Island connections 747 FLN 14 by Island Connections Media Group

www.islandconnections.eu

1984-2015

014 1,80 €

747

May 28 – June 10, 2015 Elections

Health Service crisis

Fashion

Exclusive interview

Results round up

Protests and pain

Summer must-haves

Levi Rost

Page 3

Pages 16 & 17

Pages 32 & 33

Page 48

Now open!

The sparkling brand new Siam Mall Commercial Centre opened its doors to thousands of excited shoppers on May 23. Perfectly located just off the TF-1 motorway next to Siam Park in Costa Adeje, the stunning shopping centre will now be open 365 days a year, including Sundays and bank holidays, and is positioned in the heart of one of the world’s main holiday destinations which welcomes five million tourists a year. Siam Mall, which occupies 30,500 m2, offers a unique experience, with over 70 shops, 17 restaurants and cafés, various leisure areas and 1,500 free parking spaces. Top stores include fashion, footwear, toys, sports, opticians, hairdressers, and technology, as well as a Hiperdino supermarket which boasts 12,000 products, 1,000 of which are aimed at tourists, with a good selection of gourmet food, wines and perfumes. Continued on page 2

Star track enterprise

Chequered flag for racing circuit The idea has stalled many times over the years, but finally the project to construct a modern motor racing circuit on Tenerife has been given the green light and is now on the starting grid and revving its engine. The track will be built over 1,322,341 square metres in Atogo in the borough of Granadilla de Abona, and is due for completion in 2017. A total of nearly €30 million will be invested, with €21.4 million set for the four kilometre track and facilities, which will be funded by the contractor in exchange for a 35-year lease period. The island council awarded the contract to construct the circuit for racing cars and motorbikes to Onda Rossa SL, a subsidiary of Kiti Trans SLU, and the Italian company, Axia SRL. Although criticised by some as an expensive “toy”, the track has received support from well-known names such as Martin Brundle, the former Formula One driver and Le Mans winner, who praised the design and location and described

Photos: Cabildo Tenerife

Siam Mall Shopping Centre

Eduardo Pinto (left) and Island president, Carlos Alonso, have campaigned tirelessly to make the project become a reality

the plans as a wonderful business opportunity. The circuit was designed by the same Spanish architecture company which created the Montemeló Formula One and MotoGP circuit in Barcelona. Tenerife president, Carlos Alonso, praised the flagship project and the hopes of putting Tenerife on the

international sporting map, calling it a “historic day for motorsport and the employment market, as well as a major plus for tourism and leisure on the island.” “Granadilla has just seen a dream become a reality”, said local mayor, Jaime González Cejas, who also pointed out that the construction phase will create over 300 new

jobs and give a much needed boost to the construction industry. “Of course there will be those that oppose the idea and claim that other projects should have priority, but this is a victory for motorsport on the Islands, and is something we have fought for over a long time.” Continued on page 2

CANARY ISLANDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Star track enterprise

Chequered flag for racing circuit Continued from front page

it materialise. The project will include a motorsports centre and track, which will occupy about 350,000 square metres, and will be built according to the strictest safety standards set out by FIA (International Automobile Federation). The track will be 4,067 metres long, featuring an 819 metre straight, and is to be driven counter-clockwise. The best drivers are expected to reach top speeds of over 310 kilometres per hour; the mini-

Councillor Eduardo Pintado added “We had many meetings in London, Vienna and Italy while considering all the possibilities. Now we are working with the Italians, I will follow with great interest how the project progresses.” Although Pintado plans to step down from politics soon, he has campaigned for a racing circuit over a long period of time, saying that it would be a “personal trophy” to see

mum speed will be around 91.5 kilometres per hour. The average speed for a Formula One lap will be just over 180 kilometres per hour. The track can also incorporate smaller circuits for other car and motorbike competitions, and there will be facilities for the media, organisers and racing teams, as well as hospitality events. There will also be a control tower, CCTV, a medical centre, and a 104,000 m2 area for pubn lic parking.

Siam Mall Shopping Centre

Foto: Gerard Zenou

Now open!

Continued from front page Designed to take advantage of the island’s sunshine and wonderful climate, the centre has plenty of open areas, with several attractive terraces dedicated to the food court, and spaces suitable for events such as entertainment, fashion shows, exhibitions and children’s activities. The owners of Siam Mall wanted it to complement the nearby Siam Park and blend in with its surroundings, so the terraces and leisure areas have all been stylishly deco-

Foto: Gerard Zenou

from the main holiday areas of Los Cristianos, Playa de Las Américas and Costa Adeje: so shopping couldn’t be easier or more enjoyable. With something for everyone, a host of restaurants, cafés and fast food eateries open until the early hours, plus

rated to create a sophisticated and relaxing Thai atmosphere, with statues made exclusively in Thailand, an array of pergolas, fountains and seating, and plenty of lush plants, shrubs and trees. The mall has been created to cater for the whole

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family and aims to become a meeting point as well as a shopping experience. It already offers an interesting alternative attraction to the sun and beach, especially as, for the benefit of residents and tourists alike, a free bus service now runs to it Disclaimer: Island Connections Newspaper is published and printed fortnightly by ISLAND CONNECTIONS S.L. Adverts, texts, photos or other parts of this publication are property of the publishers. They may not be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any other form or means without the prior written permission of the publishers. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for the contents of articles supplied by our contributors or advertisers claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse to publish adverts, texts or advertising

the promise of promotions, surprises, and entertainment throughout the year, as well as a BP service station coming soon, a visit to Siam Mall will make a complete day out for all the family, or a superb evening venue for dining. n features. Advertisements once contracted cannot be cancelled and have to be paid in full. The publishers can not be held responsible for variation on colour printed in this newspaper. Advertising conditions are to be obtained in our offices.

Office hours: Monday – Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm

Publishers: Tina Straub Schacher, Joe Schacher Designer: Javier Gómez Editor: Andrea Abrell editorial@ic-news.com Deputy editor: Xena Fox Editorial Team: Lee Bullen, Karl McLaughlin, Barbara Belt, Theresa Wilson, Sheila Collis Contributors: Katy Kennedy, Manuel De La Flor, Chris Todd, George Reed, Francis W., Sabine Virgin Sales Manager: Jamie Lee Armstrong sales@icmedia.eu Classifieds: classifieds@ic-news.com

European Union European Regional Development Fund

“Creating Europe” This company has qualified for subsidies from the Spanish Government, cofinanced by funding from the European Regional Development Fund, for the transport of merchandise in the Canaries.

CANARY ISLANDS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

In-depth question

Nautical nuptials? An unusual marriage proposal took place off the shores of Los Gigantes recently. In a carefully orchestrated event, Adam Crinigan, aged 26, took girlfriend Saskia Becker, 25, on what she thought would be a routine holiday excursion with the Los Gigantes Dive Centre based in the town’s harbour. However, unbeknown to Saskia, Adam was kitted out with an engagement ring and a carefully worded (and waterproofed) marriage proposal, ready to pop the deep question. Saskia said she was “surprised and shocked” but “managed to keep my head and nod it, as well as continue to breathe!” It was smiles all round as the two climbed back on board the dive centre’s boat, which had been secretly rigged out with flowers whilst the couple was underwater, and the perfectly chilled champagne was served out to one and all. The youngsters, both from Ireland, want to wait until their five-month-old son can carry the wedding ring before they marry, and what a ceremony that may be. Judging from the proposal, the act itself could take place anywhere! Adam would like to say a big thank you to the Los Gigantes Dive Centre and well done to everyone involved for keeping it all secret from Saskia. And we at Island Connections wish them both great happiness for the future. n

She said yes! Saskia Becker accepts Adam Crinigan’s proposal

Local elections

Habemus pactum! The expected ballot-box backlash against the Central Government’s (PP) ruling group took place with a vengeance nationwide during the local elections in Spain on May 24. A difference this year was the strong entry of a third (or fourth, depending on the region) group nationwide: disaffection under various banners but with a clear message to the established parties – we want change. Though some are beginning to question their viability, the Podemos party and their copy-cats have still undoubtedly caused a ruckus. However, their success is one which all traditional parties must take to heart when planning their future strategy, especially for the national elections which are due to take place at the end of the year or early 2016. At regional level, the Coalición Canaria (CC) was the most voted party, but will need to make pacts with others to govern. The CC–PNC (nationalists)

Photo: feull

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

The new president at the head of the Canarian Coalition (CC), Fernando Clavijo

won 18 of the 60 seats, PSOE (socialists):15 and the PP (conservatives):12. Podemos (We can) entered strongly with seven seats. In the Tenerife Council (Cabildo), the CC won 10 seats out of 29, PP and PSOE won seven each and Podemos, four. A printing error in the Cabildo voting papers of Nueva Canarias undoubtedly cost them seats as all their votes for the Cabildo were judged null and void and heads will surely roll! In Gran Canaria, Roman Rodriguez’s Nueva Canaria party

was the most voted with nine seats, followed by the PP with six and the PSOE on five. The CC managed only one, behind Podemos and Unidos por Gran Canaria with four each. La Palma saw the PSOE taking over as the most voted, with eight seats, followed by the CC with seven, PP with five and Podemos with just one. No surprises in La Gomera, which saw the newly created Casimiro Curbelo’s party ASG win with ten seats, PSOE trailing with three and the remaining candidates sharing four more. El Hierro saw CCa-AHI win with six, but needing a pact to rule as PSOE managed three and the PP two, with Podemos and Nuevo Canarias on one each. Lanzarote still preferred the CC with seven seats, two less than four years ago, but PSOE took over the second place with five and Podemos beat the PP into fourth place by 136 votes although they both have three seats each in the Cabildo.

The CC managed to maintain nine seats in Fuerteventura, although with a reduced percentage of the vote. The PSOE came in second with five, displacing the PP into third place with three. Podemos also won three seats. On a more local level, in Puerto de La Cruz, PSOE ended equal with the PP with seven seats each, and the previous ruling CC party were beaten into just four seats. Adeje, content with the ruling PSOE, increased the party’s lead by two seats, in Guía de Isora it was by one; and the PP won in Santiago del Teide with an absolute majority. Arona was the big turnaround with the PSOE taking 12 out of 25 seats, beating the previous incumbents CC into third place. San Miguel’s Coalición Canaria party, who advertised with this paper, saw their candidate surge into first place this year with seven seats, from third place in 2011, three up on their last result. Who says it doesn’t pay to advertise? n

PROMOTION

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Tu Trébol hypermarkets promote local produce At Tu Trébol you will find a wide range of products that are 100 per cent Canarian and carefully selected to ensure all customers enjoy locally-produced goods. This includes local cheeses from different islands, such as Valsequillo, Mi Niño and Tamarindo from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Los Burbusanos from La Palma, and Flor de Güímar and Maestro Juan from Tenerife. Also, Islas Canarias is a delicious goat’s cheese especially brought in from Fuerteventura. Other products made on the Islands include over 100 wine labels from areas such as Abona, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, Tacoronte-Acentejo, Valle de Güímar, Valle de La Orotava and Ycoden-Daute-Isora. In all Tu Trébol hypermarkets you’ll find an extensive selection of these wines, including Tanganillo in all its varieties; red, rosé and fruity white, all produced in the Penitente vineyards. Also available is El Trancao, which is a local wine from

Free! the borough of Matanza in the north of Tenerife. At this time of year, when the Islands are preparing to celebrate the romerías and local festivals in each municipality, Tu

Trébol offers a variety of tasting tables full of typical foods. Also, May 30 is Canarian Day and Tu Trébol in Adeje will be providing live Canarian music, provided by a popular band from

the north of the island, as well as food tasting. Tu Trébol in Santa Cruz will also offer local food tasting, Canarian music and a traditional Lucha Canaria wrestling exhibition. n

Gluten free products Coeliac disease leads to intolerance to gluten found in wheat, barley, rye and oats, and occurs in many people of all ages, affecting the small intestine and hindering the absorption of macro and micronutrients. Those affected must base their diet on natural foods: fruit, vegetables, pulses, meats, fish, diary products and cereals without gluten. Most pre-packaged foods cannot always guarantee the absence of gluten,

The Tu Trébol Discount Card. The best way to save!

so they need to be avoided as much as possible. The ingestion of even a small amount of gluten can cause undesirable and sometimes serious effects. Tu Trébol offers a wide range of gluten-free products that do not use wheat, barley, rye or oats and have the FACE quality-control seal, created for companies that produce foods suitable for coeliac sufferers and those on a gluten-free diet. This mark

The chain of hypermarkets situated in Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma was founded in 1991 with the concept of providing great customer service in all areas. The brand is 100 per cent Canarian funded and originally called Hipertrebol, however, in order to adapt and reach more customers the chain changed its name to Tu Trébol Hipermercado in 2014. Gradually, over the years Tu Trébol has become a major name in the market while maintaining the customer service qualities of a small town supermarket, offering friendliness, advice and convenience at excellent prices. n

The freshest meat and fish on the Islands

guarantees consumers that the products in question have

undergone all required controls n to ensure certification.

The hypermarket chain, Tu Trébol, is best characterised by its wide range of fresh products. In the fish section you will find local produce such as mackerels, sardines and tuna, caught in nearby waters every day. If you continue to stroll through the facilities and reach the butcher’s section, you’ll find an extensive selection of fresh, non-refrigerated meats without additives and completely natural. The produce comes from regional and national suppliers and meets all quality standards established by the company. They also include a range of exclusive products not typically found in n other supermarkets. All at the best prices!

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

PROMOTION

CANARY ISLANDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Promotion

Man injured

Calling all seafarers super yacht, Liberty Seguros can tailor-make a policy to fulfill your every desire. There are many different types of cover available that include mandatory public liability as well as voluntary liability, as well as all the many other covers: some standard and some optional. Liberty Seguros also gives coverage to foreign flag vessels as long as they are based in a Spanish port. Liberty Seguros have over 200 brokers who can advise you on the right cover for your type of vessel, thus ensuring you are well covered for the unexpected. Liberty Seguros has a wide range of products to cover all your needs including: car, home, life, pet, marine, personal accident and liability, commercial and more. Don’t take risks: be sure you take the best decision on your insurance needs by calling Liberty Seguros on 902 255 258, or visiting www.libertyexpatriates. es for more information. Be Liberty. Be safe. n

Fingers crossed that it won’t be necessary, but it’s so important to have the right insurance cover for any unforeseen eventualities that may occur during your times at sea or in dock. Your vessel, of course, needs to have sufficient cover in case of damage, perhaps to the hull or the engine, but don’t forget there’s all the equipment and accessories too; the trailer, personal belongings, nautical assistance, vandalism, theft, loading and unloading from trailers, and, very importantly,

third parties both on-board and off that could be affected. In case of injury or accident, there is optional medical cover. It is even possible, depending on the reason, to contract a replacement vessel whilst yours is in dock! Liberty Seguros can even insure your boat according to the Institute Yacht Clauses. Enter Liberty Seguros, the expats number one choice for all types of insurance, including marine. Whether it’s a motor launch, speedboat, jet ski, canoe, yacht or

EL CAMISÓN DENTAL CLINIC The new El Camisón dental clinic will look after your smile with highly qualified professionals from all the odontological specialties.

Give your mouth the value it deserves, don't skimp with your mouth Tel. +34 922 753 348 / 649 213 564 Residencial El Camisón, Playa de Las Américas (Arona). Next to the Café Época Make your appointment Monday to Friday: 10am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm clinicaelcamison@gmail.com • www.clinicadentalelcamison.com

Come and see Dr. Daniel and the team for a free consultation

The summer is almost here and it’s time to set sail on our blue waters for yet another season of fine sailing and motor boating. No doubt your vessel has been cleaned and prepared in dry dock and any mechanical problems rectified, the electrics and fuel systems have been checked and the engine has been fully serviced, ready to embark on your adventures afloat. But, one thing that’s as important as all this preparation is having adequate marine insurance!

‘Swallowed’ by hole in road Photo: Twitter Las Palmas Police

A Las Palmas man had a lucky escape after falling into a gaping hole which opened up in a road as he was standing on the spot. The 63-year-old required hospitalisation due to the injuries suffered when the ground below him gave way in Calle Artenara in the Las Torres industrial estate in the Gran Canaria capital. A parked car was also damaged when it plunged into the hole, crashing to the bottom and ending up on its side. The spot is a loading bay outside a company based in the industrial estate and the mysterious subsidence led to a major operation to winch the vehicle out, once two other cars parked perilously on the edge had been removed. An investigation has been ordered into the incident and engineers from the Roads Department and the city’s water company are examining how to rebuild the section affected. n

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

PROMOTION

CANARY ISLANDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Día de Canarias

Celebrating being Canarian The Canary Islands are believed to have been populated from around 500 years BC by the inhabitants who later became known in Tenerife as the Guanches. The Guanches were a peaceful people who lived in caves and worked as farmers and goatherders, but towards the end of the 15th century the Spaniards began to appreciate the strategic location of the archipelago and inititated their campaign to conquer the Islands. After several bloody battles, Tenerife fell into their hands in the year 1492 and the island was divided: the men were mostly captured and sold on the slave market and the women were given to the conquerors, to satisfy the men and to be ‘civilised’. Despite, or maybe because of this, there is great pride in the Islands’ history and the majority here prefer to be known as Canarian first and Spanish second: a definite pride in their own identity. Yet, it wasn’t until after Franco’s death and the final end of the dictatorship in 1982 that the Islands were once again granted any kind of autonomy. The Canarian Parliament met for the first time on May 30, 1983, under its first president, Pedro Guerra Cabrera. Since then, the date has been a regional bank holiday which is celebrated with fervour all over the Islands. Canaries Day, or El Día de Canarias, is celebrated in many different ways. In many communities, on the eve of the day itself there is a Baile de Magos: a traditional evening of

Well dressed: Los Realejos council launched a campaign about the correct way to wear Canarian costumes

atmosphere during the parade that starts at the Piramides de Martiánez shopping centre and follows a route through the city to the port, followed by dancing into the night.

Los Realejos’s magnificent procession with numerous colourfully-decorated ox carts, the famous ‘Romería’ that has been recognised as being of National Tourist Interest, will take place on May 31 from around 12pm. Feasts, processions, traditional games and folklore concerts are offered in many of the main squares of towns and villages. Check with your local council to find the best events nearest you – and join in the celebran tions.

Paternity claims

A typical Baile de Magos in Adeje – a happy atmosphere, traditional costumes, dining and dancing

The Romería in Los Realejos is of National Tourist Interest

food and dance, at which the wearing of Canarian costume is obligatory. But the need to sport garb from the days of old doesn’t mean that guests aren’t welcome. If you would like to join in, you can rent an outfit locally: there is usually

a costume-hire shop not too far away. Los Realejos council even launched a campaign recently to show people how to wear their costumes in the correct and traditional manner as, for a few, wearing it can be a bit

of a chore nowadays, especially for the younger generation. Yet, for the most part, it is an act of pride, and at the Baile de Magos, families and their friends gather together, often hiring hugely long tables or even whole tents, bringing heaps of Canarian food to feast on. Adeje’s celebration will take place on May 29 from 9pm in the Plaza de España. In Los Silos there will be a concert by a local band on May 30 at 7pm in the San Sebastián Ex-convent, followed at 9pm by two live bands. A very special event takes place on the Paseo Romero in Puerto de la Cruz on May 30 at 6.30pm. There will be Canarian folklore, colourfully decorated cars, fishermen, and plenty of fun mingling with the crowds and enjoying the festive

Ex-King escapes probe Spain’s former King Juan Carlos will not have to face an embarrassing paternity suit after all, at least for now. The country’s highest court has decided that the ageing ex-monarch, who stepped down in favour of his son Felipe last year, will not have to answer proceedings filed by a Catalan waiter who has campaigned for years to be recognised as his illegitimate son. Alberto Solá, born in 1956, claims he is the product of a fling between the then Prince and his mother, Ana María Bach. Solá was given up for adoption and has stepped up his bid for recognition following the filing of another paternity suit by Belgian housewife Ingrid Jeanne Sartiau, who claimed recently that her mother told her she was the daughter of Juan Carlos. DNA tests carried out on both claimants are believed to show they share a common parent. However, the attempts to force the ex-King, now 77 and in poor health, to answer the allegations have met with little success in the Spanish courts. In rejecting Solá’s application for a review of the case, judges at the Constitutional Court said he had not exhausted all the judicial remedies available before taking the matter to the country’s top Court. In March of this year, Spain’s Supreme Court dismissed the suit filed by Sartiau on the grounds that it did not meet n legal requirements.

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

CANARY ISLANDS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Clean Ocean Project

TV documentary

No more plastic bags

Greenland Inuits in Canaries Gran Canaria hosted a visit by an unusual party of holidaymakers recently. The island welcomed a group of Inuits from the Tunit region in eastern Greenland for a stay which was used to film an anthropological documentary on the lifestyle changes produced in the 11-strong party by contact with sun, sand and tourists. The Inuits, aged between one and 64, normally live in extreme polar conditions and have little contact with outsiders in their very traditional way of life, which has varied little down the centuries and centres largely on hunting and fishing. The group spent a nine-day holiday at the Lopesan Baobab Resort hotel in Meloneras, which set aside part of its premises to allow the detailed filming for the 30-minute fly on the wall documentary, called Sunny Smile, which is expected to be aired on a number of European TV channels. Although the holiday was based in Gran Canaria, the Inuits were given the opportunity to travel to other islands, with the cameras following their reactions in the unfamiliar environments. The initiative has received full support from the Canaries’ Department of Tourism, which felt it would provide valuable publicity for the islands, in particular their claim to having the “best climate in the world”, which forms the backbone of the Department’s marketn ing strategy at present.

