Thursday, August 31, 2006
Aid worker tells of migrant ordeal
In this BBC report, Austin Wainwright, a worker with the Spanish Red Cross, describes helping African migrants who arrive in the Canary Islands after days at sea in small boats. (When there is a medal going, this guy deserves one.)
"The basic story most of the people tell is that they would rather die trying to make it to Europe than to stay in their country."
Aid worker tells of migrant ordeal
Ancient Figs Through History
Having picked the first of this year's figs yesterday, I thought we might like to know a little more about these fruit that grow in abundance in Tenerife.
The fig tree, ‘Ficus carica,’ possibly originated in Northern Asia according to archeological fossil records. Spanish missionaries brought it to the United States in 1520. Historical Sumerian tablets record the use and consumption of figs in 2500 BC.
In Greek mythology, the fig figures prominently as a gift of Demeter to Dionysus and as having received the blessing and sanctity of the Greek Gods. Plato documented that Greek athletes at Olympia were fed diets of figs to increase their running speed and overall strength. The figs contained up to 50% concentration of sugar which was virtually like feeding the athlete a candy bar.
The most famous Biblical reference to figs is that, in which Jesus cursed a fig tree for not producing any fruit for him as he passed by, a curse that killed the fig tree, Matt 21:18
The Jewish King, Hezekiah, was cured of a life-threatening plague by applying figs to the infected spot. 2 Kings 20 The Apostle, James, brother of Jesus, used the metaphor of the fig tree to describe the appropriate behavior that he expected to follow from Christian living. James 3:12 Fig leaves were used in the early church to hide the genitalia of nude, marble sculptures that adorned religious buildings. Fig trees were also used in ancient history as shade trees and to chop and use as quick start firewood.
Cooked figs were used as sweeteners in ancient times and this practice is still used in many third world countries in Asia Minor. The figs contain over 50% sugar. Hybrid figs contain many hollow, tiny seeds on the interior of the fruit, similar in taste as those found in blueberries and strawberries.
A fig fruit has a round tiny opening at the base of the fig called an ‘eye.’ A tiny wasp flies into the interior of the fig and pollinates the tiny flowers lining the interior walls of the fig. These tiny seed are not generally digested by the stomach and offer a great laxative effect to the elderly sedentary citizens. American hybrid figs do not require or receive pollination to be transformed into edible fruit.
Fig trees in Europe can grow to a tremendous height of 100 feet, but the fruit is very difficult to harvest when the tree grows taller than 10 feet.
In harvesting the figs, it is important to pick the fruit from the tree, when it is completely mature--usually when it sags, droops, and changes color. If the figs are taken from the tree prematurely, the sweetness declines, but more importantly, if the figs are removed in the juvenile developing state, a white milky fluid exudes from the stem, which is transferred to a person’s hands and then eyes or mouth, the fluid is very irritating and should be washed away as quickly as possible.
One of the most famous figs in the United States is the “Black Mission” fig tree, which was named after the California, Franciscan mission that dates back to 1770, when it was planted there and cultivated on a commercial scale.
Perhaps the most famous product of figs is the fig newton that uses dried figs placed between curved, sweet wafers and distributed by Nabisco.
In Europe, figs are gathered from commercial fig tree orchards where they are sized, graded, and packed to sell as fresh fruit at local markets. Figs are easily dried after harvesting from the trees, and various brands are popularly sold throughout the world, because of their extended shelf life in the United States, California is the largest producer of figs and most of them are marketed as dried figs. In the South figs are boiled in sugar liquid, sometimes adding strawberries and the resulting fig preserves are eaten during the fall and winter months as fig preserves on hot buttered biscuits.
The trees grow into picturesque specimens in many landscapes. The trunks are often whitewashed when young in order to keep the sun from scalding the tender bark. The roots are vigorous growers and will grow far away from the canopy; however, trimming these roots does not damage the tree.
Fig trees grown in full sun have soft wood that break easily. The trees easily grow to 100 feet in Europe but usually less than 30 feet in the United States. Fertilizing fig trees on most soils is unnecessary and unwise, because nitrogen fertilizer tends to promote aggressive branch growth and will reduce the size of the crop. If too much nitrogen is applied, the fruit does not mature properly and the fruit has an off taste.
The first crop of figs that matures in the spring is called the “breba” crop and the next and tastiest crop matures in the fall. Figs are harvested from the trees from June till October, although some new cultivars will be ready for eating in April. The shelf life for freshly picked figs is short and fig generally last only about three days in refrigeration. A fig should not be picked from a tree, if it is over ripe or mushy, since it will begin souring from fermentation. At this point figs will lose their roundness and begin to collapse inward. When a fig is harvested from a tree, it should be soft to the touch and a very firm fig will not ripen properly, if it is picked at this immature stage.
The beautiful leaves of the fig tree are used to make an odd scented perfume with the aroma of wood or musk. The white, milky latex from the tree can be used as a meat tenderizer or in making cheese, if the latex is dried and powdered. Figs can be frozen whole or sliced in plastic bags or jars and expected to last satisfactorily for one year. Dried figs can be soaked in warm water to restore their shape and softness. Fruit of figs is high in iron, calcium, potassium, and fiber, and they are used as a diuretic and a laxative.
Figs contain protein digesting enzymes and can be used as a meat tenderizer and a taste enhancer. Dried figs are often used to substitute for recipes calling for dried apricots, dates, or prunes.
Fig trees are considered to be about as cold hardy as citrus; however, recent hybrid cultivars show that fig trees can survive temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit for limited periods of time, and if the tree freezes to the ground, the new shoots will sprout in the spring to rapidly renew the fig tree.
About The Author: Patrick A. Malcolm, owner of TyTy Nursery, has an M.S. degree in Botany and has cultivated fig trees for over three decades. http://www.tytyga.com
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
EU promises help with migrants
The BBC report, "The European Commission says it will do more to help EU member states handle large flows of migrants." "Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini, said he would ask member states to show more solidarity with Spain, to increase the amount of money available for border control, and to strengthen the "operational capacity" of the new EU border agency, Frontex."
However, if you read the local reports of the same story, the news is greeted with far less enthusiasm. Canarias7 headline translates as, "Brussels recognizes that it can't cope with immigration" and, La Opinión say, "Europe isn't contemplating giving more resourses to Spain to slow down illegal immigration".
(I did learn something from the coverage. The Canary Islands operation, is apparently known as Hera. She who kept a mythical orchard in the west.)
EU promises help with migrants
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Digital Globe Images of the Canary Islands
As we've mentioned here a couple of times recently, in July Google updated the satellite imagery of the Canary Islands in both Google Earth and Google Maps. The former satellite images from DigitalGlobe, were replaced by images belonging to the Canary Island public company Grafcan.
Well, I've discovered where you can currently see those previous DigitalGlobe versions, here at Flash Earth and I can confirm that these were what used to show in Google Earth. But the DigitalGlobe images are not as new as they appear to be either. The copyright statements, both for Google and DigitalGlobe, say 2006, but that bears absolutely no relation to the date of the images themselves.
Because, I can tell you that these are still pre-November 2003 when the roof of this house was painted. Also, if you look at this photo, which I took in April 2006 of the area around Los Pedregales. At the right hand side of the image, it should be easy to pick out the pinky-red roofed market building that has two white roofed pieces coming out at the front and the cars parked in front of it.
See behind the market area, there are several large 2-3 story yellow buildings with bright russet red roofs and a round grey bit that looks like a castle. They would, I think you will agree, be distinctive and easy to spot from the air.
Now compare it to this location on the DigitalGlobe images via Flash Earth.
The market hall, an inverted horsehoe shape with it's red and white roof, sitting in a concrete circle is easy to pick out. But what is behind it (to it's left on the map)? Just an area of dirt, maybe some walls, mostly before building had commenced. There are certainly no red roofs or castle-like bits, are there?
Those buildings certainly did not go up overnight, in fact, I can see them from the house and I have been watching the construction for three or four years.
No, I don't know what it all means and why we can't get newer images yet, which Grafcan say that they have, but it does suggest that the swap to the Grafcan images is not really much of a time-warp. The Grafcan images are a better resolution, but the main difference appears to be the "editing out" of sensitive areas, such as the military base next to the airport at Gando on the island of Gran Canaria. Compare the Grafcan image below with the base "whited out":
With this location on the DigitalGlobe version. Oh look, no censoring!
Vielen Dank to this German forum, plaza-la-palma, for linking to me, which is how I found their link to Flash Earth for the DigitalGlobe images.
Waiting for work in Madrid after Canaries odyssey
Michaela Cancela-Kieffer reports, "Like thousands of others this year, Mamadou Diallo quit a bleak existence in Africa for Spain's Canary Islands, in his case reaching Tenerife in May after ten perilous days spent at sea after leaving his native Senegal. Three months on, it's a dawn start for Mamadou as he waits for a fleet of vans who trawl Madrid in the early morning on the lookout for cheap immigrant labour."
Waiting for work in Madrid after Canaries odyssey
Tenerife Island Corporation Acquires a Cayuco for future exhibition in the Tenerife History Museum
Iglesias was talking about the institution's decision to acquire one of the cayucos - the wooden boats that arrive almost daily carrying desperate Africans to Canarian shores - for future exhibition at the Tenerife History Museum.
The "social phenomenon", they explain, already forms a part of the past, present and future of the island. At the moment the piece is being stored in the corporation warehouse, while documentation and investigation is being carried out for the contextualization of the exhibit.
El Cabildo adquiere un cayuco para su futura exposición en el Museo de Historia de Tenerife
Related images:
Cayuco con inmigrantes (Boat with subsaharian inmigrants).
África - Sociedade - Emigración. Cayuco interceptado en Canarias (06.2006)
Inmigrantes a bordo de un cayuco
Monday, August 28, 2006
Trio fall victim to internet travel con
The trio had booked to go on a week long trip to Tenerife through the website sunmedresorts. com, report Malvern Gazette. They paid the £1,417 bill by credit card, and were due to fly to the resort at the end of September. On Saturday, when they phoned the agency to try to alter the booking so another friend could come along, they discovered they had been defrauded.
They warned other holidaymakers to beware of tempting offers on the web. "People should only use proper travel agents, ones that are ABTA registered."
Trio fall victim to internet travel con
A Google Earth Canary Islands Conspiracy?
"In late July Google updated the satellite imagery of the Canary Islands in both Google Earth and Google Maps. The former satellite images from 2005 and 2006 were replaced by images belonging to the Canary public company Grafcan. While some applauded the partnership of Google with a local mapping company, others became immediately suspicious that the replacement images were at least six years old, leaving them to conclude that a government conspiracy was at hand in order to attract more tourists by removing unsightly, recent developments."
While there do not seem to be any new developments since our last post about Ancient Canary Islands in Google Earth, there are links and translations of more comments and, above all, the post at GlobalVoices shows that world is talking about it. The question is, are those who can clear the situation up listening?
A Google Earth Canary Islands Conspiracy?
