Finally, I got around to writing this post—I want to share a..

Finally, I got around to writing this post—I want to share a little about my trip to Tenerife.

Since сhildhооd, I have dreamed of seeing whales. This dream was the main reason for my journey. I had already tried, unsuccessfully, to spot them twice in Portugal and three times in Iceland, but luck was never on my side.

When I arrived in Tenerife, I found out that there are no large whales there—only small pilot whales. But I was able to see them up close. Of course, it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for, but I was still incredibly happy. Watching animals in their natural habitat is always a special joy for me.

I don’t like zoos—except for those that genuinely help animals by rescuing them, restoring populations, and creating environments as close to their natural habitats as possible. But I strongly oppose dolphinariums and circuses with animals. I see them as nothing more than сruеl ехрloitation.

Tenerife is quite an expensive destination, so to save money, I decided to live in a car. Besides, I wanted to visit as many places on the island as possible. I’m not one to lie on the beach doing nothing—I love active travel, being in nature, chasing sunrises and sunsets, and spontaneous adventures.

Sleeping in the car turned out to be not as bad as I expected. Sometimes I was so exhausted that I fell asleep instantly, only to wake up in the middle of the night from the cold and had to start the engine to warm up.

The sunsets in Tenerife are absolutely breathtaking. Every evening, I drove to Teide National Park, climbing higher to the observatory, just to watch the sun paint the fluffy clouds in surreal colors. It was freezing cold, but I patiently waited for the sun to disappear beyond the horizon.

I even got the chance to look through a telescope—and I saw a real nebula! Just imagine: eerie, dark, filled with an endless cluster of stars… I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t grasp the fact that I was standing there, looking through this device at something so far away—an actual nebula. I also observed the craters of the Moon, gazed at Jupiter and Mars, and marveled at the incredible starry sky.

I also tried diving. I was searching for sea turtles but didn’t find any. The ocean was freezing, my wetsuit barely helped, and the pressure in my ears was so intense that I couldn’t descend any deeper. But despite that, I was still happy with the experience.

As for adventures—the only unexpected one was on my first night when the police searched my car while I was sleeping in it. Other than that, my trip went surprisingly smoothly.

My search for whales isn’t over! My next destination is the Azores. Then, I’ll try Iceland again—this time in the summer, during the humpback whale breeding season. Of course, Iceland in the summer is incredibly expensive, but I’m willing to work hard for this dream! 💪🏽💕