Tipsy Terrace Bar and Bistro officially opened yesterday. To celebrate the occasion there was entertainment by various well know singers in the village and a special menu prepared for the day.

For the next two weeks the new restaurant will only be open at lunchtime, but Sally aims to have the restaurant open in the evenings with the full evening menu available by mid July.

Busi­ness owners in Icod are gathering support from town councils throughout the north of Tenerife to push for a planned railway to reach the old commer­cial town.

The regional government are planning to build a railway connecting Santa Cruz to Adeje, which will improve travelling to and from the capital to the tourist resorts of the south. The rail link will reduce traffic and mod­ernise the island’s trans­port network. The lines will then be extended to reach Los Realejos.

A railway tunnel between La Orotava and Güímar is also in the advanced planning stage. Icod’s business as­sociation, Aspymecod, is playing the victimised card and suggests that by be­ing excluded they are being treated as second class.

For the future progress of Tenerife’s northwest it is concidered that their inclu­sion in the railway network as absolutely imperative.

No doubt the councils further to the north feel the same and with more reason. Icod at least has a major bus sta­tion which acts as a hub for connections to many of the neighbouring towns and surroundings, whilst other towns are lucky to see one bus an hour.

Many thousands of miles to travel, an out of date passport, a missed flight, a death in the family – yet it all came together at the last minute when Alison and Nigel tied the knot with friends and family of many nationalities as witnesses, in Los Gigantes Church.

It was always Alison’s dream to have a white wedding and to walk down the aisle with her father, and that dream came true earlier this month on June 14th.

Nigel and Alison have been an ‘item’ since 1999. They met in the 80’s at Warwick University while each was there with their brothers. Nigel’s brother was studying and Alison’s brother played volleyball.

Nigel works in Nottingham as an IT field engineering manager and Alison works 3 days a week, catering in her now retired fathers’ previous bar, the Queens Head in Meriden, as well as running her own beautician business mornings and evenings.  Read Full Story » »

Soon to open to the public in Icod de los Vinos is a section of the second largest volcanic tube in the world.

The Cueva del Viento is a volcanic tube system which consists of more than 18km of intersecting galleries unique in the world as they are laid in three floors superimposed over each other. Lakes, falls, terraces and walls of lava make up the largest underground labyrinth worldwide which have still not been fully investigated despite the almost 40 years of dedication by various teams of speleologists.

During the explorations of the cave system many fossils have been found of extinct animals and insects. The cave system takes its name from the strong currents of air that can be felt underground and an enormous amount of work has been done to make it accessible and safe to the public with maintaining its ecological integrity as a priority.

World environment day was chosen to announce the opening of the visitors centre and the restricted visit to the tunnel system although a fixed date has not yet been set.

Information panels are in Spanish and English and of special interest are the 170 insects which live in the caves of which 48 only live underground and 15 are new to science including two members of the coleopterous, Wolltinerfia martin and Woltinerfia Tenerife and an eyeless cockroach, Loboptera subterranea.

The Canarian government has warned the public to expect sweltering heat in many parts of the islands today. The Canaries will feel the effects of a heat wave which affected many parts of southern Spain yesterday, with temperatures reaching 42ºC.

The heat is not expected to be as bad in the islands (34ºC maximum) but the combination of warm air and humidity as of mid-morning could make life uncomfortable in the capitals. Most of the islands have mobilised fire teams to deal with potential blazes in woodland and forests. The heat will last throughout the week-end, according to the Met Office.

Tenerife’s historic bull ring is under threat of being pulled down for a major redevelopment scheme.
The city council and the owners of the property have reached an agreement for the historic building and the surrounding land.

Architects have been invited to submit ideas for the regeneration scheme in the next few weeks and the entries will be on display July 4th, 5th and 6th in the García Sanabria Park.

Residents will be able to vote for their favourite idea and their opinion will be taken into account when the judges meet to choose the winning project. The final decision will be announced on the 7th July. The ring may be partially or totally demolished or the whole of the facade could remain, it depends entirely on the ingenuity of the architects.

The demolition is opposed by traditionalists who have already mobilised to block plans on websites if the structure is not retained.

The old famous bull ring hasn’t been used for its original purpose for decades. Latterly it hosted the Carnival Queen competition until audiences and the Queens’ dresses became too large and in the 90s it held only the occasional concert and political rally.