Photo: Ansgar Walk

Plastic bags often get into our oceans and seriously affect the ecosystem

The Inuit live in the arctic regions of the world - including in Greenland

Fuerteventura’s Clean Ocean Project, a non-profit organisation, has begun a campaign to stop the use of plastic bags. Representatives have already visited several shops and chains on the island in an attempt to convince business owners to change to alternative containers and packaging. Wim Geirnaert, a spokesman for the Clean Ocean Project, said that “behavioural change is sometimes a slow process, and while it’s clear that plas-

tic bags and packaging cause many environmental problems, they have also become an integral part of our daily lives.” As a legislative amendment to the issue is currently unlikely, the Clean Ocean Project believes that change has to come from people themselves and a shift in their thinking and habits. “We appeal to businesses and shoppers to educate themselves on the issues surrounding the widespread use of plastic containers, and supply their own

reusable shopping bags. Also, instead of plastic bags, we suggest outlets stock paper ones and reuse other containers such as the cardboard boxes they receive from suppliers”, Geirnaert added. “Millions of tons of plastic waste are produced every year and worldwide less than five per cent is recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills and in our oceans. This is, of course, enormously damaging for the ecosystem and environment. A standard plastic bag needs

around 500 years to biodegrade.” The Clean Ocean Project has launched its Businesses Without Plastic Bags project to initial success on the island, with many shops cooperating and helping to promote the initiative. For further information, visit their website at: www.cleanoceanproject.org or email them directly on: info@cleanoceanproject.org. And where possible, always try to reduce, reuse, recycle! n

CANARY ISLANDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Watery beer

International trade fraud As part of an operation called LED, members of the Guardia Civil recently arrested a 33year-old man and his 53-yearold mother in Santa Cruz. The mother and son team are accused of money laundering, forging documents, belonging to a criminal organisation, and fraud. The two are suspected of taking orders to export knownbrand beers to China but instead sending bottles filled with mineral water or another cheap liquid. The pair were in charge of several family businesses, including a wholesale shop in the El Rosario industrial area which was apparently used as the logistics centre for the scam. As part of the investigation, five containers which were stored at the port in Santa Cruz ready for shipping were found to be filled with the ‘watery beer’. Three others with similar contents were isolated and opened at the Spanish Algeciras port. Investigators believe there may be at least 50 full-size con-

Investigators checking evidence at the premises

tainers involved in the fraud, some of which could still be in transit. In offices at the wholesale premises, forged customs invoices and documents were located which apparently

revealed the existence of third parties being involved in the swindle. Computers and five vehicles were confiscated and the warehouse sealed up. The scheme is expected to involve millions of euros and

the Guardia Civil say they have split up an agile international network which, as well as committing large scale fraud, has undermined the commercial prestige of the Canaries. The investigation remains open. n

Best beaches In the Canaries

Waving the blue flag

A blue flag flapping in the breeze at a picturesque coastal resort is a sign of an excellent beach. Blue flag status is awarded by the Association for Environmental Awareness and Consumer Protection (ADEAC). It indicates good water quality, compliance with hygienic and environmentally-friendly standards, and the presence of lifeguards. Beach accesThe Blue Flag being proudly sibility, including wheelchair hoisted access, is also considered in the assessment. Currently over 40 countries across four continents invest in their coastlines in the hope of achieving blue flag status, with 577 awarded to Spanish beaches, and 101 for its marinas. In the Canaries a total of 46 blue flags are currently waving in the wind, with 13 in Gran Canaria, 11 in Tenerife, seven in Fuerteventura, five in La Palma and La Gomera, and four in Lanzarote. Tenerife and Gran Canaria also have two flags for marinas, and Lanzarote has one. Adeje in Tenerife, Tías and San Bartolomé in Lanzarote, each have four flags in one catchment area, making them the most successful resorts in the Canaries. Adeje received the award for its Troya, El Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas beaches. However, if a beach doesn’t have a blue flag it doesn’t mean that it should be considered dirty or that the water isn’t clean, as usually the opposite can be true and the beach may simply fall short on access for the disabled, the absence of lifeguards, or the failure to meet certain environmental standards expected of a popular tourist resort. n

TENERIFE GENERAL

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Police school campaign

Safe social networks

Photo: Candelaria Ayuntamiento

During May, officers who specialise in youngsters and families from the Canarian Police Force gave lectures at secondary schools in the catchment area of Candelaria on the proper handling of social networks. Officers told the teenagers about the hazards of using the Internet, and problems such as bullying, defamation of character and the illegal publication of photos were addressed. Around 384 fifth and sixth grade pupils benefited from the campaign. Due to the anonymity of the Internet, young people in particular are being exposed to exclusionary and abusive, or even illegal, activities and threats. They are also in danger of coming into contact with pedophiles or other dangerous people through chat or network activities. In this respect, caution and awareness are extremely important. Young people should be made aware of the risks involved in using the Internet and at the same time taught how to n deal responsibly with this medium.

Policemen carry out preventive work in schools

M&M designs in Barcelona

Gaudí Novias Bridal Week Designers Marco and María from the firm M&M, a member of the Tenerife council’s Moda fashion collective, recently presented their bridal collections at the Gaudí Novias fair in Barcelona. The Barcelona Bridal Week is considered one of Spain’s leading bridal shows and an international example of outfits and accessories for all those involved in wedding ceremonies. M&M presented a collection in which they continued along the lines which define the brand: linking the present with a touch of the past and taking inspiration from the mid-19th century. This approach is evident in their creations right down to the tiniest details. The underskirts of the longer dresses, made of fine fabrics and normally hidden, have become the focus of attention in their latest collec-

tion. To adapt to those times, and to produce models which are extremely feminine, fabrics such as tulle or organza are used, as well as lush ruffles and frills, and colours like pale pink, deep blue, khaki, ivory and black. The two designers began in 1990 with a small studio in Puerto de la Cruz. In 1998, M&M joined the Tenerife Moda collective, which was created to promote the island’s fashion sector. This allowed them to take part in international fashion shows and, just a year later, they took part in the Cibeles Fashion Week in Madrid, followed in 2000 by presenting their collection at the Paris Fashion Fair. Since then they have been occupied with expanding their own commercial network, and in 2014 they opened their first point of sale in Santa Cruz. Currently,

Photos: Cabildo TF

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

Lush ruffles and frills combined with delicate, transparent sections

their productions are destined for national, European and Arabian markets. Efrain Medina, councillor for employment and economic development, praised the company, saying “M&M have once again surprised the international audience with their new

The M&M 2016 bridal wear collection is very feminine

collection. They are not only successful, but they also contribute to the positive image of Tenerife in the global fashion world. Their success is always a success for Tenerife.” During May, M&M also attended the international bridal fair Noviaespaña in Barcelona, in which 231 fashion brands from around the world took part. It was hoped that this might open even more doors for this winning Canarn ian bridal fashion firm.

PROMOTION

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Marks & Spencer

M&S favourites from the UK One of the UK’s most popular stores for women’s and men’s clothing, lingerie, toiletries, delicious food and more is, without a doubt, Marks & Spencer. Founded by Roberto Galloway in 1962 when he was awarded the franchise, M&S has been at your service in Santa Cruz for 53 years. Tenerife and the island of Malta were the first of this prestigious firm’s franchise holders outside the UK. In the early days goods were sold wholesale to different businesses in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. After several years of intense work the first Marks & Spencer store was opened in Tenerife. Located at Calle Villalba Hervás, number 21, it remained open until 2003. In 1996 the current store in Calle El Pilar opened under the direction of Roberto’s daughter, Elizabeth Galloway. But enough about the history of M&S in Tenerife, let’s move on to the present and focus on the store in Calle El Pilar (just up from the Plaza del Principe). Constantly being refurbished and updated to bring the best, it offers everything you would expect to find at Marks and Sparks! In the women’s wear department, you’ll find both casual and formal wear, not forgetting the classic styles, and new subbrands such as Indigo, sports and fitness accessories. Footwear and jewellery complete this section. The lingerie department contains a wide range of bras and knickers as well as nightwear, slippers and a great variety of shapewear and hosiery. Don’t

The womenswear section is full of spring colours The Tastes of Britain campaign is running now

The Indigo collection and much more, at Marks & Spencer

forget that at Marks & Spencer the sizes are all English, which

is a dream, especially when you’re shopping for bras.

If its jeans you’re looking for, they come in several cuts: high

and low waist plus in between, and in different lengths – long, medium and short. The great benefit here is, if you’re not very tall there will be no need to take the hems up on your jeans as they really are ready to wear, and all at very reasonable prices. As always at Marks & Spencer there is a wide range of sizes. The Menswear section contains M&S collections and, of course, Blue Harbour, with casual and formal wear, as well as underwear, essentials and accessories. The Beauty department offers a good collection of bath, shower and body care products, all with wonderful perfumes, some makeup and makeup bags. The attractive and tempting food section completes this store. You’ll find delicious biscuits, groceries, savouries, con-

fectionary, drinks and wines, and last but not least, frozen and chilled to frozen foods. From January 2015 frozen product prices were reduced by 15 to 20 per cent, meaning that you can now buy quality products at very attractive prices. We bet you can’t leave this store without buying even a little something from the food section! Don’t forget that the mid-season sales in the Women’s and Men’s sections are running now, with 20 per cent off all the Spring 2015 merchandise. In the Food section, the Tastes of Britain promotion is also under way, so you can discover an even wider range of tempting products. This and much more awaits you at M&S, your favourite store back home which is also here n for you in Santa Cruz.

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Pop My Cherry

Drink the shot, eat the choc As of May 2015, a new underlicence drink has hit the streets and is rapidly becoming a firm favourite with tourists and residents alike. Pop My Cherry is a cherry liqueur that’s served in a delightful, specially produced Belgian chocolate cup: both of which are currently exclusive to Tenerife. The medieval town of Óbidos on the west coast of Portugal is an unlikely place to find inspiration for a new busiThe all-new Pop My Cherry liquor ness venture, but the originators of the new liqueur, Alex Ross and Milena Dafonseca, hit upon the perfect idea when visiting the region recently. The small town is famous for its ginger cherry drink that’s sold in chocolate cups on street stalls and is hard to find anywhere outside of the area. As liqueur connoisseurs who have travelled the world sampling the best local tipples to be had, Alex and Milena decided upon the ideal product they wanted to produce, and to have the drink distilled under-licence in Bulgaria with the chocolate cups specially-prepared in Belgium. One bottle of Pop My Cherry comes with 24 chocolate cups, hence the slogan ‘Drink the shot... Eat the choc’. Despite only recently hitting the streets, Pop My Cherry is already available at nearly 50 establishments in South Tenerife, including Taylor’s Lounge, Tramps, Wigan Arms, The Tree House and Volare Cabaret, with new venues added every day. For more information or to place an order, visit their website: www.popmycherry.es. n

Mount Teide National Park

Discoveries in Tenerife’s underworld Researchers Antonio J. Pérez and Nicolás Martín recently went on an expedition to explore the system of caves in Mount Teide National Park. What the explorers discovered exceeded everyone’s expectations. They found a new species of beetle which is completely blind and without pigmentation, and captured a cockroach, spider and centipede which could also all be previously undiscovered species. The underground areas in the Canaries are mostly made up of volcanic tubes, deep cracks and fine channels, which are often interconnected. The creatures which inhabit them have adapted perfectly to their environment, living in harsh conditions, several metres below the surface, in a silent and dark world. Some of their resulting peculiarities include the absence of eyes, or eyes which

Photos: Samuel García

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

Scientists Antonio J. Pérez and Nicolás Martín. All main tubes and caves that harbour subterranean life are closed or protected

are recessed. High humidity and constant temperatures are as much a part of their existence as food shortage due to there being no primary products around. They have adapted so perfectly to this underworld that they would not be able to exist outside, making them captive species in their silent caves. The study of subterranean biology in the Canary Islands began in the 1980s, with the main investigation base being sited at the University of La Laguna. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted across all the islands, including previous ones in Teide National Park. A total of 63 caves have been catalogued there but the fauna in only eight of those has been explored. Despite the small number of studies, 23 of the more than 150 cave-dwell-

As well as the beetle, the scientists discovered three other possible new species: a cockroach, spider and centipede

ing species listed in the Canaries have already been found, of which four are exclusive to the Mount Teide National Park: one type of beetle and three species of spiders. The latest research results, together with the relative lack of knowledge of the underground environment, underline the need for greater exploration

of this mysterious fauna. The environmental councillor in La Orotava, Luis Perera, said that the aim now is to create two publications about these studies, one scientific and the other more informative, to increase knowledge about the underground life, favouring its protection, and to involve the pubn lic in its conservation.

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La Orotava’s cultural calendar

Concerts, Queens and Corpus Christi The ornate carpet of salt and sand is laid on the public square in front of the town hall

Families join in the preparation of the carpets, which are not usually complete until the early hours of the morning

June is a fabulous month for traditions in the Canary Islands, most notably the Corpus Christi celebrations in La Orotava which see the town’s streets adorned with hand-fashioned ‘carpets’ made of flowers and coloured volcanic sand. It also the time to celebrate the patron saints, San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza, with a varied programme of secular and religious events taking place, including several art exhibitions. One highlight of the programme is the election of the Queen, which takes place at 9.30pm on May 30 on the Plaza del V Centenario. With 21 beautiful hopefuls vying for the crown and around 2,000 visitors expected to attend, this is sure to be an exciting evening.

On June 8 is a concert by Los Sabadeños, and June 10 sees a wine tasting evening provided by numerous bodegas. On June 14 is the Romería, a religious-themed parade which takes place through the narrow streets of the old town, which will be abuzz with live music, and plenty of stands offering typical foods. A host of participants and spectators will be present for the event, that takes place on the second Sunday in June.

Colourful Corpus Christi carpets The central theme for the stunning salt and sand carpets is family. The night before the big day, neighbourhood associations, children, parents and

grandparents join in the preparation of the carpets, which are not usually complete until the early hours of the morning, when the streets shine in a sea of colour. This occurs on June 11 this year. It is one of the most colourful Christian celebrations in the Canary Islands, and the huge street-based floral carpets are both unmissable and a true sign of the community spirit that exists here. The main carpet, which attracts thousands of visitors each year, is laid on the public square in front of the town hall and is made from volcanic sands and gravel from Mount Teide. The images are then created using a stencilling technique with large wooden frames. Around 20 local artists work for 40 days to complete the carpet; which is the largest of its kind and entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2006. The art director, Domingo González Expósito, explained “This year there is a combination of modern and classical elements. They vary

in size and shape, but are all connected and symbolise the diversity of forms and relationships within a family structure.” The carpets take over the streets of many a town, painstakingly laid out with kilos of flowers, volcanic sand and dyed sea salt in a rich tapestry of pictures and patterns, all destined to be trodden underfoot the next day. The smaller streets throughout the town are paved with petals over a bed of heather. While there are many towns with this tradition, it is La Orotava’s which is the most famous. This ritual has been performed every year since the Monteverde family began the tradition in 1847. The festivities in La Orotava conclude with the Baile de Magos – an open air ball where everyone dresses up in traditional Canarian attire, and wines, dines and dances the night away to the music of the orchestras dotted around n the town.

What a triumph!

Wingate’s wonderful miscellany Wingate’s drama group, made up of students from year seven to nine, recently performed their show to a packed house over two nights – and what a show it was. The students excelled themselves by performing a spectacle that was enjoyed by the whole audience and appealed to all ages. The musical numbers were full of energy, and the performances were full of colour and enthusiasm. Nik Page, father of one of the students, is an opera singer who has sung in London’s West End as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, and kindly agreed to perform with the children in a medley of songs from the show that ended the first half. Needless to say it brought the house down! The students moved from the big crowd showstoppers such as Can you Hear the People Sing to the dramatic melody of I Dreamed a Dream with an ease that would be credit to a professional theatre group, and they responded beautifully to the comedy brought to Master of the House by Nik! The show was slick, funny, beautiful, and encompassed a whole range of emotions, and all the students should be very proud of themselves. Even those who did not want to perform on stage played a part, helping with props, working behind the scenes as stage hands, assisting with costume changes, and producing the programmes. It was a true family affair and for Wingate, an effort that showed the value of teamwork. Mrs Crone, who directed the show, believes “together everyone achieves more” and that certainly proved to be so on both nights. Well done to all the students for a fantastic evening, and special thanks were given to Miss Healey and the art department for props, Mrs Colette Tolfrey for all the backstage and costume organisation, and of course, Miss n Anna Heppner the musical director.

The students excelled themselves and entertained the whole audience

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

TENERIFE GENERAL

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Arona

Courts under pressure The judicial system in Arona has to work harder now than other courts in the Canary Islands. Arona’s catchment area for justice also includes Adeje, Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide. Together they have 157,086 inhabitants, while the population of Santa Cruz and El Rosario is 222,608. Yet, for every 1,000 inhabitants in Arona there were 227 offences last year, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 215, and in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 197. The least offences per 1,000 inhabitants were found in Valverde, El Hierro, with only 74, and San Sebastián de La Gomera with 77. These last two courts each have jurisdiction not only for their capital, but for the entire island. In terms of civil disputes, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria led with 42 cases, and Valverde in El Hierro had the least with 16 cases. According to last year’s data, more criminal cases were also heard in Arona than even the capital of Gran Canaria. Last year there were 3,726 cases brought to the courts, whilst only 3,454 in Las Palmas, and 2,998 in San n Bartolomé, also in Gran Canaria.

Spanish licenCe plates and vehicle documents

How to register your vehicle in Spain

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Registering a non-Spanish vehicle in Spain is a complex and potentially costly procedure. However, you may be exempt from Spanish registration tax by getting Spanish number plates within one month of entering the country, but to do this, you need to become a resident. Linea Directa has been insuring expat drivers in Spain for over a decade and understands all the steps involved. Below we outline this process:

Photo: Policìa Local Canarias

Step 1: Obtaining a Certificate of Conformity

The Arona courts are overloaded

This is a statement by the car’s manufacturer that it conforms to EU regulations. You will need the car’s chassis number to complete this straightforward process online at www. eurococ.eu/en/certificate_of_ conformity. The charges for this service will vary according to type of vehicle, make and country of first registration.

Step 2: Current Log Book The vehicle’s original log book showing your name as the owner, the vehicle’s age and a valid UK address. You will also need the bill of sale for the car.

Step 3: Residency in Spain The Spanish residency certificate (Certificado de Empadron-

The ITV vehicle inspection must take place at an authorised centre

amiento) is your official proof of residency in Spain. Your local council can provide you with this document. You will need to take your passport and proof of Spanish address (rental contract, contract to purchase or property deeds).

Step 4: Obtaining a Spanish MOT certificate All vehicles over four years old must be roadworthy and clearly display a valid ITV sticker. The ITV (Vehicle Technical Inspection) must be tested at an authorised centre, just as for an MOT

test. You can find out the location of your nearest ITV centre on the DGT website (equivalent to the DVLA). You can also call your local centre to make a booking. If the centre is busy, especially presummer, this can save a lot of time. The cost can vary but generally is around €40 for petrol-engine cars and €56 for diesel-engine cars.

Step 5: Obtaining a Spanish equivalent of a tax disc The Spanish Tax Agency can provide your vehicle with a valid ‘tax disc’ for Spain, which

must be carried in the car when in use. You will need to complete the relevant form online and pay the amount according to your car’s tax band. You can carry out all these procedures yourself or you can seek the assistance of an accountant to do this for you. We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 151. More information on Linea Directa is available online at www.lineadirecta. n com.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Health Care crisis

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

By Barbara Belt The UK and Spanish public health systems are different, but are currently in similar trouble. The UK’s NHS is the grand old dame of public health systems, started by Nye Bevan back in 1948 to ensure a better post-war deal for what was left of the British workforce: homes, with council house provision, and healthcare, with the NHS, for heroes. The NHS was a bold pioneer in public health. Especially when you consider the situation in another country: the so-called ‘land of the free’ - which regularly invades foreign countries to help them with ‘social development and freedom’ (read: to get oil) but that still, incredibly, in the 21st century has no comprehensive public health system, i.e. there is no automatic right to medical care. Despite Obamacare, it’s every man and woman for themselves; the pharmacies full of over-the-counter cures for DIY healthcare. Back when the NHS was born to an appreciative, and justly proud, UK population, there was no right to free health care in the Canaries either. Doctors were the professional elite on the smaller (and rural districts of the bigger) islands. Some benignly treated those who couldn’t pay, some didn’t. If you really needed a doctor, and people tried hard not to, you paid for their services in money if you could, or in kind if you didn’t have any cash funds. Thirty years ago it was still customary to give the doctor a bag of potatoes, or avocados, or fish, or what-

A peaceful protest but health workers in La Palma say the situation is very serious indeed

ever you had, in exchange for seeing you. I felt remiss on a visit in 1989 to Don Fito, expecting to be treated without handing over some serious produce, but the charming doctor, whose father held the post here before him, simply laughed: “It isn’t necessary any more, but the older people often still think they have to leave something, as a courtesy. Going to the doctor’s for them has always involved a ‘trueque’, a swap or trade of this sort, so they feel uncomfortable if they don’t leave me anything.” Old habits die hard. At around the same time as when the NHS was already forty years old and going strong, local untrained, but very competent, midwives and curanderos (healers) were still common in La Gomera. They were all over fifty-years-old by then and it was normal practice to consult them.

These healers spent their lives administering to islanders suffering from an enormous variety of ailments and injuries. They used an interesting mixture of religion, brute force, herbal knowledge, psychology and superstition - and were generally very successful at curing their patients, not to mention much respected. Sadly, they have all passed away and nobody has taken their place. These days we go to the doctor’s and come out with prescriptions that bolster the big pharmaceutical companies’ fortunes. The problem with healthcare today is that, despite highly trained doctors, incredibly advanced knowledge and hightech equipment and communication methods, public health systems in both the UK and Spain are currently coming apart at the seams. Health systems are buckling under the enormous weight

of ageing populations and the degenerative complaints caused by excess, as well as their being seemingly less and less money spent on research. In the UK’s NHS there’s a ridiculous 17-1 ratio of admin to medical staff (What on earth are all those computers for then?). In the case of the NHS, there’s a lot of elderly equipment as well: the bold 1948 pioneer is a bit long in the tooth now. In the Canaries, equipment came in as state-of-the-art stuff some time later, but there’s been little upgrading since. In both countries there are funding cuts, just at the time when more funds are needed to meet the demands of the new top heavy, ageing population. There are exceptions, but we can only speculate about how healthworkers steer through these difficult times without sacrificing the quality of care, or going mad. In general, it’s all gone badly wrong, as a visit to any public health hospital in either country will reveal. There’s clear evidence of overcrowding, over-work and lack of funding everywhere. It’s very hard to be a health worker in 2015, including here in the Canary Islands. Representatives of Tenerife’s union of nurses, Satse, recently called for better protection procedures after the Emergency Department at Añaza medical centre in Santa Cruz had to be closed temporarily after employees were attacked. Just one week after opening, members of the public evidently

entered the brand-new facility, caused damage to the property and telecommunications system and physically assaulted three members of staff – who each needed hospital attention themselves. But it isn’t just employees’ safety that is in question. Workers at La Palma’s General Hospital say they can take no more and have been protesting about the conditions for both themselves and patients. They are fed up with: “…The increase in our workload and working day; the lack of human resources and materials; the loss of basic workers’ rights; the interminable waiting lists that patients have to suffer; the inadequate regional emergency plan, and lack of sociosanitary centres, amongst many, many other things”. Their anger and weariness with the situation was evident at an April demonstration outside the hospital’s main entrance,

which was followed by a demo on May 7 and another on May 14, in the Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de La Palma, under the banner ‘Stop the Demolition of the Canarian Public Health System’. “It’s hard to find the energy to protest when all you want to do is get home, put your feet up and forget the chaos. You see things that make you cry”, said Lorena G, a nursing auxiliary. Health workers’ unions UGT, CCOO, Intersindical Canarias and Cemsatse go further, denouncing: “The difficulties that Canarians using the public health system are up against daily: the continued collapse of emergency services; the dire lack of human resources; shortages of beds; long waiting lists; and absence of facilities for the elderly. Our health service is way down the quality list of Spanish health services. “Patients are dying in corridors outside emergency wards. Both patients and personnel know it. We’re all witnessing scenes like this daily and the strain of working in these conditions is dreadful. You want to help, but what can you do? The Government denies these deficiencies and all the suffering caused. Health service management is a disaster. Under whichever government, it’s been dreadful. We all need to stand up and shout before it’s too late, before our free healthcare-forall collapses totally and disappears”, say the Unions. It’s a difficult situation for everyone involved, and even a relatively routine visit to an emergency department can turn into a trial. Turn to the next page for a first-hand report on one n patient’s experience.

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

opinion piece

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

bly now also without food or water. I had been without a drink for 13 hours and without food all day. Even if the doctor ordered the tests immediately, I would still have to have the scan done, then probably wait more, and

slim and no-one seemed to be able to even predict when it was likely to happen within the next few hours. When I asked, the answer I received was “this is emergencies!” “No señores, this is a nightmare”, I thought.

From the sublime to the ridiculous

By SC Recently, I was unfortunate enough to be referred to emergency hospital care in Tenerife. On the day in question, I woke up feeling dizzy, went to the chemist to check my blood pressure as it has been a bit haywire lately and, after seeing the results, headed as instructed to my GP. As I had no appointment I had to wait a while, but when I saw my doctor he immediately referred me to the Northern hospital. A wonderful peaceful world awaited me there in the A&E department where it appeared I was the only patient, with lots of staff to look after me. Unfortunately they didn’t have the equipment there to do the necessary tests, so after a wait I was sent by ambulance, sirens blazing, to the A&E department at the HUC, where I saw for myself the chaos reigning there. The walking wounded are assigned seats inside, those of us arriving on stretchers by ambulance have to wait for ‘passage room’ to become available. This means that the whole crew and the ambulance have to wait as well - so that they can get their stretcher back. The wait was relatively short, around 30 minutes, but it could have been a vital half an hour for someone in a road accident, serious fall or whatever. I was moved onto one of the hospital stretchers and allot-

SPECIAL FEATURE

Waiting in the passageways is a nightmare

ted my passage space. BP and sugar levels were taken and I was questioned briefly to see if I was compos mentis. A bracelet was then attached for identification. I was to be moved to three more passage spaces, but never got any nearer to a doctor. The system appeared to be that you got slowly closer and closer to a cubicle, depending on the seriousness of your condition and the length of time you’d been there. Once in a cubicle, you were in the queue for a doctor, who then order tests and/or medication as appropriate. After which you are transferred back to the passage to await the further tests or medication before being either assigned to an observation spot

The ambulance crews’ stretchers were needed for patients

or hospital bed or sent home. Until you see a doctor you can be given nil by mouth - neither food nor beverages, not even water. It is fairly obvious that they are lacking equipment and facilities. By 5.30pm there were no more gowns available, nurses and auxiliaries seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time hunting down wall/ bed/free-standing hooks for drips, and there appeared to be no storage areas assigned for equipment, so they dodged in and out of rooms looking for it. Equally obvious is the lack of qualified staff. There are simply not enough there to be able to do the job correctly and efficiently.

