Tenerife is one of Europe’s great winter-sun escapes - but if your entire experience is limited to a pool, a buffet and a strip of imported bars, you may return home without really meeting the island at all.

In this episode, Daniel Edward is joined by writer John Reid, whose family connections with Tenerife stretch back generations. John spent many years showing visitors around the island as a private guide. Now retired from guiding, he continues to bring Tenerife’s history and characters to life through the books he publishes as John Reid Young.

More here: https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Together, Daniel and John leave the resort strip behind to discover an island that behaves like a miniature continent. The dry, sun-soaked south gives way to vineyards, banana plantations and greener landscapes in the north. Above them both rise the volcanic formations of Teide National Park, while the Anaga Mountains conceal laurel forest, deep ravines and rural hamlets.

John also introduces Tenerife’s guachinches, volcanic wines and hearty local dishes, and explains how the island’s history connects British travellers, Atlantic trade and Nelson’s failed attack on Santa Cruz.

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

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Welcome to this episode of Destination

Unlocked, where we are heading to 10 Arif.

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Destination Unlocked is the Conversational

Travel Podcast where every week I'm

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joined by a local or a travel expert

who introduces us to their part of

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the world and gives us everything we

need to know for a fantastic trip.

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And today we are going to the Canary

Island of Tenerif with John Reed, who

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has just retired as a private tour guide.

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He's also written a few books, which

we'll chat about within the conversation.

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If you're heading out to

Tenerif, it's a fabulous island.

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You're gonna really love it, and this is

gonna set you up for great success there.

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Enjoy.

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So John, where are you

unlocking for us today?

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John Reid: I'm unlocking,

the Canary Island of Tene.

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Daniel Edward: And it's a

place that I absolutely love.

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It was one of my first international

holidays and I remember my dad saying

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to me either on the plane or when we

just arrived, you know when this place

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erupts, it's going to send a tsunami

so big that it's going to flood the

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east coast of the United States.

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And I was terrified for the whole time.

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John Reid: well we do live in a,

volcanic hotspot, so, we know that,

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at some point or another we'll

probably have another eruption.

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we did have one major one in,

on the island of La Palma, in

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2021, which last you for 90 days.

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But that, doesn't mean you have to

listen to all the newspapers and threats.

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saying that it's gonna blow up because

we get plenty of warning and I doubt

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very much of anything will happen for

a long time, especially on tenerif.

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Daniel Edward: Especially

on there's confidence there.

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John Reid: having said that, we do

get rumblings here and there, but

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we still live here and there's, no

panic, so don't worry about that.

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Daniel Edward: Nothing wrong

with a rumble every now and then.

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what would you say are the main

highlights of Tenerif that people

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who are planning a trip there just

absolutely must have on their itinerary?

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John Reid: Well, we have just talked

about, possible volcanic eruptions.

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And of course the, must in turn Reef

has to be TAed in National Park, not

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necessarily climbing up Mount Sadie, which

is a stunning experience, but actually,

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visiting the park itself because, 10

reef is like a miniature continent

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with such a variety of landscapes.

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but of course when you get up to

the central Highlands, what we call

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the alpine deserts of Las Canes, you

could be on different planets rather

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than just a miniature continent.

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So a, it's a stunning place.

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which I would always recommend just for

a peep and then to quickly get out of it,

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'cause it does get rather full of people.

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However, there are other places like the

Arga Mountains, which is my favourite,

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favourite area, possibly because of

the, lush, subtropical rainforests that

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we have at the top of the mountains.

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Very different to where most of the

holiday makers go, which is the south

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itinerary, you know, Loso, Los Americas,

et cetera, which is more like a desert

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that's being greened artificially

for the massive tourist resorts.

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Daniel Edward: And you talk about massive

tourist resorts, I would imagine that

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a lot of people are going to Tenerife

and they're just basing themselves in a

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massive tourist resort, and in some ways

they wouldn't even know where they are.

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John Reid: I think the

majority just do that.

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I mean, understandably, you know,

coming down from, cold north, the

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winter months in Scandinavia, England,

et cetera, that's what they want.

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They just want to lie by the pool or on

the beach and get some sun of themselves.

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but more and more people are becoming

more adventurous and actually going

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around and driving themselves or

getting guides like myself to show

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them something completely different

because Tanif is an amazing place.

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As I say, it's not just sun

and tourism and, beaches.

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Daniel Edward: What sort of adventures

do people like to go out on?

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John Reid: Well, there's,

very big stuff in kayaking.

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There's, a lot of hiking.

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I do a lot of hiking.

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Of course there's climbing

mount, there's paragliding.

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It's become a very popular event.

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paragliding experts will, take people

on rides from high up in the mountains

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near the observatory, which is, at

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And literally they fly through

the clouds and land on the beaches

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in the north of tenor reef.

