Benidorm has everything which appeals to a tourist; cosmopolitan charm, idyllic pleasures, beaches, nightlife, ethnic varieties in cuisine, superb accommodation, bars and great avenues for shopping. The Mediterranean recess offers a shopping extravaganza. Goods are spread across scattered streets, narrow pipeline like roads, claustrophobic yet bristling bazaars, open galleries, big shopping arcades and at almost every place.

Yes, you need to have your bargaining boots on. Also, you must be aware of the wily pickpocket who might try to make a month’s earning out of your wallet. Benidorm Outdoor Market offers one such big buying opportunity.

Benidorm outdoor market is one of the two chief markets catering to tourists, the other one being the El Cisne Flea Market. The Outdoor Market is open on Wednesday and Sunday mornings. As an aside, it is also open on one Saturday per month. It is strategically located at the heart of the town center; this makes it proximal to the beaches as well as most of the well-meaning accommodations.

The market offers loot. There are leather goods, tablecloths, antique glassware, shoes, wooden wickerwork, ceramics and a large repertoire of souvenir stuffs waiting to be lapped up. The prices range a lot and it’s really difficult to differentiate between the rare and precious variety and the ordinary pieces. This is where the judgment and bargaining power of a buyer comes into picture. Yes, there are quite many beautiful things that Benidorm outdoor market can offer but you need to have your feet firmly in place.

Benidorm has long been the fort of non-Spanish recess amidst Spanish land. The dome of Alicante province offers beautiful souvenirs made by handicraftsmen. These remind you of beauty of creation. Yes, they are there for a price but it is well worth it. In the final analysis, glassware, leather goods and antique woodwork are spread in a motley bunch and you will be really unlucky if you step into the Benidorm outdoor market and come out with empty hands.

Do not be too friendly with people offering you a sample drink and then forcing you to buy the full bottle. Well! You can always outsmart them by having your sample drink and then traveling a different way.

Benidorm outdoor market is where the shopping freaks gather on Wednesdays and Sundays. The place becomes infested with a pleasant pandemonium and not many come out disappointed from this beautiful shopping venue.

Spain is a beautiful country replete with rare specie of plants and animals. The greenery bewitches and so does animal kingdom. Safaris and zoos intersperse Spain. There is a wildlife sanctuary near Benidorm in Spain.

It hosts regular school tours. Young children learn a lot seeing animals in the open. The way banished animals are treated here is exemplary. Some are suffering from external wounds while others may have hairs brutally torn off. They come here through circus mainly and look underfed when they arrive. It is only after a few days stay that they regain glow.

It is a sanctuary and the animals are left to roam free. They are preserved with reflective security and the place is a poacher’s nightmare. Sometimes, because of the nearness of lions and panthers, small animals prefer being in cages or hiding but that is only temporary. It is located in Guadalest.

The place flushes with philanthropists. They usher the animals with such love that they forget all their past agony. You may gape at the bullet-shot Alsatian driven through the sanctuary in a wheelchair. You may also see hair-torn cats being pampered by fondling fingers. They belong to a messiah – Seraphin.

There are others too who understand that these animals need love more than anything else. They have been so inflicted with torture and wound all their lives that they have stopped smiling. Trying to bring that smile on their lips is short shrift.

The place has enclosures, gardens, pools and other instruments to please the animals. There are high slopes meant for people to enjoy whole setup. They get chivalrous when they see apes. But slowly turn to tears at the sight of appalling great cats. Striking scars brought by whips on their shining leather is a sorry sight. They may think themselves lucky to be placed in Arca de Noé now.

The entry fee is very low but it is expected that people would contribute when they leave. It is our directive duty to care for these forbidden animals. The sanctuary is doing a wonderful work and we should help them by all our means.

The place is named after the famous ark which carried all species in pairs present during the great flood in mythical times. Noah took them to safety whence they reproduced to create huge population with time. It is another matter that many species are grossly endangered and reaching that stage yet again.

There is a welfare fund running whole time which gets a sizeable contribution. As a result, the animals do not have any shortage of food though their complete recovery looks distant. Some even carry prolonged disease and vets are on their guards ever so often.

Some find the place disgusting because wrong side of fauna is apparent. But we cannot just close our eyes to their chagrin. It is a wonderful pastime with fresh breezes and lots of greenery. We even learn from the animals how to live through frustration and how to live in the moment.

Arca de Noé is triumphant.

If ever thorns looked beautiful, they are near Benidorm. The place is spanking rich with safari parks and other exhibitions of flora and fauna. But the cut above the rest is a rare exotic collection of cacti plants. The sanatorium is called Cactuslandia.

In the midst of Spain, as we travel from Calpe to Altea, it meets us. Cactuslandia is at a height of 162.5 feet and spread over an area of about 3 square kilometers. There are about 1000 different specie of cacti in all hues. They provide fodder for both the botanists and the newcomers. It is hard to find a summation of such varied cacti plants anywhere. Needless to say, it attracts many tourists. The locals take pride in possessing the cactarium.

Exotic birds adorn the place as they are in numbers. There is a settlement colony framed for them. Cactuslandia hosts a Museum of Natural Science which displays numerous fossils and corals to the visitors. The place reeks of greenery and is a sight to sore eyes.

It may also teach a thing or two about gardening. Cactuslandia is grooved in concentric circles. Every descending one has a thriving growth of cacti plants. The topmost ring boasts of subtropical fruits and the whole terrain seems fresh and lively at all times.

Cactus is a plant which can live in extreme heat. That makes it a darling of the desert. So there is not much concern about how it will fare. Still the team takes whole care of the rare plants. This place is after all a good tourist currency earner.

Maintenance of Cactuslandia is done with whatever the place earns through visitors. Since the place is evergreen, there are visitors round the year. Entry ticket and the other expenses fend for Cactuslandia’s sustenance. Since it does not guarantee a lot of money involved, it results in poor service in a few departments.

Nomenclature is the main sector to fall victim of cash crunch. There are many cacti plants which are not labeled and live unnamed. That is an apparent trouble for the curious botanists that visit here. Otherwise, plants and birds are very well cared after.

People commonly do not encounter the cacti plants and know little of them. This is an earnest attempt near Benidorm to provide a haunt for these thorny plants. Particular varieties to watch out are pachycereus and trichocereus Peruvians.

Cactulandia had it humble beginnings about three and a half decade ago.