In 1960, with a mere £40 in his pocket, 18-year-old Ronald Mackay hitched from Scotland to Spain then took a tramp steamer to Tenerife, thinking to voyage on to South America. Instead, he discovered the snug village of Buenavista del Norte, where he was welcomed in by the locals as ‘El Extranjero’. He lived there for a year, working, making friendships, exploring and growing into manhood. … manhood.
‘Fortunate Isle’ is a charming tale of a special time in the author’s life, when he is entirely ‘open to the universe’. His recall sparkles like the sun on the sea that was so important to his life there. The memoir contains moments of hilarity and of confusion, as a young man initially with no Spanish, struggles to integrate into a tight-knit village full of people with no English. Despite this, his likeable nature and willingness to work hard make him popular and he is taken under the wing of a matriarch who runs the small guest house he had found — almost too fortunately to be happenstance — the very day he arrived.
Through the months in Buenavista del Norte, immersed in a life that was at once very different yet strangely similar to the one he had grown up in in rural Scotland, Mackay addresses the challenges that we all must, as we come of age; and with that knowledge prepares himself for life.
Much more than a light-hearted travel memoir, this book charts a philosophical journey along a road that leads to independence, self-sufficiency and maturity. While offering humour and insight, it does not shirk discussion of deeper, more fundamental issues.
Fortunate Isle is suitable for all ages and offers a warm, refreshing and invigorating read. It is illustrated with over fifty photographs, taken in 1960 by the author himself.
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These recollections from sixty years ago are both remarkable and inspirational.
They tell of an 18-year-old Scottish lad, mature beyond his years, who travelled abroad after failing to get into university.
Having journeyed through mainland Spain, a country that in 1960 was living under the Franco dictatorship, he boarded a ferry to the Canary Islands. He planned to travel onwards to South America and find work there. Instead, he ended up in the remote village of Buenavista del Norte in Tenerife.
As the only foreigner, locals were wary of him, but his maturity shone through as he learned the language and found work. He explored the region and got to know a few of the islanders, with whom he spent time and shared experiences. After a while, he achieved acceptance but knew they still regarded him as an outsider.
There are few people, let alone 18-year-olds, who have experienced the type of adventures that Ronald Mackay did during his stay in Tenerife. I am honoured to have read this insightful memoir.
The author leaves his home in rural Angus in 1960, in search of an adventure and work on a ship that will eventually take him to S. America.
However, after booking a 3rd class passage to Gran Canaria, fate takes him to the island of Tenerife where he has a “fortunate encounter” with a man with a machete!
He has £25 remaining in his pocket and is desperately in need of employment and lodgings. Ronald finds both in the village of Buenavista del Norte, where Dona Lutgarda becomes his guide on island etiquette and his kindly landlady, also helping him find work among the island’s banana plantations.
Fortunate Isle is a beautiful glimpse into a bygone era with a host of wonderful characters.
Highly recommended. (less)