However, there is also an appalling lack of coordination. Members of staff seem to spend more time wandering up and down passages forlornly calling out the names of the patients they are seeking than they do actually treating them. I wasn’t the only person to walk out without treatment. I’d been in various medical facilities for over eight hours (three of those spent in a corridor) by the time I decided “enough!” I’d had no way on me of communicating to my friends and loved ones where I was or what was happening to me and I knew people would be worried. I also hadn’t organised care for my animals which were on their own at home and presuma-

wait for the results to be analysed before being assessed and medicated or, the most likely, sent home: by which time there are no buses to where I live. A taxi would cost €120. So, any further delay and I was either going to spend the night in a corridor if they deemed it necessary to keep an eye on me, or in the waiting room if they didn’t. The final straw came when a young man was placed by my side in the corridor. He was crying out for drugs, and groaning and vomiting copiously. I don’t have a strong stomach. I opted out and went home to my animals, water and food. In any case, the likelihood of seeing a doctor any time in the near future was very

I find the bleating of politicians about the ‘state-of-the-art’ A&E department in the Northern hospital dismal and deceptive in the extreme. It is of no use whatsoever to have that department, or even to have it lit and staffed if they don’t have the equipment necessary to run it as it should be. Ok, it can deal with sprains and fractures, but then so could the locally based health service 24-hour offices once the X-rays were done in Puerto or Icod. It is nothing more than political posturing, all the more pathetic because it is trying to gain advantage by using people who are ill. And Mr and Mrs politicians, this may come as a surprise to you, but you are fooling absolutely nobody!” n

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Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife

Legendary burgers from around the world MARIMBA BURGER – GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA

• Lancashire Hot Pot Burger – The English Legendary features a juicy lamb burger broiled until tender and topped with caramelised onions, crispy carrot frazzles and mint mayonnaise.

ning website. The company owns, operates and franchises in iconic cities such as London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also has hotel and casino properties worldwide. Upcoming new locations include San Juan, Rio de Janeiro and Marrakech. New hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Dubai, Los Cabos, Shenzhen, Abu Dhabi and here in Tenerife. For more information visit n www.hardrock.com.

LANCASHIRE HOT POT BURGER – MANCHESTER, UK • Cuban Burger – This American Legendary from Miami features a beef patty topped with marinated pulled pork, melted Swiss cheese and sweet plantains.

For the first time ever, Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife gives guests a backstage pass to sample Local Legendary Burger offerings, showcasing the flavour and ingredients as part of its new World Burger Tour menu. These unique burger ‘acts’ from three continents will take centre stage at Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife in Playa de Las Américas until June 30, 2015. The restaurant chain gives their chefs complete freedom to create a unique Legendary Burger that captures the flavours of their area and that’s only available at that cafe location…until now! More than 150 local burgers have been evaluated by Hard Rock’s culinary team, with fans’ favourites selected for a limited-time World Burger Tour menu. The four burgers chosen will be featured at Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife in addition to its unique Tenerife Local Burger, prepared with a typical Canarian cheese sauce. “Local Legendary Burgers have been a favourite for more than 40 years”, said Antonio Bautista, Senior Vice President of Franchise Cafes, “The World Burger Tour is a celebration of these burgers and the unique, culinary talent that we embrace around the world.” Sizzling headliners featuring

SWEET & SOUR BURGER – HONG KONG, CHINA in Tenerife as part of the menu include: • Marimba Burger – This Guatemalan Legendary features a beef patty topped with a spiced chipotle and jalapeño layer of beans, fresh salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese and crispy tortilla straws. • Sweet and Sour Burger – This Chinese burger features a beef patty topped with a fried onion ring, bell peppers and grilled pineapple drizzled with homemade sweet and sour sauce.

• Tenerife Local Legendary Burger – This Canarian burger features a beef patty topped with a typical Canarian sauce. Just like the artists whose memorabilia line the walls at Hard Rock locations worldwide, the burgers they serve are nothing short of ‘Legendary’! As part of the menu the popular chain will also showcase the brand’s world-famous cocktails, including: • Mai Tai One On – A South Pacific-inspired cocktail that features a refreshing blend of Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, Cointreau, Monin Orgeat, a

CUBAN BURGER – MIAMI FL, USA

splash of lime, and orange juice. • Pomegranate Mule – A mix of Absolut vodka, Monin pomegranate and ginger beer make this summertime favourite from Russia. • Mezcarita – This refreshing margarita which hails from Mexico is a perfect combination of Del Maguey Mezcal, Cointreau, Malibu and fresh strawberries. • Pineapple Ginger Caipirinha – A Brazilian blend of Agua Luca Cachaça and pineapple with the subtle hint of Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. • Maple Old Fashioned – A twist on a classic American cocktail that features bourbon, cherries, maple syrup and orange juice garnished with a crisp bacon stir stick. With a total of 199 venues in 63 countries, including 153 cafes, 21 hotels and 10 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most recognised companies in the world. The franchise owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its worldwide locations. Hard Rock is also known for its music-related merchandise, performance venues and an award-win-

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

SPOTLIGHT

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Spotlight on Armada Sur

It’ll be blue and white on the night Chris Todd is much more than the dedicated CD Tenerife columnist in the sports section of Island Connections, he’s also a passionate follower of the team, co-editor of a popular ‘fanzine’, and founder of Armada Sur: the CD Tenerife supporters association in south Tenerife. Armada Sur now has over a thousand group members and nearly a hundred of them visit each of CD Tenerife’s home football matches at Santa Cruz’s Heliodoro Stadium – with many even travelling from the UK and elsewhere abroad. Chris Todd, the man behind all this, was brought up in Aldershot in the UK, where the town’s local football club became the first team he followed – though the first match he attended as a young lad was a pre-season friendly between Barcelona and Glasgow Rangers at Camp Nou in 1974. As a teenager he regularly visited Aldershot’s Recreation Ground, until his father accepted a job in the Canary Islands when Chris was 21years-old and he decided to come with his parents, moving here in 1989. He soon replaced trips to see his English fourth-division team with visits to the Spanish second-division local side, CD Tenerife. His love for the ‘blanquiazules’ was instant, especially after his first ever visit to the stadium saw Ten-

LA Army – The early days CD Tenerife’s passionate supporters

Chris Todd with Ayoze Perez, now of Newcastle United

erife beat Mallorca 2-0, and by the end of the season they had gained promotion to the top-flight. Team hero Rommel Fernandez scored twice that day and the experience of those early, heady visits to the Heliodoro cemented Chris’s newfound passion for Spanish football. “It was brilliantly chaotic”, he said of the first game he saw in Santa Cruz, “and absolutely anything went! Fans parked cars in the middle of

the street, bangers and flares were going off, and crazy bustle was everywhere – but it was always in really good spirit.” Chris went to his first game with five friends from Callao Salvaje, and it proved to be the early beginnings for Armada Sur, as the group travelled regularly to matches during the next couple of seasons. However, he recalls the exact day when the supporters association was formed: “It was June 6, 1992, and Real Madrid were in the capital for the final game of the season. We were 2-0 down but went on to beat them 3-2. Coincidentally, Real Madrid was in Santa Cruz on the final day of the season the following year and needed to win to claim the league title. We beat them 20, which handed the championship to Barcelona, while we finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup. There were 20 of us there for that first Madrid game, although we were called ‘LA Army’ then.” As the popularity for a southbased supporters group increased, so did the demand from Canarians and other non-

Brits, and to cater for the growing number of nationalities joining the ranks they decided on a more Spanish-sounding name: Armada Sur. Despite CD Tenerife’s rollercoaster performances over the last few years, Armada Sur’s popularity has continually grown, with over a thousand members now involved. Chris was “extremely proud” when 25 of them recently travelled to Catalonia for a match against Barcelona B. “Nearly 20 of those came from the UK”, he said, “We have many members living in other countries, including countless season ticket-holders, and a lot of them plan their holidays around matches. Football-tourism could be a really good market, if the club would only listen...” His frustration with the CD Tenerife board doesn’t only extend to their refusal to listen to new

ideas and the team’s current poor standing: like many fans, Chris believes that a change at the top is needed. CD Tenerife has endured a tough season in Spain’s second division, are currently battling relegation, and many fans are now saying that it’s high time for change. “I don’t like to criticise what happens on the pitch, but off the field there are a number of serious issues that aren’t being addressed. It’s been the same president and directors since 2007 and there’s very little communication, and no reaching out to other groups on the island that can help with revenue and incentives. Also, marketing is non-existent, and that’s so vital in the game today. It’s a shame there isn’t even a name on the outside of the stadium, or any statues to give their home ground a sense of its history. I

have contacts at the club and I’ve bent their ears on a few things in the past, but always remained helpful as they have looked after us on occasion. However, the way things have been lately, I’m not sure we should just sit back anymore. It may be time to use whatever influence we have to put forward our ideas.” Ideally, Chris would like to see a German-model structure at the club, where fans have a greater say on the club’s priorities and plans for the future, and to help bring CD Tenerife into the modern era. Alongside Bob Gant, Chris also edits the fanzine, Armada Sur, that’s produced for every match and which helps raise money for an annual barbecue event through an organised ‘golden goal’ competition. Similar to other CD Tenerife supporters groups, Armada Sur also does a lot of charity work on the island, organising collections for underprivileged children and raising funds for cancer organisations. If you would like more information on Armada Sur and their association with CD Tenerife, visit their Facebook page: www. facebook.com/groups/arman dasur.

n American Diner style cafe n Homemade burgers 100% beef n Homemade cakes n Best coffees in the area n Exquisite cocktails n Vegetarian menu Calle Luis Alvarez Cruz 5 (opposite Correos) Las Galletas · Tel: 922 731 847

MUSIC

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

The Qfm Music Review – Your Guide to Music Created in the Canary Islands

It feels good! Cuando Me Siento Bien (When I feel good) is the latest single from one of the Canaries’, and indeed Spain’s, international success stories: Efecto Pasillo. It is a teaser to their new album, due for release soon we hope! The group themselves hail from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and have been together for nearly 10 years. Their break came in 2007 when, after winning a competition, they recorded a track that aired on radio and that managed to catch the ear of award winning producer Tato Latorre, who signed the band immediately after hearing them live. The group, a four piece with Iván Torres on lead vocals, Javier Moreno on

drums, Nau Barreto on guitar and Arturo Sosa on bass, has obviously spent a lot of time putting together the tracks for their two previous albums, with their most recent El misterioso caso de... sealing their international appeal with seminal tracks like the fun poprock No Importa Que Llueva and Pan y Mantequilla and a rock reggae driven Funketón! Seminal in the true sense you can now hear that they are influencing a generation and that they themselves still have much potential. In general, their sound is a mixture of influences resulting in a bouncy Latin rock groove with ascending chords and light lyrics that carry you through a great experience,

and that is just right for making you feel good. So it is with great anticipation of their next album that this preview track Cuando Me Siento Bien delivers. It does! The group has just returned from a promo tour of the new single in Colombia and Ecuador where by all accounts – they rocked! Visit the group’s website at: www.efectopasillo.com and watch their new video to go with the song. We are sure you will identify a few of the locations of the video shoot, and let’s just see if, in playing the track, you don´t start moving. Fun, sexy, and feel good – how much more Canarian can you get?

Lanzarote Drag Queen scene

to the hugely popular and lucrative Drag Queen phenomenon. The programme focused on the success of one of Lanzarote’s best known entertainers, who has been packing the punters in for his shows in Puerto del

Carmen. Presenter Kim Normanton travelled to the Music Hall Tavern in the Lanzarote resort to talk to Lee Sanderson, a former Blackpool market stall worker, as he prepared to go on stage. Sanderson now runs a flourishing drag business with venues across the Canary Islands that entertained 90,000 tourists last year. He told the programme he was inspired to join the world of drag when he sneaked into a local pub, aged 13, and saw his first drag queen. “The pub was packed, I saw this man standing on the

bar in the spotlight looking all glamorous and the audience adoring him. He was being respected and I thought I’d like some of that kind of attention. And it was the money, to be honest”, explained Sanderson. The Radio 4 show was aired just days before Sanderson launched his new Music Hall Tavern venture in Tenerife’s Playa de Las Américas on n May 16. The ‘Lady’ who made the drag queen scene presentable: Dame Edna Everage

Residents choose

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The Drag Queen scene in the Canaries, particularly Lanzarote, has received massive publicity from a very unlikely source. BBC Radio 4 devoted an entire programme, called Drags to Riches, earlier in the month

Photos: Aurelien Guichard

BBC radio spotlight

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014

Canary Islands’ attractions for tourists and residents Where to visit

Useful contacts

Upcoming events

Dates for your diary

Seven island summary

General information for tourists

Spin news

What’s on

Page 22 & 23

Pages 24 & 25

Page 26 & 27

Page 28

The Santa Cruz Auditorium is a majestic symbol of the capital city and regarded as one of the finest modern buildings in the Canary Islands. It is also one of the major attractions of Tenerife and home to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife (Tenerife Symphony Orchestra). The auditorium was designed by the architect, Santiago Calatrava Valls, and is located on the seafront at the southernmost part of the Santa Cruz Port. The building was opened in September 2003 by the then Prince of Asturias, and current King of Spain, Felipe VI, and was widely covered by the world’s media, including the New York Times, The Independent and Le Monde, as well as international magazines such as Elle Decoration and Architecture Today. The auditorium has also been visited by many dignitaries and notable figures, including the former U.S. President Bill Clinton. In 2011 the island council

approved a name-change from Auditorio de Tenerife (Tenerife Auditorium) to Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín (Tenerife Adán Martín Auditorium) in memory of the former president of the Canary Islands who was a driving force behind the project. Other cultural areas in the Island’s capital include the Guimerá Theatre, which opened in 1851 and is the oldest theatre in the Canary Islands; the Museum of Fine Arts, which features work from artists such as Peter Coeck, Ribera and Sorolla; the Museum of Nature and Man, which provides fascinating historical and archaeological facts on the Islands, their formation and the Guanche people who lived here before the Spanish conquest; and the TEA – Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, which was designed by the Swiss firm of architects, Herzog & de Meuron, and first n opened in 2008. The Tenerife Adán Martín Auditorium

Photo:Jordi Verdés Padrón

Seminal Santa Cruz Auditorium

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

The Canaries have what is considered one of the best climates anywhere on the planet, making the Islands the perfect destination for all year round tourism.

has spectacular views of La Gomera. There’s a big night-life scene which attracts younger tourists, but it’s also somewhere you can relax, eat, and go sailing, whale and dolphin watching or golfing.

very nice, small white sand beaches. In the foothills above these towns you will find three great places to visit. Siam Park (The Water Kingdom), recently declared the best in

Tenerife Teide National Park

Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, the vibrant, bustling capital city of Tenerife, is located on the northeast coast. It has a variety of interesting museums and art galleries, a well maintained historical centre, and an important commercial port. See: www.santacruzmas.com.

Teide National Park

La Laguna La Laguna, a university city, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It has a lively night life and a thriving cultural scene.

Puerto de la Cruz The town of Puerto de la Cruz was a popular tourist destination long before the south was. Its attractive and busy town centre has maintained its picturesque fishing-village charm, and nearby is the prestigious,

La Laguna

award-winning Loro Parque Zoo. See: www.loroparque.com.

La Orotava One of the prettiest towns on the island, La Orotava also gives its name to the whole valley, which has a very prosperous history. The town centre has beautiful old mansions reflecting the wealth of the past.

Anaga Rural Park The Anaga Rural Park occupies much of the mountainous mas-

Las Teresitas

Plaza del Duque

sif in the northeastern corner of Tenerife. This is a steeplysloping area with exceptional natural and cultural treasures, and amazing landscapes.

Güímar This northeastern town is best known for the ethnographic park which was developed by Thor Heyerdahl. The pyramids are a complex construction, astronomically orientated according to the winter and summer solstices. See: www. piramidesdeguimar.es

Playa de Las Américas Currently Tenerife’s main tourist destination, this area

Los Cristianos Once a little fishing village, Los Cristianos began as a tourist destination for ailing Swedes who came to enjoy some rest and recuperation. From the port you can take a ferry to La Gomera, La Palma or El Hierro. The two main beaches offer safe swimming with disabled access.

Costa Adeje Costa Adeje is an upmarket area of South West Tenerife which is popular with European, Russian and national tourists. There are various luxury hotels and some

the world, has something for everyone, from beach lovers to adrenaline freaks. See: www. siampark.net Aqualand, on Avenida de Austria, a water park with a dolphin show. See: www.aqualand.es. The Jungle Park, at Las Águilas del Teide, is great fun for kids of all ages. See: www.aguilasjunglepark.com

Los Gigantes The town of Los Gigantes, which lives mainly from tourism but on a much more modest scale than Playa de Las Americas or Los Cristianos, is overlooked by the towering cliffs. There is good diving and a small harbour.

Qfm, Spain’s only Cool Jazz Radio station www.Qmusica.com

94.3

(South Tenerife)

www

(Worldwide)

Daily Cultural Guide updated every day in English at 07:45, 09:45, 11:45, 13:45, 15:45, 17:45 & 19:45.

And don’t miss Qfm’s famous Sunset Sessions, an exclusive chill-out mix every evening. The Asociación Cultural para la Difusión de las Artes y las Músicas de Canarias, registered with the Gobierno de Canarias (G1/S1/16504-10/TF), operates and administers Qfm94.3 within Ley 7/2010 - Artículo 32.

The highest peak in Spain, at 3,718m, is one of Tenerife’s greatest attractions. It is possible to hike to the top, and also to catch the cable car. See: www.telefericoteide.com. To access the summit of the volcano, Pico del Teide, you need to obtain a free permit in advance, issued by the Administration Office of the National Park, which you can download at www.reservasparquesnacionales.es.

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Other islands La Gomera Only a 45 minute ferry ride from the port of Los Cristianos, La Gomera is a small, peaceful island with amazing hiking and a pre-historic rainforest which is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only one of its kind left in the world. The ferry will take you to the capital, San Sebastián, famous for being Christopher Columbus’ last stop before crossing the Atlantic on his voyage of discovery. Valle Gran Rey, in the southwest of the island, and Playa

is Fuencaliente: the place to go in La Palma to see a real volcanic landscape. The western side of this borough has nice beaches and withstood the many volcanic eruptions the island has suffered, the most recent being the Teneguía volcano in1971. La Palma has a lovely variant of Carnival called Los Indianos, where everyone dresses in white and people take to the streets during the day to cover everything, including each other, in talcum powder.

like parts of North Africa than it does the other islands. The interior is mainly empty, with a few sun bleached villages and a surprising amount of goats, but the coast has some lovely towns and villages and kilometres of white sand beaches ideal for sunbathing and surfing. The capital is Puerto del Rosario, a relatively modern port town, rather sleepy and quiet despite the fact that nearly half of the island’s population live there. The two main tourist towns are at opposite ends of the island; Corralejo in the north and Morro Jable in the south.

Gran Canaria Garajonay National Park, La Gomera

green and rugged, with breathtaking sights and one of the best places in the world for star gazing, hence the location of the world’s most important astrophysical observatories on its Roque de los Muchachos.

Valle de El Golfo, El Hierro

El Hierro The smallest and westernmost of all the islands, El Hierro only has three municipalities; Valverde, Frontera and El Pinar. For exploring, it’s best to hire a car, and you can easily drive all over the island in a day. Valverde is a small town in the north, the only capital in the

Canaries not located on the coast. Frontera (El Golfo) is a milder, bigger town to the west, with more going on and better weather, and right down in the south is La Restinga, famous for its diving.

La Palma Also known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ (the pretty island), La Palma is

The capital, Las Palmas, is a much bigger city than Santa Cruz de Tenerife and has a nice historical quarter, a good night-life and Las Canteras - a long, yellow sand beach with areas for supervised swimming - and another beach for surfers of all levels. The main tourist areas are Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas, with its beauti-

Lanzarote Lanzarote is known as the ‘Isla de los Volcanes’, with over 300 volcanic cones. Like Fuerteventura, it’s flatter than the other islands and there’s very little rain, even by Canarian standards. The whole island was

Las Canteras beach, Gran Canaria

The capital, Santa Cruz, lies to the east of the island. It’s a pretty city of seafaring tradition, although Los Llanos de Aridane in the west is in fact the biggest city on La Palma. The towns in the north of La Palma are also very beautiful and in the south of the island

ful sand-dunes and all-night bars and clubs. The island also has some spectacular archaeological sites.

Fuerteventura Flat, arid and sparsely populated, this island looks more

declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and those who take the time to explore the island will find it’s strangely beautiful. The capital is Arrecife, to the east, and the three main tourist resorts are Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise.

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Santiago, in the south, are the main tourist towns. Valle Gran Rey is a beautiful valley with good beaches and great restaurants. The harbour still has a small fishing fleet. Garajonay National Park houses an ancient laurisilva (laurel) forest at its heart, with over 400 species of flora and fauna. The forest was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.

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General information for visitors

Fañabé beach

Tenerife Santa Cruz Tourist Office, Plaza de España Tel: (0034) 922 281 287/922 289 287 Open Mon - Fri: 9am - 6pm; Sat, Sun: 9.30am-1.30pm

Time zone: The time zone in the Canary Islands is the same as in the UK and Ireland. Foreign exchange The Spanish currency is the Euro. You can change currency in any bank by showing your passport (Mon – Fri, 8am – 2pm), or in the many exchange agencies in resorts. Can I drink the water? You can drink the tap water in the Canaries, but the change may affect your stomach. If your visit is short, it’s perhaps best to stick to bottled. Discounts Students and senior citizens may receive discounts on ferries, tickets to concerts, museums, etc., so always ask, as long as you can provide ID to prove it. Shopping Normal opening hours in the Canaries are from 10am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 8.30pm. However, in big tourist resorts and shopping centres the opening hours are longer, often from 10am until 10pm, sometimes even later. On Sundays and Bank Holidays only the shops in tourist resorts open. There is a flea market in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, every Sunday morning Duty Free Despite popular belief, it is generally cheaper to buy alcohol and tobacco on the Islands than on the plane or at the airport. Limits are: 200 cigarettes/50 cigars/ 250grs rolling tobacco 1L spirits over 22% or 2L spirits under 22% 2L wine 60ml perfume, 250 ml eau de toilette Medical care All residents of the EU have the right to free medical and hospital care from Tenerife’s Public Health Service whilst on holiday (ie less than three months). To receive this you need to have the European Medical Card or equivalent document, which can be applied for in your home country. It doesn’t cover all treatments; excluding dental treatment, except for emergency extractions, and repatriation due to illness.