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So that is a stunning experience.

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Fishing, of course, and, going

out to see the, the whales and

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dolphins for which I feel quite

sorry actually, but there we go.

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Daniel Edward: So you mentioned the

north, there's an obvious north and

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south divide in Tenerif, there's a

big mountain in the middle of it,

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or volcano in the middle of it.

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but they do feel quite different.

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How would you choose one over the other

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John Reid: Well, the south is,

evidently where most of the big, five

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star hotels have been erected, where

most of the tourism goes because it

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is drier and it gets more sunlight.

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and so it's more of a desert.

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whereas on the north side of the

mountains, northeast side of the

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mountains the air gets stuck, stuck

by the high mountains, which prevent

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the air from going right over the,

And so that causes condensation

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on the north side of the island.

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So we have much more cloud cover, and

if we do get some rain, more rain.

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and therefore the north is much, much

prettier, much greener, much luer, more

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vegetation, more gardens, more vineyards,

Ben Island plantations, one side's dry and

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barren, the other side is green and lush.

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That's always my description.

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Daniel Edward: that's the

trade winds, isn't it?

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John Reid: The trade links exactly

in trade links, which is what

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really got tourism going here in

the Canaries four or 500 years ago.

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tourism didn't start in

the 19th, 20th century.

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It started long before that.

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for example, if you went to the Port of

Santa Cruz, which is the capital, there's

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a walkway between the yachting marina

and the cruise ship port, which is the

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walkway of the illustrious visitors.

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And along there, there are bollards

with the names and, kind of images

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of all these visitors who began to

come here from right back from the

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16th century, through to modern days.

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People like James Cook, for example,

captain James Cook, who on his last voyage

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of Discovery stopped off Interne in 1776.

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Spent a week here.

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then we got Charles Ban, although he

wasn't allowed off the ship, he stopped

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off Interne on his voyage in, 1843.

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Daniel Edward: Why didn't he cut?

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Why wasn't he allowed off?

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John Reid: Well, it wasn't his fault.

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A boat rode out, from the

beach, and literally said, you,

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nobody has allowed off the ship.

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This ship is in quarantine because

earlier ships coming from the

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United Kingdom had reported an

outbreak of cholera in England, so

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they didn't want to take a risk.

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Daniel Edward: It makes perfect

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John Reid: So Darwin, in his daries,

said how very disappointed he

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was not to have explored 10 reef.

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Daniel Edward: If I was stuck on

one of those little ships and just

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looking at it, I'd be disappointed too.

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John Reid: What exactly.

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Daniel Edward: what about the capitol?

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it's unusual in that the tourist centre

is not there, is there a reason for that

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or should people make the effort to go

and spend a day or so in the capitol?

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John Reid: the capital

has a lot going for it.

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It is quite a big city,

240,000 inhabitants.

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it's a massive cruise ship port.

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Now, of course, why

don't tourists go there?

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A few tourists go there, there,

there's some, you know, first class

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hotels there, but, there's no beach.

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the beach has been overtaken by the port.

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it's not what tourists want,

unless you want to, to discover the

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historical nature of the island.

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and there's a lot of

history in the city centre.

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there's of course the, famous Sydney esque

Opera House that we have, by the sea.

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there's, one or two little

fortresses for example, there's St.

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John the Baptist Fortress,

that was completed in the 17th

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century, 1695, I think it was.

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And, right next, to it, you've got

this modern auditorium, this modern

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opera house, which opened in 2003.

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The contrast between one

or the other is amazing.

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So just that is worth a visit if you want

to hire a car or take a drive up there.

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what most people don't know is

that, there's, quite a lot of

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reference to the Battle of Santa

Cruz, which took place in, 97.

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And that's when, Horatio Nelson, Admiral

Nelson was asked by his commanding officer

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to go and raid 10 Reef to capture it.

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And of course, the Battle of Santa

Cruz is where Croatia Nelson lost his

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arm, his right arm, and it's the only

battle that he's believed to have lost.

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Daniel Edward: Well, it

certainly didn't go well him.

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John Reid: No.

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Daniel Edward: and one of the

few battles where Britain lost

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against the Spanish in history.

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John Reid: I think you're right.

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Yes, absolutely.

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he should even easily

have won that battle.

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In fact, 10 may well have been British,

had he or his captains, 'cause he used to

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pay attention to what his captain said.

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not made some pretty disastrous

errors of judgement in terms of,

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the currents in the sea, the heat.

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It was a very hot day.

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the way they attacked, using similar,

very successful method to, to he use in

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the Mediterranean to capture city states.

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But he, got it completely wrong, intern.

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Daniel Edward: You say Tenerif

may well have been British.

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I feel like some locals say that

Tenerif is already bit British and maybe

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there are too many of us given over.

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John Reid: Well, it

depends who you listen to.