Emergency helicopter plan for the islands
The regional government has announced plans to contract a private services company which will be able to offer five helicopters twenty four hours a day three hundred and sixty five days a year to cover any emergency situations which may arise on all seven of the Canary Islands.
Emergency helicopter plan for the islands
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Canary Mellow
The Mirror, of all places, recommends "La Gomera, a short hop by boat from Los Christianos, but a world away from its lively, up-all-night neighbour." Their description of Tenerife's neighbour, is spot on - I've been over four times already - and they, like me, recommend the government run Parador hotel. As an alternative, they also suggest the island of La Palma. The article is well worth a read if you are looking for the quieter kind of Canary Island experience.
Canary Mellow
Fotoseptiembre in San Antonio, Texas celebrates works of Canary Islanders
For Fotoseptiembre, seven photographers from the Canary Islands provide a contemporary look at the Spanish islands whence some of San Antonio's earliest settlers arrived in 1731. "A Ojo De Canario," goes on display Sept. 5 and runs through Nov. 30 at the San Antonio International Center. The project is being supported by San Antonio's Cultural Exchange Initiative, which also brought eight Canary Islands artists to create las alfombras, or a carpet of flowers and soil, last March for the 275th anniversary of San Fernando Cathedral.
Fotoseptiembre celebrates works of Canary Islanders
Three Points Fell From the Sky
CD Tenerife's first match, away at Almería, was a comforting start to the season. De Palmas scored an own goal in the 86th minute, giving Tenerife their first three points of the championship in front of the small crowd of 5,327 spectators.
Tres puntos caídos del cielo
Police Clear South Tenerife Beach
Police cleared the beach at Playa del Duque on the Costa Adeje in south Tenerife yesterday afternoon, after some tourists discovered "an explosive artefact"; an unusual cylindrical object containing phosphorous, which turned out to be an electronic piece from an US military vessel and "could be something to do with instruments used for locating submarines", says the report.
Police commissioner, Luis Carrión said that it was an "incendiary device of military use". The object had been washed up on the beach by the currents. The area was cordoned off, while bomb disposal experts detonated the piece in two controlled explosions. What's left has been taken to Santa Cruz to be analysed, to find out where it came from and who might have abandoned it.
Desalojan una playa en Costa Adeje para explosionar un artefacto
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Record Breaking Month for Tourism in Tenerife
Provisional tourism statistics for July 2006, from the Tenerife Island Corporation, indicate that 484,695 tourists were accommodated on the island during the said month - a record since the same month of 1978 and 0.38% more than in July of 2005.
Cabildo Vice President and Councillor for Tourism, José Manuel Bermúdez, says that "this figure ratifies the good times that tourism on the island is currently encountering." There had also been a 20.3% increase in visitors in June in respect to the previous year.
The principal markets, the United Kingdom and Germany, both suffered decreases, by 6.8 and 9.9%, respectively, in July, though, cumulatively, are up on the previous year. In July 157,309 British and 43,643 German tourists visited Tenerife. The biggest increases in July were among Irish (61.5%), Italian (33.2%), Swiss (23.4%) Belgian (15.1%) and Dutch (9.3%) tourists.
The average length of stay was 8.27 days - an increase of a bit over half a day. Hotel occupation was at 69.9%, 6.9% more than in 2005. There were less British tourists staying in apartments in the south of the island, while the north saw an increase in absolute numbers - 9.7% more than the previous year.
In the seven months of the year to date, Tenerife has accommodated 3,075,852 tourists in total. In the six months to June, the Canary Islands as a whole had received 5.5 million tourists, 3.4% more than in the same period of 2005.
Tenerife recupera su protagonismo turístico con 484.695 alojados en julio
First Day Without Cayucos
It comes to something when the news that NO illegal immigrants have arrived is news! However, as digital newspaper, Canarias Ahora, as well as many others today, report, "At 19:30 hours this Friday there had not been any arrivals of embarcations to the Canarian coasts all day." That made yesterday the first day during August when there have not been any arrivals and, more significantly, meant that the Red Cross, health services and security forces had been working for 26 consecutive days, non-stop. They certainly deserve a day off.
Primer día de agosto sin cayucos
UNESCO to Evaluate Tenerife's Mount Teide
A committee of experts from UNESCO are to visit the Teide National Park in Tenerife in October, to study the proposal for it's inclusion the list of World Heritage Sites.
Park Director, Manuel Durbán, says that the committee will be wrapped in technicians from the park, scientists from the University of La Laguna and various other experts so that they can fully explain importance of the National Park and the uniqueness of the flora and fauna in this volcanic landscape.
Declared as Parque Nacional del Teide in 1954, the process for recognition was begun in 2002. A definitive decision is expected in 2007. The Canary Islands already have two sites on the World Heritage list; the city of San Cristóbal de la Laguna in Tenerife and the Garajonay National Park in La Gomera.
Un comité de la UNESCO evaluará el Teide como candidato a bien natural
CD Tenerife Visit the Virgen de Candelaria
Football results in Tenerife are not merely left to fancy footwork, nor even luck. Much higher powers are invoked, because the CD Tenerife team have a tradition of visiting the Patrona of the Canary Islands, the Virgen de Candelaria, as part of their pre-season preparations.
The team made their annual expedition to Candelaria on Tuesday. They were received by Father Mendoza and, after making a floral offering, a few words were had in private with the captains and they signed the Book of Honour.
CD Tenerife president, Miguel Concepción, said "We've asked the Virgin to help us and bring us luck, although the rest we have to do ourselves." (Though, with so many seasons in the Segunda Division (Second Division) now, one might begin to wonder if the Virgin has become a Las Palmas supporter!)
The latest of the team's flurry of new signings for this season, most of whom are on loan, is Wolves Flop Thomasz Frankowski. Glenn Hoddle had high hopes for the £1.4M Polish International last season, but the "Goal Machine" failed to score. Let's hope the weather agrees with him here in Tenerife!
Tenerife play their first match of the season, today or maybe tomorrow (Marca says 27th, El Dia says tonight at 21:00 - they don't say if that is Spanish or Canarian time), away at Almería. Gran Canaria born player, Pablo Sicilia, on loan from Atlético Madrid, says that "the team has worked well and is prepared".
To keep up to date with CD Tenerife news, in English, visit the English Speaking supporters club, Armada Sur, in south Tenerife's website.
Friday, August 25, 2006
From Candelaria to San Roque ...
De fiesta, a fiesta ... You'd be forgiven, mainly because you'd be right, for thinking that in Tenerife there is a fiesta a week (at least) to attend. And there is certainly no lack of variety in the entertainments these events provide.
It was indeed only a couple of weeks ago that the fiestas in Candelaria took place for the archipelago's Patrona. Then, as La Opinión report, the party moved to Garachico for fifteen days worth of fiestas in honour of San Roque, which this year drew a crowd of 30,000 to the traditional romeria alone - and that ain't a half bad turn out for a small town of scarcely 6,000 inhabitants.
The origin of the devotion to the saint goes back to the middle of 17th Century, when an epidemic of plague hit the island of Tenerife. The villagers in Garachico, who had been particularly affected, asked the saint to intercede and, apparently, it worked. Since then, the people of Garachico have remembered the event honouring the patron saint of the locality with a traditional romeria.
The police had never seen so many at this fiesta before. The town was completely blocked off by 11 a.m. and people had to park as far away as La Caleta. Forty-five carts went in procession behind the saint on it's route through the town, which along with good local wine, of course, potatoes and meat cooked on the barbeques on the back of the carts, kept folk amused for 5 hours.
In the meantime, La Guancha have also been celebrating their fiestas in honour of the Virgen de la Esperanza (Virgin of Hope).
This week, it is the turn of Buenavista del Norte, who celebrated a solemn mass for the town's patron, San Bartolomé, yesterday - along with an open-air rapid painting contest in the Plaza de Los Remedios. The winning entry, pictured here, by Meca González, recreated the scene of the unique dance of Las Libreras - which will be part of the fiestas here in El Palmar next month.
On Sunday, in Buenavista del Norte, also as part of the fiestas in honour of San Bartolomé, some 90 crafters will be taking part in the Feria de Artesanía de Buenavista del Norte (Buenavista del Norte Crafts Fair), which is also becoming one of the principal summer attractions of the Isla Baja area.
The time is given as "from the first hours of Sunday". I would translate that as about 10 a.m. ish onwards. As well as typical crafts, there will be ambulant musicians through the day and at 7 p.m. there is concert of folk music.
Also here in the El Palmar valley this week, in the district of Las Portelas, are the fiestas in honour of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, from today, August 25th, until September 3rd. I have it on excellent authority - proving the rule that public washbasins are indeed news broadcasting sites, so this is breaking news here in the "media" - that there will be a salsa band from Los Realejos tonight, fireworks tomorrow and mass and a procession on Sunday afternoon.
The Las Portelas fireworks are an annual event that I "attend" from home and it's a spectacle that has to be experienced. Fireworks are always spectacular here, but these have another, entirely unique attraction: that of the acoustic effects of the valley walls. I can hardly describe it, but because the valley is a big basin, almost completely surrounded by an inverted "D" shape of sheer walls, it's like a very noisy train running around that ricochets off the Teno mountains.
And, as I hinted above, the next local fiestas and mini country-fair will be those of the village of El Palmar itself, at the back end of September, which includes the dance of Las Libreras and the annual event of La Trilla (threshing).
And there are bound to be other fiestas, elsewhere, in the meantime! :)
PS: Well, what a coincidence ... I pop down to the local store (my other reliable source for local news) and what should they be talking about there? Fiestas or, more to the point, the sheer number of them happening in succession.
And we forgot one! Before the fiestas in El Palmar, there will be fiestas up in Teno Alto. Then, in October, there will be more fiestas in Buenavista del Norte and, there are the fiestas up in Erjos to be taken into consideration.
That, apparently, is "it" for this area. LOL!
(The fiestas in Las Lagunetas were earlier in the year.)
And you can't help thinking that once this fiesta season is over, it will be only a few short weeks before the two public holidays at the beginning of December usher in the month-long Christmas season. Then, as soon as we've had Los Reyes, in January, the Carnaval season will commence ... and as soon as that is over, the spring-summer-autumn romerias and fiestas circuit will begin again.
We came to the conclusion that the best job in the Canary Islands is hot dog or sweet stall holder, because they follow every fiesta of every type! :-)
El Palmar Artist: Sophia M. Garcia
Sophia M. Garcia, describes herself as Half Spanish - Half British and was born in El Palmar, Spain, "a place where nature is mostly appreciated."
Sophia has exhibited in El Palmar and in Buenavista del Norte and is currently in Hong Kong. Her work is available for purchase or auction online.
This valley does inspire artistic thoughts: I probably couldn't paint a wall, but I do muse over taking up the brush every time I look out on the mountains. I love these vibrant colours and can see, for instance, how a scene like this here in the El Palmar valley, could inspire a work such as the one illustrated above.
Tenerife Chamber of Commerce asks for flexibility over anti-tobacco inspections
The Tenerife Chamber of Commerce considers the round of inspections that the Health Ministry will be undertaking in September in Canary Islands' establishments to verify their adherence to the Ley Antitabaco (Anti Tobacco Law), to be "precipitated". On the other hand, the Ministry says that there will not be one extra day given for bars and restaurants to conform to the law.