Useful contacts

If you are ill, find a Centro de Salud or Centro Médico. The ones in the tourist resorts generally speak some English. Make sure they provide care under your insurance policy or EHIC before you sign for anything. Unscrupulous taxi drivers have been known to take back-handers for taking sick people to private clinics so make sure you are in the right place before paying. Safety Only take out credit and bank cards you actually need: leave the rest in the hotel safe, along with your passport and other valuables. A UK driving licence with a photograph is usually accepted as ID for most credit card purchases, a photo credit card will still have to be accompanied by photo ID, daft, but there you are. Do not leave belongings unattended. Particular vigilance on the beach and when you are travelling with luggage is recommended. Take the minimum with you on excursions and lock everything in the boot that you aren’t carrying with you and only access it where you are not overlooked. Do not leave anything in sight. Cars have been broken into for a beach towel before now. If you are at a bar or nightclub, don’t leave your drink unattended and avoid dark streets on the way home. The Islands are safer than many places in Europe, but there are always those who prey on the unaware: relaxing your vigilance could cost you dearly, not just in money but in precious holiday time - reporting the loss of a passport to the police for example and then the visits necessary to the consulates to replace it.

Emergency number: (all Canaries) 112 Guardia Civil (all Canaries): 062

Post Offices Open Monday to Saturday, generally 8.30am - 2.30pm. Some city offices open later.

Blue Badge users Parking for Blue Badge holders in the Canaries is limited to the ‘disabled only’ (Minusválidos) parking spaces in each town. There are no concessions to park on yellow lines or anywhere else normal parking is not allowed. And even if you have a Blue Badge, don’t park in a disabled area which has a registration number marked on it – you will be fined and probably towed away. For further information: www.bluebadgetenerife.com

Consulates British Consulate Tenerife: (0034) 922 286 653 British Consulate Gran Canaria: (0034) 902 109 356 Honorary British consulate Lanzarote: (0034) 928 262 508 Indian consulate: (0034) 922 241 416 Irish Consulate: (0034) 922 245 671 Consulates can issue passports, give information about medical care, education and

legal matters, give assistance to people under arrest, under exceptional circumstances give you enough funds to be repatriated (on loan), and help you in the case of emergency/catastrophe. Inter island transport: Fred Olsen (Ferries): 902 100 107 www.fredolsen.es Naviera Armas (Ferries): 902 456 500 www.navieraarmas. com Binter (Flights) 902 391 392 www.bintercanarias.com Canary Fly: 902 808 065 Airport and flight Information: All Canarian airports are controlled by AENA. www.aenaaeropuertos.es Buses The transport company TITSA has buses that reach all corners of the island. The main bus station is in Santa Cruz, near the Adán Martín Auditorium. Clients can choose to purchase a ticket on the bus for each individual journey or to buy a Bono-bus ticket, a card which can be shared by various people and will mean saving up to 50 per cent of the fare, depending on the route. They are on sale in any of the TITSA bus stations and also in a number of kiosks and small establishments (often newsagents), identified with a green sticker on the window. If your Bono-bus has insufficient credit to purchase your last journey, the difference can be made up in cash on the bus, but not with another Bono-bus card. For information you can call TITSA on: (0034) 922 531 130 or see: www.titsa.com

Taxis Tenerife taxis are white and, unless they are minivans, the maximum number of passengers is four, including children. Eurotaxis have ramps for wheelchairs. Eurotaxis, Santa Cruz: (0034) 609 867 581/607 612 816/629 132 269 Taxi Santa Cruz: (0034) 937 780 030 www. teletaxi.es Radiotaxi San Pedro: (0034) 922 310 000 Parque Marítimo César Manrique (next to the Auditorium) Open every day: Sun-Thurs: 10am-8pm, Fri, Sat: 10amMidnight Adults: €2.50, Children (under 12): €1.50, Over 65s: €1.50 Tel: (0034) 922 229 368 https://es-es.facebook.com/ parque.manrique Palmetum Open Tues – Sun, 11am - 2pm, 4pm-6pm. Adults: €4, Children (under 12): €2.80, Canarian residents €1/1.50 Tel: (0034) 697 651 127. info@palmetumsantacruz. com Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Nature and Man) Open Tues – Sat, 9am - 8pm; Sun, Mon, 10am - 5pm. Tel: (00 34) 922 535 816 www.museosdetenerife.org Museo Militar (Military Museum), C/ San Isidro. Tel: (0034) 922 274 224. Open: Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, ecocmar@et.mde.es Castillo de San Cristobal, Plaza de España Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm http://www.museosdetenerife. org Auditorio Adán Martín Tel: (0034) 922 568 600 www.auditoriodetenerife.com Teatro Guimerá, Plaza Isla de la Madera. Tel: (0034) 922 609 408/922 609 400 www.teatroguimera.es

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

La Laguna Tourist Office, Casa Alvaro Bracamonde, C/ La Carrera. Tel: (0034) 922 631 194/922 601 106. The tourist office offers a free guided route around the city. Call to make a reservation.

Tenerife South Playa de Las Américas Tourist Office Plaza del Centro Comercial City Centre, Avda. Rafael Puig, 19. Tel: (0034) 922 797 668

Museo de Historia y Antropología de Tenerife, Casa Lercaro, C/ San Agustín. Open Tues - Sat: 9am-8pm; Sun, Mon, Bank holidays: 10am 5pm. www.museosdetenerife.org.

Oficinas de Turismo: Avda. Juan Carlos I (Bus station) Tel: (0034) 922 730 133 Paseo Marítimo Playa de Las Vistas Tel: (0034) 922 787 011

Taxis: (0034) 922 715 407

HOLIDAY GUIDE Religious Services In Spain, Catholicism is the main religion and almost all towns and cities, including tourist resorts, have churches where mass is frequently held. Below is information about Catholic services held in languages other than Spanish and services for other faiths. Holy Communion Anglican Church, Iglesia de San Eugenio, Las Américas. Tel: (0034) 922 793 143 Services: Sundays at 10.15am

Gran Canaria

La Gomera

La Palma

Tourism Board C/ Triana, Las Palmas. Tel: (0034) 928 219 600. www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo.

San Sebastián Tourist Office C/ Real, 4. www.sansebastiandelagomera. org/turismo/

La Palma Tourist Office Avda. Blas Pérez González s/n Tel: (0034) 922 412 106 www.visitlapalma.es

Taxis: (0034) 922 870 524

Taxis: Radiotaxis La Palma: (0034) 922 181 396 www.taxilapalma.com: 686 553868 Radiotaxi San Miguel: (0034) 922 416 070

Las Canteras Tourist Office Paseo de la Playa de Las Canteras (opposite the Hotel Meliá) Tel: (0034) 928 446 824. www.lpavisit.com. Las Dunas Tourist Office Avda. De Tirajana (Hotel Riu Maspalomas), Playa del Inglés. Tel: (0034) 928 765 242. Island Tourist Board Avda. España (Yumbo shopping centre), Playa del Inglés. Tel: (0034) 928 771 550. www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo. El Portón Tourist Office El Portón Shopping Centre, Playa del Inglés. www.turismo.maspalomas. com.

Lanzarote Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos, Avda. Los Menceyes. Tel: (0034) 922 315 265. Open: Tues-Sat: 9am-8.pm. Sun, Mon, Bank holidays: 10am - 5pm. www.museosdetenerife.org. Radiotaxi La Laguna (0034) 922 255 555. Puerto de la Cruz Tourist Office, Casa de la Aduana, C/ Las Lonjas. Tel: (0034) 922 386 000. Centro de Información Turística, C/ Puerto Viejo. Tel: (0034) 922 370 243/922 388 777. Taxis: (0034) 922 378 999. Loro Parque, Avda. Loro Parque s/n Tel: (0034) 922 373 841 Open every day from 8.30am to 6.45pm www.loroparque.com Lago Martiánez Avda. De Cristóbal Colón, 1 Tel: (0034) 922 385 955 Taxis: Servitaxi (0034) 922 378 999 La Orotava Tourist Office C/ Calvario, 4 Tel: (0034) 922 323 041

Taxis: (0034) 922 747 511 Tourist Office Costa Adeje Avda. Litoral Playa Fañabé Tel: (0034) 922 716 539 Jungle Park: Urb. Las Águilas del Teide, s/n Tel: (0034) 922 729 806. www.aguilasjunglepark.com. Aqualand Avda. Austria, 15 Tel: (0034) 922 715 266. www.aqualand.es Twin tickets can be purchased for Aqualand and Jungle Park, see websites. Siam Park (The Water Kingdom) Avda. Siam Park s/n. Tel: (0034) 822 070 000. Twin Tickets can be purchased for Siam Park and Loro Parque www.siampark.net Lost Property Offices Tenerife North Airport: (0034) 922 635 855 Tenerife South Airport: (0034) 922 759 391 Arona: (0034) 922 725 562 Costa Adeje: (0034) 922 710 606 La Laguna: (0034) 922 608 805/922 251 080 Puerto de la Cruz: (0034) 922 378 448 Santa Cruz: (0034) 922 606 354

Anglican church, Puerto de la Cruz www.allsaintstenerife.com/

Arrecife Tourist Office Parque José Ramírez Cerdá s/n Tel: (0034) 928 813 174 www.turismolanzarote.com

Evangelical Service Centro Apolo, 1ª planta, Los Cristianos, Arona. Tel: (0034) 922 792 007 Services: Sundays at 11am and 6pm

Costa Teguise Tourist Office Avda. Islas Canarias s/n Tel: (0034) 928 592 542 www.turismoteguise.com

Swedish Church Abroad Coronel, s/n, Los Cristianos, Arona. Tel: (0034) 922 75 00 68

Valle Gran Rey Tourist Office C/ La Noria, 2, La Playa. Tel: (0034) 922 805 458 www.lagomera.travel/islascanarias/la-gomera/es/acerca/ visitar-valle-gran-rey/ Taxis Valley Gran Rey: (0034) 922 805 058 Playa Santiago Tourist Office Avda. Marítima, s/n. Tel: (0034) 922 895 650 playasantiago@lagomera. travel Taxis: (0034) 922 895 698

Fuerteventura Puerto del Rosario Tourist Office Avda. De la Constitución, 5 Tel: (0034) 928 530 844 Taxis: (0034) 928 850 059 / 928 850 216 Corralejo Tourist Office Plaza Grande de Corralejo Tel. (0034) 928 866 235 Taxis: (0034) 928 866 108

Teguise Tourist Office Plaza de La Constitución, s/n Tel (0034) 928 845 398 www.turismoteguise.com

Morro Jable Tourist Office Avda. Saladar, Jandía shopping centre Tel: (0034) 928 540 776 turismo@playasdejandia.com Taxis: (0034) 928 541 257

Los Llanos de Aridane Tourist Offices: Avda. Dr. Flemming, s/n Tel: (0034) 922 402 583 / (0034) 922 402 528 www.lapalmacit.com Llano de Argual, 31 (also handicraft shop) Tel: (0034) 922 401 899 Taxi rank: (0034) 922 462 001 www.taxilapalma.com / (0034) 686 553 868 Puerto Naos Tourist Office Puerto Naos car park Tel: 618 856 516 Fuencaliente Tourist Office Plaza Minerva, s/n (Minerva Square) Tel: (0034) 922 444 003 Taxis: (0034) 922 434 071 www.taxilapalma.es Caldera de Taburiente National Park www.visitlapalma.es/recursos/recurso-parque-nacionalde-la-caldera-de-taburiente / www.reddeparquesnacionales. mma.es Theme Parks Maro Parque, Breña Alta. Tel:(0034) 922 417 782. www.maroparque.com Palmex Cactus, El Paso Tel: (0034) 922 464 862 Paraíso de las Aves, El Paso Tel: (0034) 922 485 701 All information was correct at the time of going to press. Please confirm before travelling.

Lanzarote

HOLIDAY GUIDE SPIN NEWS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Fimucité

Back to the 90s Fimucité, Tenerife’s annual International Festival of Cinema Music opens its programme of concerts on July 4, with two performances of the show Back to the 90s, at the ‘Paraninfo’ in the University of La Laguna. Last year’s Fimucité, which was highly praised by critics and audiences, was dedicated to the 1980s and due to its success it was decided to repeat the experience with a new repertoire from the next decade. Thus, the concert will take the audience through the very best songs from the hit movies of that decade – to the delight of all fans of the era’s films and popular music. The concert will be presented under the direction of guitarist Gonzalo de Araoz who will be on stage with musicians Francis Díaz on guitar, José Antonio Afonso on keyboards, Julio Moreno on bass, Javier Guerrero on drums, Jeremías Martín on keyboards, and

Ventor de la Guardia on electronic percussion and vocals. A number of soloists will also appear, including Esther Ovejero, Lorena García and Patricio González. The show promises to rekindle memories with unforgettable songs such as You could be mine by Guns ‘n Roses, which formed part of the soundtrack of Terminator 2; the ballad It must have been love by the Swedish duo Roxette and from

the movie Pretty Woman; the leading song from Titanic, My Heart Will Go On; I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, by Aerosmith from the science fiction movie Armageddon; and Blaze of Glory, by Jon Bon Jovi from Young Guns II, amongst other hits. The two performances of Back to the 90s will start at 7pm and 10pm. Tickets are on sale now, priced at €12 each, from the Vice Rectorate of Univer-

sity Relations in Viana, 50, La Laguna, the cafeteria in the central University building, or online from www.tomaticket. es. Fimucité, the Tenerife International Cinema Music Festival, continues to July 11 with several more events, and is directed by the cinema music composer, orchestrator and conductor Diego Navarro. For more information, see www. n fimucite.com.

Music Made in Spain

Rozalén – a breath of fresh air Spanish singer/songwriter Rozalén will be appearing at the Adán Martín Auditorium in Santa Cruz on June 6. María Rozalén, born in 1986 in Albacete, has been described as a “complete artist” due to her broad skills. Rozalén’s show includes exciting fusions between blues, folk, ballads, pop and rock, as well as flamenco, rap, and even Arabic music, all accompanied by her guitar or her band of nifty musicians. Rozalén breaks all the stereotypes. Moreover, when this lady is on stage, she transforms her whole body into pure music and song, and does so with an irresistible charm, as if she was one of those fairies which feature in some of her most beautiful ballads.

Her stage presence is direct, with clear and seductive diction. She has a great ability to convey emotions and feelings, memories, loneliness, passions, dreams and even a tear; and, above all, her human sensitivity is revealed. Her first album was full of surprises and quality music,

enhanced by the participation of an extraordinary team of musicians, and combined with excellent arrangements and production. Rozalén composes and writes very well: she has a large repertoire that is both agile, vital, realistic and symbolic, with lyrics about love and heartbreak,

desires, passions and dreams, with a little rebellion thrown in at times. For all these reasons, Rozalén is a much needed breath of beauty, tenderness and hope in Spanish music. She’s currently working on her second album before starting a series of concerts all over Spain. The first single from that album, in which she experiments with new styles without losing her own special and personal touch, will be released in July. In the meantime, Rozalén will be in concert at the Adán Martín Auditorium in Santa Cruz on June 6 at 9pm. Tickets, priced at €18 to €24 are available from the auditorium’s box office, or see www.auditon riodetenerife.com.

Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands A new life in hidden Tenerife By John Searancke

A series of adventures that you won’t want to miss! On the brink of

Moscow Ballet

Don Quijote

In July of this year the Moscow Ballet will once again return to the south of Tenerife. For this visit, the renowned troupe will be performing a ballet which is based on the 19th chapter of the famous book in Spanish literature Don Quijote de La Mancha by Miguel Cervantes Saavedra. This ballet premiered in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, with music composed by Ludwig Minkus, at the request of the Russian Imperial Theatres. The ballet has been revised several times over the years, and following a reconstruction in 1900 by Alexander Gorsky it became a huge success. The scene, taken from the Cervantes book, is set in Barcelona and centres around the love lives of Kitri and the barber Basilio, as well as leads Don Quijote and Sancho Panza of course, who experience a series of adventures linked to the young couple. The Moscow Ballet company features some of the country’s finest dancers and choreographers. Since it was founded in 1989, it has performed more than thousand times during more than 60 world tours around countries as far flung as Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Italy, China, England and Spain. This three parts ballet will be performed at the Infanta Leonor Auditorium in Los Cristianos on July 11 at 9pm. Tickets are priced at €35, with discounts for groups of 12 or more. See www.arona.org/portal/auditorio. n

TEA treat

Tribute to Nicolás Estévanez y Murphy The TEA Municipal Library is hosting an exhibition which pays tribute to the military and political figure of Nicolás Estévanez y Murphy, to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of his death. Estévanez (1838 to 1914) was born in Las Palmas, though spent time in Tenerife with his a family: His mother, Isabel Murphy y Meade came from an Irish trading family, while his military father originated in Malaga. Estévanez was a poet, military officer and Spanish politician who was said by some to have been responsible for transporting a bomb from France to Barcelona, wrapped in a French flag, which was used in an attempt to murder King Alfonso XIII. Thirty spectators were killed in the incident, but the King was uninjured and Estévanez’s involvement was never proved. The photographic tribute to his career, called The Shadow of the Almond Tree, is open until June 19, Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 8pm. See: www.teatenerife.es for more information. n

On sale in good Canary Island bookshops NOW! Available on all Amazon platforms

retirement, John and his wife Sally, together with their beloved Jack Russell/Staffie cross, Freddie, embark on the journey of a lifetime and relocate to the island of Tenerife. www.johnsearancke.com

HOLIDAY GUIDE SPIN NEWS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

First annual festival

I don’t like reggae, I love it Tenerife Concerts SL proudly presents their latest spectacular, Canarias Reggae Festival 2015. Taking place at the Lago Martiánez in Puerto de La Cruz, the reggae showcase begins at 6.30pm and continues until 2.30am, and features artists such as Ruts & La Isla Music, Dactah Chando and The Binghiband, and One Love: Tribute to Bob Marley. Tickets are available from €12 and can be purchased online by visiting www.tenerifeconcerts. com. They can also be purchased from Gran Sur in Torviscas, Multicines Puntalarga in Las Caletillas, Cine Vicn tor in Santa Cruz and the Lago Martiánez resort.

More than a giggle

Photo: www.carloslatre.com

Carlos Latre’s new show

Spain’s best-loved impressionist is coming to Tenerife

Carlos Latre, one of Spain’s best-loved impressionists, actors and comedians, is premiering his new show In Live in the Canaries. This is a performance for all the family, with side-splitting imitations of not only Spanish personalities, sports people, politicians and royalty, but Carlos also ventures further afield and imitates international celebrities too: so whatever language you speak, you’ll find his show utterly amusing. Carlos was born in Castellón in 1979, and has a wealth of experience in radio and television as well as on the stage. On television, he really rose to fame with the late night show Crónicas Marcianas where he become known for his endless parodies and imitiations between 1999 and 2005. Since then, he’s been given his own programmes, and been a member of the jury on the musical talent show for celebrities, Tu cara me suena, known in the UK as Your face sounds familiar. To his new stage show Carlos will be bringing his repertoire of over 50 personalities, together with plenty of new voices and characters that have never been seen before and which are subjected to his special sense of humour, as ever. In Live is a show not to be missed. You can see it at the Teatro Guimerá in Santa Cruz on July 19 at 8pm. Tickets, priced from €23 to €27, are available from the box office or at: www.tomaticket.es.

Evita

Oh, what a circus! Who could ever forget the song Don’t cry for me, Argentina, or the singers Julie Covington, Elaine Paige and David Essex, who all either sang on the album or played major roles in the musical Evita? If you do remember, and loved them, then you’ll be delighted to know that the Santa Cruz Auditorium will be hosting a specially adapted version of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical this summer. The musical was inspired by the original book Evita: The Woman With the Whip by Mary Main, based on the life and death of Eva Perón (1919 to 1952) and her influence on the history of Argentina since the rise to power of her husband Juan Perón as president of the country.

Photo: www.auditoriodetenerife.com

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

The show began as a rock opera concept album which was released in 1976. Its triumph led to productions in London’s West End in 1978, and on Broadway a year later. The original music was enormously successful, but received tough criticism from historians and pro-Perón groups. They attacked it because it reflected Evita’s personality as being more ambivalent or

contradictory than she may have been, a woman who was a benefactor but at the same time ambitious, instead of portraying her as fans saw her, without defects. This Spanish version is directed by Jaime Azpilicueta and conducted by Julio Awad. All performances will be totally live, with five soloists and a cast of 20. There will also be six dancers, a children’s choir and an

orchestra of nine musicians. We can expect this to be a top class production, with musical direction by Francis Hernández, stage design by Carlos Sáenz, choreography by Ezequial Delgado, and makeup and hairdressing by Geni Alfonso. Leo Martínez has designed twenty eight costumes especially for the production, of which ten will be worn by Evita. You’ll be able to hear the original songs, including Oh what a circus; Another suitcase in Another hall; and On this night of a thousand stars, and many more. Evita will be at the Tenerife Auditorium Adán Martín from July 4 to 7. Tickets are on sale now, priced between €30 and €40, and available from the auditorium’s box office or online at: www.auditoriodetenerife.

Playa de Las Américas

Arona Summer Festival 2015 For the fifth year running, the Canaries are hosting one of the most important electronic music events on the national scene. The Arona Summer Festival will take place on August 7 at the Antonio Domínguez Stadium in Playa de Las Américas, starting at 6pm and offering 11 solid hours of music. The bill published by the organisers includes Dutch DJ and producer Oliver Heldens, plus Rudimental, Pendulum, Don Diablo, Matthias Tanzmann, Nicky Romero and lots more. There will be two stages for the exciting performances: the main and underground. Also available is the ASF Backstage Tour, on which you and four friends can enjoy a unique experience from the stage, take some amazing selfies, and enjoy live music by one of the international artists. You will also be able to take pleasure in

the catering, capture great photos with the DJ and post them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and come away with an official T-shirt. For this, once

you’ve bought your entry tickets you need to enter the competition and hope to get lucky in the draw. Full holiday packages are also

available for this event. For more information and tickets for your summer festival, see www.aronasummerfestival. n com.

HOLIDAY GUIDE WHATS ON 2015

May – June

GRAN CANARIA DIARY DATES May 29 6pm: The Wizard of Oz (Spanish), children’s entertainment, Santa Brígida Cultural Centre, Calle Nueva 12, Santa Brígida. 6.30pm: Enjoy your dog, a chance for a photo-call with man’s best friend, Parque Isabel Macario Brito,Tamaraceite, LPGC. 7.30pm: Canarian regional costume fashion parade, Parque Isabel Macario Brito,Tamaraceite, LPGC. 8pm: Baile de Taifa (traditional dance), Tabaiba, Sancocho, Los Granjeros and Son de Sataute groups, Plaza de Don Benito, LPGC. 8.30pm: Folk music and dancing, Parque Isabel Macario Brito,Tamaraceite, LPGC.

8.30pm: Así Se Murió, Modern Blues concert, San Martín Centro de la Cultura Contemporánea, Ramón y Cajal, 1, LPGC. June 6 8.30pm: Cuarteto Particella, string quartet, Auditorio de Teror, Teror - unahoramenos.es/ auditoriodeteror/.

Celebration of Canary Islands’ Day. Regional costume dances, folklore concerts, craft markets and numerous other activities are organised all over the Islands. Contact your local council or tourism office for the best celebrations close to you. May 30 is a regional holiday and some businesses may be closed. May 30 10am: Craft fair, Parque Santa Catalina, LPGC. 12 noon: Canarian romería. 12 decorated carts pulled by oxen, from Ramblas de Mesa y López, passing Parque Santa Catalina to Calle Tenerife, LPGC. 5pm-7pm: Children’s workshops, parades and entertainment, Calles Luis Morote, Ripoche, Secretario Artiles.

9pm: Takeo Takahashi, 8 Songs for 9 Years, jazz, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, LPGC www.auditorioteatrolaspalmasgc.es.

11.30am: Mario Méndez, classical music, Teatro Pérez Galdós, LPGC www.auditorioteatrolaspalmasgc.es/ teatroperezgaldos/. Until May 31 Fiestas de San Fernando de Maspalomas, parades, concerts, dances, San Bartolomé de Tirajana. 8.30pm: Madame Butterfly, opera, Teatro Pérez Galdós, Plaza Stagno, LPGC - www.auditorioteatrolaspalmasgc.es/ teatroperezgaldos/. Until June 21 Fiestas in honour of San Vicente de Ferrer, parades, concerts, dances, Valleseco.