Life may finally change, in the near future, for those who lost their homes in the devastating Masca fire, almost a year ago.

The whole area is protected, which means that to rebuild they have to conform to strict regulations to ensure the new buildings integrate into their surroundings. Therefore residents have another level of bureaucracy to deal with on top of the normal rubber stamping. Architects and draftsmen have at last finalised their plans, agreed with owners, and all permissions have been issued. It is still to be decided who will be given the contract to rebuild.

Some improvements have been granted within the plans.  Colin and Susana will have a water tank of their own, as well as a large tank for the whole village to prevent any further problems, as this is the second time the village has been damaged by forest fires.

Sadly, many hundreds of beehives, which were scattered over the areas, were burn out during the fires.  Apiarists have received some help from the central and regional governments, councils and their insurance companies, but so far the Cabildo has failed to respond to their plea.

The problem not just acquiring more hives and bees but the bees’ natural habitat has been destroyed. There is no pollen, therefore no food for them, and a problem has arisen by homeless bees swarming and trying to nest in local homes.

Tonight is St John’s Night, and the skies throughout Tenerife will be lit up in celebration with the annual bonfires.

It is expected that tens of thousands of people will light hundreds of fires across the Canaries, mainly on the beaches.

The Fire Brigade is on standby ready for its busiest night of the year to attending fires which go out of control and spread to nearby scrub land, although the cooler weather conditions today in several parts may help to reduce the problem.

The vast majority of preliminary tax returns contain errors which favour the Treasury. Taxpayers are urged to check their returns very carefully.

Gestha, an association representing Tax Office staff nationwide, says that almost 70 per cent of the pre-completed forms sent out to households by local branches have mistakes in the calculations, particularly in the allowances to which the recipients are entitled to offset their tax payable.

The new system, whereby the Tax Office fill in the forms directly using information supplied by employers and banks etc, is a huge success because it just takes a phone call or an Internet visit to confirm the end result and the rebate (in most cases) is automatically sent within a few weeks.

However, Gestha says people should check the figures carefully because many of the calculations underestimate the size of allowances. One of the main errors, concerns mortgage relief for houses purchased before 2006.

The allegations have been strenuously denied by the authorities, who say Gestha’s claims are grossly exaggerated.

UK’s Jamiroquai started their world tour on Friday, 13th of June,  with a concert in Gran Canaria and in Tenerife’s Arona the following evening.

After a two years break the group celebrated a magnificent comeback to the stage to present their new CD. The stadium of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, attracting around 30,000 fans, while the stadium in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, seemed to take a while to fill up. Eventually there was a rapturous reception when the group’s lead singer, superstar Jay Kay finally arrived on stage at about 1.30 am.

While fans were waiting for Jay Kay and his band, Canary musician Aristides Moreno and the popular Spanish group El Canto de Loco, kept the audience well entertained, so much so that the appearance of Jamiroquai with Jay Kay performing as lively and funky as always was just another highlight of a fabulous evening.

Even though the stadium was only half full by midnight, there was a good atmosphere. Jamiroquai performed songs from their new album but also delighted fans with classics like Cosmic Girl or Deeper Underground. And despite rumours claiming the performer from Manchester was not going to wear anything on his head this time, Jay Kay appeared with his typical funky hat, looking as cool and sexy as he probably could.

Tax office staff in the region are snowed under with the number of enquiries concerning errors in annual returns sent out to people living here.

Representatives of the tax office said that they have reached saturation point due to the volume of people who have asked for their calculations to be reviewed due to mistakes made in the pre-prepared forms.

Nine out of fourteen offices in the Canaries are effected and there could be delays in issuing rebates.

The world’s most famous cruise ship has paid its last ever visit to Tenerife.

The Queen Elizabeth 2 arrived in Santa Cruz port on Friday morning for a 1-day stop and will be the focus of a special goodbye celebration organised by the local authorities.

The liner, which first visited Tenerife in 1969, has been sold by Cunard to a Dubai company which intends to convert it into a floating hotel. Passengers are to be met today by hostesses in typical Canarian dress and will be sent on their way at 10pm tonight with a firework display.
The cruise liner, which first visited the island on April 5th, 1969, will be handed over to its new owners in November, and, will become part of the Palm Jumeirah complex - the biggest artificial island in the world.

Improvements are planned for one of the oldest, most deteriorated, areas of Playa de Las Américas and the cost is estimated at around €600,000 with most of the money being paid by the Canarian government.