From September 1st, the obligation for establishments to have separate and perfectly compartmentalized areas for smokers comes into force. The law itself came into force on January 1st, 2006, but bars and restaurants were given until August 31st, to adapt their premises as necessary to comply with the law.
This only applies to such establishments with more than 100 square meters (only 10% of those in the Canaries reach this size) and who want to provide a smoking area for customers. Bars under that size can choose whether to be all smoking or all non-smoking (the majority locally are all smoking still.)
The principle difficulty that businesses, who do want to provide smoking areas, are encountering is in the basic structure of buildings, which is making it hard to properly separate the areas. The Chamber of Commerce is therefore asking for flexibility and wants the list of criteria that the inspectors will be using distributed to the sector, especially where the remodelling works will have a high cost or require businesses to be closed while the work is carried out.
The law also puts the bar owner in the role of vigilante, given that if someone smokes in an establishment where it is not permitted, the sanctions fall upon the bar if they cannot prove that they have taken "pertinent measures" to prevent the illegal conduct. For bar and restaurant owners, fines are between 601 euros and 10,000 euros, while for the smoker, the maximum is 600 euros.
The Spanish Hostelry Federation has already asked the Government for an additional period of grace of between three and six months for bars and restaurants to be able to adapt their premises.
At national level, only one in ten establishments has even applied for a licence to carry out such works. Meanwhile, the Ministry reminds establishments that they do not HAVE to do any works at all, if they just put up a sign on the door which says "Smoking Prohibited", i.e. entirely on the premises.
The problem, of course, is that bars and restaurants over 100 square meters do not want to turn away paying customers - whether they are smokers or not.
La Cámara pide a Sanidad flexibilidad en las próximas inspecciones ´antitabaco´
The Dreaded 'Back to School'
Kids all over the world will be preparing to go back to school over the next few weeks - some with excitement, others with trepidation - but for many parents, the event often fills them with dread over the rising cost of the operation. Much more so if they have have more than one child of school age.
It's estimated, adding up the cost of text books, other materials and clothing that the average expenditure, per student in the Canaries, is 800 euros (c. £540).
In the Canary Islands, infant and primary children start the new school year on September 7th. Though parents have had the list of text books and materials for the new course since July, the president of the Tenerife Island Federation of Parents' Associations, Pura Toste, believes that stores and commercial centers could do more to make the items available over a longer period of time.
Parents associations are also putting forward the proposal that schools request the materials each term, rather than annually, because many families cannot manage an expenditure of this size in one single month.
La temida ´vuelta al cole´
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Future Urbanization in Las Portelas
The Canarian Government is providing 166,670 euros for the initial proceedings of a project to urbanize a parcel of land in the district of Las Portelas in the El Palmar valley. This is part of a larger project of dynamization and economic development in northern municipalities in Tenerife and is to allow for the future creation of "a large number" of homes and "sociocultural spaces" in the area, so that the town hall can meet current demands for homes.
The land which has been acquired by the town hall is at the entrance to the district when arriving from Las Lagunetas and El Palmar. Some ten percent of the land will be destined for public use, with a cultural center, plaza and children's playground. The rest will be for self-build homes.
Mayor of Buenavista del Norte, Aurelio Abreu, considers this the first step in the social development of Las Portelas, one of the most singular areas of the Teno Rural Park. Developing the outlying areas of the municipality is also seen as a means to prevent an exodus of young people to other areas of the island.
El alcalde de Buenavista del Norte explica que el barrio experimentará un gran desarrollo en sus infraestructuras socioeconómicas y culturales
In Tenerife The North is Prettier
And they don't just mean the landscape! Seventeen candidates for the title of Miss Norte from all over the north of the island, lined up at a press conference at the Orcario (Whale Pool) in the Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz yesterday afternoon. The gala beauty contest takes place in the plaza in front of the town hall in La Orotava tomorrow. (My money is on the whale. :-)
El Norte más guapo
Canarian Government to Combat Image Problems
The drama of immigration has put the Canary Islands on the front pages of the media in half the world, causing preoccupation over the deterioration of the image of the islands as a tourist destination. The Canary Islands Government intend to combat the negative effects of the migratory phenomenon.
In September, the regional Tourist Council will undertake a marketing strategy to reinforce tourist promotion campaigns in those countries where news reports over illegal immigrants have had the most repercussions. The administration is also evaluating the impact of the uncontrollable arrival of cayucos among foreign tourists who holiday on Canary Islands beaches.
A month ago, just before the last wave of undocumented immigrants arrived, a team of sociologists also disembarked in Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife, where most of the boats arrive to get a feel for the reactions of the tourists on the beach. This species of urgent sociological investigation mostly came up with positive results. Tourists were aware of what was happening, before choosing the Canary Islands as their holiday destination and this did not affect their decision. They see it as a humanitarian drama and are not repelled by it.
While the administration are confident that, in the short term, this will not send European tourists to competing destinations and that the archipelago is still considered one of the most secure destinations in Europe, there is concern that the idyllic image of the islands is being damaged by constant media attention.
El Gobierno combatirá el deterioro de imagen
The Most Expensive Tunnel In the Canaries
The most expensive tunnel in the Canary Islands is due to be opened to traffic in April 2007. Difficulties with the excavations of the tunnel at El Guincho, Garachico, have elevated the investment to more than 18 million euros.
Work has taken more than four and a half years on the scarcely 650 meter long tunnel, the cost of which, at the moment, runs to 28,000 euros per meter, but the costs are not purely economic. Efforts, misfortunes and technical difficulties have also taken their toll. Inconsistencies in the terrain; volcanic ash, were at the root of the problems that the project has suffered since the beginning. During the works, there have been five collapses with their resultant dangers for homes in the vicinity, residents and the construction workers themselves.
After initially having little success, an exceptional system was adopted, which consisted in injecting concrete both from the interior and the exterior of the tunnel, which have slowly consolidated the construction.
Work on the El Guincho tunnel began in August 2002 and forms a part of the improvements to the TF-142 road between Icod de los Vinos and Garachico. The original budget was 15.7 million and work was expected to take 24 months.
En abril de 2007 se abrirá al tráfico el túnel más caro construido en Canarias
Church "Ermita Nuestra Señora de Regla"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Images of Masca and Punta Teno in Tenerife
The following web page has a nice little collection of photos of the village of Masca and of Punta Teno, both of which are in the area of Buenavista del Norte.
The image (left) shows the small church at the top of the village of Masca. Nowadays the village is one of the most visited sites on the island of Tenerife.
As recently as the 1970's, however, there were no roads in and out of the steep-sided valley and the only way to the village was on foot over the mountains.
Images of Masca and Punta Teno
Cabildo Negotiating with Sting and Eric Clapton
Gordon Matthew Sumner, more popularly known as Sting, could visit the island of Tenerife to perform at the Auditorio in Santa Cruz as part of Legendarios (Legends), a series of concerts that has already attracted grand musicians such as Van Morrison, Bonnie Tyler and Lou Reed. Currently, the Tenerife Island Corporation is in negotiations with the British star and with Eric Clapton to reach agreements over their possible appearances in Tenerife.
El Cabildo negocia con Sting y con Eric Clapton para que actúen en el Auditorio
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Jesus Christ, king of burgers
Posting at CafeBabel.com, a visitor to Santa Cruz de Tenerife says, "Visiting Tenerife in July, I bumped into this crucifix and could not believe my eyes. After 2006 years of adulation, Jesus Christ has now become the king of burgers." They found the combination of neon sign and crucifix grotesque and say that "the owners of the fast food restaurant could have left this wall bare."
Offending image: Jesus Christ, king of burgers
Immigrants arrive on the Canary Islands in ever-greater numbers
"More than 300 immigrants arrived on the Canary Islands on Saturday morning, following 415 on Friday, and taking the total number of irregular arrivals to more than 700 in less than 24 hours.", report Typically Spanish. The weekend's arrivals reached 1,268 in the end, according to Diario de Avisos.
More than 17,000 illegal migrants have arrived so far this year, fleeing poverty in their home countries. "They change their routes depending on the controls they meet," Domingo Martin Garcia, head of the Red Cross rapid response team in Tenerife, said. "Our people in Africa have figures estimating that about 100,000 people could be waiting in Senegal for an opportunity to set off in a boat," he said in an interview in ABC newspaper on Sunday.
Meanwhile, over the next few days, two new centers for foreign minors will be set up on the islands and agreement was reached for Guardia Civil patrols to help watch Senegal's territorial waters to contain the avalanche of immigrants.
Immigrants arrive on the Canary Islands in ever-greater numbers
1,200 immigrants reach Canary Islands since Friday
Three more boatloads of migrants reach Canaries
Baby spot sparks plane pox alert
Two air passengers were forced to leave their baby son in Tenerife after the plane's captain refused to let him fly because he had a spot on his head. Ten-month-old Layton Condron was ordered off the My Travel flight to Newcastle at the end of July because of fears he had chicken pox. My Travel's agent, Direct Holidays, said the captain acted properly.
Baby spot sparks plane pox alert
Majority of Tenerife residents believe that closing the island ring road is a priority
Some 62.8% of Tenerife residents, of 3,000 surveyed, believe that closing the island ring road is a priority, which, says the report, indicates that the objections made by neighborhood associations, intellectuals and ecologists, are not as clear to a representative and proportional number of inhabitants of the island.
The study, carried out by the Gabinete Canario de Estudios de Mercado y Opinión Pública (Canarian Cabinet of Market and Public Opinion Studies), also found that 62.6% are in favour of the second runway at Tenerife south's, Reina Sofia airport. The third large project with 53.9% was for the train to the south.
The idea of the construction of a port in Granadilla lost position, to 4th, behind those three, with only 47.5% considering this project necessary.
Un 62,8% de los tinerfeños creen que el cierre del anillo insular es prioritario
Price of gas drops 2.9 cents
Good news! The price of gasoline will reduce by 2.9 cents at midnight at the pumps of the principle network of service stations in the province of Tenerife, under the Cepsa brand, the largest reduction of the summer. After the prices rose over the last few weeks, the price of 95 octane unleaded super will be 80.5 cents, while the 98 (called Óptima) will cost 90.5 cents per liter.
Diesel prices will also be reduced slightly, by 0.2 cents.
Tehran is due to respond to the proposal presented by the UN Security Council today, so we'll wait and see what effects this may have on supplies and prices.
Las gasolinas se anotan esta noche la mayor bajada del verano, 2,9 céntimos
Sunday, August 20, 2006
What You Can (and Can't) Put in That Carry-On
The other day we had a look at How To Ship Luggage to the Canary Islands and mentioned the new cabin baggage restrictions for travellers from the UK.
(Actually, there is another alternative for UK travellers: take the train to France and fly from there. Restrictions do not seem to be as tight on the continent.)