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I've heard people saying, gosh, if only

Nelson had succeeded, But of course you

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are, you are trying to get me to talk

about what we are calling overt tourism.

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And yes, indeed we have overt tourism in

Tanif, as it happens throughout the world.

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But we in Tanif especially have,

certainly got over tourism.

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And I say this as a, as a guide.

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I'm an official guide in Tene,

and of course I live in tourism,

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but I must admit there's too much.

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you know, we are all worried about this

because it has affected ordinary people.

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It's affected the, the islands, you

know, infrastructures and also the,

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the environment, on the island.

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but most of the people realise

that, you know, it's not the

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tourist's fault, they're not really

complaining about the tourists.

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They're not complaining against

the tourists, they're not

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protesting against tourists.

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They're actually protesting against the

government for permitting the construction

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and building of so many hotels and so many

apartment blocks, et cetera, et cetera.

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it's not the tourist fault.

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It's a great place to come and come and

stay and come and to have a holiday.

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but a fine line has to be drawn

and it hasn't been drawn, and it's

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probably a bit late for it to be drawn.

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Daniel Edward: Is there a season

which is quieter to visit?

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John Reid: Yes.

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it's my favourite time of year,

which is between, the middle

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of April and the end of June.

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May and June are a really good months to

visit, especially if you're interested

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in Flora, because everything's in flower,

the island becomes a, a watercolour

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especially high up in around where the

endemic flora up there gives us such

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a show, especially plants like the

Tara Jewels or the, Ecu Ville Pretty,

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which is a stunning, stunning plant.

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Also September and the

beginning of October.

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But May and June are definitely the

quietest time and the prettiest.

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Daniel Edward: What's the

food scene like in Tenerif?

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Is it very Spanish or does it

feel quite uniquely Tenian?

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John Reid: There's a great mix here.

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there's obviously Spanish, we're lucky to

have a bit of all, a bit of everything.

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so imagine if you were in Galicia

or Cantabria where, there's some

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wonderful spoon dishes, lovely

stews and things like that.

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We have a bit of that.

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We've also got the

Mediterranean diet as well.

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But of course, intermingled there is also

what, we inherited from North Africa.

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from, the pre-Hispanic inhabitants

of Bunchie inhabitants, they bases

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their diet more on goat meat and,

goat milk and, all that kind of, so,

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so there is a, an authentic Canary

Island cuisine which a lot of little

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restaurants around developing, into

a more sort of, Novo Canary cuisine.

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And very, very good, very good food.

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I can give you two, three examples.

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One is the typical, grilled goat

cheese with the typical mojos,

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the Canary Island sauces, and

palm honey or palm syrup on top.

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That is absolutely amazing.

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always stuns my guests when I

take them to, che, which are

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very typical local restaurants.

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My favourite was a probably

grilled octopus poor octopus.

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But I mean, it's a delicious,

way to eat octopus.

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And obviously inherited from, the North

African population is goat meat, stew

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the most delicious meals or dishes

are literally poor man's dishes.

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So, in other words, things like Rob

Vieja, which means old clothes.

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And that is what, you know,

whatever you can find in the

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kitchen, you put in the pot.

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And the same with a, wonderful

soup or potage, which is called

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Rancho Canary Island Rancho.

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And that, again, is a wonderful

filling, almost just 1 meal a day thing.

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It's absolutely delicious.

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chickpeas, potatoes, beans, meat,

macaronis, everything chopped in,

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whatever's found in the kitchen.

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Daniel Edward: It's the

easiest way of cooking as well.

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John Reid: Absolutely.

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Daniel Edward: And something

which surprises people is the

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wine scene in Tenerif as well.

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People think, oh sure, you can't

grow vines here, but you can.

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And the volcanic soils do, well,

something rather special with it.

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John Reid: Yes.

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let's say local wine producers or

any other donors are very proud of

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the fact that they can say, well, you

know, the minerals in the volcanic

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soil do wonders for the wine.

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But of course, we talk about the,

exquisite wines that we have today.

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And there are some very exquisite wines.

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we've got over 70 types of vine, and

they do a lot of blending to produce

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exquisite, wines, especially the whites

and the roses But of course, people

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forget that the, Canary Island wines

became famous in the 16th century.

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William Shakespeare in various

of his plays, mentions Canary

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wines, canary sack, ey wines.

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we always talk about Madeira and

his wines, but in fact, I believe

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that the British first started

buying wines from the Canaries.

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And in the particular valley that I live,

which is the Tava Valley, was the first

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to export wines to, to a great person

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So there's a long history

of, world production here.

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Daniel Edward: Wow.

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John Reid: The history of agriculture

here in 10, its study because it

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goes from one product to the other.

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I mean, the canaries first started with

the sugarcane and that was all they had.

