Hebe Johnson

While the Canary Islands’ reputation as an epicentre for winter sun seekers precedes it, there's another side to the Spanish archipelago: a world of glorious hiking trails, criss-crossing through volcanic landscapes and subtropical cloud forests.  The master of all these trails is the GR-131. The Gran Recorrido (‘great journey’) is a 560-kilometre route that spans all seven islands, and I’m tackling part of it on La Gomera, one of the archipelago’s least-visited (and criminally underrated) islands.  Recommended: I visited the world’s highest Irish pub – where Guinness comes in cans and yaks transport the barstools Photograph: FIN GROVER We’ve only got five days, so the itinerary is jam-packed. We’ll hike 25km from the port town of San Sebastián to Chipude on one day, then 15km from Chipude to Vallehermoso on another. On our last full day, we’ll hike from the town of Vallehermoso to the beach, covering some of the GR-132 route, which goes around the island instead of across it. The other two days will be travel days. Recommended: The best Canary Islands to visit in 2026, according to an expert But there’s a slight spanner. In the early hours, not long before we’re due to set off, I wake up with a vomiting bug. I manage to sleep for a few hours and get over the worst of it, but by now, it’s too late to start hiking. So, much to my disappointment, we take the bus to Chipude instead.  Photograph: FIN GROVER There’s ample distraction from my disappointment, though, watching o

Estou encolhida no chão, a suar profusamente e a relembrar-me de respirar. Preciso de respirar fundo o suficiente para evitar desmaiar, mas não tão profundamente que provoque um ataque de tosse ao inalar o ar espesso e impregnado de ervas que me rodeia. Acreditem ou não, este processo é supostamente terapêutico. Estou num temazcal, uma espécie de sauna espiritual, em San José del Pacifico, uma pequena vila montanhosa situada a cerca de 2300 metros acima do nível do mar, no estado de Oaxaca, no México. O temazcal tem origem na Mesoamérica, que cobria grande parte do actual México antes da colonização espanhola no século XVI. O nome provém do Nahuatl, uma língua indígena do México, e significa “casa de calor”. Este temazcal está aninhado numa floresta de pinheiros, parcialmente camuflado pela folhagem circundante, e feito de tijolos de lama e pedra vulcânica. Tem a forma de uma cúpula – o que é adequado, pois representa o ventre da Mãe Terra, e crê-se que a cerimónia seja uma viagem de renascimento. A entrada do temazcal | Fotografia: Hebe Johnson para a Time Out Antes de o suor começar, eu e outros nove mochileiros reunimo-nos à volta de uma mesa de madeira para uma cerimónia do cacau. O nosso “xamã” – um tipo surfista do Colorado, todo musculado – fala-nos sobre o significado do cacau nas culturas indígenas mexicanas. Historicamente, o cacau puro era considerado um medicamento. Era utilizado em rituais para alinhar a mente, o corpo e o espírito. Depois de o nosso xamã servi

I’m curled up on the ground, sweating profusely and reminding myself to breathe. I need to breathe deeply enough to avoid passing out, but not so deeply that I bring on a coughing fit by inhaling the thick, herb-soaked air surrounding me.  Believe it or not, this process is supposed to be healing.  I’m in a temazcal, a kind of spiritual sauna, in San Jose del Pacifico, a small mountainous town located around 2300m above sea level in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. The temazcal originates in Mesoamerica, which covered much of modern-day Mexico before Spanish colonisation in the sixteenth century. The name ‘temazcal’ comes from Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico, and means ‘house of heat’.  This temazcal is nestled in a pine forest, partially camouflaged by the surrounding foliage, and made from mud bricks and volcanic stone. It’s dome-shaped – fitting, because it represents the womb of Mother Earth, and the ceremony is thought to be a journey of rebirth. The temazcal entrance | Photograph: Hebe Johnson for Time Out Before the sweating begins, nine other backpackers and I gather around a wooden table for a cacao ceremony. Our ‘shaman’ – a ripped surfer dude from Colorado – tells us about the significance of cacao in indigenous Mexican cultures. Historically, pure cacao was considered a medicine. It was used in rituals to align the mind, body and spirit.  After our shaman pours out the cacao and passes the mugs around, he asks us to set an intention for the session. Some