiche, at a junction towards Famara.

There we stood for about half an hour until a young local guy pulled over. He was going to surf in Famara, but had to stop by his parents’ house first. He invited us to come along. We were curious to see his place. It turned out to be a charming ceramic studio in a solitary house in the middle of a large field. Inside, we were greeted by a magical world of ceramic marionettes, floating figures, sea creatures and lizards. Two adorable dogs were running around, one of them a rare breed of domesticated Iberian wolves that were first brought to El Hierro island from the continent. The guy who picked us up was only twenty six years old, but he was already a professional diver who had won second place for freediving (52 meters deep) in the Canaries.

We arrived at Famara early, when our host was still sleeping. We sat on a bench, relaxing in the sunshine and listening to the waves crashing on the beach. Hitchhiking never disappoints. It's not just a means of transportation, it’s a way to meet people and hear about their lives. Just like today, when a rich tapestry of stories unrolled for us on a short trip of only 35 kilometers.