This article from Fodor's Travel Wire, talks about the US Transportation Security Administration Issues New Rules on Carry-On Bags. You may think that does not apply to too many visitors to Tenerife, but I've spoken online to two US visitors recently, so they are finding their way across the Atlantic. :)
And USA Today has a list of non-liquid, non-gel suggested alternatives for cosmetic items that you will be able to pack in your hand-luggage.
But visitors from any departure point need not worry too much about bringing their favorite brands, because most likely you'll find them Tenerife's shops.
What You Can (and Can't) Put in That Carry-On
Compassion sinking in a tide of desperate migrants
Times Online report, "... among local people, including the many Britons who have made the Canaries their home, the steady stream of migrants is starting to cause serious alarm." Austin Wainwright, a British volunteer who is co-ordinating the emergency response team in Tenerife for the Spanish Red Cross, says that he sees harrowing scenes almost every day.
The Government of the Canary Islands says that 450 corpses have been found this year alone; but it estimates that up to 3,000 may have died. The Red Cross believes that about one boat in four may sink in transit.
Where compassion is sinking in a tide of desperate migrants
Mummy set to return to Canaries after 200 years
A Madrid museum is set to return a centuries-old mummy to the Canary Islands, adding impetus to an international trend for human remains to be handed back to their countries of origin. A Spanish Senate committee wants Madrid's Anthropology Museum to return remains of a member of the Canaries' aboriginal Guanche people which arrived in mainland Spain in the 1700s, said Rafael Gonzalez, of Tenerife's Museum of Nature and Man.
Mummy set to return to Canaries after 200 years
Boy dies in fall at Teneife resort
A five-year-old boy has died at a Spanish holiday resort after plunging 30 feet from railings. He slipped off a stool, fell underneath the railings and landed on concrete steps leading down to a basement. The youngster, from Manchester, suffered massive head injuries after the accident at Playa de las Americas, Tenerife. The accident happened in a family complex called The Patch, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Boy dies in fall at Spanish resort
History of The Ycoden-Daute-Isora Wine Region
Wine searcher say, "Ycoden-Daute-Isora is the most ancient but most recently Denominated of Spain's regions. The best dry white wines in Tenerife, from the Listan Blanco grape, are made here." (I think the reds are even better.)
The region of Ycoden-Daute-Isora, which was constituted in 1994, started with 800 hectares and now has more than 2,000 hectares of vines, most of them with the varieties of listan blanca and listan negro. It includes the areas of San Juan de la Rambla, Guia de Isora, La Guancha, Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte, El Tanque and Santiago del Teide.
This recently created Denomination of Origin, which takes its name from early Guanche kingdoms and dominions, from the far western side of the island of Tenerife is a recognition of the ancient wine growing pedigree of the region with its recognized centres like Icod de los Vinos and La Guancha.
Wine growing began here in the 16th and 17th Centuries and is inseparable from the history of the islands themselves. Being almost the only economy, both locally and of Tenerife at that time, had a determining influence on the customs, the landscape, the history, the art and the culture of the area. 
The Canary Islands being then an obligatory stop between Europe and America, exported the famous "Canary" wine from the port of Garachico. It was to the wines of this region that William Shakespeare was referring, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, saying, "Canary, a marvellous and penetrating wine that perfumes the blood."
Today it is an area of small but vigorous wineries with new ideas. The vineyards grow in small terraces built into the slopes of the mountains, generally, between altitudes of 200 and 800 meters and, the rich volcanic soil and mild climate give the wine its own unique aroma.
The whites obtained from the Listan Blanco and Malvasia species predominate but the red, made mainly out of Listan Negro and Negramoll are velvety to the palate and have an unique character. 
A long, phylloxera-free past in Tenerife has allowed twenty-seven wine-making grape varieties to survive. Authorized varieties in the Ycoden-Daute-Isora region include; Bastardo blanco, Bermejuela, Forastera blanca, Gual, Listán blanco and Listán negro, Malvasía, Moscatel, Pedro Ximénez, Sabro, Torrontés, Verdello, Vijariego (blancas), Bastardo negro, Negramoll, Tintilla, Malvasía rosada, Moscatell negra and Vijariego negro (tintas).
La comarcal de Icod estrena marca y vinos
Sourcing Wine from Ycoden-Daute-Isora
Wines from Ycoden-Daute-Isora
Wines from the Canary Islands
Los vinos tinerfeños
Denominación de origen
Ycoden Daute Isora
Comarcas vitivinícolas
Grape Varieties
Canary Islands Water Most Expensive in Spain
The unit price of water in the Canary Islands rose to 1.64 euros per cubic meter in 2004, the highest in Spain and 68 cents above the national average. According to the National Statistics Institute, the average water consumption, per inhabitant, per day, was 147 liters - one of the lowest in the country.
Only the inhabitants of La Rioja, the Balearic Islands and Ceuta and Melilla consume less water than Canarian households do, whilst Andalucia consumes the most, at 189 liters, per person, per day. The national average consumption in 2004, was 171 liters, per person, per day - 2.4% higher than in 2003.
At national level, the unit value of water rose by 11.6% in 2004, to 0.96 cents per cubic liter. Consumption for agricultural use rose by 1.4% over the previous year, whilst water used by families (private homes) represents 67% of the total supply. Only 82.1% of the water supply is distributed for consumption by families, businesses and institutions, because 17.9% is lost in the public distribution network, due to leaks and breakages.
El agua en Canarias, la más cara de toda España
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Will you take this goat?
Yeah, OK, this has nothing to do with Tenerife. Though I did make "improper suggestions" about the role of the "old goat" when one was found riding a moped in Santa Cruz.
We all know the jokes made about Welshmen and their sheep, but I didn't really think ... Perhaps I should say that it is probably better not to ask. :)
Be thankful this is not the Sudan though, as BoingBoing point to a BBC story that reports: "A Sudanese council of elders ordered a man who was caught having sex with a goat to marry the animal and pay the goat's owner a dowry of $50."
Those interested (no, not in dating) might, however, like to know that there were an estimated 326,807 goats in the Canary Islands at the last count.
Twelve of the world's largest cruise ships confirm forthcoming stopovers in Tenerife ports
After reporting a disappointing drop in cruise ship traffic of 25% in the first half of this year, things are looking more positive for Tenerife ports in the coming seasons. Between September this year and 2008, twelve of the world's largest cruise ships have confirmed stopovers.
The 2,500 passenger capacity Aida Diva, 830 more than sister ship, Aida Blu, who she will be substituting when she leaves the shipbuilders, will use Tenerife's port as a base for cruises around the Canaries and Madeira during 2007.
The luxury ship, Belle de l´Adriatique, of the Croisi Europe line has also chosen the Tenerife port as her base during the 2007-2008 season. She will make nine calls to Tenerife and 33 crossings between La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
Aida Blu will be the first to commence Atlantic routes from Tenerife in September. In the first week of October, Thomson Destiny, with capacity for 1,600 passengers, will be next to arrive.
Three Royal Caribbean line ships, the second largest group in the world, after Carnival, will be calling into Tenerife and La Palma this autumn, they are; Legend of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas and Millenium. In 2007 come, Navigator of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, both with capacity for 3,840 passengers.
Among the most novel arrivals in 2007 will be Disney Magic and, the jewel in the crown, Cunard's new Queen Victoria, which is currently still in the shipbuilders.
The Santa Cruz port authority also confirm data in a study published in specialist magazine, Lloyd´s Cruise International that, during the 2005-2006 winter season, 54,000 British tourists spent an average of 8.5 nights cruising in the Atlantic, figures that are only surpassed in the Caribbean.
Various business sectors have passed criticism that the Tenerife capital is not prepared to properly receive the thousands of cruise passengers, given that the welcome they receive at weekends is of the city center closed and lacking services that could make their stopovers more pleasant.
Doce de los más grandes cruceros han confirmado ya su escala en Tenerife
Friday, August 18, 2006
Canaries 'facing migrant crisis'
It must be true, the BBC are reporting it: "Spain's Canary Islands can no longer cope with the soaring number of illegal immigrants arriving from Africa, local leaders say. Regional government chief Adan Martin called on the Spanish authorities in Madrid to form an emergency cabinet and provide more aid."
Martín is also asking for changes in the law concerning minors, report La Opinion, because the current provisions were not made to include these migrants. There are currently 649 minors, who arrived unaccompanied, in care centers in the archipelago. Under current legislation, the state is obliged to take them in. This represents an annual direct cost of 30,000 Euros each.
Social Services say that neither Central Government, nor the European Community are conscious of the magnitude of the problem and have so far only offered 2 million euros to solve this already, 19.5 million euro problem.
An average of five more minors arrive to the Canary Islands coasts daily.
Canaries 'facing migrant crisis'
How To Ship Luggage to the Canary Islands
Jaunted travel blog say, "That tears it--we're never checking a bag again", after the reports that 20,000 bags got lost at Heathrow airport alone during last week's chaos. That's not to mention the damage we suffer frequently and, that there have been many extra reports of thefts from baggage last week.
Indeed, after my own suitcase was mauled on a transatlantic flight, I made this same vow and, in the last 25 years, have only checked hold baggage on a couple of occasions out of many trips to various places. Yes, I'm one of those annoying people, capable of packing two week's worth of clothing in one carry-on bag - something that will be much harder to achieve with the new regulations limiting us to one piece of hand-luggage of about half the size of that which was previously permitted.
"According to the new rules, hand luggage must not exceed 45cm x 35cm x 16cm (about 17.7in x 13.7in x 6.2in), including wheels, handles and side pockets.", says BBC report Packing it all in. See their Latest baggage advice here.
Doesn't leave much room, does it, but I still have no intention of trusting my valuables to the average baggage handling outfit, if I can avoid it!
And as one commenter says, "I'm all for reducing hand luggage on flights, but the airlines, airports and insurance companies have to do their bit too and guarantee free replacement of any lost items!" And we know they blooming well aren't, so Jaunted's idea of shipping items instead is not at all far fetched.
Jaunted then point to a company called Luggage Free, who can do international shipping for you door-to-door from the US.
They also mention that the shippers "wrap the bag in about a billion layers of protective plastic", which reminds me about the posters at Tenerife's Reina Sofia airport. English speakers may not be aware of the play on words that goes with the advertising to "plastifique su equipaje". Yes, it means wrapping your luggage in plastic. It can also mean placing a condom on your member. :)
Call it "safe flying", if you like!
That should help you to (re)member that such a shrink wrapping service exists here. (Or it did.) And it might deter baggage handlers from dipping.
What about shipping luggage from the UK to the Canary Islands?
This is probably not of much interest to the average holiday maker, but might be to the "swallows" (mature folk who spend the entire winter here) or those moving to the islands. Other services exist if you are moving whole house contents, but if you are only bringing personal items, these may be of more use:
The Excess Baggage Company, handle removals and excess baggage worldwide, specifically advertise removals to the Canary Islands and provide air freight services to and from the Canary Islands, "ideal for those last minute items."
Excess Luggage are specialist baggage moving service provider in the UK and offer shipping services by air, sea, & road as well as express delivery to the door worldwide.
