Click on video player for a short film of the day (to activate player click on wild, wet day at Siam park)

(Photos are stills from footage - click on pic to enlarge)

Siam Park, the biggest new tourist attraction on Tenerife for years, was finally opened earlier this month after overcoming huge hurdles, missed deadlines and disappointing delays. The opening night, earlier this month could not be missed. So armed with our many bags of camera equipment we collected the press passes and enjoyed the evening. (see original news story here)

On commenting to the staff of the park that by filming late in the day when light levels were low we couldn’t capture the true atmosphere the thrill of the place. So the losgigantes.com team collected passes once again to spend a fun day out at the park.

All the rides in the park are fully open. Our aim was to get work out of the way first so we could then try the rides out for ourselves. Trying to get the crew to concentrate was our first slight snag – they wanted to go to play, but threats of lunch only when filming finished soon whipped them into action. DaRKeTaMiN needed no encouragement to get his clothes off and get into action along with the rest of our thrill seeking guinea pigs, Sam, Danny and Guacci. Read Full Story » »

The Flipper Uno, one of the dolphin spotting boats which departs from Los Gigantes twice daily made an unusual discovery on one of their trips recently.

Erik Bos, one of the crew members of Flipper Ono, whose job it is to spots the dolphins and chat to the passengers about their daily lives and habits, noticed that one of the dolphins alongside the boat was acting in an unusual way. After a few moments of observation he noticed that she was giving birth as she followed the boat. Quick thinking he grabbed his camera and took a couple of shots before the boat changed course and left her in peace.

The boat’s captain, Jennifer Dubbelaar sent the photographs to a biologist who confirmed that as far as they were aware, they were the first recorded photographs of a dolphin giving birth in the wild.

Santiago del Teide council are organising several fun events today and tomorrow to celebrate Dia del Tourista – International Day of the Tourist.

The celebrations begin this morning Fri 26th Sept 2008 at 10.30 with a show of Canarian products as well as Canarian folklore music and entertainment in the streets of Playa Arena.

This evening from 17:30 Folklore Canaria, in their traditional Canarian costumes, will be entertaining in hotels and apartments in the area.

Tomorrow evening Sat 27th Sept 2008 from 8pm in the plaza - Los Gigantes there will be a show of Canarian products as well as more performances of Canarian folklore music. The evening will end with entertainment from a well know local duo “Old Dogs, New tricks”

Two well dress African men, passing themselves off as respectable entrepreneurs, have been arrested in the south of Tenerife.

They claimed they had escaped from their country of origin with large sums of money, US dollars and Euros, which had been dyed black to look like worthless paper to avoid detection.

They then explained to their victims that the money could be washed clean if they used an expensive miracle chemical which would restore the notes to their original condition.

The pair then claimed they were out of cash, out of time and they were selling the cash for one third of its value!

Several gullible people fell into this trap and found they were unable to ‘launder’ the money!

(click on photo to enlarge)

There has been much talk and heated discussions this past couple of weeks on both losgigantes.com forum and tenerife forum I won’t repeat the discussions but anyone interested can catch up through these links.

Basically there were 2 questions:- Are Dingo Dogs a registered legal Charity, with fiscal and inscripción numbers, and should they, as they are based in Guia De Isora, fundraise in the Santiago del Teide area, where there are already 2 registered animal charities.  These 2 questions have triggered off one of the most controversial strings on the forum.

At the invitation of Andy, president of Dingo Dogs and Phil, the director I was invited to the centre to see for myself the shelter and meet all the dogs in their care. All they requested of me was an unbiased report, I could take as many photos as I wished, and no area of the sanctuary was out of bounds to me. I then thought it a good idea if Judith Noble, from the Santiago del Teide Branch of Asociación San Francisco de los Animales, came with me because she had never visited the shelter. That was no problem to Phil.

The shelter is located quite a way up the Cuevo del Polvo road. I would have had problems finding it but Andy met us and we followed him. As we pulled up at the shelter the dogs were so excited at having visitors that we were unable to talk for a while until they settled down. Phil welcomes visitors at anytime but it is best to telephone ahead and give him warning. The reason being is that the majority of the dogs have complete run of the large grounds. When visitors arrive the dogs get excited which can lead to a punch up between them. Phil fastens the possible troublemakers by their leads to their respective kennels to keep order in camp. Read Full Story » »

The peace and tranquillity of Playa San Juan was interrupted on Monday evening 15th Sept 08 when the police flew into action with a large scale drugs raid. For several months undercover investigations had taken place in the Guia Isora area. The arrests shocked the villagers as one of the men whisked away in hand cuffs was a well know resident.

Bar Tropical as well as a neighbouring gym have been closed down by the National police. As well as San Juan further arrests were made in Fonsalia and the small village of Acojeje near Guia de Isora.

The Department of Health has suspended afternoon opening in the centres in Tamaimo and Puerto Santiago due to staffing shortages.