EXHIBITIONS Until May 31

10am-2pm: Craft and cultural market, Plaza del Pilar Nuevo, Vegueta, LPGC.

‘Claves de un Hallazgo’ (exhibition about the ancient domestic situation in the Canary Islands), Museo Canario, LPGC Paintings: ‘Un lugar dónde vivir’ (A place to live), Museo Canario, LPGC

8.30pm: Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, classical music, Busoni, L. Vega, Brahms, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Playa de las Canteras, LPGC www.ofgrancanaria.com.

TENERIFE DIARY DATES May 29

May 30

May 31

June 5

May – June

8pm: Kabakó, African traditional rythyms, Edificio de Usos Múltiples, El Tanque. 10pm: Baile de Magos, dance in regional dress, Los Cristianos.

June 7

May 29-31

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Until June 7 Art: ‘En Azul’ (In Blue), Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM), LPGC

3.30pm: Scalelectrix rally, Mirador de la Garañona, El Sauzal, free entry. 6pm: Carnival del mar, carnival parade with a marine theme, from the church square to Plaza del Pescador, Los Cristianos. 8pm:Alba Pérez/José Manuel Ramos, Folklore Festival, Plaza de San Sebastián, La Caleta, Adeje. 9pm: Timpluras, Canarian folk group, Auditorio Municipal, El Sauzal, €4 residents, €6 non-residents. 9pm: Baile de Magos, dance in regional dress, Los Silos, €5. May 31 All day: Romerías de San Isidro, Las Mercedes and Los Realejos. All day: Romería del Cristo, Valle de Arriba, Santiago del Teide. 11.30am: Adeje Municipal Band, Canaries Day concert, Plaza de San Sebastían, La Caleta, Adeje. 6pm: Historia de un Sueño, charity concert by DT Project, Auditorio Infanta Leonor, Los Cristianos, €5 - www.arona.org. May 29-31 Celebration of Canary Islands’ Day. Regional costume dances, folklore concerts, craft markets and numerous other activities are organised all over the Islands. Contact your local council or tourism office for the best celebrations close to you. May 30 is a regional holiday and some businesses may be closed. Until May 31 FICMEC, Environmental cinema festival, Antiguo Convento de San Francisco, Garachico – www.ficmec.es June 5 8pm: Natacha González, Encarna Santana and Santiago Pérez, Spanish music for voice and guitar, Antiguo Convento de San Sebastián – Los Silos.

June 6 9pm: Rozalen, Spanish singer/songwriter, Auditorio Adán Martín, Santa Cruz, €18-24 www.auditoriodetenerife.com. June 6/7 Fenáutica, two-day nautical fair, workshops and demonstrations of water sports for all ages, new and second-hand sales, concerts, beach bars, DJs and a Sunset Fiesta, Marina del Sur, Las Galletas, Arona, free entry www.marinadelsur.es. Every Tuesday Tour of Dorada beer factory, Avenida de Ángel Romero, Santa Cruz. doradatour.es. Every Thursday until the end of May Naturjazz 2015, natural history, science, art, music and gastronomy, Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre, Santa Cruz, free entry - www.museosdetenerife.org. Until June 21 11.30am, Musical Spring 2015 (every Sunday), Adán Martín Auditorium, Santa Cruz - www.auditoriodetenerife.com.

EXHIBITIONS Until June 19 Photographs - The Shadow of the Almond Tree, Tribute to Nicolás Estévanez y Murphy, Tea, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tuesday Sunday, 10am - 8pm - www.teatenerife.es. Until June 28 Art - Forgetful astronauts and sounds of paradise, Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Santa Cruz. www.teatenerife.es. Until July 25 Sculpture – Terracotta woman, Marian Heyerdahl, CajaCanarias Exhibition Room, Plaza del Patriotismo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Monday – Friday, 11am - 2pm and 5pm – 8pm, Saturday 10am – 2pm, Free entry – www.cajacanarias.com. Until October 4 Museum exhibition – Guanche Women, the life and times of the aboriginal females of Tenerife, Museum of Nature and Man (MNH), Santa Cruz, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9am to 8pm, Sundays, Mondays and bank holidays 10am to 5pm, Free entry www.museosdetenerife.org.

For regular church, charity and recreational events, please see: www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000027/0/41004/living-lifestyle-article.html

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

BUSINESS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Spain’s banking rescue

Third payment to be made in July Spain’s economy minister, Luis de Guindos, has announced that Spain will return the third payment of the Bank rescue in July, in advance, when a window of opportunity opens with the European stability mechanism (ESM) that the Government plans to take advantage of. At an informative breakfast organised by Europa Press, De Guindos explained that the ESM has a payment method which enables you to return part of the bank bailout in advance. The Minister did not specify the amount of this third payment, but Spain already returned nearly 1.3 billion euros in 2014 and another 1,500 million in March. Spain received around 41,300 million euros from the European Union in 2012 to help with the restructuring of the financial sector. Mr. De Guindos stressed that the Spanish banking sector is now solvent, and

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Spain’s economy Minister wants to pay back the country’s debt

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Canaries and Balearics figures up the national total, although their price is 55 per cent above the national average. Looking at the evolution during the first four months of this year it can be seen that the banks’ real estate portfolio has reduced by 9.3 per cent, while the prices have followed a different trend. In February and March they fell by five per cent, then in April they rose again, returning them to January’s levels with an average property price of €137,973 while the national average was €89,045. The panorama in the Canary Islands is very different.

They have 4.7 per cent of properties held by Spanish banks and their prices are practically aligned with the national average. Despite the differences in prices and portfolio volumes, both archipelagos have one aspect in common, since both in the Balearics and the Canaries the value of real estate has risen by five to eight per cent since January, while their portfolios have depleted continuously since the beginning of the year, by between six and nine per cent. n

Ballot printing gaffe Heads are likely to roll at a printing firm which was awarded the contract to print the ballot papers for the Parliamentary elections on May 24 after a gaffe which could have forced the

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Bank apartment sales

The number of apartment sales by banks in the Canaries and the Balearics has grown by 5.5 per cent more than in mainland Spain, at a time when the value of apartments held on these islands represented 7.5 per cent of the banks’ national stock, according to www.donComparador.com. Differences between the two archipelagos are significant, both in terms of price and the number of properties held by the banks. The Balearics have 1,405 homes for sale by the financial institutions, only 2.9 per cent of

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entire election to be voided. The firm made a mistake in the name of one of the parties and the gaffe was only detected a week before polling day. Over half a million new voting papers had

to be printed in a hurry to rectify the problem, which affected the ballot in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The name of the party hit by the misprint has not been revealed. n

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BUSINESS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Tenerife port ‘hub’

In September of next year, Santa Cruz de Tenerife will host the eleventh Seatrade Cruise Med, Europe’s most important international fair of cruises, which is expected to bring around 600 delegates from companies in the sector and an associated influx of more than 4,000 visitors to the island. Chairman of the Port Authority, Pedro Rodríguez Zaragoza, accompanied by the organisers and partners of the fair, spoke during the presentation of the coming event. Rodriguez Zaragoza’s continued Presidency of the Port Authority depends on the outcome of the election, so when the fair takes place he

may not still be in position. Nevertheless, he congratulated the team headed by Commercial Director, Airam Díaz, which made Tenerife’s candidacy attractive enough for the island to be chosen to host the prestigious event, which is second in importance after that of Miami in the USA. Andrew Williams, managing director of Seatrade Cruise Med, said he was “surprised” by the potential of the island and explained that the growth of cruise passenger numbers in recent years, improved infrastructures and the “impressive” submission made, were the three reasons that “made us decide on Tenerife”.

Canarian Cola spoof

He added that “the island is following in the footsteps of the other most important port hubs of Europe, such as Barcelona, Rome and Venice”. Díaz, pointed out that the success of the achievement belongs to the whole team and went on to describe how the fair will bring together representatives of all segments of the industry: More than 200 from ports of destination, 600 speakers, and 200 carriers and tour operators. Also at the presentation, Mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, welcomed the work carried out by the Port Authority and said that this fair will be the “perfect opportunity” to

Photo: Puertos de Tenerife

Following in important footsteps

Image of the presentation of the cruise fair to be held in September 2016

promote the island among large tour operators. “Cruise tourism is the pillar tourism of Santa Cruz,” said the Mayor. The Tenerife Council’s President, Carlos Alonso, pointed

‘Poor taste’ campaign The storm of protest over a new ‘Canarian’ type of Cola was triggered deliberately by the firm behind the spoof campaign devised to publicise the product, it has emerged. Billboards in strategic spots in Tenerife and Gran Canaria as well as across various social media outlets have been carrying the giant ads for the new drink, called ChachoCola and made using bananas and other typical Canarian ingredients. However, the wording of the ad, particularly the emphasis on bananas being a food consumed by Guanche natives centuries ago (when the fruit had not reached the Canaries) and the placing of the Canaries incorrectly on the broader map of Spain featured in the advertising, led to a furious reaction by the public, with many complaining that these and other inaccuracies were an insult to the local population. The protests grew as the launch date for the new Cola (May 30) approached and eventually the company responsible admitted publicly that it was all a prank. The firm, one of the biggest names in waste recycling in Spain, said it hit on the idea

to impress on people the dangers of misleading information. “There are many urban legends about recycling and we felt a good way to heighten awareness in the Canaries of the need to act on facts, not information circulating by word of mouth or Internet, was to create a totally fictitious product we knew would stir up controversy” said a source. The admission has done little to pacify the critics, who insist the campaign was in poor taste. n

out that the event will be the largest held in the capital, saying “we have been encouraged to continue to grow”. The fair will be held in Santa Cruz’s Recinto Ferial, where

there will be exhibitors, conferences and various round tables. It will be the first time that this forum will have been held outside of the Mediterran nean area.

Rivero continues ‘American dream’

Canarian president Paulino Rivero may have been completing his final minutes in office but he showed in the run-up to the regional elections on May 24 that he was not taking things easy. Rivero and his finance minister Javier González crossed the Atlantic to meet with American business representatives to explore investment opportunities for US firms here, with a particular emphasis on the potential of the islands as a hub to trade with Africa. The Canarian delegation held meetings in Washington before a lightning visit to Los Angeles, where Rivero was introduced to influential film industry figures by US Ambassador to Spain, James Costos, who is assisting the Canaries’ efforts to promote the islands as a shooting location. The outgoing president has repeatedly stated that the American market is one the region should concentrate on and he hopes his successor in government will continue the efforts made during his term to consolidate ties with the US. However, critics have voiced scepticism that the contacts will produce tangible results and point to the failed efforts to launch direct flights to and from New York as proof of the lack of interest on the part of the busin ness community on both sides.

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

BLEVINS FRANKS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Inflation is a long-term threat By Paul Montague, Partner, Blevins Franks

Much is being made of just how low inflation is at the moment: In Spain and Europe as a whole it has fallen into negative territory. It is a concern for governments and central banks as it could impact the economy and monetary policy. Individuals, on the other hand, may welcome low inflation, but we should not become complacent about this threat to our wealth. It is as important as ever to plan to protect your savings and income from inflation. It is not just inflation today that matters to retirees. It is inflation each and every year over your retirement years that does the damage and which can affect your long-term financial security. There is no predicting now what it will be in five, 10, 20 or 30 years’ time. Yet you need to plan for inflation over these years, since it will affect the

“It is as important as ever to plan to protect your savings and income from inflation.”

spending power of your sav- representative selection of items ings in your later years. for people across all ages and incomes. It rarely reflects our personal inflation rate, which is It is as important as ever to plan to generally higher than the offiprotect your savings cial one. and income from Inflation is insidious. To illusinflation. trate the potential effect, a personal annual rate of 4 per cent Official figures are based on a would reduce the spending basket of goods containing a power of €100,000 to €81,537

after just five years. After 10 years it falls to €66,483. After 20 years it will have lost 56 per cent of its value. Even lower rates have an impact over time. Inflation at 2.5 per cent reduces the spending power of €100,000 to €77,632 in 10 years and to €60,269 in 20. With more and more people living 30 years in retirement,

you need to plan for this possibility. Thirty years of inflation could decimate your savings if they do not keep pace with inflation. You need a tax informed investment strategy. Larger amounts are not immune. A research paper by First Direct illustrated how inflation has downgraded the lifestyle that £1 million can buy you. In 1992 it could buy a basket of goods including an average house in Kensington and Chelsea, a RollsRoyce, seagoing luxury yacht and holiday homes in Tuscany and Cornwall. In 2012 it could buy an average house in Hounslow, Aston Martin and river cruiser. It is a similar story here in Spain. All this shows that you have to plan to protect your savings from inflation. You need enough capital growth to at least keep pace with inflation, and preferably beat it. So keeping most of your wealth in a

bank account is not the answer. Cash is not a risk free investment because it loses value each year. It is increasingly important to plan your affairs with longevity in mind. And there is a second threat to plan for – taxation. You need a tax-informed investment strategy with the potential to provide capital growth and where your money is legitimately protected from taxation where possible. This can be achieved with a diversified investment portfolio, based on your attitude to risk, personal circumstances and aims, and placed within a tax efficient arrangement which is compliant in Spain. Blevins Franks has 20 established offices across Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta and UK, and decades of experience advising British expatriates. Contact our Partner Paul Montague on 922 716 079 or paul.montague@ blevinsfranks.com

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Look good, feel great

Here comes summer! Do you have a penchant for striking hats, but aren’t sure how they can be worn to fit in with your everyday life? Well, welcome to the summer of 2015: Hats are now firmly in fashion and can be worn with pride at any time of day or night! Casual outfits like jeans topped off with a shirt are also in, as are super-trendy maxi dresses which, more than any other piece of clothing, transmit the ‘hippie’ feeling which is so in

All photos: www.prshots.com

The Canary Islands are known as the islands of eternal spring thanks to the pleasant climate which graces the archipelago all year round. However, despite the appropriate moniker, summer is still the hottest time of year and is a very special season here: a time when good humour, selfconfidence and a casual feeling are constant companions – sentiments that are easily expressed in fashion. With that in mind, the motto for the hot season is: do you dare?

‘It’ girl and model Poppy Delevingne is the new face of the fashion brand Monsoon - and she presents a wonderful example of the new hippie look which is now back in fashion. From Monsoon

Light colours are particularly popular in the summer, for both clothes and accessories. These ladies are modeling outfits from Accessorize

What a hat! Many will remember these models from the 70s. From Dorothy Perkins

at the moment. So a maxi dress should thus be included in every woman’s shopping spree this summer! The season’s slightly exotic and uber-casual look is accompanied by the return of typi-

Summery and light: a simple smock dress with a feminine pattern, from La Redoute

cal 1970s patterns such as Paisley, delicate lace embroidery and accessories like eyecatching Roman-style sandals that lace up to just below the knee. Anyone who wasn’t around for the 70s fashions

If you like casual fashion trends, wear your boyfriend’s jeans with delicate, bright colours and fancy accessories. Outfit from Matalan

will find plenty to experiment with this season. ‘Rock-chick’ is also in, where cool-black and metallic elements meet colour. The result, together with narrow silhouettes, gives a distinc-

This maxi dress is simply cut, but the beautiful bright blue gives it elegance. From Phase Eight

tive look that will make you stand out wherever you are. This also applies to the 50s trend which has also returned this year, with full swinging skirts, brief tops and flat n shoes.

Very’s metallic touches from the 1950s - a wonderfully distinctive style

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Try the chic rock chick look this summer with this shirt dress from One Green Elephant

Rock-Chic A real eye-catcher: im Sommer. Gladiator Da passt das sandals Shirt-Kleid that lace perfekt. up the Voncalf. OneFrom Green Penney’s Elephant

Lovely and simple! Summery tones topped off with a straw hat. From New Look.

Perfectly casual: An airy blouse with trendy embroidery from Next

Of course there are also some beauty must-haves this summer. These mainly include simply remarkable makeup tones. Colours such as sea green, aqua blue or fuchsia suit tanned skins particularly well. However, if you need a natural sun-glow to help out a little, try the current bronzing powders which provide extremely fine iridescent particles to give you that coveted sun-kissed look. To accompany your make-up you really shouldn’t miss the season’s fragrances either. These feature ingredients such as bergamot and iris which are now in vogue, as well as peach, rose and vanilla.

Bronzing powder is a distinctive beauty accessory during summer. This one is by Catrice

From delicate flowers like iris, to fruity notes of peach and a hint of sensual vanilla: Emozione by Salvatore Ferragamo

Paradise Calling is the name of Mary Kay’s summer collection which has amazing colours for suntanned skin

All photos: www.beautypress.de

Back view of a light summery dress by Miss Selfridge

HEALTH

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Farmer’s Markets

Island support!

Adeje Calle Archajara, s/n, in front of Makro Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm / Wednesday 4pm – 8pm Telephone: 922 775 200 Alcalá Plaza de Llano Monday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100 Arafo Plaza San Juan Degollado Thursday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 511 711 Arico Porís de Abona Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 676 159 034 Arona Valle San Lorenzo, Carretera General 122 Monday/Friday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 767 138 Buenavista del Norte Plaza de San Sebastián Opening times: Saturday 8.30am – 2pm Telephone: 922 129 030 Candelaria Wednesday 2pm - sell out. Next to council offices Saturday 9am – 3pm. Plaza del Centro Commercial de Punta Larga Telephone: 922 505 014

We at Island Connections are sure in the knowledge that one of the best ways to help yourself, and the economy, is to buy locally – even if you are just visiting for a short time. Canarian farmers harvest an extensive range of crops, which can be seen growing in the typical stepped-terrain farms around the Islands. Products range from tropical fruits, such as mangoes, to worldwide staples like lentils, potatoes and onions. According to the agricultural group COAG-Canarias, prices of fresh fruits and vegetables differ greatly between the amount the farmers receive and the sale price in the supermarkets. For instance, towards the end of last year, small marrows, which the farmers were paid just €0.07/ kilo for, retailed at €0.84, and leeks sold at €0.36 were passed onto the consumer for around

€2.23 a kilo. Many of the prices don’t even seem to cover the cost of production - and this is when subsidies became necessary to keep farms from disappearing, which, like the hiked prices, also come out of our pockets. Enter the farmers markets, where the grower can sell directly to the customer without an intermediary. They are dotted all over the Islands, with at least one in almost every town. They allow customers to purchase fresher, higher quality produce at cheaper prices, and the farmers receive a fair payment for their efforts. This enables them to maintain or raise the standard of their crops and uphold productivity levels – it’s a win-win situation. In these markets you will be sure to see a variety of seasonal products, as well as some local

home-made delicacies such as preserves, honeys and Canarian goat’s cheese. A selection of meats and fish can also be found among the stalls, along with an assortment of cakes, pastries and biscuits. Buy locally, eat healthily, pay fairly – this is one way we can all help each other. So, to show our support of local farmers we are taking this timely opportunity to publish the details of the many farmers’ markets around the island n of Tenerife. Enjoy.

El Médano Plaza Principal Wednesday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 759 966/62 El Rosario Carretera General del Norte, la Esperanza Saturday/Sunday/festivals 8am – 4pm Telephone: 922 010 160 El Sauzal Hoya de la Vida, next to the church, Ravelo Friday/Saturday/Sunday 7.30am- 2pm Telephone: 922 584 657

Güímar Plaza del Ayuntamiento Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 526 105

side behind Titsa Depot) 8am – 3pm closed Mondays Tel 922 076544

Guía de Isora Plaza del Pueblo de Garachico Friday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100

Playa de San Juan Plaza de la Iglesia Wednesday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100

Icod de Los Vinos Calle Key Muñoz 5 Monday/Friday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 815 700 / 922 447 938 La Guancha Carretera General TFS km 49 Saturday/Sunday 8am – 3pm Telephone: 922 360 788 La Laguna Plaza del Cristo Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday 6am – 2pm Telephone: 922 601 100 / 922 253 903 La Matanza de Acentejo Ctra. General del Norte Saturday 8am – 3pm, Sunday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 577 120 La Orotava Calle Educadora Lucía Mesa Saturday 8am – 1.30pm Telephone: 922 336 804 / 681 277 633 Los Realejos Camino Viejo de San Benito, Finca el Llano, Realejo Alto Saturday/Sunday 9am – 2pm Telephone: 922 346 234 Los Silos Plaza de la Luz, Los Silos Sunday 9am – 2pm Telephone: 922 840 004 Parque de la Reina – El Cho Calle Infanta Elena, 32 (before Karting on right hand

Puerto de la Cruz Avenida Blas Pérez González, 4 Wednesday to Saturday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 386 158 San Isidro Mercado del Agricultor de Granadilla Off the roundabout leading to El Médano Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 759 966 San Miguel de Abona P.I. Las Chafiras, San Miguel de Abona, next to the fire station Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm Wednesday 2pm – 7.30pm Telephone: 922 735 386 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Avenida José Manuel Guimerá Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 606 000 Santa Úrsula Carretera General, near the town hall Saturday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 301 640 Tegueste Calle de Asuncionistas, 6 Saturday/Sunday 8.00am – 2pm Telephone: 922 316 100 Vilaflor Plaza de Vilaflor Monday to Thursday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 709 002

Los Agaves and freshness Quality is our brand FRUTERÍA

VIP fruit and veggies: Sweet pepino, persimmon, dragon fruit, christophene, cassava, daikon... And much more!

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C/ Venezuela, Edif. Los Ágaves • Playa de Las Américas Tel. 922 790 173 • Mo-Fr: 8.30am – 7pm • Sa: 8.30am – 7pm

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

ENTERTAINMENT

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

QUEEN PROJECT

The Freddie Mercury returns The Queen Project commemorates the 25th anniversary of the last appearance of Freddie Mercury with Queen at the Brit Awards in 1990, and the 40th anniversary of the group’s flagship theme, Bohemian Rhapsody. Queen is considered one of the most important bands in rock history, with songs popular around the globe such as We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, Radio Gaga and I Want To Break Free, to name just a few of their greatest hits. The band’s charismatic leader, Freddie Mercury, is considered by many to be the greatest performer in the history of Rock, and is also the author of some of the most important hits in the history of music. One of his last recordings was Barcelona with Montserrat Caballe, which would become the anthem of the 1992 Olympic Games. n

Bombay Babu

Better and brighter! By Xena The ever popular Bombay Babu Tandoori Indian restaurant has recently opened its doors again after having undergone some impressive floor-to-ceiling refurbishments. Luckily for the team at Island Connections, we were invited to take a look at the changes and ensure ourselves that the food was as good as ever. I won the short brawl that ensued when the invitation was received so one fine evening my companion and I took a stroll down to sample the delights. The Torviscas restaurant is the original Bombay Babu and the décor and fittings were already pretty good before, but now, it has to be said, it really is bigger and better. Bright and colourful, the changes have brought fresh, clean lines, warmth and even a little excitement: From the parquet flooring to the refurbished bathrooms, new disabled toilet, lengthened bar area and clever wall coverings, everywhere you can see has a brand new look. The colour scheme for the tables has changed to a striking black and orange, with that latter colour being mirrored around the rest of the restaurant. The walls along one side are now adorned with huge murals depicting traditional Indian scenes, which is a great effect – and those walls held some surprises for us later. Though the appearance of the restaurant is new, the menu and staff are exactly the same as ever – which means wonderfully tasty (the food) and helpful and efficient (the staff). Perfect. So, having admired the improved décor and taken a table at the back of the indoor dining area, we ordered our drinks and took a leisurely peek through the menu. The range of foods is comprehensive and it all looks incredibly tempting, especially as the photo menus show each of the dishes in their glory. Appetisers and starters include vegetable samosas, garlic king prawns, and paneer pakora, as well as the house special consisting of several pieces of chicken barra kebab, vegetable pakora, onion bhaji, chicken tikka and pakora, pudina tikka, and sheekh kebab.