And don't forget that pets are often treated as Excess baggage too.
How To Ship Luggage
Related links:
Expats.org.uk
BritishExpats.com
ONO Clients Left Without Internet Connection
A problem with the DNS server at Internet Service Provider, ONO, left customers in the Canary Islands without Internet connections for more than 10 hours yesterday, report Diario de Avisos. In Santa Cruz, users began to notice that they were unable to connect to the network at around 9 a.m. yesterday morning and the situation continued until around 8 p.m. in the evening.
The server breakdown affected the whole of the Canary Island archipelago, where ONO have an estimated 50,000 customers, among them both private individuals and businesses. The the report makes a point of stating that ONO did not distribute one single notice to explain the problem and that the lack of information was what infuriated the affected users most of all.
Users also complained about the impossibility of connecting to the company's help line and those who were able to call in the morning, were told that the problem would be fixed by 7 p.m. At that time, operators began giving out new DNS numbers so Canary Islands users could connect via an alternative server.
By coincidence, a problem with servers at Telefónica left thousands of DSL customers on the Spanish mainland without internet connections or access to the Imagenio TV platform on Tuesday. Various consumers associations and users have asked the Ministry of Industry to intervene to clarify the causes.
These are, by far, not the only complaints of this type. My previous ISP, who shall remain nameless, managed to leave me for days without a connection, all too frequently. A fact reflected in the large number of complaints registered about them with consumers associations and that can be read all over the net.
In itself, yesterday's event probably does not seem like news, except that the press have considered it important enough to be treated as such.
Personally, I think it reflects changes in the culture that have been occurring lately in Spain and that are most noticeable on these islands. Efficiency was never a word one would associate with anything here (except maybe fiesta organizing) and, for the most part, it seemed as if everyone was quite content to wait, tranquillo, for whatever to pass or for it to be fixed in the "fullness of time".
As a foreigner, used to things getting done in other countries, if one was ever daft enough to show frustration or attempt to get wheels in motion, one would be met with a retort, that one is NOT in England now. And, we've been stuck with putting up with it, because any attempt to push anything has been met with a digging in of heels that merely prolongs the agony instead of expediting a solution.
It looks to me as if those days are now over, for better and for worse (there are advantages to the tranquillo attitude, like less stress), if Canarians themselves are now demanding the sort of service that the "civilized" world has long expected.
This seems to be a good progress in the direction of improvement of life, but mark my words, there will be a price to pay to move into the 21st Century.
Una avería deja sin Internet a los clientes de ONO en Canarias
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Proposal to allow more foreigners to vote
The Socialist Party and the United Left are to present a joint proposal to the Spanish Congress today with the objective of allowing regularized foreign nationals in Spain the right to vote in the municipal elections in 2007. In the Canary Islands, such measure could increase the electoral roll by 100,000.
The proposal is based on the application of article 13.2 of the Spanish Constitution, which guarantees the right to vote in municipal elections to foreigners on a reciprocal basis, meaning that foreigners legally resident in Spain should be able to vote here, when Spanish nationals resident in their country of origin are also able to vote in their municipal elections.
The key to how many more voters could be added as acceptable is in reciprocal agreements with foreign countries, which is some cases are signed, but not yet ratified and, others are still to be signed, but are under negotiation.
At the moment 93,422 people from the 25 countries of the European Union live in the Canary Islands, plus 1,561 from Norway, the only non EU country with which Spain has signed and ratified such an agreement. European citizens were able to vote in the last comicos (most apt Spanish word meaning elections) and in some cases put forward foreign candidates and parties formed by foreigners.
According to newspaper, El Pais, Spain has agreements pending, signed, but not yet ratified, with; Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia. There are approximately 53,300 people resident in the Canary Islands from these countries. Spain could attempt to reach agreements before the 2007 elections with Morocco, Ecuador and Colombia - the three countries of origin of the largest number of foreign residents in Spain at national level. In the Canary Islands, there are 43,059 people from these three countries.
The total number of regularized foreign residents in the Canary Islands at January 1, 2006, was 225,700 people, 11.4% of the total population.
European citizens have been able to vote here for a number of years, however, in 2007, those from the 10 new states (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia), who joined the EU in 2004 will be able to vote in Spain for the first time.
There are, nevertheless, many people, of various nationalities who will not be able to vote in 2007. Cases such as Cuba or China (which in the Canary Islands, adds almost 15,000 people), where reaching any such agreement is seen as impossible. It is also considered to be very complicated to reach any agreement with sub Saharan African countries.
Nevertheless, these figures show that the foreign vote could be a very important new aspect of the municipal elections in 2007. The recent process of regularizing previously illegal workers, who had been resident in the islands for many years, also increases the possibility that these persons will choose to participate.
El censo aumentaría en 100.000 si los extranjeros regularizados votasen en las municipales de 2007
Cabildo distributes plums from the Teno Rural Park
The Tenerife Island Corporation, through the management office of the Teno Rural Park, at Los Pedregales in the El Palmar valley, have distributed their production of 225 kilos of plums to 14 centers locally.
The beneficiaries, who received the fruit between the middle of July and the beginning of August, were geriatric residences in Buenavista del Norte, Los Silos, Icod de los Vinos, hospitals and children's homes in the area. Each received 15 kilos of the fruit.
El Cabildo reparte la producción de ciruelas del Parque Rural de Teno en diferentes centros
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Is Irish Singer, Daniel O'Donnell about to make his permanent home on the island of Tenerife?
One wonders, since the BBC reported yesterday that the star is currently selling his eight-bedroomed home in Donegal - the price tag is 3 million euro. O'Donnell, who is famous for his mix of country and traditional Irish music met businesswoman Majella McLennan, whom he wed in 2002, while on holiday in Tenerife, where he now has a second home.
Cruise Tourism Drops by 25% in Tenerife
Cruise ship traffic has dropped by 25% in Tenerife ports since the beginning of January. The province saw 24 luxury liners and 70,000 passengers less during the first quarter of the year, some 24.72% less than in the same period in 2005. Logically, Santa Cruz is the port which has felt the drop most keenly.
It has to be said that this is probably, hardly surprising as other reports have indicated that passengers have complained, if they should unhappily find themselves dumped off in ghostly Santa Cruz during the afternoons, or Sundays. Critics say that local shopkeepers and businesses should wise up and open up to cater to this lucrative trade - something they stubbornly refuse to consider.
El turismo de cruceros baja un 25% en los puertos tinerfeños desde enero
Air show attracts thousands
Well over 10,000 people turned out in sweltering heat to watch the Festival de Aeromodelismo (aircraft modelling) air show in Puerto de la Cruz recently, the annual event which traditionally brings the curtain down on the resort’s popular July fiestas. A bevy of civil and military authorities presided over the three hour show which takes place in the old fishing harbour area of town.
Air show attracts thousands
Canary climate change warning
A senior meteorologist with the Instituto Nacional de Meteorología (National Meterological Institute) has warned that the Canary Islands can look forward to a future of higher sea levels and scant rainfall as global warming locks in and, predicts that human beings will not have the ability to adapt to such conditions.
Canary climate change warning
Santa Úrsula drowning in wine lake
Just a few weeks off from the 2006 grape harvest and Santa Úrsula producers in north Tenerife still hadn’t shifted 80% of the wine stored in barrels in bodegas all over the municipality since last year. Wine consumption has dropped in recent times, because of more traffic controls and changing fashions, however, wine growers also accuse the hospitality sector of importing cheap wine from the peninsula and passing it off as locally produced “vino del país”.
Watch out for the Santa Úrsula wine lake
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Fiestas in Candelaria
Today, August 15th, is the fiesta in honour of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, the patron of the Canary Islands and these fiestas are possibly the most important fiestas in the Canary Islands.
The fiesta which commemorates the first appearance of the virgin to the Guanche aborigines which occurred in the town of Candelaria is held in August every year and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the archipelago, many of whom walk to Candelaria as a form of pilgrimage to thank the virgin for the favours she has granted.
In fact, the party has been going on all weekend. British R&B star, Craig David (No, not Davis as the report says! :), came, was seen and conquered the audience at the Eleventh Festival de Candelaria at the Candelaria football stadium on Saturday. (Yes, very "Canarian", we wondered too. Craig David has a notable following here and has influenced Canarian artists, such as Tony Santos.)
Sunday was sports day with Lucha Canaria (Canarian wrestling) and yesterday was the popular Romeria (think procession, street party and local costume), which each year includes a reenactment of the apparition of the Icon to the Guanches. August 15th is the day when the floral offering is made to the virgin and is a public holiday in the whole of Tenerife. Local authorities were expecting a turn out of 250,000 for the total of the various events this year, with more than a hundred thousand expected for yesterday's Romeria alone.
Fiestas in Candelaria
Plaza de España, Santa Cruz, Tenerife
Plaza España/ Tenerife
The Teide Tenerife, Canary Islands (Echium Wildpretii)/ (Tajinaste Rojo)
The Teide Tenerife, Canary Islands (Echium Wildpretii)/ (Tajinaste Rojo) Tenerife A World To Discover/Eine Welt Entdecken.
Originally uploaded by dcols.
The Teide Tenerife, Canary Islands (Echium Wildpretii)/ (Tajinaste Rojo)
UK terror threat level downgraded
The terror threat to the UK was downgraded yesterday from "critical" to "severe", report the BBC. Newspaper, El Dia, report that Lanzarote was the most affected locally by delays on their 160 programmed flights to and from the UK on Thursday, while last thing on Friday, Tenerife South's Reina Sofia airport had handled 130 UK flights; 63 arrivals and 67 departures. Some 30% of arrivals had suffered an average delay of 50 minutes, while punctuality on departures was a little inferior, with 40% of flights being delayed by an average of 40 minutes, according to information from airports' authority (AENA).
Some baggage restrictions on leaving the UK have been lifted, but there are long-term changes in place (check before departing). Some items (in particular, liquids) are still no longer allowed and the permitted size of hand-luggage will be around half the size of luggage previously admitted, says the BBC report.
UK terror threat level downgraded
Monday, August 14, 2006
What Time is it in Tenerife Spain?
Since people are searching the net for the time in Tenerife, Spain, I thought I would make this quick post as a reference. If you live here, you can look at your watch :), but if you are coming to visit, especially from the UK, you may be pleased to know that the time in Tenerife is the same as the time in Britain.
If you've visited mainland Spain or the Balearic Islands, then you'll know that Spain is on Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of the UK and the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are on what is known as Western European Time (WET) - no that is not a measure of humidity! :)
The Canary Islands are NOT on the same time as the rest of Spain, resulting in the fact that when National Spanish TV and radio stations give out time checks they always give the current time in Spain, followed by the statement, "una hora menos ..." (an hour less/behind) "en las Canarias" (in the Canaries).
Now that the whole of Europe changes to and from Daylight Savings Time on the same dates, the time in the Canary Islands and the UK are always the same.
This is, of course, terribly convenient for British visitors or British ex-pat residents who regularly communicate with family back in Blighty!