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So they sold sugar to begin with,

then wine, then il, then banana and

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tomatoes another, another thing.

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But I always joke about this when I

explain to my clients that, of course

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the main clients for the canary and wine

for possibly because the main clients

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for anything alcoholic, were the British.

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Were the British,

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Daniel Edward: It's good

to have a loyal customer.

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John Reid: But of course it's not

just a matter of drinking it, it's

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the knowledge that selling wine was

very beneficial to their pockets.

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You know, it is a very lucrative business.

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Daniel Edward: Oh yeah.

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I think it was business decisions.

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It wasn't consumption decisions.

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It was, it was wanting to sell it on.

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John Reid: Absolutely.

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Daniel Edward: How do people get

around the island if you're gonna

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base yourself, let's say in the south,

you, you've decided you're going for

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a resort holiday, but you don't wanna

be stuck at the resort the whole time.

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A couple of days of the beach

is great, but now you want to

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get into the island and see it.

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How do you do that?

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John Reid: we're very lucky

'cause the public transport

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service, is very good indeed.

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I mean, you know, if you get the

timetables and you get the connections,

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the buses are very, very on time.

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They're frequent.

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if you can get anywhere you like,

even to the smallest villages,

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up in the inaugural mountains,

if you get the right connections.

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obviously if you are a tourist or

a visitor, there's lots of rental

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car companies renting their cars

so you can get a car quite easily.

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Having said that, in the peak seasons, You

have to book well in advance because they

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do run out and the prices go sky high.

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Daniel Edward: Is it safe to

drive if you're not used to it?

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John Reid: It's safe to drive, but

some of the road signs and roundabouts

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are a bit confusing, especially if

you are from the British Isles and

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driving on the correct side of the road.

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Daniel Edward: Agree with

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John Reid: And there are a lot of, and

there are a lot of narrow roads as well.

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So up in the mountains,

very winding, narrow roads.

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I've noticed as a driver myself, because

I, I do drive my clients around that,

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uh, you get a lot of, people may maybe

from the British house finding it rather,

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rather dodgy driving along those roads.

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But I've never seen many accidents.

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Daniel Edward: That's at least a

good thing is there, is there an

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etiquette, in terms of when you're

on one of these narrow winding

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roads as to who gives way to who?

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John Reid: not necessarily.

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No, there isn't.

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The only thing is that normally a car

coming down a hill, for example, down

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rather than narrow roads, will have to

give preference to the car coming up.

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Daniel Edward: which is always a good

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John Reid: the only thing.

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It's always a

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good It's always a good idea.

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Daniel Edward: and of course

the other way to see the place

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is to take a, private tour.

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John Reid: Yes, of course.

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which I thoroughly enjoy because,

it's a lovely place to drive around.

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Lovely place to show.

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I like showing off my island.

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I know quite a lot about the island,

we've been here for my family,

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been here for more than 200 years.

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I do private tours, only private tours.

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Daniel Edward: This is something I

really like about what you do, and your

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company is called Tenerif Private Tours.

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So it sort of gives the game away, but you

only do a private tour, not one of these

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big group tours, which can often end up

a big coach lurching through te mountain.

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and by the end of it they

feel thoroughly sick.

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and they have a few out

out of the coach window.

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You've gone for a totally different

focus and why does it work?

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John Reid: Well, let's say, let's

start by saying why I did that and

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why I did that is because actually

I started on the coaches as a guide.

330

I've just had the microphone

and, do my spiel but I felt

331

very sorry for the passengers.

332

A because they, I was always

telling them to get on and get off

333

and get on and get off, and five

minutes here, five minutes there.

334

And also, I prefer a one-to-one basis.

335

I prefer a personal basis.

336

I realise that I like meeting people,

I like making friends with my clients.

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And luckily, I've been

very lucky with that.

338

I've got a lot of friends who have

been clients, past clients and

339

a lot of repeat clients as well,

and so it's much more enjoyable.

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Much more enjoyable.

341

And of course we can stop, we

can do golf off the beaten track.

342

we can do more sort of,

uh, personalised tours.

343

I much more enjoy meeting people.

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it is not just a job, it's

actually meeting people.

345

That's, the kick I get out

of it, is meeting people.

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Daniel Edward: if somebody's thinking

about taking a private tour, do

347

they have to do a lot more research

in advance to then ask the right

348

questions to get the right tour?

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Or do you suggest things to them?

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John Reid: a little bit of both.

351

my website, offers, a number of tours.

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A variety of tours.

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You can't see the island in one day.

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you know, you've got to be more specific.

355

some of these coach tours, they will

rush you through different parts of the

356

island you hardly know what you're seeing.

357

I divided up the island into six or seven,

tours, and I do it at a leisurely pace.

358

I get a lot of clients who obviously do

do their homework and do, do their studies

359

and they ask me some wonderful questions.

