Page 165 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

because they will eat dry grass, which has very
high-quality fat.”
We briefly visit a few female cows, including
one randy girl who insists on mounting all her
friends. Maybe she’s been peering over the fence at
the bull, who breeds with four lucky ladies every
week. “He’s the happiest animal on the farm,”
Fabelo grins.
The workers play music for the animals—Latin,
pop and rock in the morning, and classical or “Zen”
tunes in the evening. Judging from some of the
behavior I’ve seen among these critters today, I
reckon they’ve been listening to a little too much
Barry White, if you know what I mean.
It’s hard to say whether the highlight of our
tour is getting to hold bleating baby lambs, with
their puppy-soft fur and floppy ears, or visiting the
dairy. Several of Fabelo’s mouth-watering cheeses,
made from various combinations of sheep, goat and
cow’s milk, have been honored at the World Cheese
Awards.
The drive from the resort to the farm has also
whet my appetite for something else---Lanzarote’s
Martian-like landscape. Even the folks at NASA
think it’s “out-of-this-world,” apparently. According
to Gladys Becerra, who works in Princesa Yaiza’s
marketing department, American astronauts on the
Apollo missions studied photographs of Lanzarote’s
surface to help them prepare for landing on the
moon.
“Some people think there is nothing here,
because it’s not green,” Becerra says. “But there is
beauty; it’s just different.”
The entire island has been named a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve, which places strict restrictions
on development. Roadside billboards are
forbidden, and most houses can be no more than
two stories tall, with a paint palette limited to
sandy “Sahara” or gleaming white. As a result, the
rural villages look like low stacks of sugar cubes…all
the better to feed the alien ant invaders, I imagine.
The best place to experience the volcanic
drama of Lanzarote is Timanfaya National Park on
the southwestern end of the island. It is here,
where the Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains)
now stand, that the eruptions of the 18th and 19th
centuries occurred. Even today, its arid plains and
lava fields remain devoid of plant life, except for
some pioneering patches of lichen.
While you can’t just lace up your hiking boots
and tramp off through the lava fields wherever you
like on your own, there are other ways to explore.
You can arrange a guided hike in the park, saddle up
for a camel tour, or take a bus tour around the Ruta
de los Volcanes.
You can also get a feel for the powerful forces
that created this incredible landscape at the Islote