That isn't the reason, however. If you look at the map, you will see that the Canary Islands are a fair way due west of Spain. We are also off the north west coast of Africa, where the time in Casablanca, Morocco, is also on GMT. (They don't use Daylight Savings Time there though.)
The difference with Spain also causes some confusion for Canary Island residents, because we have both National and local media. National media, of course, advertise upcoming program times in Spanish time. Local stations give upcoming program times in Canarian Time. Please don't ask me how many times one forgets to make the one hour adjustment, only to switch on and find that the program has finished!
We also get to celebrate New Year twice each year, at 11 p.m., from Spain, on the National channels and again at midnight with the local ones. :)
Once upon a time, until the British moved it, the Meridian used to be in the Canary Islands, at the Faro de Orchilla, on the island of El Hierro.
Current local time in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands, Spain
While you are checking the time, I have no doubt that you will also want to check the current weather conditions in Tenerife, which you can do here.
Friday, August 11, 2006
No Hand Luggage Restrictions from Tenerife
As I am sure the whole world is already aware, British aviation has banned all hand luggage on aircraft leaving the UK, in the wake of the wake of yesterday's foiled terror plot. The BBC lists Packing advice for UK passengers here.
This morning I called the information desk (+34) 922 759000 at Tenerife South, Reina Sofia airport to see what the situation was, specifically on flights leaving Tenerife for Britain. I am told that, at the moment, there are no restrictions and that passengers are being allowed on planes with the normal hand-luggage.
This, of course, is subject to change, but if you were flying home today, I guess you can still take bottles of duty free booze. Those days may be numbered, if, as reports suggest, the restrictions become permanent, or more widespread.
President of the Federation of Hostelry and Tourism (FEHT), Fernando Fraile, was quick to inform that the 138 flights programmed from the Canaries to the United Kingdom yesterday were operating without incident.
British aviation bans all hand-luggage
Packing advice for UK passengers
Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias, Airports, Airlines, Air Travel, Travel, UK, Terrorism
From: Secret Tenerife | Tenerife Daily Photo
Canary Islands Continuing Immigration Wave
Yesterday, Thursday, at least 532 "undocumented" immigrants arrived to the Canary Islands coasts, the majority to Tenerife and La Gomera. With that balance at the end of the day, authorities were still expecting another two boats to arrive. Good weather and the coming into force of the EU coastal vigilance, could be reasons that have contributed to this new wave of arrivals.
The European Frontiers Agency (Frontex) operation for the control of illegal immigration in the Atlantic, which will be coordinated from a center in Tenerife, came into force yesterday and is designed to prevent the boats from leaving Africa and to quickly return those that do manage to sail, back to their ports in Mauritania, Senegal and Cape Verde. The record number which reached Canary Island waters yesterday will have been at sea for upwards of a week.
Echoing the two recent cases where sunbathers on the La Tejita beach had rushed to help immigrants, campers on the nearby beach of El Confital also came to the aid of 97 immigrants who had landed there in the early hours last weekend. The campers got out of their beds to give them food and clothing and collaborated actively with Red Cross teams when they arrived.
Coordinator of one of the Red Cross rescue teams, Osvaldo Lemos, said that the attitude of the campers was exemplary. When the Red Cross arrived at 2:30 in the morning, the campers had given the immigrants blankets, food, some of their own clothing and footwear and, had even helped them to get changed. The campers used their motors to provide light to aid the rescue team and helped in whatever else they could, for example, by holding drip bags.
Meanwhile more immigrant records were broken earlier in the week, when the largest number on a single boat - 172 people - arrived to the island of El Hierro. The 25 meter (82 foot) boat might have set out from Senegal in West Africa.
Senegaleese religious leader, Mouhamadou Mansour, also travelled to Tenerife this week to visit minors at retention centers in Tegueste and Adeje. He is quoted as saying that these days many youths in Senegal think only of emigrating, but this is not the way and that we have to convince them not to. He says it is playing with life and also calls for the flow to be regulated to avoid more deaths.
430 more Africans arrive in Canaries
Canarias recibe 532 inmigrantes y espera la llegada de dos nuevos cayucos
Otra marea de cayucos trae al menos 532 inmigrantes más
Comienza a funcionar en Canarias la misión de vilgilancia costera de la UE
El cayuco más grande llegado a Canarias arriba a El Hierro
Spain: 172 immigrants arrive at Canary Island
Campistas auxilian a 97 inmigrantes en Granadilla
Un líder religioso senegalés pide "un flujo reglado" para evitar más muertes
An Evening With Robert Maxwell
Of course, you've got to go to Scotland to see this play, but it is a subject that Tenerife has never tired of analysing and talking about either ...
"If you attended an audience with the newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, what questions would you want him to answer? How he became so rich? What did he do with the millions he stole from the pension fund of his company, Mirror Group Newspapers? What really happened that night in November 1991 when his body was found in the sea off the coast of Tenerife while he was on a cruise on his yacht? In Rod Beacham's tremendous play, he'll answer all these questions and more - and he'll tell you you're a fool to believe him."
Lies Have Been Told: An Evening With Robert Maxwell
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Banana Fruit: Plantain Health Benefits
Everyone associates the Canary Islands with the production of bananas and they are fruit: we just assume they are healthy things to eat, but did you know that they are good for all these things? No, nor did I.
(Use common sense, this is not a substitute for medical advice.)
Banana and longevity
Folk physicians of ancient Persia and India regarded this golden fruit as nature's secret of perpetual youth. Even today, banana is known to promote healthy digestion and create a feeling of youthfulness. It enhances calcium, phosphorous and nitrogen retention which in turn helps in the regeneration of healthy tissues.
Banana (or Plantain) health food
The banana is of great nutritional value. It has a rare combination of energy value, tissue-building elements, protein, vitamins and minerals. It is a good source of calories since it is rich in solids and low in water content as compared to any other fresh fruit.
Banana for energy
A large banana supplies more than 100 calories. It contains a large amount of sugar that can be easily assimilated by the body. This makes it a good source of quick of quick energy and an excellent means to recover from fatigue. The use of bananas has been found beneficial in the treatments of several medical conditions such as intestinal disorders, constipation, arthritis, gout, anemia, allergies, kidney stones, tuberculosis and urinary disorders.
Home Remedies with Bananas
Eat banana at night to get relief from constipation. If suffering from diarrhea you can use raw bananas. Boil the raw banana, mash it and add a pinch of salt and butter. Eat it to get relief from diarrhea.
Banana or plantain has been widely used as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana till it becomes a smooth paste. Cover your face with it and leave it for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water followed by splashes of cold water. Pat it dry.
Mash one ripe banana in one cup of milk and drink it at least 2-3 times a day to treat skin allergies.
You can use banana peel inside out for treatment of warts. Use the peel inside out and cover the wart by taping it. Once the peel turns black remove and continue this for some weeks to get relief from wart.
You can use banana peel for treating poison ivy rashes. Rub the peel inside out over the rashes; it soothes the skin to provide a cooling effect.
Banana peel can be used if you have bruised yourself. Tape it overnight to see the positive results in the morning.
To get rid of hangover you can drink banana milk shake mixed with honey. Banana helps in soothing the stomach and body.
If you are pregnant, and want to avoid leg cramps, eat bananas before going to bed.
Eat three bananas a day to prevent ulcers. It will help to soothe your stomach and reduce the ulcer pain.
Consuming a banana after every meal helps in reducing the heartburn.
To decrease menstrual bleeding drink the mixture of boiled banana flower with buttermilk.
Consuming two tablespoons of burnt banana leaves mixed with honey helps relief hiccups.
Rubbing banana peel inside out is the best remedy for mosquito bites.
Bananas can help Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) sufferers as it contains natural mood enhancers and trypotophan.
It contains high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, and B12 which helps people give up smoking. The potassium and magnesium found in bananas helps the body recover from the effects of withdrawal symptoms.
Eat bananas in every form ripe, raw, cooked, milkshakes and desserts. It helps in treating many ailments related to your body.
Drinking extract from the stem attached to the banana cluster helps kill tuberculosis bacteria.
To combat alcohol addiction drink a small glass of the boiled mixture consisting of 3 banana peels, Tabasco, water or milk from 1 coconut, brown sugar or sugar loaf to taste. Let it ferment for 3 days and add snifter of liquor. Do this for nine days.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
About The Author:
Sharon Hopkins is the webmaster for home remedies sites similar to http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com. The site provides knowledge about home remedies and natural cure. Banana or Plantain has number of health benefits as it can prevent many serious problems relating to your health.
Canary Island Two Tone Sheep
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
What Canarians do in their spare time
Ever wondered what Canary Island inhabitants do in their spare time? Well, contrary to what you might believe from the sheer number of fiestas on these islands, apparently, Canarians don't go in for much in the way of "strong emotions" at the weekend. They prefer to watch the tele, listen to music or "practice recreational cooking" - makes it sound like a sport - say ABC.
The consumption of audiovisual media (television, home cinema, internet and radio), listening to music, reading, cooking and looking after pets are the principal activities that occupy the average 12 hours and 34 minutes of free time that a Canary Islander has (someone has 12 hours more than I do!), discounting the hours while we sleep or attending to domestic chores, each weekend.
According to the survey conducted by Facilisimo.com, we dedicate most of this free time to receptive or intellectual activities, which is to say; watching TV (25.88% of the time), surfing the 'net (20.29%), listening to music (18.06%), reading (14.33%) and listening to the radio (11.35%).
In active things, the most popular is that sport of recreational cooking, to which 29.95% of the time is dedicated, followed by looking after pets (19.81%), gardening (17.97%), Do-It-Yourself (17.05%) and decoration (15.20%).
Inequality of the sexes
Men enjoy 12 hours and 46 minutes of spare time, against women who have 12 hours and 39 minutes. Women also spend two hours, fifteen minutes more on domestic chores than the men do. No surprises there then! :)
Nevertheless, cleaning is the singular task which most Canarians spend most time on at the weekend, followed by looking after family, non-recreational cooking and washing and ironing clothes. Those between 25 and 65 prefer to cook, while the 18 to 25 age group spend the bulk of their time on their pets. Those who spend most time on the internet are in the 36 to 45 age bracket.
When asked what they would do with their spare time if they had more of it, most would watch more TV, Home Cinema, surf the internet more, listen to music or read - which is to say that they wouldn't change anything much.
We Brits are supposed to go in for our gardening a bit more, but there is no doubt that we also spend a fair bit of our time as couch potatoes. I just found this data interesting, simply from the point of view that the "average Canarian" does not seem to be much different from the average anybody else really.
El ocio tranquilo de los canarios
How to Be Invisible
J. J. (Jack) Luna sold his outdoor advertising business in the Upper Midwest in 1959 and moved with his wife and small children to Spain's Canary Islands (off the coast of West Africa). Outwardly, he worked as a professional writer and photographer. Secretly, however, he dodged the Spanish Secret Police while working underground in an activity that was at that time illegal under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
"This book is dedicated to an anonymous member of Spain's Secret Police. On January 27, 1960, during a brief encounter on a quiet back street in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, I asked him for advice on how best to avoid any problems in the land of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The advice he gave me has served me well for more than forty years. He said there was only one way to avoid troubles with the authorities: "Make yourself invisible." And so I did." - J.J. Luna
How to Be Invisible Via: The View From North Central Idaho
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
More Spanglish in the Canary Islands
You can even boast your linguistic ability across your chest now.