360

I love this one-to-one.

361

I love being asked questions during

the, during the ride, during the tour.

362

and it's great fun.

363

It's great fun.

364

Daniel Edward: So what was your background

in order to get into tour guiding at all?

365

'cause you have to know a huge

amount of, well, everything really.

366

John Reid: Well, I, started,

guiding only about 15 years ago.

367

before that I did a lot of other things.

368

I was in the uk, , spent a bit

of time in the British, services.

369

I was a, a late student.

370

I've written books.

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and really It just came naturally.

372

This, a friend of mine saying, John, you

get your, official guides certificate

373

or licence, you can come on my buses.

374

and so I thought, well, I

took, I took his word for it.

375

So I did the exams, I did

the studying, did the exams.

376

you have to study quite

hard to become a guide.

377

The exams are not easy.

378

And, once I got my licence,

then I started, um, guiding.

379

But, the background, I suppose my

family, having been here for 200

380

years, a lot of information handed

down over the ages, over the years.

381

my family, there are four generations

of, vice consulates in Tanif.

382

so, you know, a lot of, a lot

of background knowledge anyway.

383

and as my friend said, you know, when

I asked him a guy, me, you know why, I

384

mean, I hadn't thought about being a guy.

385

And he said, well, John, you know a

little bit and you talk rather a lot.

386

didn't quite know how he, how to

take that, but I understand that

387

one needs to talk to be a guide.

388

Daniel Edward: A, a silent guide

isn't the most informative.

389

John Reid: No.

390

No.

391

Daniel Edward: if people want to

find out more about your, books what

392

is the website that they can go to?

393

John Reid: I've got a historical

blog, which is called Travel Stories

394

in 10 and the Canary Islands.

395

I'm sure you'd like that actually.

396

Daniel Edward: I did.

397

read

398

John Reid: talks about, oh, you

399

have, well there's, there's lots

of, uh, interesting articles in that

400

over the years, which gives you an

insight into the past of Tenerif,

401

let's say more than the present.

402

and that can be found online as well.

403

It's just basically if you Google travel

stories in and the Canary Islands,

404

you will, you'll, you'll find it.

405

And my books are on there as well, so

you can always click on the book cover

406

images, and you'll be taken to Amazon.

407

Daniel Edward: I really like that blog

because for me to see a place with

408

context helps me really see a place.

409

I'm not a beach person.

410

Anybody who knows me knows that

I, I can't do an hour on a beach.

411

It just doesn't suit me.

412

And so to get into the history of

it, to get into the, the stories

413

of how it ended up as it is today,

you need to understand how it was

414

John Reid: Yeah, absolutely.

415

Daniel Edward: That's I love the

agriculture story of, Tenerif.

416

I like the military story of Tenerif.

417

John Reid: yeah,

418

Daniel Edward: such a fan beaches myself.

419

John Reid: No, no, no.

420

But, quite honestly, Canary

Islanders never went to the beach.

421

They didn't used to go swimming.

422

They didn't go into the rock pools

until the Victorian visitors from

423

the United Kingdom started to come.

424

And there are old black and white photo

blasts of, you know, Victorian ladies

425

in their long dresses and pet COEs

rolling them up and paddling in the rock,

426

pools in, the local people were amazed.

427

What, what are these people doing,

428

Daniel Edward: Is so funny.

429

Imported customs.

430

' cause the, Victorians love the seaside.

431

I mean, if you, if you look of

the, the British holiday areas,

432

all Victorian seaside spots.

433

John Reid: There are beaches

that are called Ingles,

434

frankly, Englishman's Beach.

435

there are Rockpool, uh, LACA de

la Ella, the colonel's wives,

436

Rockpool, where an English colonel's

wife used to paddle, used to go

437

in her, into, into the Rockpool.

438

And there's another one near the town

of Garko northwest of the island, which

439

is called Koles Englishman's Pond.

440

A Rockpool because of an Englishman

there who used to manage a sugarcane

441

plantation, who used to every

day ride on his camel down to the

442

Rockpool for a dip in the Rockpool.

443

An Englishman eccentric.

444

We were all very eccentric.

445

We still are,

446

Daniel Edward: think that

is international reputation.

447

Yeah.

448

John Reid: yeah, it is.

449

But we've done a lot of good

with our eccentricities and

450

our ways and our manners.

451

Daniel Edward: We seem to pop up all over

the world with, the odd bits and bobs.

452

John Reid: we don't realise how

much good we've done actually, we're

453

terribly critical of ourselves,

but we've done a lot of good.

454

We should be very proud of what we've

done around the world, quite honestly.

455

Daniel Edward: Yeah.

456

And you know, that's, nice to

hear 'cause that is not right

457

now, the mainstream narrative.