Arona council have singled out Verónicas and Starco for urgent special attention as they are the busiest spots, both day and night

The redevelopment project includes a number of green areas, up to a hundred more parking spaces and several pedestrian crossings. The current wall between Verónicas and Avenida Rafael Puig will be demolished and a single lane built for traffic, which will be one-way only. Part of the road further up the stretch will be widened also to give room for bin lorries to turn and not have to pass through the shopping area as at present.

The pavements in the Verónicas and Starco areas are also due to be replaced with better quality stone and kerbs lowered in several parts to facilitate wheelchair and pushchair access. No date has been set for completion of the work.

If the Cabildo get their way, visitors will have to pay for the privilege of walking down the Masca ravine.

The official environmental reason is clear, the paradise needs protecting and that costs.

A similar toll is paid to walk through Hell’s Gullie, el barranco del infierno, on the south side of the hills.

Forty years ago the village of Masca was almost com¬pletely isolated. In recent years it’s become such a tourist at¬traction that the paths on the walk are becoming badly eroded and the main bridge was burnt through in the fires.

The other reason may be economic. The mayor of Buenavista, the mu¬nicipality to which Masca belongs, is also keen to do his bit for the environ¬ment but his council could benefit even more from the proceeds from the paying walkers. Ecologist groups like Ben Magec see that economic sideline as the main reason behind the initiative. They are op¬posed to having to pay to walk anywhere.

Others, like the guided walk organisation Patea tus Montes, are entirely in favour of a charge to walk down the Masca ravine. According to their spokesman the damage caused by people walking has been brutal. These guides already charge €18 a head for transport to and a guide during the Masca walk. Anyone who can’t face the walk back up the barranco can pay €10 for a boat trip to Los Gigantes marina.

Health and safety experts described the tragic death of a Tenerife plane mechanic who was sucked into the engine of an Airbus on Monday night as ‘totally incomprehensible’.

An LTE spokesman said this that the man was sucked into one of the engines of the Airbus 320 at around 10pm, at Tenerife South airport, just before the plane was due to take off for Warsaw. Ambulance services rushed to the scene to find the mechanic sliced to pieces by the spinning blades of the engine.

The inquiry initial findings are believed to show that a colleague in the cockpit revved the engines to 90% power while the 24-year-old Miguel Angel Rodríguez was working near the forward undercarriage, a procedure which clearly breaches safety regulations. The suction created was the equivalent of a 70mph wind and the mechanic was shredded to pieces immediately.

Identification relied on DNA tests due to lack of recognisable body parts. A health and safety spokesman for another airline operating in the Canaries said ‘procedures had clearly been breached in the maintenance operation, with tragic consequences’.

Following Suspension of Road Hauliers’ Strike The passport courier service operated by Bpack was reinstated on Tuesday 17 June. Passports will be couriered to customers as quickly as possible.

However, due to the road hauliers’ strike, Bpack have a backlog of passports to distribute and customers may still experience slight delays. In the meantime, if you have an urgent compassionate need to travel – e.g. for a family illness – then please contact our call centre on 807 429 026 (for Spain) or 800 813 877 (for Portugal) between 09:00 and 17:30 local time.

Read the full story on their web site - news and events blog.
http://sanfranciscoanimales.losgigantes.com/news/

On June the 4th 2008, Maxims Restaurant re-opened in a brand new location – Cuevo del Polvo, the former home of El Guanche, on the main road between Alacala and Los Gigantes, just above El Varadero.

The new setting offers, easy parking and spectacular sea views from the cliffs of Los Gigantes to El Varadero, The terrace is the perfect setting to enjoy a delicious meal while watch the sun setting over La Gomera. In the cooler months you can dine in the very tastefully decorated interior.

The owner, Denis Kets, is from Belgium. After loosing his job 9 years ago in his home country he looked for a brand new start. Denis and his son packed up their belongings and moved to Tenerife, attracted by the weather and the lifestyle.

His new life started in Las Galletas working in an apart/hotel whilst his son enjoyed his new school and the challenge of learning another language, then in Dec 2006 he opened Maxims in Los Gigantes. There he met Christina.

Christina, (left) having worked in the Swiss Chalet, Ireland for many years where she won the Irish Tourism Award in both 1984 and 1985 moved to Tenerife in 1986, eventually becoming the owner/chef of La Bodega in Puerto Santiago for 10 years. Due to family commitments she retired.