The Andersons and friends arrived early to make the most of the evening

Side dishes range from Chana Masala and Aloo Gobi to Bindi Bhaji, and there is a fine selection of sauces, rices, naan breads and chapattis to choose from. The list of curries includes Dopiaza, Chasney, Dansak, Karahi and many more, and it’s always a delight to see a large variety of vegetarian dishes as well. Having finally made our decisions, our order was taken and we were served a portion of Papadums with the three sauces tray (mango chutney, mint yoghurt and spicy onions) which was soon accompanied by our chosen shared starter of Tandoori chicken. As we enjoyed these, it was impossible not to notice the delicious aroma of the dishes being served to other tables – an exotic perfume of spices which not only perfectly complements the surroundings but which is guaranteed to tantalise the taste buds. Ok, so I know I’m waxing lyrical but I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine and Bombay Babu is one of the best on the island so it was all particularly thrilling. Just before our main meals were served a family sat down at the table next to us. The Newmans were on holiday in the area but said they hadn’t had the best experiences foodwise and so were hoping that Bombay Babu would be as good as they’d been told. We assured them it would be which seemed to cheer them no end. My Lamb Kashmiri korma and my companion’s fish Jay puri soon arrived, along with a peshwari naan and coconut

happy with their choice of venue and, in fact, the restaurant was soon full of seemingly joyful diners. As night fell, the new décor really came into its own. The terrace lights, a ceiling adornment and even the wall scenes lit up – the latter turning into almost 3D decorations. Really lovely: Very attractive indeed. For dessert we could have

The Newman family was so impressed they were considering returning the next night!

rice. One of the great things about Bombay Babu is that for the majority of the curries you can not only choose how hot you would like them – from mild through to Madras and on to the extremely spicy Phall – but you also select your sauce and then whether you would like a particular meat with it, or fish or vegetables or even soy meat. It means that a menu which is already quite extensive is about as versatile as it gets. Our meals were, of course, delicious. The lamb was perfectly tender and I was told the fish dish was also lovely – in fact it was all very good. Portions, as ever, were generous but one of the great things about Bombay Babu is that there’s never a feeling of being rushed so we could take pleasure in our meals in a leisurely manner. The Newmans meanwhile were also thoroughly enjoying their meals and even making plans to possibly spend their last three evenings at the restaurant - endorsement indeed! The Anderson family and friends, who were seated outside on the terrace, were also

selected a traditional dish such as Kulfi or Gulab Jalum but decided to share a carrot cake: Unusual and slightly different from what was expected - and absolutely delicious for it. All in all, it was a lovely evening: The staff was excellent, the atmosphere welcoming and relaxed, and our meal was simply first-rate. As well as the delights listed above, the restaurant also offers a children’s menu which includes small portions of mild curries such as a korma. If you have never visited Bombay Babu in Torviscas then it’s well worth a try, and if you already have – well now is a good time to check out the new décor. All the prices are the same as ever as well, so that’s an even better deal! Don’t forget there is a second Bombay Babu in Callao Salvaje – equally as good as its sister – and there is also the online delivery service: all you have to do is phone your request through on 922 719 463 / 660 292 929 or simply order online at www.bombay-babu.com or n even via WhatsApp.

KATY / PETS

I love the National Geographic magazine and TV series. It seems the older I get, the more I want to learn. A few weeks ago, I was perusing some older copies online and came across several articles about mites on the face. Apparently it’s absolutely true that face-mites are doing all kinds of things we’d all rather not know about. According to Ed Yong “There are more than 48,000 species of mites. As far as we know, exactly two of those live on human faces. While their relatives mostly look like lozenges on spindly legs, facemites are more like wall plugs – long cones with stubby legs at one end. They don’t seem like much, but these weird creatures are almost certainly the living things we spend the most

time with. They live in our hair follicles and the pores in our skin, buried head-down, eating the oils we secrete, hooking up with each other near the surface, and occasionally crawling about the skin at night. They do this on my face. They probably do it on yours. A group of scientists at North Carolina State University found that every adult in a small American sample had face-mites – something that was long suspected but never confirmed. If you want to find humanity’s best friend, ignore dogs; instead, swab a pore and grab a microscope. In 1842 German dermatologist Gustav Simon was looking at acne spots under a microscope when he noticed a “worm-like object” with a head and legs.

y Kat

Hi everyone,

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

katykennedy@telefonica.net

He extracted it, pressed it between two slides, and saw that it moved. A year later, Richard Owen gave the mite its name: Demodex. We host two species on our faces and in our hair: Demodex folliculorum (bigger, round-bottomed) and Demodex brevis (smaller, short-bottomed). Apparently, scientists have since found Demodex in every ethnic group where they’ve cared to

look, from white Europeans to Australian aborigines to Devon Island Eskimos. A lady scientist called Mrs Thoemmes recently did something exceptional. She searched for their DNA. Mites have no anus and never poo, instead they release a lifetime’s worth of waste when they die. That contains their DNA, which

The smaller, short-bottomed Demodex brevis

The mighty mite! Handsome little fellows...

gives away the presence of the mites even when the creatures themselves are inaccessibly hidden. The mites seem to become more common with age. They’re rare on babies, more common on teenagers, and universal in adults. No one really knows where we get them from. Dogs get their face-mites during nursing, and humans might do the same – after all, one study found a lot of Demodex living in nipple tissue. But the fact that some teens aren’t colonised suggests we pick up these creatures throughout our lives. The team also compared their mite DNA to sequences from other parts of the world. They found that D.follicorum doesn’t have a lot of genetic diversity.

Pets Charity News

walk some of the dogs, which is always appreciated by our four-legged friends. The refuge is situated at Poligono Industrial Estate; Exit 51 on the TF1, directly next to the Parque Eolica where the windmills are. We are open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 2pm to 5pm. On Saturdays we’re open from 1pm till 4pm. The refuge is closed Wednesday, Sunday and public holidays.

Live Arico (PAWS) It’s that time of the year when we charter the MustCat and head off to see the whales and dolphins. Our last trip out was a complete success, and we have already sold half the tickets for this one. If you’d like to come along, the price is only €20 for the three hour trip, which sails at 1.15pm on June 13. All is going well at our new charity shop on the Golf, and

please remember that our vet, Cesar Bertoldi, is with us every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm, offering advice on all aspects of pet healthcare. Feel free to pop by and have a chat with him. We are situated at Golf Park and open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. We also have shops in Los Cristianos and San Eugenio. They are open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; and until 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. Come and have a browse, bag a bar-

gain and help the animals. Find us at: www.livearico.com, on Facebook, or join us on Twitter: twitter.com/live_arico.

Acción del Sol We had an amazing afternoon at our recent Spring Event and we were totally overwhelmed by the amount of people that came. We had a fun dog obedience contest, a ‘Mr and Mrs Dog 2015’ competition, horse riding, a small animal petting

farm, music, a dance display, face painting, a cake stall, barbecue, and stalls laden with bargains, and much more. We would like to thank everyone who helped on the day and for the generous donations. We are so happy to have your support to enable us to continue our valuable work with the dogs here in Tenerife. Please call 922 778 630 if you would like to help out in any way. Maybe you have some spare time and would like to

Email: katykennedy@telefonica.net. Tel: 616 110 930.

A special appeal…

Pets charities round up

One lucky dog from the refuge experiencing some human love at Acción del Sol’s spring event

The ones living on someone in China are probably very similar to those living on an American face. D.brevis, on the other hand, is much more diverse, and a single face can house many different lineages. However, considering how common these creatures are, there’s still a great deal we don’t know about them. So washing, cleansing our faces and even having a jolly good facial scrub seem to be the best way to keep the colonies of miniscule mites down. I’m off to scrub my hair very hard with the nearest thing to a yard brush, and use an extremely strong n facial peel on my face!

Our monthly car boot sale takes place at Los Gigantes bus station and runs on the last Sunday of every month from 9am until 12.30pm. We regularly ask San Miguel borough council to help us find suitable land that we could buy or rent within a four-mile radius of our existing kennels, which have become harder to maintain. If anyone knows of somewhere suitable for animal use, we would love to hear from you. Our shop in Alcala Plaza is in continual need of donations. If you have anything suitable, please take it to the shop. The kennels are open every day from 11am until 2pm. If you have any enquiries or are looking for a dog or cat, the numn ber is: 667 638 468.

Live Arico (PAWS) is helping Tim find a new home after his ordeal

Tim is a seven year old German Shepherd cross who was picked up by police with terrible injuries to his paws. Due to his condition he cannot go to Live Arico’s refuge and needs a foster home urgently. He is presently living in a cage at Hospivet Sur. Please, can you help? All he needs is his paws bathing each day, and he really is a good boy. Call Sue on 629 388102 for more information.

Tierhotel Lilly We look after your pet while you are away

(short or long term)

Tel: 697 826 738 (D/E), 659 131 382 (SP, Trainer)

www.tierhotel-lilly.com

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

HEALTH

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

m_delaflor@hotmail.com

Dear Dr. De La Flor Dr. De La Flor Facts

Thumbs Up By Dr. De La Flor

 Eczema – A plethora of signs

Dear Dr. De La Flor, I’ve been taking several supplements for a while. I read recently that creatine was linked to cancer? Is it ok to take small dosages? Sincerely, Ben Dear Ben, Men who use muscle-building supplements containing creatine or androstenedione may have a higher risk of contracting testicular cancer. The trouble is the so-called ‘natural components’ in certain supplements that act like artificial hormones. The majority also contain impurities, additives or traces of less-active ingredients than those listed on the label. A supplement should be just that, an extra, a complement that your doctor recommends and supervises, only when required. Be wise, be prudent, stay safe. “Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.” Hippocrates

Dear Dr. De La Flor, Can hydrogenated oils increase my cholesterol levels? Thanks, Veronica Dear Veronica, The food industry began using hydrogenated oils to save bucks, extend products’ shelf life, add texture, and increase stability. While lilliputian amounts of trans-fats are found naturally in some foods, the majority come from processed hydrogenated fats (HF). HFs are specialists in wrecking lipid profiles short-term, and adept at eventually clogging the cardiovascular system due to the formation of artery ocluding atheromas: in a word, they are unfriendly folks. They affect our health and wealth because they increase lousy (LDL) cholesterol and lower the friendly one (HDL). The common culprits are most commonly found in foods

that also have saturated fats: margarine, vegetable shortening, packaged snacks, premade baked goods, ready-touse dough, fried foods, coffee creamers and the like. Let’s use them sparingly as treats so we can keep our cardiovascular pipelines pristine, our valves robust and our heart rejuvenated. Regards. “The longer I live the less confidence I have in drugs and the greater is my confidence in the regulation and administration of diet and regimen.” Dr. John Redman Coxe, 1773-1864

Dear Dr. De La Flor, Do I need antibiotics every time that I notice a change in vaginal discharge? Thanks, M. Dear M, Not at all. As a matter of fact, in most scenarios you probably won’t. Vaginal discharge serves an essential housekeeping role, keeping the vulvovaginal area hygienic, and warding off infection. Most of the time, vaginal discharge is perfectly normal. The amount can vary, as can odour and hue, depending, for example, on the time in your menstrual cycle. However, if the colour, smell or consistency seem unusual, especially if accompanied by itching or burning, you could be noticing an infection or other condition. These are a few of the things that can upset that healthy environment: Antibiotic or steroid use; bacterial vaginosis; birth control pills; STDs; diabetes; douches, scented soaps or lotions, bubble baths; and vaginal atrophy. Please consult your trusted GP before embarking on course of antibiotics. Regards. “The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Thomas Edison

 Minimum Effective Dosage

(M.E.D.) When we take certain chronic medications (pain-killers, antiinflamatories) we need to be wise and prudent. The ‘minimum effective dosage’ is our goal. Abuse signals misuse, and misuse leads to ineffectiveness or even ominous side effects. Ask your trusted GP for further advice.

 Probiotics may ward off

allergies The so-called friendly microbes known as probiotics may help alleviate symptoms of hay fever or seasonal allergies. Some scientists think the rise in allergies may be caused by a lack of bacteria in the gut due to cleaner living conditions.

“Thank God every morning when you get up, that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle never know.” Charles Kingsley

after

30 MINUTES FOR A YOUNGER FACE!! OUR EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SERVICE The first centre for aesthetic surgery in the Canaries. 20 years of experience. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 21st century Cosmetic Surgery as an out patient, no general anaesthetic, no prolonged post operative recovery or any other inconveniences. 30 MINUTES FOR A YOUNGER FACE Eliminating facial wrinkles - in just 30 minutes you will see the extraordinary results without any signs of treatment.

TREATMENTS: Facial Wrinkles - Skin Blemishes Bags Under the Eyes - Mini Facelift Liposuction - Droopy Eyelids Peeling - Flaccid Neck - Scars Breast Implants - Varicose Veins

Please make appointments over Salón de Belleza Sonja Cornelius. Carretera General (antigua) 99º Chayofa

Tel.: 922 386 430 / 922 729 527

Coaching Corner By Dr. De La Flor “For me the really satisfying things I do are offered me, free, for nothing. Ever go out in the fall and do a little hunting? See the frost on the grass and the leaves turning? Spend a day in the hills alone, or with good companions? Watch a sunset and a moonrise? Notice a bird in the wind? A stream in the woods, a storm at sea, cross the country by train, and catch a glimpse of something beautiful in the desert, or the farmlands? Free to everybody ...” Gary Cooper

ReSOLUTION

Come and see us and we will put your fears at rest. Completely free consultation with budget proposal. We speak:

International Aesthetic Centre Puerto de la Cruz

C/Virtud 3, 3°, Puerto de la Cruz, Tel/Fax: 922 386 430

ISLAND CONNECTIONS PICKUP POINT Frutería Ágaves Ed. Ágaves, Av. Venezuela 6

Playa de Las Américas

Pedro Alegre Alonso Pilates trainer ä Physiotherapist ä

By Dr. De La Flor

 Inconvenient truths

“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say ‘my tooth is aching’ than to say ‘my heart is broken.’” C.S. Lewis

 Chemical vs natural fra-

gances Chemical fragances are designed to make your home smell cleaner, but studies show that they could be harmful to our skin, respiratory tract and pets. Choosing a naturalbased essential oil should be our number one option (wood, flowers, and fruits).

For the next two weeks, let’s spend a few minutes pondering on how much it takes, and what it entails for you and me to be satisfied, to be content, entertained and grateful during leisure time. As the old adage proclaims, failing to plan is planning to fail. As summer season approaches, let’s make sure we take the time to plan conscientiously our leisure time. Wishing you all a meaningful, healthy, compassionfilled spring time. Talk to you in a couple of weeks. “He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate.” Henry David Thoreau

Dr. De La Flor, licensed G.P. (6089). In dealing with his patients he is highly influenced by Humanistic Psychology - an encompassing way of approaching patients through the study of their strengths and virtues to enable them to thrive and lead fulfilling lives, accept the past, find happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Call him today on 0034 697 888 666 or email him to REGISTER.

Tel. 699 521 649

pedroalegrealonso@hotmail.com

Creatine may be linked to a higher risk of testicular cancer

Eczema comes in many shapes and forms: Itching and skindamage associated with scratching; redness; scaling - the surface of the skin can flake off, giving a rough, scaly appearance; fluid-filled blisters, crusts or in severe cases, painful fissures. Don´t procrastinate, take action!

 Soul-seeking prescriptions

before

Therapies, Spiritual hypnosis, Past life regression Come, unleash your internal power and heal your mind, body and soul completely through energy healing, hypnosis and past life regression. Get Space Clearing carried out for more positivity at home and in your work place

Call 619 519 858

Lisa B. Harris

Osteopath, Acupuncturist, Rehabilitation, Pain Management

• Natural solutions to a balanced and pain free life. • UK qualified and Registered, with many years experience treating a wide variety of patient conditions.

Tel. 660 437 747 - Comercial Domasa, next to Lidl, Adeje

MOTORING

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Annual fair

Upcoming events

All on two wheels

A Honda 750 Four, with friends – there is a popular classic Honda movement on the Islands

A beautifully kept 1960s Ducati 200 Elite

Hence there were some impressive models of vintage push bikes, including a number of Penny farthings.

The fair is organised by the Hesperides Moto Club and is already growing in popularity so look out for next year’s get together. Check out the website at: www.mchesper-

June is an exciting time for rally fans on Tenerife with several of the top rallies taking place that month. On June 6 there is the PCAN Abades-Los Moriscos Classic Rally organised by the Scuderia PJ Elvis Sport club, with the action starting on the day at 8.30am with a gathering of the competitors and their cars at the PCAN AbadesLos Moriscos petrol station. There, the public can enjoy two hours of giving the cars the once over before racing begins around 10.30am. The route will take in various areas of the boroughs of Arico and Fasnia, both providing some good up-hill runs, and at the trophy ceremony after the rally, which forms one of the races for the Provincal Speciality Championship, there will be a dinner and special honours awarded to veteran competitors Miguel Verano and Jorge Hernández. See: www.pjelvis.com for all of the club’s rallies this year. For mountain rally lovers there is the 42nd Uphill Mirador de Güímar challenge on June 13 as part of the Canarian Mountain Rally competition. Taking place along the TF-28 which will close from 9am onwards, the action should be over by early afternoon with the trophy presentation taking place in the Plaza de las Flores. See: www.escuderiavalledeguimar.com. On June 20, fans can enjoy the 24th Granadilla Road Rally when the action starts around 9.30am. Each driver will make double runs of the Arico and La Cisnera to Granadilla route during the morning, followed by the same again on the Martela to El Fronton and Atogo course. Much of the home-base action will take place at the San Isidro Espacio Cívico (SIEC) in the town of the same name. Points gathered during the rally will go towards both the Tenerife Rally Championship and the Autonomous Regularidad Sport competition. Keep up to date with the event at: www.rallyegranadilla.com. n

The two gentlemen doing stunts were at it all day long

ides.com where you will also find information on other biking events, including group n runs.

Penny Farthing push bikes – who’d have thought? Old and New – the Chinese ‘Mash’ brand is a take on classic designs – and very well done indeed Now look at that for a tandem!

The II Regional 2-wheel Fair took place in La Laguna recently. As well as a display of classic motorbikes from some of Tenerife’s top private collections, there was a display of stunt riding and a multitude of stalls for - very modern motorbike accessories from big names and small. The two-day event, which took place in the Plaza del Cristo de San Cristóbal de La Laguna, included live music and entertainment as well as plenty of activities and games for the younger members of the twowheel fraternity. And, as the name suggests, the fair isn’t only about motor biking - all two-wheeled varieties of transport are celebrated.

Rally on!

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Tel: 922 736 707 / Mob: 655 988 367 C/ Claudio Delgado Díaz, 25º-A, Las Chafiras

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

MOTORING

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Rolls-Royce

‘Wraith – inspired by fashion’ Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and the world of Haute Couture have long been bound by a common philosophy – to take the very finest materials and craft them into the most exquisite luxury goods, appointed to the customer’s exact specifications. In this spirit of opulence, RollsRoyce Motor Cars recently unveiled the ‘Wraith – Inspired by Fashion’. Over a century ago, a short step from London’s famous centre of tailoring excellence Savile Row, Sir Henry Royce and his partner, The Honourable Charles Rolls, echoed the offerings of their illustrious neighbours by providing the UK’s most stylish denizens with a perfectly engineered Rolls-Royce chassis and running gear. The customer would then call upon their preferred coachbuilder to furnish the car with personal touches and accoutrements. This Wraith, a modern take on

Full insurance · All Inclusive No Hidden Extras · Short or long term Ask for details Call Stuart on 922 79 08 25 or 662 566 630 Or send us email: autosamericas@web.de

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ESTABL I

Autos Americas

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1 Driver or 2 Drivers, Baby Seats or Booster, Free Airport Service & Hotel Delivery

E D IN T E

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RENT A CAR LAS AMERICAS S.L.

exceptionally young customer base; with its share of young female buyers also well above average as well.” The exterior design of the Ibiza five-door, three-door SC (Sport Coupé) and the ST (Sport Tourer) are still absolutely up-to-the-minute, so simple changes for the new model

tration on the road. As far as safety goes, the new Tiredness Recognition System discerns diminishing driver concentration on the basis of steering characteristics, and provides a timely warning. The SEAT Ibiza is also driven by a completely new generation of petrol and TDI engines. The entry-level petrol engine is a three-cylinder with 1litre displacement, which produces 75 PS in naturally aspirated format and 95 PS or 110 PS as Eco TSI turbocharged engines.

With maximum torque of 160 or even 200 Nm, the 1.0 Eco TSI has impressive pulling power. A further highlight is the fourcylinder 1.4 Eco TSI with active cylinder management (ACT). Its improved output of 150 PS and torque of 250 Nm guarantee a high level of dynamic driving fun, while its cylinder deactivation under partial load leads to impressive combined fuel consumption. The TSI with 110 PS and the TDI with 90 PS are both available with the slick-shifting dualn clutch gearbox (DSG).

5 YE AR

sis on the issue of connectivity. The new Ibiza is now part of the connected world”, says Jürgen Stackmann, President and CEO of SEAT S.A. “The Ibiza is SEAT’s most successful model, with more than five million sold globally over the last 30 years. With an average age of 43, the Ibiza has an

The sexy new SEAT Ibiza

The new interior features several fully customisable elements and a driver-oriented instrument panel

take in new headlights with LED daytime running lights, novel 16- and 17-inch alloy wheel designs and two fresh paint colours, Moonstone Silver and Chilli Red. The new interior features several fully customisable elements and a driver-oriented instrument panel, and attention to detail abounds: The resulting interior design is a wonderful reflection of a product that has been inspired by, and conceived in, the surroundings of the beautiful city of Barcelona. The Spanish brand is using the second generation of its Easy Connect infotainment systems, and the Full Link connection (comprising MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) means that new Ibiza drivers are always able to retain their full concen-

RIFE FO

SEAT appropriately chose the Barcelona Motor Show to take the covers off its new Ibiza recently. The latest version of the Spanish brand’s iconic model comes with a raft of innovative technologies, new engine and equipment options, additional safety systems and, above all, a completely new connectivity and infotainment line-up. And with three body styles, several trim levels and a wide range of engines and equipment options, there is the perfect Ibiza to suit every need. “The New Ibiza is the first example of how we ‘Leonize our Portfolio’, applying the successful formula of Leon into all our model range. Alongside efficiency, quality and safety, we have placed particular empha-

Sexy new Ibiza

SEAT

a highly bespoke Rolls-Royce motor car, has an Andalucian White and Arctic White twotone exterior colour scheme and comes with a choice of accent colours, namely Jasmine, Tailored Purple or Mugello Red. Inside, the car’s classic Arctic White and Black interior colour scheme comes with embroidered headrests, seat stitching and piping, welting, and a leather steering wheel with a clever seamless stitch motif. The car’s front and rear door pockets are appointed with fine silks, and just the lacquering process for the application of wood to the dashboard took nine days to painstakingly complete. To mark the occasion of the creation of this fashion-inspired model, the car took part in a shoot on the production line at the Home of Rolls-Royce, accompanied by…. various n fashion models.

HOROSCOPES | CLASSIFIEDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Horoscope for period: April 30 to May 13 Aries 21.3 - 20.4 Make the best of a bad game: If someone is trying to show off in front of others the best thing you can do is just laugh about it. It is their own behaviour which says the most about your opponents. Others will catch on eventually.

Contacts

Taurus 21.4 - 20.5 Whether you live in a committed relationship or are presently enjoying a solo career - this moment is all about you and your emotions. Enjoy this time and let yourself be carried away for once.