458

And I, I've been reading a book, I've

forgotten the title of it, it's about

459

the British Empire, but it's, been told

from a very positive perspective, for

460

all the people that are saying about

empire and maybe you wouldn't have an

461

empire today, that doesn't mean that

it wasn't, contributing in its time.

462

and that's sort of being unwritten

at this point because of the

463

negative aspects of it as well.

464

But in a hundred, 200, 300

years time, people are gonna be

465

criticising what we are doing today.

466

John Reid: exactly.

467

But I mean, we have, we do have a tendency

to, beat ourselves down to the ground.

468

we're terribly self critical

and ashamed and we shouldn't be.

469

We, you know, quite honestly.

470

Okay, we, we've done some naughty

things, but we've done a lot more good

471

Daniel Edward: Yeah, most of

the train lines in the world.

472

if somebody's making their way to 10

and they've not been before, how easy

473

is it for them to get around with

English if they don't have any Spanish?

474

John Reid: It's very easy, most

Canary Island people learn a

475

little bit of English right now.

476

so most people in the, in the

bars, restaurants, et cetera,

477

will, will know some English,

and they'll love to show it off.

478

but even if they don't speak English,

you go up into the hills, you go

479

to a local inn or a local shop or

whatever, just using your hands

480

and arms and things like that.

481

people get, get along in any languages,

and of course the canary owner does

482

They're very generous, open people, uh,

especially the older ones, you know.

483

So, no problems there at all.

484

Very, very, very welcoming people,

possibly because the Canary Islanders

485

being where they are in the Atlantic,

so strategically placed, over the years,

486

so many people have come and gone this

way on their way somewhere, that they,

487

Canary Islanders became used to welcoming

people and being generous and offering

488

them what they had, you know, so they're

very, very con, very good people.

489

Daniel Edward: Are there PHIMS to Spanish

in the same way that in South America,

490

the Spanish is slightly different.

491

John Reid: yes, quite a lot.

492

it's similar to South America.

493

I mean, the, the accent is different.

494

The grammar is all the same.

495

grammatically everything's the same.

496

But the accents, yes.

497

So, there are lots of examples.

498

For example, if you were in Madrid

and you said, thank you, you'd say,

499

s and you say, cia, you pronounce

the C as a C rather than a TH.

500

And also the word endings are very lazy.

501

We don't end our words,

502

Daniel Edward: How about Adios then?

503

Do you say Adi.

504

And and hello is still Ola.

505

John Reid: Yeah, Helen is,

506

yeah.

507

Daniel Edward: I, please puff favo.

508

There's a soft ending anyway, I suppose.

509

John Reid: Well, is is the

same as it would be anybody.

510

Daniel Edward: Okay.

511

So a few easy words and, and you

512

John Reid: word.

513

And of course there are a lot, there are

also words that come from, English, you

514

know, old words from English, for example,

the word comes from come by on board

515

is when the, merchant ships from England

would arrive in talking about three,

516

400 years ago, would come and aircraft.

517

Sure.

518

or even on the port and you know,

sort of invite people to come on board

519

and buy without declaring anything.

520

bit of a naughty kind of selling

and buying, come by on board.

521

And we talk about that quietly,

you know, that kind of thing.

522

And the other one, of course the famous

one is, the word gu che sounds if it

523

should come from the pre-Hispanic tribes.

524

But Gu Chi is the name of a typical,

kind of very local homemade food

525

restaurant of which are a lot

smaller now than they used to be.

526

And Gu Chi comes from an old English

or Irish expression, which is, I

527

am watching Yi, I'm watching Yi.

528

In other words, you know, I'm watching

Yi, I'm watching what you're doing.

529

Because it was when the, British

or English merchants would come to

530

10 to buy wine in the 16th, 17th

century and say, I'm watching that.

531

You don't actually water

it down or whatever.

532

Daniel Edward: Sometimes need to

do that in a fuel station too.

533

John Reid: the local wine maker

would invite the foreign merchant

534

to come and sample his wines

while having a meal at his house.

535

Daniel Edward: that's

536

hospitality.

537

John Reid: restaurants, hospitality.

538

Yeah.

539

Daniel Edward: Where is somewhere

that only locals go in 10 reef?

540

John Reid: Oh gosh.

541

That's a difficult question.

542

Um, that is a very difficult question.

543

very difficult to find anywhere in ery

that you would only find local sites.

544

But I can tell you that if you,

if you were to go into the Arga

545

Mountains and go deep into one of the

valleys, you would come across little

546

villages like Al or Las Carbons.

547

And when you walk or drive through

there, you will be amazed to find

548

that there's hardly any tourism.

549

and a lot of my guests, when they choose

that particular tour, they're amazed.

550

They say, gosh, there's,

there's no, there's no tour

551

buses, there's no tour coaches.

552

what do people live from here?