Fed up and bored with retirement she became, and still is, chef of Maxims, preparing and cooking a mouth watering selection of French and Belgium cuisine with that little twist of luxury that can make an evening really special. All produce is prepared specifically to your order using only the highest quality fresh products.

Every Friday and Saturday evening, as well as Sunday lunchtime, you can dine at your leisure and enjoy listening to their resident pianist - Julia - playing a selection of much loved tunes gently in the background.

For more information about their superb menu and opening times, check out their website
http://www.maximslosgigantes.com

Tel: 922 862 415 or 653 944 995

Binter Airlines and Armas ferry companies in the Canary Islands say that due to soaring oil prices they may have no choice but to put fares up again.

They were initially reluctant to increase their costs, and they have now reached a point where they cannot sustain the extra costs without endangering viability.

The price of a barrel of oil broke the $130 barrier recently, over double the price at the start of the year, and inter-island journeys are heavy users of fuel.

Binter, the region’s biggest airline (over three million passengers a year) says it does not rule out seeking government authorisation to add a surcharge to tickets of one or two euros in order to offset the oil price increase.

Ferry operator Armas has promised to do its best not to pass on the increase but is ‘monitoring developments closely’.

Hundreds of lorries are expected to take part in a protest at spiralling fuel prices in several of the Canary Islands today.

An estimated 300 trucks, vans and coaches will turn out in a Canarian version of the mobilisation of hauliers that has brought Madrid and Barcelona to a standstill several times this week.

The protest has been organised to voice anger at the failure of the government to take steps to mitigate the rising cost of fuel in the transport sector. Snail’s pace traffic is expected in Las Palmas, Arrecife and Puerto de Rosario at various times of the day.

In Tenerife sector representatives have opted not to take to the streets but instead hand in a petition asking for urgent measures.

Update 13.6.08 @ 16:00
Lorry drivers in Tenerife are blockading the Port in Santa Cruz, other drivers are causing chaos on the motor ways by driving slowly.

Seven million kg of Canarian bananas are held up in containers on the mainland in Cadiz, Seville and Alicante. If the fruit is not moved to markets in the next day or two it will rot, the economic cost could be well over nine million euros. The Canary Island’s Government has asked Madrid for help.

In addition, there are stock piles of fresh produce waiting to be shipped to the Canary Islands. Should it fail to arrive this weekend, importers are warning that we could face shortages next week.

An Andalucían company, who grow organic fruit and vegetables, have given away 10 tons of produce this week, rather than see it go to waste or be thrown away due to the strike.

The Green Corner Bar, a focal point and for many in Los Gigantes, re-opened their doors last night after several weeks closure.

Many who have passed by during the last few weeks will have observed a very active building site. The bar was totally gutted and very tastefully refurbished, giving it a modern fresh feel, don’t worry though the green is still there, as well as the warm cheerful atmosphere, to the delight of all the locals.

Owner for 15 years, Val Childs decided that it was time to bring the bar more upmarket as the last refurbish was way back in 1985. Val now lives full time in the UK to be nearer her family, and has left the bar in the capable hands of Manageress Jo Tejera – Leon.

Jo (pictured right) has been a resident in Tenerife since 1994. She left her nursing career in the UK for a change of scenery, came to Los Gigantes for a 3 month trial period – loving the weather and her life style here, she decided to stay. At the beginning her working life here in Los Gigantes she did spend 4 years working at the Green Corner – then took a career break. She is now manager, and with her all girl team, Rachel, Faye and Kayleigh they have the bar open for morning coffee, and stay open all day through until late in the evening.

Whether it’s just for the atmosphere or to watch one of the many sporting events on the flat screen TV’s you’ll be sure of a good time.

Alcala Market re-opens on Monday 16th June and will open every Monday 10am – 2pm

San Juan Market re-opens Wednesday 18th June and will open every Wednesday 10am – 2pm

Enquiries for stalls Call B.L.V.sl 922 713246 Mob 610464841

or email nstenerife@yahoo.com

Many of you will have seen me, Beauty manning my post from Monday to Friday outside the Losgigantes.com office in El Varadero. The highlight of my day is to mug (with big brown pleading eyes and a hopeful wag of the tail) the ladies (well anyone actually) returning from the supermarket with their shopping. Now this week as well as mugging them for the odd nice tit bit I’ve been mugging them for money too – sponsorship for the Associacion de San Francisco de Los Animales walk, which is taking place on Sunday 15th June from the new hotel in Alcala to Pilgrims Bar in Playa Arena.