Relaxing, energising, sensual and tantric massages for her, him and couples in Playa de las Américas. Tel. 642 311 909

Gemini 21.5 - 21.6 It is sometimes rather strange: As you fervently hope for change because your routine is so boring, suddenly it’s outside the door but you get scared and don’t have the courage to go through with it. Does that sound familiar to you? Then do not fall into this trap; be adventurous! Cancer 22.6 - 22.7 A tricky situation requires your full attention. Especially as you know very well that some of your contemporaries are just waiting for you to make a mistake. Do not be fazed. Just go for it! Leo 23.7 - 23.8 Currently you are taking a great interest in the world. You are being very sociable and are meeting lots of new people. The experiences you are having will enrich your everyday life. Virgo 24.8 - 23.9 Even if you are usually very good at finding solutions, this time you are facing a problem that will be extremely difficult to solve so it makes sense to get help from people who are knowledgeable about the matter. Libra 24.9 - 23.10 Of course you mean no harm but sometimes you should choose your words a little more thoughtfully. It can lead to misunderstandings which are not easy to explain in retrospect, and that you could be blamed for entirely. Scorpio 24.10 - 22.11 Right now you are quite well tuned to other people and their idiosyncrasies. This tolerance suits you. Above all, it ensures that more timid contemporaries have no fear when it comes to approaching you. Sagittarius 23:11 - 21.12 Are you involved in a law matter? You might want to consider asking a neutral person how they view it. Sometimes it is very easy to put yourself in a position where you cannot see the wood for the trees. Capricorn 22:12 - 20.01 By now you’ve shown others that you really do know what you’re talking about. No wonder you are feeling quite relaxed at work. However, keep in mind that there is still a lot of work needed to optimise your team. Aquarius 21.1 - 20.2 It never helps if you procrastinate to avoid an unpleasant situation it will not go away. It’s best to start right away in order to settle the matter, and then you can leave it behind and concentrate on more pleasant things again. Pisces 21.2 - 20.3 Maybe it is time you should try to learn conscious relaxation, otherwise you run the risk of achieving nothing due to stress. Take a break, even if it’s only an hour a day!

Erotic massages, also tantric and other services with attractive German lady. No rush, nice location and Jacuzzi. Tel. 619 614 380. Liberal German couple invites men to erotic parties, also threesomes: Tel. 0034 648 245 425 Only for ladies: Escorts, excursions, wellness and also erotic massages with Marc from Germany. I speak English well, have own apartment and car, visit to your location possible. Tel. 630 759 974 Sexy Italian lady. Classy and beautiful with spectacular curves. Only for special gentlemen. Enjoy your time, call me for an appointment. I speak English and German. Available also for dinner and escort service. No rush. Hotel visits. Tel 00 34 671 868 681 English model, showgirl, professional striptease, quality service, general entertainment, stag nights, dominatrix, fetish, luxury conditions, visits 24 hours, escort service available. Tel. 697 227 139. Supermodel companion, beautiful Spanish/German blonde, 30 – 40 years old, dress size: 8 – 10. Cosy environment and discreet visits, 10 minutes away from Los Cristianos. Photos: supermodelcompanion.com. Tel 604 145 735

Sarita young, blonde woman from Venezuela, big breasts, French, positions, vibrators, fetish, sado, massages, private apartment in Calle Noruega next to Altavista supermarket in Los Cristianos, hotel and house visits available. Tel. 605 375 495 Come and enjoy our erotic bodyto-body massage with happy ending! Unforgettable experience. Beautiful Polish ladies. Opening hours: 10am – 10pm. Playa Paraiso, Costa Adeje area. Tel. 00 34 662 960 065, www. edentenerife.com Ana, local girl, 28 years old, brunette, sexy, hot, French kissing, visits, private apartment, let your leisure be my pleasure, perfect English, Los Cristianos, opposite bus station. Tel. 604 237 296 Los Cristianos blonde Argentinean, professional masseuse, specialist in prostate massage, seductive, beautiful, sexy body, natural French, incredible orgasms. Enjoy a moment full of pleasure. Special atmosphere. Make your fantasies come true. Tel. 672 94 01 76

9pm). Los Cristianos. Tel. 697 333 158 Naomy, dark skinned, Los Cristianos, amazing body, tall, slim, young, beautiful, erotic massages, body-body, very discreet, very relaxing, French, with happy ending, private apartment. I do hotel visits. Tel 632 757 074 Los Cristianos, Patricia returns; blonde from Venezuela, nice body, big breasts, all services, without limits, 24 hours, discreet apartment, in Calle Noruega, near Altavista supermarket, in Los Cristianos. I can visit you. Tel. 605 375 495 Laura, Cuban woman, professional masseuse, young. Tel. 652 244 666 Mary, Brazilian escort, sex, massage, relax. Tel. 687 128 237 Lorena, sex, couples, threesomes, brunette. Tel. 646 466 948 Fetish, sado, lesbian, pleasure, elegant! Tel. 615 761 863 Discreet hotel visits. Tel. 602 099 940

Canarian girl, sweet and passionate, blonde, tall and slim. Let me look after you while you’re on holiday. Tenerife South. Home and hotel services. Tel. 611 389 017 33 years old, Russian lady, Los Gigantes, high class escort, affectionate, sensual, provocative and very hot. Ideal for demanding men. I will fulfil your fantasies. I’m available 24H. Tel 638 344 470 Lucia, authentic independent masseuse, tantric, sensitive, relaxing, sporty, you will feel new energies, reiki, emotional release through chakras, you will be treated with a lot of love, I await you (10am –

To advertise your services with us, please call 922 75 06 09

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

CLASSIFIEDS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Classifieds

From buying a pet to moving house and everything in between

Island Connections Online: www.islandconnections.eu

Classifieds Deadline Next Edition The deadline for edition 748, which is published on 11th June, is 9th June. No classifieds will be taken after this date.

Head Office Tenerife: Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6º- first floor. Pol. Industrial Las Chafiras 38620 - San Miguel de Abona. Tel. 922 750 609 Fax: 922 795 810 Office Hours: Mon-Frid 9am-5pm

Classifieds Info: For personal and professional help in placing your classified in Island Connections all you need to do is pop along to our new offices in Las Chafiras and speak to our Staff. Not only is Island Connections here to ensure that your advertisement reaches its target market, we will also advise on sizing requirements for maximum exposure, with prices to suit your pocket.

Rates: * Lineage classifieds: From 16 € * Boxed Ads: Colour Module 47,25€ * Long Term: Ask for long term advertising (3, 6, 12 months) and our special discounts.

You are welcome to come to our offices in Las Chafiras to place small ads. Card payment facilities are available.

After school classes, help or

General Services

activities in English, German or Spanish, please contact Mrs. Garus. Tel. 602 506 793. We are 5 minutes away from Wingate School in Cabo Blanco. www.mascuidados.com Web-

Spiritual, rune and tarot readings. Advice on matters of the heart, money and health. As a psychic medium I can also communicate with your loved ones who have passed over. Call me on 664 046 489. Masajes Jazmín. We are specialised in professional tantric massages for men, women and couples. Visit www.masajesjazmin.weebly.com. Call 658 587 814 (Golf del Sur). Learn how to speak Spanish with lessons, audio, video and games, including the alphabet, phrases, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and activities. Only with a native teacher. Puerto de la Cruz area, call Saida. Tel: 630 574 073 Rocket Café - An American style diner selling 100 per cent beef homemade burgers; homemade cakes; the best coffees; and exquisite cocktails. C/ Luis Álvarez Cruz, 5 (Opposite the post office), Las Galletas: 922 731 847 For sale. Home-produced ecological vegetables, Tenerife south. Interested businesses, call 650 323 751 (Spanish only), send WhatsApp or email to: michelteide@hotmail.com

Santiago del Teide Lions Club

Bargains galore From clothes and children’s toys to kitchenware and books – there are plenty of great deals on secondhand goods. They even have sets of golf clubs! Don’t miss out – visit their shop below the plaza in Puerto Santiago (Behind Vigilia Park): Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10am – 1pm and Wednesdays 2pm to 8pm.

Integrated Tax Planning and Wealth Management since 1975

922 716 079 www.blevinsfranks.com

site for our massages, dedicated to bringing the benefits of therapeutic massage to your home or hotel, no charge for travel. Do you want a massage? www.mascuidados.com Tel. 663 190 727

ISLAND CONNECTIONS PICKUP POINT Clínica Dental Fañabé C.C. Fañabé Plaza Playa Fañabé

Massage saloon Ilona. Offer: 60 minutes full body massage for €36. Couples, four hands,

BLOCK BUSTERS WE UNBLOCK ALL TYPES OF DRAINS

internal and external using our high pressure jets and cameras.

Call

647 928 223

Lamp Factory

lava stones, massages, etc. Playa de las Americas, Ernesto Sarti no.18, across from Iberostar Hotel in Torviscas Playa. Tel. 602 608 626 or email: ilonarebisch@hotmail.com

Buy during your holidays We deliver to your home country Ctra. General C-820, Travesía la Panadería, 1 38440 Santo Domingo (La Guancha) Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Tel / Fax: 922 130 301 OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 2 pm & 4 pm to 9 pm

Spanish and English Lawyers

Conveyancing • Inheritance & Wills Family Law • Criminal Law Civil Litigation & Personal Injury Timeshare • Tax & Commercial law

T: E:

922 719 520

tenerife@decottalaw.net

Av. de Los Pueblos, Residencial Villaflor B-20, San Eugenio

www.decottalaw.net

Kitchen Co.

Kitchen Bathroom & Building Mark has a great team of professionals for your kitchen, bathroom, building work, plumbing, aluminium doors & windows, electrical work, painting & decorating, plastering, parquet flooring, etc. Plans & permits included. Long term guarantees on all work. Happily living & working in Tenerife since 1987 For general help & advice, please call Mark on 619 472 458 or 922 362 834 or email mark@kitchenco.es

Tenerife’s leading specialist in the manufacture, repair and installation of all types of awnings, canopies, interior and exterior blinds. Manual or electric.

Specialists in the manufacture, repair and installation of all types of industrial and domestic shutters, security grilles, garage doors. Electric or manual. Remote controlled systems.

MASONIC MEETINGS

Logia Ave Fenix Nº 73 Edificio Simón, Los Cristianos. Meetings every fourth Tuesday starting in October 2014 (Installation) until the fourth Tuesday in April 2015

All Visitors welcome Contact John Donaldson (Secretary):

(+34) 922 178 091 or donaldsonjh@yahoo.co.uk

Island connections media group s.l. www.islandconnections.eu

C/ Agustín Millares 20 · Armeñime · 38678 Adeje

Tel/Fax: 922 74 08 88 · Mobile: 660 878 763 Showroom open: Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00 www.theprestigegroup.es · info@theprestigegroup.es

PRESTIGE GARDEN FURNITURE COMPANY

High quality garden and terrace furniture

CLASSIFIEDS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

CanaryPropertyguide.com Property Guide and Business Directory from the Canaries biggest English language newspaper on-line

Rental Classifieds For Rent Playa de las Americas 1 Bedroom apartment. Well-furnished and equipped, central location, quite area close to beach. No Finder’s fee. €570 all in. Call 620 230 871 922 75 11 13 Winter letting Puerto de La Cruz Studio apartment, 24 hour concierge, pool, sea views. Minimum three month contract. €500 per month. 669 652 149 Los Cristianos Cactus 2, for rent attractive two bedroom apartment, sea views, pool, satellite TV, large terrace, unsuitable for children, €650 per month + bills, minimum 3 months. Tel. 629 606 494 Rustic finca for long term let near Icod de los Vinos. Fully equipped and furnished, open fire, satellite TV and Wi-Fi available. Fantastic sea and mountain views, sun terrace and barbeque, €450 PCM. Tel. Spain: 0034 922 865 776. UK mobile: 0044 (0) 7786 390541. Spanish mobile: 0034 674 287 632. Email: Philhirstconsultant@ btinternet.com or P.D.Hirst@ gmail.com Penthouse 150 m2, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, terrace 120 m2, with garage, unfurnished in San Eugenio Alto for rent from March 1. Tel. 666 365 996 or email: kvan_ os8@web.de.

SALEs Classifieds Gran Canaria, sea front, Las Canteras, 92 m2, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms apartment. Small building with four floors, lift and wheelchair friendly. Price: €390,000 or best offer. Must sell. Tel. 608 450 001 or email: monicamiller10@hotmail.com Los Cristianos, central apartments, 1 and 2 bedrooms, furnished, Tel: 649 142 612 €39.990 Sunny apartment for sale (Studio) in Playa Paraiso (Tenerife-South), 40 m2, with balcony, spectacular sea views, pools, SAT-TV.

Very near to the beach, supermarket, restaurants and busstop. Private sale. Tel. 922 30 15 75, e-mail: mesa3@ telefonica.nice Looking to swap my house in Tenerife for a house in Dublin or surroundings. If agreed, the time could be arranged. From a month to a year time gap. Call Carmen 693 727 683 Villa for sale in San Isidro, 11,500 m2, living area 400 m2, 4 bedrooms, living room, 4 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, office, double garage, utility room, hobby room, pool, sauna. Telephone 922 390 951, email: horstbrett@gmx. de. Price: €990.000 (negotiable) possibility of payment terms. Website: horstbrett.de Apartment Tabaiba Alta for sale, only five mins away from the German school, roughly 102ms, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, utility room, garden, big terrace. Spectacular views of the sea and mountain, big garage with 2 spaces, 2 closed store rooms, price €180,000, mob. 686 798 367, email eoptenerife@gmail.com www.teneriffa-fincas.net For Sale! Favourable living in the sun. Staying at the most beautiful camping place of Tenerife. Nice view of the sea and La Gomera . A Caravan (Weippert) with compact wooden front structure. (Aluminium windows and doors). Total 40 sqm. Fully equipped with TV, washingmachine and so on. p.jaegertf@gmail.com or Tel. 922 85 06 85 Los Cristianos centre near beach, I’m selling 2 business units together (90 + 40 m2) – They can be separate. Updated installations. Each one has an alarm and air conditioning. Tel. 922 792 168 – 649 142 612

areas. Four or Five bedrooms and bathrooms, lounge, terrace and if possible a pool. Exclusive area with discreet entrance. Ask for Irene: 693 979 153 Amarilla Bay, Costa del Silencio, large, two bedrooms, two bathrooms apartment to rent. Fully furnished, English TV, three balconies, community swimming pool, close to all local amenities. €550 per month plus bills. Telephone 659 489 690. Best Deal Properties from banks & firstline. Bungalow Club Atlantis, 2 bedrooms €249,000; Fañabe beach 1 bedroom, €170,000; Torviscas beach 2 bedrooms 159 m2, €250,000; Torviscas 2 bedrooms, €110,000; Cristianos beach €118,000. Tel. 628 486 190 – 922 718 257 One of the most beautiful fincas! Villa and Guesthouse. Pool, Sauna Whirpool, Tennis court, Bodega, Garage, Water tank. Nice view to the sea and Teide, 8,500 sqm. P.o.r. p.jaegertf@gmail.com or Tel. 922 850 685 Two very good business premises for sale. Leasehold, restaurant near beach in Los Cristianos, €120,000, and bar/snacks Los Cristianos, €65,000. Tel. 690 676 527 For sale, Bungalow 160m2 Costa Sauzal, situated front row with guaranteed spectacular sea-views, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms , living room with panoramic windows, modern kitchen, dining room connected to the terrace, including a heated 4 x 8 m pool, all on same level, garage and a marvellous tropical garden with 800m2 landscaped with various plants and lots of fruit-trees. Private sale contact: info@ simonsananes.com. Tel.: 00 34 699 444 879

Comercial property for sale in Los Cristianos Calle Suecia, best place for a store or cafe! Directly from the owner. 42 square meters. Phone: 922 726 029 / 696 978 211 Property Wanted - Kundalini is expanding. In Los Cristianos, Las Américas and Fañabé

www.thepropertygallery. com

Property for rent For Long

Term Rent

www.villatenerifenorte.com Mature people preferred. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, big kitchen, 1 terrace, living room, garden with fruit trees, in quiet area. Tel. 609 531 178 melquiadesm@hotmail.com

www.lcp-tenerife.com

Property for sale

€690.000

8% Commission to intermediaries

Private Sale 10.800 m2 Tel. (0034) 682 392 956

Urb. Oasis Dakota, Playa Fañabé 3 bed semi detached, toilet, complete bathroom, separate kitchen, totally equipped, furnished, 35m2 terrace, secure access to pool, infant park, good views, beside commercial centres, 800m from Playa Fañabé, community fees 30€/month. Tel 629 244 958

€165,000

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

Mareverde one bed

Fully furnished one bed apartment, first floor in Urbanización Mareverde, Torviscas Bajo, air conditioning and pool views. Excellent location, close to Fañabé beach and commercial centres.

Chalet on Camp Site Guía de Isora Double bedroom, fitted wardrobes, shower, WC, hand basin, gas boiler, 4 gas rings, microwave, kitchen diner, TV, DVD, Hi-Fi, CD system, patio, sea view, table and chairs, swimming pool, security gate,parking, rates paid till March 2016. For sale furnished €21,000

Tel: 629 244 958

UK Tel. 0044 (0) 1903690309. UK Mob. 07973349111. Spain Tel. 0034 922 136 778. Spain Mob. 646 586 318

WINDSOR PARK

For sale freehold

€118,000

CLASSIFIEDS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

canary property guide.com Residencial

La Duquesa Playa Fañabé

Los Cristianos

flat with balcony in the green

Playa de las Americas

Exclusive Nightclub

Located on the 2 floor of a total of 5, this cozy flat with 2 bedrooms, one bathroom and a balcony enjoys views to its green surroundings. Quiet residential area with all types of commerce easily reachable ... 2 Bedroom(s)

Exclusive Nightclub in best area of Playa de las Americas (guaranted profitable business) 280 m2 inclusive sauna, relaxation room, 3 séparëes (possibility for 5), office, various storerooms, air conditioning, ...

85.00 m² Living Space

280.00 m² Plot

€126.000,00

€199.000,00

More information on our website

Guia de Isora

Finca

With horse stables. Riding pasture. Garage. Tool/work shed and house with veranda in authentic Canarian style. Electricity and water, solar cells...

€273.000,00

More information on our website

3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, front and back garden, community pool.

€455,000

Tel. 629 244 958 San Eugenio Alto Exclusive! Fantastic Coastal and Pool Views from this 2 bed 2 bath Apartment, with Large 30sm Terrace, Fully furnished. Walking distance to shops and Puerto Colón. Well maintained complex with 2 pools.

€139,000

Great Value! Ring Alan: 667 513 689 for appointment to view.

Los Cristianos one bed

Large bar: established Irish bar for 25 years, overlooking Los Cristianos harbour and beach, ideal Investment Property as it comes with a 2 bed. and a 1 bed apartment on sea front. Being sold with tenants in place or vacant. Total Price for the lot €330,000 leaving a yield of over 11%, mortgage can be arranged.

Mobile home in prime position. Camping Nauta

Purpose built 2008. Double glazed. Large Approx 65m2. 2 big bedrooms. Fully tiled bathroom. Fitted kitchen. Spacious Loung dinner. All electric. Laminate floors. Air con. Garden. Car parking. Use of all site facilities.

Alan: 667 513 689

Tel. 693 760 769

€36.000

Opportunity in Torviscas Alto (Playa Fañabé) Apartment, 60m2, one bed, furnished with terrace 8m2, views over the pool and La Gomera. Quiet neighbourhood, near to commercial centres, Playa Fañabé , safe, communal zones. Community pool. Community monthly fee, €49. Excellent investment. Price €75,000. Iñaky - Tel. 629.24.49.58 aska_tenis@hotmail.com

Situated in the Real Golf Club Tenerife, in Tacoronte.

richard@larkinproperty.com

Los Cristianos lovely condition 1 bed with 1 bathroom apartment plus balcony. All New kitchen, all new bathroom, new furnishing, very good condition. Nice size balcony, town views, great location well run complex with pools. Fully furnished. Well priced EEC Registered.

£113,000.

VILLA FOR SALE

243 m2, Garage for two cars. Hall with a little toilet, dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms with 2 complete bathrooms, dress room, kitchen, service bedroom with bathroom, and terrace around the villa. The garden: 750 m2.

Information Tel. +34 659 928 805

www.ffcanarais.ru

Playa de las Americas

Business Investment

Santiago del teide

Apartment one bedroom

Playa de las Americas

Office Space for Rent

Playa de las Americas Shopping Center Investment in Playa de las Americas – San Eugenio Alto – Shopping Center with 4 locals each 200 m² in a very busy tourist area with view from the terrace to La Gomera, El Hierro and the mountains...

Fantastic ocean views all year round! located in Los gigantes, very close to the well known Yacht Club It has a large sunny terrace always overlooking the Atlantic, lounge with direct access to the terrace and an equipped american kitchen... 1 Bedroom / 1 Bathroom 55.00 m² Living Space Swimming Pool

Front Line Coastal Position in Centre of Las Américas. -First month rent free! -Free Professional advice to organise and license any new business. -Reduced prices for maintenance and communications services.” From 20 to 800 m²

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More information on our website

www.ffcanarias.ru

Situations

Vacant / wanted Promotions company with more than 10 years experience in selling attractive, high quality products in Tenerife markets, 5 star hotels and superstores is looking for open minded full/part time promoters, who like to present and sell in live promotion. No selling experience is required. Contract + Social Security + fixed salary + commission is guaranteed. Feel free to contact us for further information. Office: 922 781 548 Fax: 922 781 548 Mob: 629 493 799 Seeking highly motivated distributors for a natural product. This is not only for Tenerife but also for the UK. Send CV to oroten10@gmail.com or call 0034 922 985 462

Regional distributor seeks commercial staff for Gran Canaria and Lanzarote English essential. Please send your CV to: comercialesgc@ gmail.com

CLASSIFIEDS | PASTIMES

FRUSTRATED WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER? I’m a Spanish translator and can help with the doctor’s, school, NIE’s, community meetings etc.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Vehicles Fiat Panda,

Letters & CV’s also translated

Tel: 649 882 366

115.000 km, Top Zustand, Air Condition Tansferkosten inklusive.

3.500€

Tel. 609 248 245

Ford Fiesta,

100.000 km, Top Zustand. Air Condition, Transferkosten inklusive.

3.900€

Tel. 609 248 245

Qualified and experienced native

English, German, Russian and Spanish teachers wanted for new language school in El Médano. Please send your CV to info@babelacademy.es

A new upcoming business is looking for attractive, high

class and opened minded women, to

work in a different and exciting profession. Call 669 977 993 for more information.