Spanglish doesn't just refer to the errors, of course, but you have to admit that those are the most fun! And we get plenty of them on these islands to keep you amused. Just search for dodgy translations, for a good start. There's our now world-(in)famous Buenavista
There have been many hilarious examples of inedible objects on menus, but you are not safe in the local shops either. This nonsensical slogan on a a pair of little girl's knickers, found in a Tenerife supermarket, is beyond perverted.
And take this dyslexic sign (please) painted on a road in Fuerteventura. Someone once told me that it isn't actually meant to be the English word, STOP, at all. It is the initials for the Spanish phrase, "Siempre Tiene la Obligacion de Parar" (You are always obliged to stop.) Personally, I think they were probably having me on, even though it does mean that, but whichever it is, it's in the wrong order.
Why don't they simply use a Spanish word, like PARA (an order to stop)?
Then, it dawned on me that Spanglish is well rooted here. Why is El Flan - the Canary Islands' most popular desert - called El Flan and not given a Spanish name? A confusing use of Spanglish anyway, from the fact that, in English, a flan would be a filled pastry thing (tarta) and this is clearly a cream caramel?
How did we get here? Ah yes, BoingBoing pointed to a Flickr group for Engrish - the grammatically incorrect variation of English often found in Asian countries - from where my mind went off wandering on it's own. Did they have a Spanglish group, for instance? Yes they do here and one for Broken English.
Pure entertainment, of course, but English is so much fun when it's broke!
Labels: Lost in Translation
Official reception for mountain biker
Thirty three year old Adriano Cordovez was given an official reception by Cabildo president Ricardo Melchior and island councillor for Sports Damaso Arteaga in recognition of his recent victory in the Spanish Open Mountain Bike Championship. Cordivez who was born in Los Silos in the north of the island forms part of the Loro Parque El Aderno Tinte y Madera team.
Official reception for mountain biker Adriano Cordovez
Watch the Perseids: Rain of Stars
This phenomenon, apparently, is known popularly here as Las Lágrimas de San Lorenzo (The Tears of Saint Lawrence), whose saints' day falls on August 10th.
The rain of stars is nothing more than small particles of cosmic dust deposited by comets, which visit earth on their way around the sun. When these particles enter the earth's atmosphere at high speed, they disintegrate, putting on their brilliant firework display. Most of the dust in the cloud today is approximately a thousand years old. (Space is as keen on housework as I am. LOL!)
To observe the Perseids best, it is a good idea to get well away from illuminated urban areas. The sky in the Canary Islands, we already know, is one of the clearest in the world for astronomical observation. The show will be over the horizon in the north east part of the sky at an angle of about 20 degrees. No special equipment is needed: they are best seen with the naked eye.
This year, however, the full moon on the 9th, which will only just be in decline during the Perseids' appearance and which is relatively close to that position, may present some observation difficulties.
La lluvia de estrellas se apreciará durante todo agosto, sobre todo en la noche del 12 al 13
Bringing Hi-Tech to High Altitude
One of the problems that the rural hostel Albergue de Bolico at the head of the El Palmar valley has suffered is that broadband would not reach them. The library in Las Portelas got DSL because they had fiber optic telephone cables installed. DSL just reaches me with more finger crossing than technology!
But that additional kilometer or so away from the exchange in Buenavista, had meant that, up to now, the pleasures of fast access were denied the albergue.
Therefore, I am sure they will be delighted that, according to this report, the hostel are currently having a satellite dish installed, so that it can be equipped with high speed internet access and a "telecenter", which will permit users of this rustic accommodation in the Teno Rural Park to access the internet.
This is part of a plan to get rural areas connected, promoted by the Tenerife Island Corporation, in collaboration with the Buenavista del Norte town hall.
There are already centers in Las Portelas, various points in Buenavista, in Teno Alto and, it is proposed that one will also be installed in the village of Masca.
The hostel, which provides a fun alternative to mass tourism, has a capacity for 36 people and prices that start from only around £10 a night. Reservations.
And I must also just take this opportunity to say thank you for the link, as the hostel recently mentioned Secret Tenerife on their news blog.
Find the albergue on the map (Fly there in Google Earth)
Monday, August 07, 2006
Canary Islands could be lost Atlantis
Well, they could be, in the sense that it has yet to be wholly disproved, but I am not aware of any scientists - romanticists maybe - who hold this view.
Sadly, to disappoint those of the latter "discipline", what science does tell us is that the valleys behind and the Teno mountains were formed by volcanic activity - in the Miocene epoch - however the cliffs, amongst which are the steep-sided ravines of the Masca gorge, were formed by the subsequent four million years of erosive action of the sea. In other words, yes, the Canary Islands have seen cataclysmic events. Unfortunately, none have happened during the time span required for the Atlantean theory to hold water: they were well before any humans walked the earth, even possible citizens of Atlantis.
The merely incidental details of the facts not withstanding (the Guanche natives are far more likely to have descended from the North African Berber tribes and Garachico was destroyed 300 years ago, not two), what are sub-tropical, paradise islands for, if not to inspire the traveller to dream?
Canary Islands could be lost Atlantis
Christopher Columbus
Tomb of Christopher Columbus, Cathedral of Seville.For Canary Islanders, Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) is that man who set off from the island of La Gomera on September 6, 1492 on a famous voyage. The date is still celebrated as a holiday on that island. The theory that Colom was in fact a Catalan nobleman, specifically from Barcelona and not the son of a Genoese weaver as history has accepted, is gaining much ground, based on evidence, logic and common sense.
Mystery had continued to surround the location of Columbus' final resting place, however. Thanks to recent DNA testing, the results of which were published last week, we now know where at least 15% of him is - in the tomb at Seville. The search for the other 85% of the world famous explorer is centered on Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, but as this article suggests, there are other sites where some of his remains might, well, remain.
Christopher Columbus as born in 1451 and died in May 1506. He was a famous explorer and trader whose most significant voyage was crossing the Atlantic Ocean and landing in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
Although his actual nationality is a question of debate, this most famous voyage was done sailing under the flag of Castilian Spain. Columbus is the man most often believed as to having 'discovered' America, although there is evidence that other explorers had made the crossing before him. It was after Columbus' crossing that marked the start of the Spanish and Portuguese colonisation of South America.
Like many of the educated people of the period, Columbus believed that the earth was spherical in shape. He argued that he would be able to reach the Far East plotting a westward course. The main opposition to his notions was not that others believed the earth to be flat, but that nobody knew if it was possible to sail around the world without running out of food or running into windless areas.
Columbus' early career started in 1474, nearly 20 years before reaching America. He spent a year on a Genoese backed ship bound for the island of Khios, in the Aegean Sea and it was while he was there, he began to recruit sailors of his own.
Two years later, Columbus embarked on his first foray into the Atlantic Ocean, which, sadly ended off the Cape of St. Vincent in Portugal, when his fleet came under attack from French Privateers, who burned his ship and Columbus was forced to swim six miles back to shore.
After this, he settled in Lisbon, in Portugal, which had become a hive of maritime activity with ships setting sail to destinations across Europe and Africa. Columbus worked for some time with his brother as a draftsman, but soon returned to the sea, joining a Portuguese fleet bound for Iceland, Ireland and also West Africa.
There are two sides to Columbus - some view him as a man who, through his explorations, encouraged a Western expansion. Others, however, see him as being responsible for the deaths of many indigenous people, through the European exploitation of the continent and the West Indian slave trade.
One of Columbus' conditions with the Spanish monarchs before his voyages was that he claimed governorship of the new territories. Columbus was an excellent navigator, but his administrative skills were poor and he was soon stripped of his governorship in 1500.
Christopher Columbus was always a very religious man, and he would often give 'the conversion of non-believers' as one of the reasons for his explorations. In later life Columbus grew even more religious and took to wearing a Franciscan habit. He would claim to hear divine voices and even lobbied for a new crusade to capture Jerusalem .
Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid on May 20, 1506. He was quite a rich man thanks to all the gold he had gathered in his earlier years.
After his death, his body underwent excarnation - where the skin is removed so only bone is left. He was first interred in Valladolid and was then moved to a monastery in Seville. At the behest of his son, Columbus' remains were then moved to Santo Domingo. When the French took over 200 years later, he was moved to Havana, and then in 1898 after Cuba 's independence, they were finally moved to the cathedral in Seville.
About The Author: Mike McDougall has been commissioned by Babylon Idiomas to write a number of articles about Spanish culture. Babylon Idiomas is a Spanish language institute with schools in Spain [Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia], Argentina [Buenos Aires] and Costa Rica. Visit http://www.babylon-idiomas.com to learn more about Spanish courses.
Related:
DNA tests confirm Columbus tomb authenticity
Discovery Chanel: Who was Christopher Columbus?
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Constuction in Tenerife Increased 75% in 15 Years
Whilst I am still prepared to give benefit of the doubt to either side of the argument - I am neither naive enough to deny the possibility outright, nor am I entirely convinced that there is an evil plot to cover up construction excesses, but you have to admit that numbers like this tend to make you wonder.
Between 1987 and 2002 the area of land built on in the Canary Islands increased by 54.05%. In Fuerteventura, the percentage elevates to 169%, but in Tenerife province the increase is 75.9% - against 37.7% in Las Palmas.
No I don't know what the average might be in other parts of the world. Certainly, some of this will be "catching up". Those who built it will, of course, say it is all necessary, but I think it would be fair to consider it quite startling. For 500 years after the conquest, these islands somehow managed with so much building and in just 15 years, the growth of buildings manages to increase by half again.
The words sustainable and limits are the first to rush into my head.
No surprises either that some individual areas outdo the averages by far, like Adeje in South Tenerife, which had all but exploded by 194.8%.
El terreno edificado en Canarias ha aumentado un 55% en 15 años
Travel: Sun, sea and 25 Irish bars
"It doesn't matter how many thousands of miles you travel around the world, you'll always find at least one." says Paul Ferguson in the Belfast Telegraph.
Yes, you might expect some in resorts, but that number does seem excessive.
"Luckily", he is talking about Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote, but as Lanzarote has always been considered the poor relation of the Canary Islands, I would be almost afraid to count the number in Tenerife. Still, if that's the kind of entertainment you want, you may be pleased to know they exist.
But, does anyone else wonder why Spain has to be stuffed with English and Irish bars. How many British resorts have wall-to-wall Spanish bars, for instance?
Travel: Sun, sea and 25 Irish bars
Ecologists Call for the declaration of a Marine National Park for Tenerife
Green group, Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action), have presented a proposal for the declaration of the area of the coast of Tenerife from the Punta de Teno (north west tip) to the Punta Rasca (south west tip) as a marine national park, because the Council for the Environment of the Canarian Government, who had previously tried to declare the area in question as a natural park, has allowed the application to expire, say Ben Magec.