553

And of course, what they see around

them is terraces and terraces and

554

terraces of potatoes, of pumpkin,

vineyards, et cetera, things like that.

555

So deep in the inaugural mountains off the

beaten track, you will find only locals,

556

but you'll also find hikers, from all over

the world who've discovered these places.

557

Daniel Edward: Back into

the main tourist areas.

558

What do people do about tips in

tenor reef is tipping a thing.

559

John Reid: that's usually a question

I get from my American guests, what

560

I always say to them is, if you are

happy with the service and you're

561

happy with the, food, be generous.

562

Especially up in the mountains, not

down in the tour, in the tourist areas.

563

You know, every, everybody's

making a, a good, profit.

564

So I always say, you know, if you're

happy, just leave 10% or even less.

565

But it's not obligatory.

566

If you don't leave a tip,

that's perfectly all right.

567

generally speaking, for example, if

I go up a meal, if we pay something

568

like, 30 euros between my wife and

I or whatever, I don't need more

569

than two euros, something like that.

570

Just a, just a couple of coins.

571

if you're up in the hills in one of the

local, local CIA type restaurants where

572

obviously food is very, very cheap.

573

I'm more generous.

574

I leave more because I'm helping

a family that lives up there.

575

Daniel Edward: And if you're

getting out of the main tourist

576

areas, do you need cash?

577

John Reid: most places will accept card.

578

very few places won't.

579

having said that, my, one of my favourite

restaurants, which is in the town called

580

Ga Chico in the northwest wonderful

restaurant, they don't accept card.

581

so it is worth taking a little

bit of cash just in case.

582

Daniel Edward: And it's

Euros so easy to get hold of.

583

John Reid: Yeah.

584

Easy to get hold of.

585

Yeah.

586

Daniel Edward: If somebody's visiting

from a cruise ship, 'cause you mentioned

587

the cruise port in, Santa Cruz earlier.

588

What would you say is the best day trip

for them to make the most of their time?

589

Because chances are they have a

day, maybe they've got a seven

590

and a half, eight hour stop.

591

John Reid: Right.

592

There are places to avoid, in other

words, the, a other extreme of the island.

593

you know, the cruise ship

borders in the northeast.

594

So try and avoid tours that are

gonna take you to places like Masco,

595

for example, which is the, the

extreme southwest of the island.

596

the rest is okay.

597

having said that, the traffic jams on

the main highways in Tanif have become

598

horrendous, especially in the early

mornings and from three o'clock onwards.

599

So you have to be very, very careful

if you're on a cruise ship, especially

600

if you're doing a private tour,

that you're gonna get back on time.

601

so I always recommend if you're on a

cruise, it depends what you want to see.

602

But if you're not bothered about going

to see Taylor National Park or, what I

603

call the Scenic Northwest Gala Chico and

od, if you're not bothered about that,

604

but you just want to see a little bit

of Tanif taking a bit of the sort of

605

old Tanif that I call it, then I would

always go for something like the Tag Nana

606

tour, which is in the Arga Mountains,

the Chin Mother Tour, which is also

607

down in, in the Arga Mountains as well.

608

So the closer, the better.

609

but most sort of organised

cruise ship tours will take

610

people to den National Park.

611

They'll take people to, Roque, which is

a big, nature park in in the Ava Valley.

612

They'll take you to Garco, they'll

take you to Puerto La Cruise or lava

613

la Ava, wonderful old, historical

town actually, if you can go

614

and visit the town centre there.

615

cruise ship passengers are finding

it more difficult because of

616

the, because of the traffic.

617

So don't, you know, don't be

too, daring and go too far away.

618

Daniel Edward: Well, you might be

staying longer than you thought.

619

John Reid: Yes.

620

Daniel Edward: What would you say is

the top thing to see or do on 10 Reef?

621

John Reid: Well, obviously

Taday National Park.

622

you can get more out of it by enjoying

the whole park, by going to the different,

623

different, geological sites in the park.

624

you can go to the top, but you've also,

especially on, if you're on a cruise ship,

625

you've gotta be very, very careful at the

time, because sometimes you spend longer

626

at the top and then you've been imagined.

627

and also only 200 people per

day are permitted to the summit.

628

So you can go into the cable car, which

will take you to about 200 metres below

629

the summit, but you can't go to the

top unless you have special permission.

630

there's usually a waiting list

for that special permission.

631

you've gotta get it

three months in advance.

632

You know, you've gotta get your

guide or you do it yourself to get

633

permission three months in advance.

634

Because the last bit is not

only, a 60 degree gradient time.

635

it's a thrilling line, quite strenuous.

636

So you've gotta be fit, gotta have no

heart problems, that kind of thing.

637

And the views at the top

obviously are stunning.

638

but I think you can get much more

from actually visiting the different

639

points within TE International Park.