Car for sale

Mercedes Benz CLK 200, cabriolet, automatic, 1999, metallic-silver, petrol, 92.000 km. 9.800€ Tel. 602 453 718

(For Crossword and Sudoku solution see pag 40)

Across

1 - collections (7) 4 - small children (5) 7 - move forward (5) 8 - working together (7) 9 - immobilise (4) 10 - shelter (3) 11 - this place (4) 15 - under water (9)

Down

17 - zero (4) 1 - fasteners (5) 19 - Mediterranean tree (3) 2 - languages (7) 20 - sailors (4) 3 - dyes (4) 24 - portable 4 - attach together (4) computers (7) 5 - boat (5) 25 - cooks (5) 6 - legume (7) 26 - role; office (5) 8 - reminders (9) 27 - reading (7) 12 - fall back (3)

13 - pride (3) 14 - light givers (7) 16 - softens (7) 18 - pause (5) 21 - hood (5) 22 - congregation (4) 23 - blemish (4)

Boxing roundup

BOXING | SPORTS NEWS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

By George Reed

A boxing-movie quiz

Thousands of stories and films have been made about boxers - more than any other sport - which is not surprising, for no sport can quite match boxing for its characters, drama, uncertainty and unusual happenings. Therefore, this edition we have a special boxing quiz. Each of the following actors played a real-life boxer on film. Name the fighters that they portrayed. And to be fair to the fringe boxing fans, I’ll give a few clues: 1. Russell Crowe – The story of the fighter Crowe portrayed may seem a strange choice for a movie title for he is one of the least-known world heavyweight champions. In fact, after winning the title, he only defended it once and was knocked out. Yet, up until that time, his career during the 1930s had been fascinating – a real Cinderella story. 2. Robert De Niro – The tough-as-nails fighter De Niro played won the actor an Oscar, as the fighter’s life story was perfect material for a Hollywood movie. This fighter’s great claim to fame was that he was the first man to beat ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson. 3. Errol Flynn – ‘Gentleman’ was the nickname given to the bare-fist fighter Flynn played in a film I saw when I was a young kid, and I loved it. When he won the world heavyweight title the conditions for the fight made boxing history, for it was the first heavyweight championship in which the use of gloves was stipulated. 4. James Earl Jones – Jones played the part of the first black man to win the world heavyweight championship. In America, this fighter was hated for the way he’d won the title, and a black man who was champion at the expense of a whipped white man was certainly not a popular figure in early-twentieth century America. His affairs with white women made him an even more detested figure. 5. Paul Newman – His blazing fists took this tough fighter to the top of the rankings when he won the middleweight title in 1947. Newman did a good job playing the fighter; a product of New York’s slum districts, who was a juvenile delinquent, an army deserter, and an inmate of reformatories and prisons, but who made the grade despite his ups and downs. 6. Will Smith – The fighter who Smith portrayed in an average film once wrote a poem in 1963: “This is the legend of..., the most beautiful fighter in the world today. He talks a great deal and brags indeed, of a muscular punch that’s incredible in speed. This brash young boxer is something to see, and the heavyweight championship is his destiny.” 7. Mark Wahlberg – I had the pleasure of meeting and sharing a few drinks a couple of years ago, at the Boxing Hall of Fame in America, with the fighter Wahlberg played in a film made recently. Even though the boxer in question never won a major world title, he was still one of the American boxing fans’ most popular boxers for over a decade. He was a ring warrior who won fights after showing great heart and desire to win, often against boxers far superior to him on the technical side. 8. Coley Wallace – Many historians class this heavyweight who Wallace played on film as ‘the greatest’ and not Muhammad Ali! He was world heavyweight champion for 12 years. 9. Denzel Washington – In 1967 the American boxer portrayed in a film by Washington was convicted of the murder of three people during a robbery. He spent most of his sentence in solitary confinement, but he was thought by many to be innocent; among them, Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali, who became embroiled in the campaign to free him. Released in 1976 he was jailed a second time on a retrial. Eventually he was freed once more and went to live in Toronto. He boxed at middleweight. 10. Treat Williams – In the film, Williams played the part of the saloon fighter who became one of the most famous figures in boxing during the ‘Roaring Twenties’. n

Adeje boxing tournament

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

Sandro Domínguez gets the decision against Rocky Jesús García Simón

Tenerife boxing fans were treated to a special fight night at the Magma Art and Congress Centre in Playa de Las Américas recently. Organised by the Adeje Boxing School and Manuel Povedano, the evening staged three professional contests and seven amateur bouts, as over a thousand spectators were left

Teenager’s meteoric rise

An 18-year-old from Tenerife is being tipped for athletics stardom despite coming to the sport later than usual. Wen González Moreau, who suffers from an intellectual disability, has astounded his coaches with his startling performances in the 1500 metres, including a time that is considerably better than the European champion in the category, despite the fact that Wen does not train in proper athletics facilities.

Rocky Jesús García Simón hits the canvas after a strong left hook from Sandro Domínguez

thoroughly entertained. In the first professional fight, Sandro Domínguez outpointed Rocky Jesús García Simón after a flying start and a hard left in the first round which put the Galician boxer on the canvas, and to his credit he did well to recover and carry on. The Canarian, Zeben García, who was aided in his corner by Gabi

Cheikh Dioum carried on his winning streak against Dumitru Manea

Sarmiento, triumphed against Roberto Fernández from Galicia, who put up a strong fight despite three years out of the ring. ‘The Senegalese Tiger’, Cheikh Dioum, beat the Romanian, Dumitru Manea, after the latter sustained an injury to his right hand with a suspected dislocated thumb which occurred in the second round.

Prior to the stoppage, Manea had made a strong start during the first round. The amateur contests involved Ibrahima Sarr defeating Aitor. Selem Agoudi defeated Mihail Baibarac. David Toledo won his first fight after a lay-off. Yeray Silvera also won his bout, while Virgilio beat Eriel and Anas overcame the challenge of Mario. n

Running star in the making The teenager’s progress has been so meteoric in the last few months that he has been entered for the National Championships for intellectually disabled athletes, which take place in Santander at the end of this month. Everyone who works with him says Wen will easily achieve the time he needs to compete in the European Championships in London in June. Ironically, his talents were only discovered after he joined

the Dispacint FS indoor football team back in November, 2015. Although he played only a few games initially, his coaches were stunned by his running speed and encouraged him to take athletics up in earnest. His versatility has seen him entered for the 100, 200 and 1500 metres events in Santander. n Wen González Moreau has astounded coaches with his performances

Italian Open

Carla shoots up rankings Having reached the world’s Top 10 last month, Carla Suárez is determined to stay in the elite of the women’s game, something she readily demonstrated by immediately piling up valuable ranking points with a magnificent run in the Italian Open in Rome, rising to eighth spot.

The 26-year-old from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria reached her third final of the year by coming from behind to beat second-seed Simona Halep (the world number two), whom she has now defeated four times in a row. However, she could not keep the momentum up and lost in three sets

to Maria Sharapova. Suárez, who dispatched much higherranked opponents Eugenie Bouchard and Petra Kvitova in earlier rounds, was described by BBC Sport as “the form player on the WTA Tour this year” with 31 wins at the end of the Rome tournament. Meanwhile, special-

ist website tennis.com published an in-depth feature on her entitled “The Overlooked and Under-Appreciated Carla Suarez Navarro”, in which it highlighted how she was “proof that, even in today’s insatiable sports environment, a great player can still slip by unnoticed”. n

Answers: 1. James Braddock. 2. Jake LaMotta. 3. James Corbett. 4. Jack Johnson. 5. Rocky Graziano. 6. Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali. 7. Micky Ward. 8. Joe Louis. 9. Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. 10. Jack Dempsey.

SPORTS NEWS | POOL LEAGUE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Golfing fun in the south

Two tournaments held at Los Palos there, making the competition time shorter than the standard tee-off procedure. Play was finished by 1.30pm and the children were treated to lunch in the club house followed by the prize presentation. Congratulations to the following who took first place: Benjamín Category Male: Tomjas Viktora Majer from the Czech Republic Female: Ainhoa Marrero Palmero This year’s Canarian Federation Pitch and Putt Provincial Championship was a huge success

A group of 33 children between the ages of eight and 14 competed for prizes in what is known as the ‘Peques Circuito’ (Kid’s Circuit) recently at Golf Los Palos near Las Galletas. Organised by the Canarian Golf Federation, the competition was split into two categories:

Benjamín - aged eight to 10 years; and Alevín – aged 11 to 14 years. The children enjoyed a ‘Shot Game’ tee-off at 11am, which is a gun being fired to mark the start of the competition. A group of players started at each hole on the course and played their nine holes from

Alevín Category Male: Guillermo Gonzalez Garcia Female: Margarita Escobar Alonso The second tournament of the day followed the children’s circuit, and consisted of two rounds of 18 holes spread over two days. The Canarian Federation Pitch and Putt Provincial Championship also started

in ‘Shot Game’ style, and 31 golfers participated from Tenerife and neighbouring island, Gran Canaria. The competition was completed by 1pm on the second day of play and all players enjoyed tapas and cocktails in the club house, which was followed by the trophy presentation. The winners of the four categories were: Cesár Fernández de Caleya, Rafael Alonso, Jose Manuel Sosa Rodriquez and Rosa Nieves Muñoz Campos. Los Palos Golf Club is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. The final tee off time is 7.30pm. The Club House opens at 9am, and there is a full lunch menu as well as a daily menu offered between noon and 4pm. Their resident golf professional, and member of the PGA, is Nacho Bennasar . For bookings or more information please call 922 169 080. n

Pool roundup

Latest Super League results Division one It’s as you were at the top of the table, with Phoenix and Legends A drawing their previous matches 5-5. Legends A dropped points against lowly Penalty Sharks, while Phoenix was held to a draw against Hoops Bar. Legends A got back to winning ways beating Sloops Bar 7-3 and closing the gap on Phoenix, who had their game with Polygon Legends postponed. Leones B continued their impressive form by beating lowly Scruffys 7-3. Hoops played Zizzi’s Legends away and were beaten 6-4. There were wins for Bar 180 A away to Target Old Timers, and Toby Jug Saints beat Summerland Elite 6-4. The biggest shock came with Dos Hermanos whipping Bar Tasca A 7-3. They have moved up the table with three consecutive away victories, taking them away from the relegation zone.

Hoops Bar recently drew against Phoenix but lost away to Zizzi’s Legends

Division two Top of the table Bad Bobs played Lupain Properties and the first three frames all went down to the black ball and could have gone either way, but it was 3-0 to Bad Bobs. Alan managed to win the fourth frame and the first pairs was won by Mike

and Suresh to make the score 3-2. It looked like a comeback was on the cards but it wasn’t to be as they lost

the last five frames and were spanked 8-2. The title is in their hands now, as Britannia Inn (Paraiso) was beaten by the Boothen Squad 6-4. Mad Hatters, who have three games in hand, dropped valuable points against Bar 180C, drawing 5-5, but could still finish runners up. Nauta travelled to Bamboo Beach and thrashed them 8-2. Bar 180B drew with Target Rangers; and TP Boothen and Bar Leones drew 5-5. The bottom of the league tussle saw Britannia Bar (Silencio) whip Palms Pool Bar 8-2. We remind teams that have games in hand that will they play them as soon as possible as the season is drawing to a n close. Thanks guys!

Tenerife Pool Super League Powered by EXPRESS BAR DELIVERIES S.L. Information supplied by Tenerife Pool Super League www.tenerifepoolleague.com

Déniz returns home

Title-winning trainer in capital Tenerife born and raised Iván Déniz, has gained success in Puerto Rico and Mexico as a basketball coach, and recently won the Mexican championship with Soles de Mexicalli. As a national champion in Central America, he has decided to visit his home island with his family during a welldeserved break. He will soon be preparing for next season in the Mexican state of Baja California with the team he took to the top, but used his holiday time in Tenerife to relax and “visit old friends”. Santa Cruz mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, was on hand to greet him at the town hall and congratulate him on his recent success. Before moving overseas, Déniz worked as a technical director in Tenerife and Murcia, and still has a close relationship with CB Santa Cruz, where his brother Alberto n Déniz is the managing director.

Club president, Oscar Herrera (left) honours the director, Andrés Pérez (centre) and former technical director, Randy Mendiguchía (right)

Tables for the Tenerife Pool Super-League as of May 25 DIVISION 1 1 PHOENIX 2 LEGENDS A 3 LEGENDARY JOKERS 4 LEONES B 5 SUMMERLAND ELITE 6 BAR 180 A 7 TOBY JUG SAINTS 8 ZIZZIS LEGENDS 9 HOOPS 10 TARGET OLD TIMERS 11 BAR TASCA A 12 CLOUSEAUS DIAMONDS 13 SCRUFFYS 14 DOS HERMANOS 15 PENALTY SHARKS 16 SLOOPS 17 FOSTERS 18 POLYGON LEGENDS 19 SCRUFFY MACS

PL 31 29 30 31 27 29 30 33 28 28 31 32 29 32 29 30 18 29 28

DIVISION 2 PL 1 BAD BOBS 29 2 BRITANNIA BAR (Paraiso) 31 3 MAD HATTERS 28 4 BAR 180 B 31 5 BAR LEONES 31 6 GRANDEE O’DONNELLS 28 7 NAUTA 30 8 BAR 180 C 31 9 TARGET RANGERS 30 10 BAMBOO BEACH 31 11 LUPAIN PROPERTIES 30 12 LOWRYS 22 13 BARRACUDA HUNTERS 30 14 BOOTHEN SQUAD 30 15 BRITANNIA BAR [Silencio] 28 16 SUMMERLAND SHOOTERS 28 17 MYKONOS 18 18 T.P.a BOOTHEN 26 19 PALMS POOL BAR 28

W 22 21 19 18 13 14 11 11 11 11 9 10 9 10 8 8 7 7 5

D 8 6 4 5 5 2 7 6 5 4 9 6 5 2 7 7 7 5 6

L F A +/- PTS 1 199 101 98 74 2 186 104 82 69 7 172 118 54 61 8 172 128 44 59 9 151 119 32 44 13 133 127 6 44 12 147 153 -6 40 16 153 177 -24 39 12 130 110 20 38 13 115 145 -30 37 13 129 161 -32 36 16 140 180 -40 36 15 128 152 -24 32 20 127 183 -56 32 14 133 157 -24 31 15 135 165 -30 31 4 92 78 14 28 17 112 148 -36 26 17 106 154 -48 21

W D L F A +/- PTS 22 6 1 179 91 88 72 21 5 5 189 111 78 68 18 7 3 176 104 72 61 17 7 7 168 122 46 58 14 9 8 174 136 38 51 15 6 7 153 127 26 51 13 10 7 165 135 30 49 11 9 11 151 149 2 42 9 12 9 152 148 4 39 10 6 15 134 146 -12 36 10 6 14 138 162 -24 36 10 3 9 98 112 -14 33 9 5 16 129 171 -42 32 9 4 17 126 164 -38 31 5 7 16 126 154 -28 22 6 3 19 111 169 -58 21 4 8 6 74 86 -12 20 3 6 17 102 158 -56 15 2 5 21 75 175 - 100 11

28.5.2015 – 10.6.2015

FOOTBALL NEWS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS 747

Soccer Experience

Football fun in Tenerife Sponsored by: Foreign Language News & www.windowsplus.co.uk

CD Tenerife

It’s now or never

Congratulations to young Alfie Beasley on winning ‘player of the week’

To help those who live in South Tenerife we have started a new local website to advise on the men’s weekly 6s league and friendly games, and also the growing youth classes and teams. Please have a look at the new website for more information: www.nomadsfc.com. SocExp has a weekly group of kids playing football tots and also an Alevin (Under-12) team that has just won the local Spanish league in its first ever season. Because of the great fun that the new Under-12s team has enjoyed, half of these players will move up to Under-14s so we will be making an (Under-14s) Infantil team for next season. Therefore we are looking for some players to join this group. Our Under-12s team are now in the semi final of an island wide cup and will hopefully advance to their first cup final. After this we will travel to a tournament in Granada on June 29 to July 5 and we still need two Under12 players. Please get in touch if your kids want to join the team for the trip. Also we will be making new teams from our football tots class and we are looking to start an Under-8s (Pre Benjamin) and Under-10s (Benjamin) team. If any kids are looking to play in the local Spanish league after the summer please contact us. During our weekly football tots classes on Wednesdays at 6pm the kids are enjoying some fun football and gaining healthy exercise. We have introduced a player of the week to help the kids focus and play in a sporting manner and the way they have responded has been impressive. Young Alfie Beasley won the most recent player of the week prize, who will it be next time? New teams are needed for our weekly league. We are always on the lookout for new six-a-side teams so if you and your mates want to start playing every week then contact us and we can arrange some friendly games to get you started. Referees wanted: Our local Tenerife 6s Men’s League, held in Los Cristianos every night of the week, is looking for referees who can take a lot of abuse from our 6s players, and also, we hope, give a little back. Our existing referees do a great and thankless job and we would like to add one or two more to the list. Email us at info@socexp.com or telephone/message us on +34 654 200 470. Further information can also be found at our website: www.socexp.com.

17/05/2015 Tenerife 1 Alcorcon 1 The match was billed as ‘this is the game’ by the club but the players had not read the script. The blanquiazules succumbed to an early lapse in concentration to concede after just three minutes. A near post header by Nagore sneaked in and the visitors were 0-1 to the good. With top scorer Diego Ifran out through injury and the team struggling for goals, responsibility fell to young Abdon Prats, but his touch let him down on his big day. Alcorcon is the typical Spanish second division side; well balanced, comfortable in possession, and run for fun. Often they do miss that ‘special’ player that can turn a match. CD Tenerife this season has been the opposite of this characteristic, we are unbalanced with no left side and have a thin strike force, but we do have a couple of players that can make a difference, as in Maxi or Suso. And it was Maxi who was fouled in the box just before the break to win a penalty for Tenerife. Alcorcon was reduced to 10 men and Vitolo

ise. With a whole second half against the 10 men of Alcorcon surely it was a case of how many? However, it was not that easy as the visitors packed the box and Tenerife struggled to penetrate. The last 10 minutes saw the blanquiazules spurn three big chances, with the best one falling to Aridane who hit the post with a header. It was not to be our day and the match finished in a frustrating draw. The players ran their hearts out but the lack of a clinical striker cost them yet again.

20/05/2015 Sabadell 1 Tenerife 3 What a win this was for the blanquiazules! A much needed victory against fellow relegation candidates Sabadell, from the outskirts of Barcelona. Tenerife flew out of the traps for this midweek game played in the pouring rain. Strangely enough, their only other away win of the season was on a Wednesday night - at Zaragoza back in November. Suso was the hero of the evening with two goals to add to an early Carlos Ruiz header, as Tenerife raced to a 0-3 halftime lead. This was unheard of in recent times, the home team were playing for survival but the blanquiazules outplayed them all over the pitch. The second half was a case of containing Sabadell and maintaining the three goal difference. Tenerife keeper Dani Hernandez was on top form again and pulled off three world-class saves. In the closing minutes Sabadell pulled a goal back but the result was never in doubt. A superb 1-3 win for CD Ten-

Table positions

Canarian football Club UD Las Palmas CD Tenerife CD Marino

League Liga Adelante Liga Adelante Tercera

Position 4th 17th 3rd

Points 72 44 65

Current leader of the Tercera Division Canarian group of 20 teams from all over the Islands is Mensajero with 71 points.

Tenerife keeper Dani Hernández has been on top form recently

erife which will (hopefully) go down as being the key moment in this nervy end to the campaign.

A smart through-ball found Ismael Lopez who smashed the ball past the helpless Dani in goal. The match gained in

Photo: TuiterKent

CD Tenerife’s survival comes down to the last two matches. The blanquiazules need just one point against Real Betis, who will visit the island fresh from recently clinching the Championship. With all games in the second division played at the same time, all eyes will be on the Osasuna and Racing Santander scores. If either slip up then Tenerife will stay up regardless; however, it will certainly be a nervy day in the Heliodoro.

Photo: Vinotinto1000

By Chris Todd scored the penalty to equal-

CD Tenerife suffered a painful defeat at Sporting Gijón’s El Molinón Stadium

24/05/2015 Sporting 2 Tenerife 0 This was always going to be a very tough game against a promotion-chasing Sporting Gijón team in great form, and the passionate backing of almost 26,000 fans. With key man Suso suspended, manager Raul Agne had to shuffle the team. Youngster Omar Perdomo came in for only his second match and accompanied Diego Ifran in attack. Tenerife defended with spirit but Sporting cruelly made the breakthrough in injury time of the first half.

intensity in the second period as the blanquiazules attacked with more purpose. With other results not going their way, Tenerife knew they needed to at least draw to guarantee their survival for one more term. But Sporting showed why they have only lost twice this season and when Carlos Castro made the score 2-0 on 64 minutes it was as good as game over. Sporting earned a deserved victory to help their chances of promotion while Tenerife still has work to do at the opposite end n of the league.

INTERVIEW

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 014

Exclusive interview

Rost in glowing tribute to ‘rock’ wife By Karl McLaughlin seas with professional sports. The end of the basketball season for ACB premiership side CB Canarias sees a chapter close on the presence of the American who holds the record for the most appearances by a foreign player in the club’s history. Levi Rost, who hails from Michigan in the US, broke the record of 224 games in the yellow and black jersey held by Jakim Donaldson back in December but has had a disappointing season, playing considerably less than he expected. On the eve of the final home game against Fuenlabrada, the 32-year-old crowd favourite announced that he had decided to explore “new options” for next year and would be leaving the club he first joined in September 2006 and has returned to on two occasions after spending a season each at Los Barrios and Girona. In an emotional farewell at the Santiago Martín stadium, fans and team mates gave Levi a rousing send-off from the place he calls his second home after his native Michigan. Island Connections caught up with him before his departure to look back on his career with CB Canarias. Levi, when you first arrived in Tenerife could you ever have imagined that this would become your home for so long or that you would become the foreign player with most appearances in the club’s 75year history? As a professional basketball player who bounced around a lot the first year, I could never have imagined playing for the same team for so long. I was a little naive in my understanding of how things work over-

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I thought with a one-year contract the obvious thing for the players to do is have a good season and move on to the next team. Tenerife was a complete change from the first year onwards. I was immediately engulfed by a family of people that went far beyond just a basketball club. They really strive to make the players feel at home and that is special for someone who has to leave their family and real home behind for 10 months a year.

You have been quoted frequently in the media as saying that Canarias is more than a club: it is a family. Can you give specific examples? I think that basketball is definitely more of a business now than before but I still believe the club has the best interests of the player in mind. When I was younger, I didn’t have any friends or contacts here. The club were my contacts and they worked hard to make sure my first years were as enjoyable as possible. I remember many meals at La Cueva with all the people surrounding the club. Looking back at your time here, what have been the high points for you both on and off the court? The highest point for sure, was and still is, having my wife Leslie - my number one supporter - here. She makes the experience much more enjoyable. I have had some great memories on the court with teammates, but the majority of all the best experiences seem to have her in them. We continue to explore and find new places to visit, growing closer in the process, and that is special for me. I wish she could have been

Levi with Jakim Donaldson, the previous player to have had the most appearances by a foreign player in the club’s history

Levi’s farewell press conference

here after we won promotion from the LEB 2 Division to LEB 1 back in 2007, which was at the end of my first season. And the lows? I think the lowest point would be last season when I hurt my calf. I’m not sure I would use the word low; maybe adversity is a better term. I was feeling great, coming off a really good first season in the top flight, and I got hurt in a pre-season game. Then the snowball effect started to take place throughout my rehab and before I knew it I could barely walk and used everything I had just to compete at practice and make it home. It took me all summer to be able to stand up and walk without pain. The season that’s just ended has been tough because I know that I could have helped the

Happy times in La Laguna for Levi and Leslie

Levi Rost in action for CB Canarias

team on the court and been productive but I had to watch from the sidelines. It’s hard as a competitor to watch and know you can help. However, only five can play and someone has to show support, so I adapted to that role and worked hard at it all season.

I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be successful without her here. She really is the rock that keeps us grounded. I can’t praise her enough for how tough and understanding she is. She had to leave her family and friends as well, and start from scratch.

Your farewell announcement on the eve of the last home game was rather unusual in that your wife, Leslie, took centre stage as well. How important has she been in allowing you to pursue your professional dream in La Laguna and other parts of Spain over the last decade or so? Has it been fair on her? She comes before basketball. This to me is just something I do for fun, a sport. Sports come and go, but Leslie will be there forever. So it was very important to have her there.

We have looked at the past, now the future. What plans do you have? Is it still your aim to carry on playing or is 32 a good time to call it a day and stop punishing your body? I am not certain of our plans yet. We will go home like every summer, enjoy family and friends and see what offers come up. Normally in July things pick up and Leslie and I can start making decisions. I do know that we are both extremely excited to see what is in front of us.

No doubt you will take many memories with you, both of places and people. An unfair question, but can you single out one memory in each category that will stay with you for years to come and tell us the reasons for your choice? Canarias (LEB2) and Los Barrios have a special place in my heart because of the people. Not only my teammates, but the fans I met those years grew into friends and are still friends to this day. Girona will be the best place for me, because I found the north-east coast of Spain to be extremely beautiful and my life there was very comfortable. Lastly, three words to sum up your time at Canarias and in Tenerife… Can I have 11? “The sun has set on our Teide, it will be n missed”.