"Same same...but different"

Ted. Wandering the streets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, I keep thinking of a funny phrase that we heard last year in Cambodia. In SE Asia, when one asks why a "Rolex" is just $15 or how one can distinguish two fish and rice dishes, the response is usually, "Same same...but different." To me, this expression can also describe two places like Las Palmas where we are now and Cádiz, Spain where we spent the first two months of the year.

Naturally, the stores, prices and products are about the same. The wine and tapas are much alike. Once again, parts of town are a bit seedy and we notice some graffiti and a few professional panhandlers. The accent sounds similar to my ear. The weather here is comparable, generally sunny and windy, though about 10 degrees (F) warmer. The local population blends seamlessly with tourists and expats. Cruise ships come and go, bringing surges of tourists. As in Cádiz, we hear lots of German, to which is now added Italian and various Scandinavian accents. Las Palmas has even more surfers and, once again, we have a nice promenade along the beach with plenty of benches.

The topography is a lot different, though. Gran Canaria is a volcanic island with the highest point at 6,400 ft. Head out of town and you pretty much drive straight up into the hills.

The people here, called Canarios, seem to be a bit more outgoing than Gatitanos (locals in Cádiz) and typically respond to a greeting of  “Buenos Diás!” on the street. They also use some different words, reflecting the historic presence of Portuguese and English visitors and centuries of interaction with the New World, especially Cuba and Venezuela. For instance, in Spain (what many Canarios call the mainland), one calls a bus an “autobus.” Here, we use the Cuban term “guagua” (pronounced “wawa”). 

I have also noticed many similarities to Hawaii such as black sand beaches, palm trees, an abundance of surfers and great fresh fish. Here are some more:

Characteristic                              Canary Islands     Hawaiian Islands

Formation of islands                     volcanic                   volcanic

No. of main islands                       7                               8

Ht. of tallest volcano                     12,200 ft                  13,800 ft

Population                                      2.1 million              1.4 million

Estimated arrival of human          1000 BCE                300 CE

Avg year round temp, F                71-84                       79-90

One could argue that the Canaries are Europe’s Hawaii. A big difference for us, though is that the prices are much lower here. So, we will enjoy the warm weather and inexpensive wine and tapas for a couple more weeks. This makes a wonderful place to relax and study Spanish as we finalize plans for our next trip – South America.

Hilltop view of Las Palmas