640

Daniel Edward: What would you

say is a tourist trap to avoid?

641

John Reid: Moscow, the Valley of

Moscow, it just become saturated.

642

Well, den National Park has

become saturated as well.

643

If you c if you were to come in the months

that I mentioned, in other words, may,

644

June, September, then you'd be fine.

645

But any other time of year, you've got

two areas of 10 reef, which have become

646

ridiculously, overcrowded with rental

cars, with, tour buses, et cetera.

647

And that is, I'm afraid, Taday

National Park and the value of Musk.

648

Daniel Edward: We've preempted the

next question, which is what's your

649

favourite time of year to visit?

650

John Reid: Well, there you go.

651

Well, as I'm here all year

round, I really don't mind.

652

But, in terms of the job I do,

which is to be a private guide, my

653

favourite time of beer is May, June.

654

Everything's a flower.

655

The weather's not too hot.

656

It hasn't become summer yet.

657

It still has a bit of, you

know, nice feeling to it.

658

very clear skies, a lot of nature.

659

very nice time here.

660

Daniel Edward: What's your top

book or film recommendation that

661

would connect people to Tenerif?

662

John Reid: Well, there's been

a lot of movies made here in

663

Te Aviv, as you probably know.

664

the last Jason b movie was almost

entirely filmed in Santa Cruz.

665

one of the fast and furious

movies, which my sons used to

666

enjoy was filmed partly here.

667

probably the most famous movie was one

called A Million Years BC and now you

668

are far too young to remember that.

669

But a million years BC

670

Daniel Edward: I will look it up.

671

John Reid: Of course there

are other, interesting books.

672

there's one which is, called The

Invention of Nature, and it's written

673

by an American lady called Andrea Wolf,

who wrote about the life of the great

674

German Explorer, Alexander Van Humboldt.

675

And of course, he spent

a few days here in Tene.

676

And of course she mentions his stay here.

677

And it gives a lot of interesting

aspects about not only the history,

678

but also the plants and the

flora and the nature, et cetera.

679

And then, you've got, John Unds, two huge

volumes about the life of Admiral Nelson.

680

And in it there's two long chapters

dedicated to the Battle of Santa Cruz.

681

So that's quite interesting

to read as well.

682

And of course, there are little books like

this one, the Skipping Virgin and Another

683

Tale, which is, full of 22 very, very

short stories, all based here in Santa.

684

And of course it's mine.

685

Daniel Edward: And you

can get that on Amazon.

686

John Reid: You can, yes, you can.

687

Daniel Edward: What's your

top food or drink to try?

688

John Reid: My favourite food is

almost suddenly rabbit stew in sal

689

mare or sauce with wrinkled potatoes.

690

Some majo sauce is very spicy sauce

with all sorts of things in it,

691

you know, apart from lots and lots

of garlic and pepper and salt,

692

paprika, chilli peppers, all that.

693

It's very, very good.

694

It's, it's a, it's a dish marinades for at

least two or three days, it's, wonderful.

695

I'm feeling hungry already, just

because I've mentioned that, as far as

696

wines are concerned, there are lots of

very, very good wine producers here.

697

so I could recommend any kind

of whites or, or even red

698

from the Tahi Naste vineyard.

699

The Tahi Naste, which is

spelled Taji nasty, the esque,

700

very good vineyards here.

701

Very good vineyards.

702

Daniel Edward: My final question is if

I wanna go home with a local authentic

703

souvenir, not a fridge Magna or a, a

cat made in China, what could I get?

704

John Reid: I'm not a souvenir seeker.

705

But, I would go for

something, not a souvenir.

706

I mean, I, you know, souvenirs are,

as you say, something, you stick on

707

the, on the postcard or whatever.

708

I would go for something like a handmade

authentic basket, you know, weaved

709

basket from one of local producers

of which are few and far between.

710

Now, I would also go for a local cheese.

711

Obviously that's not a souvenir, so

you're gonna consume it, but the local

712

goat cheeses are absolutely first class.

713

Daniel Edward: It sounds like

something good for me to take home.

714

I love goats cheese.

715

John Reed from Tenerif Private Tours.

716

Thank you so much for

unlocking tenerif for us today.

717

John Reid: It's been an absolute pleasure.

718

Thank you very much for inviting me.

719

Daniel Edward: Once again, thank you very

much to John Reed for unlocking Tenerif

720

for us, and if you'd like to check out

his book, give it a search on Amazon or

721

Google and let me know what you think.

722

You can always get in touch

and it's lovely to hear from

723

you about all of your travels.

724

If this was your first time listening

to Destination Unlocked and you're not

725

yet following, I'd say do that now.

726

Just before you go so that whenever

you want to find us again to go

727

travelling somewhere else, you

can get here nice and easily.

728

Until then, have a great day.

729

Bye-bye.