Per Senor Wiki, Bunyola has a population of about 6,600 and lies at the foot of the Tramuntana mountain range, about 10 miles from Palma.
I remember it being the only stop along the way from Palma to Soller on the vintage train I took a year ago. I wondered what the draw was.
So, I decided to hop on 'Scoot' and go find out.
One thing I really enjoy doing is picking a road that looks enticing and seeing where it takes me and reveals to me. In Ecuador, I did this a lot, and it was amazing the gems and surprises I found. Cute villages with a dramatic church dominating its center, stunning topography, one-lane crickety wooden bridges, etc. Bunyola was no different.
Last year, when I was looking online for apartment rentals, there were a ton of neighborhood and village names totally new to me and I didn't necessarily know where they were on the map. Driving down the highway, I recognized one of the names (Sardina) and made a quick turn to see what it looked like. Then, to get back to the highway, I picked a random road that led me past hundreds of acres of (almond or olive...i don't remember) trees. The road was lined with 3 - 5ft high rock walls. EVERYWHERE in Mallorca, you will see rock walls and rock houses. I don't mean just a rock wall 'fence' surrounding the home, but hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of rock walls constructed in the hillsides to create flat space to grow crops, or to hold water, or to support the side of a road or to define property lines. It's an amazing sight, especially knowing the vast majority of it was installed by hand.
Palma is located in a very flat area with a few hills around its perimeter. But, you only need to travel a few miles before the Tramuntana (I secretly call it the Trauma) mountains dwarf eveything around it.
Here's a photo where I'm approaching the Trauma mountains as well as the entrance to Bunyola.
Entering town was a long street lined with beautiful old trees that had been heavily pruned which turned them into beautiful pieces of art agains the royal blue sky.
Bunyola is like any other village in Mallorca in that EVERY town has its outdoor dining spots and the locals love to hang out in them....cold, warm, or hot.
Just as I hit the towns border on the other side, I spotted a road that beckoned me. It look like the kinda road that would lead you into a huge park or reserve. OK!!!
These are the kind of times you LOVE having a motorcycle, or in this case a rental scooter, because you can go so many places a car can't or you choose not to because of the potholes, or switchbacks, or whatever. With the scooter, I could whip around switchbacks and dodge potholes and veer all over the road no problemo.
The road had a LOT of switchbacks, all managed by.....rock walls. As I climbed higher, the vista became more and more extraordinary.
Look closely. See all those horizontal lines? Those are STONE (aka Rock) WALLS!!!
Those were looking down and back towards Bunyola. These are looking from the mountain range out towards the Med Sea and Palma. You can see how flat it is.
Lemme zoom in a bit. Now, you can see Palma out there.
Writing a blog can be frustrating at times because you sooooo want the reader to experience what you experienced when you were in the midst of the....ummmm....experience. But, lo, cameras are one-dimensional and rarely capture the magnitude, or the color, or the depth or height, etc. This is one case. This sight was amazing, but doesn't come across as much as what I saw with my nekid eye,
I finally reached the top of all the climbing and switchbacks and seemed to be heading in a completely horizontal direction and it didn't seem there was anything exciting lying ahead of me.
WHOA!!!! What the HECK???? That thar thing has a GROWTH on it!!!!
Looking straight up at it.
There was an informational (educational) sign posted below it, which described what it is and why it was that way. Pretty much boiled down to a.....crap....I forgot.
Along my trek I encountered a lot of bicycling enthusiasts (DAMN they work hard doing something that's supposed to be FUN!!) and a few, what I presumed to be, young camping groups.
Apparently, this forest/reserve area I was driving through is HUGE and I had no clue where it would come out or end. I've gotten to the point I need close-to-instant gratification. For example, WHY would I want to row a boat when the scene is going to be the same 20 strokes from now? Why would I want to walk a trail through the forest when it will take me forever and I'll just see the same dang thing along the way...TREES!!!
Yep, that's me. I was driving horizontally and all I saw was trees and rock, rock and trees. Then, a jewel surprised me.
However, I must say, it could use a little IKEA makeover!!
I returned to Bunyola via the same route and exited the town on the same road I came in.
It was late afternoon and the sun started it's descent.
As I exited town and came to the highway junction, curiousity got to me and I headed the direction AWAY from Palma. That came to an end in only 1/2 mile when I decided to divert off the highway onto a local 2-lane road which clearly was in denial as it couldn't have been more than 1 1/2 lane.
I had a feeling it would take me back to the village and I was right. But, it was another of those 'wow' moments because I happened upon this very interesting home/farm/hacienda. Dang it though!! The camera just didn't capture what my eyes were seeing!
Time to tootle home. I needed to pee. Where to go?
Pick a dirt road off the highway!!!
So, I did.
You never know, though, where a single-lane, gravel road may lead you. It might land you at the doorstep of some great Mansion!!! Or, to an abandon farm with a broken windmill. Or, an exclusive Spanish Inn that only the elite see the inside of.
Well, in this case, I encountered only orchard groves. They were beautifully carpeted by yellow flowers.
Whatever type of tree this is (olive or almond) their trunks are amazing. You can clearly see the trees have been cut back/pruned very hard. The trunks show their age, but not the new branch growth that extends from them. The trunks look like they died a long time ago, due to being twisted and contorted and looking dry as a bone.
I was only a few miles from home when I spotted it off to my left about a mile away. HUH? I was one of those giant ferris wheels many cities (ie; London, Seattle) have permanently installed in tourist hotspots. But, this was out in the middle of pretty much nothing....not on the waterfront. I headed over there. It was/is a carnival!!!
I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the whole operation was. All their equipment looked very modern and sophisticated. Even the temp-housing for the workers were nice trailers the kind you would see around Hollywood backlots.
And the rides! Boy howdy, there were several that even I would have to get up the guts to take!!
Here's a video that shows how crazy a few of them are! Notice the people on the long straight arm thingy....see their feet? See them go upside down at the top? URRRRPPPPP!!!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO
Well, that's it for now. I'm already getting backlogged on subjects/photos!!!
Dano
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