A safe summer

quite palpable in our La La Land City, nevertheless, every ying has its yang and delinquency is part of our flipside.

With no intention of being an alarmist, I do just wish to remind everyone that we need to have our wits about us. I too have fallen victim to the random thief that takes advantage of our whimsical existence in the sun, thankfully just on the pickpocket level. There are individuals and groups that specifically target us with many different malevolent intentions, so we need to constantly remind ourselves to be aware of our surroundings, no matter how brightly the sun shines.

I don’t watch the news nor wish to indulge in negative influences, but I do think it pertinent to keep abreast of local happenings, good and bad. I’ve found one of the most comprehensive sources of information is a social media page called ‘Marbella se queja’ (Marbella complains) which provides information of all sorts, almost in real ­ time.Nearly 70,000 people follow the MarbellaSeQueja2021 Instagram page, so not only do we get to know the owner Diego’s personal opinions, but also the updates he receives regard­ ing lost and found animals, keys, documentation, ‘phones etc, as well as complaints about local installations, accidents, incidents and acts of delinquency; basically, everything that’s going on in the city, day and night.

I think it’s a shame when international residents don’t speak Spanish for the obvious reasons of missing out on the simple pleasures of chatting with the locals, learning to really understand and appreciate the traditions, culture and quirks, but also our lack of information puts us at a disadvantage in many other aspects. Anyway, again, not to burst the bubble on anyone’s holiday vibe, suffice to say that being aware of our surroundings, taking extra care in car parks, underground or supermarket areas, keeping www.nicoleking.es