I was a rescue dog myself. I was roaming in the Punta Blanca area and was very ill, although I didn’t look it. To cut a long story short I was taken in by Paul, (my human) even though he did send me to the kennels first, for which I have forgiven him. I was nursed back to health and I am told that I have a lovely nature, (no biting the hand that feeds here, unless it is due to over enthusiastic munching of a tit bit, oops sorry). I won the obedience award several times in the local dog show (well it was easy really, I just wanted to please Paul).

Many of you will have seen me pulling the Santa’s sledge on the Lion’s annual Carol Singing events around Los Gigantes. However, last year at the age of 13yrs Paul thought I should retire from this duty, the back legs are beginning to give me a bit of trouble, I do have some lumps and bumps now but my hero took me to the vets (that’s the Human with the stick thing he sticks under your tail, well I can’t mention the details, ladies don’t speak of such things), and he says to leave the lumps alone.

On Sunday I am coming out of retirement to raise funds for all those cats and dogs less fortunate than me. Already I have raised €135 and still have 4 days to go. So if you are passing through El Varadero please call in and put some money in my jar. (if you don’t know exactly where I am tel: 922 862713

Press release from the British Consulate in Madrid

PASSPORT COURIER SERVICE SUSPENDED DUE TO ROAD HAULIERS’ STRIKE
Due to the disruption caused by the road hauliers’ strike in Spain and Portugal, the passport courier delivery service provided by Bpack for the British Consulate has been suspended.

We are monitoring the situation and will reinstate the service as soon as possible. In the meantime, customers who have submitted a passport application to us can call our hotline on 91 524 9761 (Spain) between 10am and 2pm or 213924104 (Portugal) between 9am and 11am.

If customers need to travel soon and cannot collect their passports personally in Madrid or in Lisbon, they may request to have them delivered by registered post. But this is at customers’ own risk as the Spanish and Portuguese Postal Services are likely to be affected by the strike too.

The British Consulate is doing everything it can to ensure that customers’ passports are safe; the suspension of the courier service at this time of uncertainty will help safeguard these important documents. As soon as the Bpack service is no longer affected by the strike, passports will be couriered to customers as quickly as possible.

Bodega San Miguel has received the Silver Medal at the “Challenge du Vin”, held in Bordeaux (France)

The wines of Bodega San Miguel have recently obtained the Silver Medal at the “Challenge du Vin”, held in Bordeaux (France), one of the most prestigious wine gatherings in the world. The prize recognises the value of the excellent vineyards that there are not only in this part of the Island but all over Tenerife.

The Tenerife wine produce, belonging to the San Miguel de Casmi Agricultural Cooperative, received its recognition as one of five thousand wines from thirty-five different countries which entered the competition.

The Canarian Government is urging people not to empty shops of basic foodstuffs in anticipation of shortages in the next week.

As news of the effects of the hauliers’ strike continues to make the national and international headlines, the regional government insists that the situation is under control and there is no need for panic buying.

Reports yesterday indicated that one of the cargo ships that supplies the islands had been unable to load hundreds of containers at Cadiz due to the strike by lorry drivers, who are protesting at soaring fuel costs. However, the authorities stress there is no cause for concern and people who have started to panic buy are behaving selfishly.

The Canarian health authorities are to stockpile medicines due to fears that the haulers strike in Spain will cause supply problems in the coming days and weeks.

Pharmaceutical distributors have been asked to ensure they have stocks for longer periods to cope with the possible repercussions of the stoppages, which began yesterday. The haulers are protesting at rising fuel costs and have already caused major problems for petrol stations in the Barcelona area. A Health Department spokesman said yesterday that firms had been asked several days ago to bring forward their monthly orders to make sure the stocks of medicines are in the islands before the strike begins to bite.

The Guardia Civil are questioning a 39-year-old man in connection with the rape of a teenage Irish tourist.

Police said a man befriended the 16 year old in a bar in the resort of Playa Paraiso, on 3 June, where she was staying on holiday with her family.

He invited her back to an apartment where, she claimed, she was kept for several hours against her will and raped.

Afterwards, she reported the incident to the local Civil Guard station