Spokesman for Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción, Rubén Fuentes, made the declaration in a press conference, underlining that this was not just an initiative of this ecological collective, but that it has two precedents:
One of the precedents is that the proposal made by the Council for the Environment of the Canarian Government, which had wanted to declare the area, which starts from Teno and runs to the Punta Rasca, as a natural park, but that they have allowed the application to expire.
The other precedent is a previous proposal by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment for the declaration of that area as a marine national park.
The initiative presented by Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción is for the declaration of the area as a marine national park for cetaceans, because of the constant presence of these animals to the south west of Tenerife.
Such project would protect the marine life and cetaceans in the area and would be incompatible with the construction of a port in Granadilla.
They don't say it directly, but I will. That last point makes the fact that the authorities have allowed these applications to expire look at little fishy.
Solicitan un Parque Nacional Marino para Tenerife
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Tenerife Island Corporation is to adapt a footpath in the Teno Rural Park for the disabled
The Tenerife Island Corporation is to adapt a footpath in the Monte del Agua - one of the largest laurisilva [1] forests in the Canary Islands - for use by people with reduced mobility, the blind and those with hearing difficulties. The island administration has budgeted 181,068 Euros (£122,157 / $233,070) for the works, which they estimate will take six months to complete.
The Cabildo underline that this is a pioneering initiative within the natural spaces of the archipelago, being that up to now, such adaptation projects have only previously been undertaken at the visitor center in Teide National Park.
The footpath is part of the forest track that crosses the Monte del Agua and measures around 850 meters in length. Works include providing parking spaces at the commencement of the footpath, with a barrier to prevent vehicle access to the footpath itself. The surface is to be compacted to make it suitable for wheelchair use. The footpath itself is to have a curbs that allow for drainage, so that the footpath surface is not eroded by rains. This curb will also serve as a guide for the blind. At the end of the footpath will be a rest area with stone benches, an interpretative information panel and space for wheelchairs.
Adaptarán un sendero del Parque de Teno para personas con discapacidad
[1] Laurisilva is a sort of subtropical cloud forest endemic to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores, mostly composed of trees of the Lauraceae family and other "laurifolious" trees, which in the Tertiary period covered almost all of Europe and extended across the Mediterranean region.
An appeal to give a little boy a very special treat
Joshua Bliss is a two-year old boy who lives in Tenerife with his father Colin, and his mother Gemma. He has recently been diagnosed with lymphoblatic leukaemia, and is at the moment in Residencia La Candelaria, where he has been fighting for his life over the past 10 days. Both his parents, and Colin’s first wife Debbie Bliss with their 15 year-old son Matthew, are trying to raise funds to be able to solve his problem.
An appeal to give a little boy a very special treat
Why Customs men are targeting Tenerife flights
Customs officials at Newcastle Airport are hot on the trail of cigarette smugglers and Tenerife is tops on their arrivals hit list. In less than a week at the end of July they snaffled cigs to the street value tune of more than half a million pounds sterling. Newcastle Airport Customs boss John Kinghorn said that most of their seizures had come from Tenerife flights, despite the fact that travellers are warned of the 200 cigarette allowance.
Why Customs men are targeting Tenerife flights
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Question over EU Citizens Rights in Tenerife
In an interview with Tenerife's most conservative newspaper, El Dia, President of the Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior, says that the ecosystem of the island is not compatible with "free residence" and that he is preoccupied by the high density of the population. In his opinion, in sensitive areas, such as these islands, the absolute freedom of establishment of EU citizens cannot exist.
This "thinking out loud", which, it has to be said, is done in a newspaper frequently criticized for it's xenophobic outlook, would be against current EU policy, however, EU residents should be aware that they are thinking it.
Figures quoted in the interview underline that the population of Tenerife has increased by 300,000 in the last 30 years, however, the alarm aspect is that this has not been at the average rate of 10,000 per year. Thirty years ago, the growth was 4,000 inhabitants, whilst in the past year, 20,000 arrived.
Melchior adds that, one must not forget that around 1,000 square kilometers, 50% of the island, is protected. Of the remaining 1,000 square kilometers, half is agricultural. That leaves 500 square kilometers, in which today, live one million people (800,000 on the census, the remainder in a non-legal situation), to which visitors must be added. This is equivalent to 20 people per hectare, the same as the average in a European city and double the density of an American city.
Nevertheless, he defends, as important social works, a huge shopping list of construction projects, roadworks, trams, etc., undertaken during his two terms at the head of the island institution for the last eight years, of which he was previously Vice President and the proposed network of trains, the second runway at the Tenerife South airport and the contentious Granadilla port.
"El ecosistema de la Isla no es compatible con la libre residencia"
Works on a further extension of the Tenerife Ring Road to start before the end of the year
Works on the extension of the Tenerife south highway, from the junction at La Atalaya (Adeje) to Santiago del Teide and which form a part of the demanded island ring road, will commence before the end of the year, say mayors of Adeje and Guía de Isora. The roadworks on the 27 kilometer stretch, it is estimated, will take three years to complete. Source: Diario de Avisos.
Trouble on the Busses in Tenerife
Three foreign teenagers were arrested after they held up passengers on a Titsa bus in La Laguna and made them hand over valuables such as sunglasses and gold chains, report Tenerife News. In another incident, a late night bus journey last month turned into a nightmare for three teenage girls were attacked by two other passengers, Argentinean men in their late twenties.
These and more news, none of it good, in Canary news shorts
Civil war grave unearthed in La Palma
The timing of a grisly discovery in La Palma last week couldn’t have been better for some. For others it has just re-opened the wounds of a bloody conflict it will still take Spain a long time to forget. This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, and it will be a year which the people of Fuencaliente will forever associate with the recovery of the remains of a group of long vanished local men known as the Fuencaliente Thirteen.
Civil war grave unearthed in La Palma
Sunbathers help immigrants in Tenerife again
Sunbathing holidaymakers have once again helped immigrants following another wave of arrivals on the beaches of Tenerife. A total of 202 people arrived on three cayuco boats to the south of the island yesterday, among them a group of 49 men who came ashore on the La Tejita beach, where sunbathers rushed to their aid. It’s second time in four days that such scenes have been witnessed.
Sunbathers help immigrants come ashore in Tenerife
Friday, August 04, 2006
Tenerife Gives a Lesson of Solidarity
Although this was already reported here, as well as in most of the English speaking press and media in the world, I thought it worth noting that Canarias, Paraiso de la Corrupcion (Canaries, Paradise of Corruption) blog, comment that "Tenerife gives a lesson in solidarity to the xenophobic attitudes of some politicians and media". Yes, exactly the point I was making.
They continue, from eyewitness reports given to Spanish news agency, EFE, that the tourists gave a "spontaneous and effective response" to help the 88 immigrants, among them two women and one minor, who had landed at 15:30 hours, in a 30 foot canoe, on La Tejita beach, near El Medano, last Sunday.
They showed signs of having undergone a long and difficult voyage, as vigilance on the African coasts obliges these boats to sail from further and further south.
Eight of the arrivals had to be taken to hospitals to be treated for symptoms of hypothermia and dehydration, although none were in a grave condition. The report also says that tourists took these sick people, in their own cars, as far as the motorway, where they met with Red Cross, Civil Guard and National Police.
Tenerife da una lección de solidaridad a las actitudes xenófobas de algunos politicos y medios. (Photos)
African migrant found dead on boat
Spanish authorities intercepted a boat carrying 66 illegal African would-be immigrants near the Canary Islands on Friday. One of the migrants had died aboard the boat, which was at sea for 11 days before it was stopped by Spanish authorities off the island of Tenerife, authorities said.
African migrant found dead on boat
Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Tenerife
A plane from British company, Excel Airways, with 188 passengers and five crew on board, had to make an emergency landing today at the Reina Sofia airport in South Tenerife, due to a fire alarm. There were no injuries.
Sources at Spanish airports authority, AENA, informed Spanish press agency, EFE, that the plane had departed from the Tenerife airport at 11.04 this morning en route to Cardiff, south Wales and 45 minutes later the pilot requested permission to land again at Tenerife, because of the alarm.
Tenerife airport's emergency services went onto yellow alert and after the plane landed, with no difficulties whatsoever, AENA fire services checked the fuselage of the plane, but did not find any anomaly.
Sources say that the plane has remained at the south Tenerife airport, where it is being checked by technicians to determine the cause of the alarm. Passengers and crew have been taken to transit areas and will be put up in hotels in the area, until the plane has been checked.
Un avión realiza un aterrizaje de emergencia en Tenerife Sur
Migrants die on way to Canaries
The bodies of 28 illegal West African migrants have been found washed up on a beach in Western Sahara, according to Morocco's state-run news agency. They had set off in two boats from Morocco in an attempt to reach the Spanish Canary Islands, it said. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities said on Tuesday 172 more migrants had arrived in the Canaries.
Migrants die on way to Canaries
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Plantations fall victim to big bucks developments
"Banana plantations are becoming ever more attractive to the speculative eyes of building developers and fincas in areas in the vicinity of exclusive south Tenerife hotels even more so, according to agricultural cooperative COAG-Canarias which claims that this situation, coupled with doubts over the future of EU banana subsidies, is prompting plantation owners to abandon their crops and bide their time to make a property killing.", Tenerife News reports.
Plantations fall victim to big bucks developments
La Orotava publishes its own magazine
Tenerife news report that the town hall of La Orotava has produced and distributed its very own 48-page colour magazine detailing the splendours offered by this five hundred year old mountain villa, illustrated with dozens of colour photographs. The Mayor himself wrote the introduction and appears in twenty-one of the photo illustrations. (Having met Orotava's mayor, Isaac Valencia, I have to say that this surprises me not. He's "quite a character." :)
La Orotava publishes its own magazine
Fiestas de San Roque in Garachico, Tenerife
The fiestas have a special significance this year, being the 400th Anniversary of devotion to the saint in the area, which coincided with an outbreak of plague.
On Friday, the candidates for Romera Mayor (Queen of the Fiestas) will be presented. On Saturday 5th, are the ?Arrastre de Ganado? (Pulling with Livestock); a rural sport activity and the ?Romería Chica? (Small Romeria or traditional fiesta). On Friday 11th, the Romera Mayor will be chosen at an event attended by the President of the Canary Island Government, Adán Martín Menis. Saturday, August 12th is the date of the Baile de Magos (Dance at which people will attend in traditional costume) and August 16th is the main Romeria.
The figure of San Roque is taken from its chapel (pictured) to the church of Santa Ana in the town center. During the popular festivities, the figure is taken back to its church, accompanied in procession by the municipal band, carts, flocks of goats and other festively bedecked animals, carnival-type dance and music, while the fishermen of Garachico also hold a sea-going procession.
As well as the religious and popular events, sports and culture provide an ample program that runs right from August 4th until the 19th.
En los próximos días saldrá el Programa de las Fiestas en Honor a San Roque
Pilgrimage and festivities of San Roque. Garachico
Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias
From: Secret Tenerife | Tenerife Daily Photo
