Time & Water
The Canary islands operate on the 24-h-clock which can be quite confusing for those who are accustomed to 'am' & 'pm'. The image opposite shows the two systems.
Lanzarote and its neighbouring islands maintain Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC) during the winter, which is identical with the UK but one hour behind most European countries and mainland Spain.
In March the clocks are put forward one hour for daylight saving time. Clocks are put back one hour on the last Sunday in October.
Converting from AM/PM to 24-h-clock:
between 12:00 AM and 12:59 AM, subtract 12 hours
12:59 AM --> 00:59 between 1:00 AM and 12:59 PM,
a straight conversion: 10:00 AM --> 10:00
between 1:00 PM and 11:59 PM, add 12 hours:
10:59 PM --> 22:59
Converting from 24-h-clock to AM/PM:
between 00:00 and 00:59, add 12 hours:
00:59 --> 12:59 AM
between 01:00 and 11:59, straight conversion to AM:
01:00 --> 1:00 AM
between 12:00 and 12:59, straight conversion to PM:
12:59 --> 12:59 PM
between 13:00 and 23:59, subtract 12 hours:
15:59 --> 3:59 PM
Tap water is safe to drink but not recommended for its taste as it tends to be desalinated seawater. Almost all the locals invariably drink bottled water.
You shouldn't drink water from public spouts and fountains unless there is a sign saying 'Aqua Potable'. But you will more often see signs saying 'Aqua Non Potable', 'Water Not Drinkable'. In bars, supermarkets or restaurants ask for 'agua sin gas' (still) or 'agua con gas' (sparkling).
Water availability is obviously low, a consequence of rain absence. Few water sources exist in the Risco de Famara (Famara Massif) region and in the centre of the island. The supply, however, is insignificant in comparison to the quantities needed. Undoubtedly the most important source of potable water is desalination of seawater. It is estimated that tourists use 1.67 times more water than residents.
Conscious of this problem, some hotels do ask for your cooperation when it comes to water consumption (for example, just put the towels to wash every two days instead of doing it daily).
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