The decision prompted the local council to pass a motion calling for normal service to be resumed as quickly as possible. ‘We realise the Department can be affected by staffing difficulties but cannot accept that they always have to affect us. This is the third time Santiago del Teide has suffered a health centre closure in recent times’ said a spokesman for the town’s Canarian Coalition party, which is demanding an urgent meeting with the regional health minister.

Was it worth the wait, I asked myself, as we collected our press passes on Monday evening (15th Sept 2008) for the opening of the long awaited Siam Park, the biggest water kingdom in Europe.

There have been lengthy technical delays  which prevented  the park opening earlier this year, but these delays have allowed the vegetation to flourish. 8,500 palm trees have been planted on the previously barren hillside, as well as many exotic plants and cacti.  They are all irrigated by the same desalinated sea water that is used on the slides to avoid depleting the island’s precious reservoirs. The park covers 185,000 square metre and has been under construction for 6 years.

The ribbon was cut by the Princess of Thailand, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in front of 2000 guests and 180 journalists. We surged through the gate with the flow and stood in awe at the sight before us. The park, a recreation of the old Kingdom of Siam, is absolutely stunning.

There are many  rides, which will appeal to the youngsters who enjoy wild wet fun, and once exhausted there’s the world’s longest Lazy River to relax on.  For the under 10’s there’s a whole Lost City, (pic above) and to complete the park they’ve constructed a long white beach overlooking a surf school where enthusiasts can practice their skills on 3m-high artificial waves. The pièce de résistance, clearly, is the Tower of Power. The only ride you do bareback,(photo below) ie without using an inflatable tube, it drops you 28m down a near-vertical slide, then shoots you through an enclosed pipe in a tank filled with alligators and piranah fish! (Not sure I’m game for that one, but the lazy river sounds good) To our amusement a group of local youngsters had been invited in to try some of the rides for the cameras. They showed off with shrieks and screams as they threw themselves down the slides.

The park is open from 10 am to 6 pm daily. Entrance fee is €28 for adults and €18 for children aged 3 to 11. Residents discounts adults €25 and children €16. There is a special Twin Ticket to cover Loro Parque and Siam Park, this is €49 for adults (€39 residents) and €33 € for kids (€25 residents) , if you book on line its €46 for adults, and €31 for kids.

More photos of the opening night view picture galleries.

To watch the video of the opening night - click video “Siam Park Opening Night” on  Video player

The losgigantes.com team will visit the park very soon to test out the rides. DaRKeTaMiN, our web master has volunteered to try out the Tower of Power!!!! so watch this space for another story and more video footage.

Los Gigantes beach is normally a happy scene of tourists and locals alike enjoying the sun, sea and sand in the quiet bay.

At approximately 8am this morning (Tues 16th Sept 2008) it was a totally different scene, it became the latest one of the  archipelago beaches to be landfall for a patera.

The authorities swung into action to provide the humanitarian care with first aid, water, food and clothing provided from the Council and the Red Cross.

A heavy police and Guardia Civil presence ensured the 63 immigrants remained contained on the beach. One immigrant was taken to hospital for an emergency operation and several others were treated by the Red Cross for minor injuries.

The boat people are the usual mix of young to middle aged men. This group can count themselves lucky as many die on the crossing and had they not made landfall here they would have undoubtedly ended up in the trade winds and currents which flow from here to the Caribbean.

It shows once again that no matter how vigilant the authorities are these boats still slip past the control net.

It has to be said that on every occasion when we have been involved in the filming of this human crisis the authorities here have acted with great compassion and professionalism.

View video footage of this mornings event click on “63 illegal immigrants on Video Player

The Ayuntamiento are organising a fashion show which will be held in the plaza – Los Gigantes on Friday 3rd October 2008 starting at 8pm. A catwalk is being built for the occasion.

All the clothes shops in the area are invited to show their autumn and winter collections at reduced prices.

There will also be the election of Miss Atlantic and Miss Tourism 2008.

After the huge success of the Plaza party which was held at the square in Los Gigantes on 30th August, organised by the Carnival commission and the Ayuntamiento. It has been decided to organise a similar event to celebrate Tourists Day on Sat Sept 27th. There will be various events taking place around the hotels, in the streets and in the square at Los Gigantes.

The full program will be available shortly and posted on our “what’s on locally” page.
The pictures below are from the Plaza party Aug 30th 2008

Fred Olsen ferry company has wasted no time in passing on fuel savings to their customers. Earlier this month the fuel surcharges on all crossings were reduced following the drop in the price of petrol.
The company announces that the lower fares come into effect on Monday 15th September, and it is hoped that it will lead to an increase in passenger numbers.

In addition, following the popularity of ‘Tarifa Si’, the campaign is to be continued throughout September. A return trip between Gran Canaria and Tenerife for two people with a car continues to cost just €90.

The €20 return ticket for students will also be extended.

This morning started exactly as normal. Get up, switch on Sky news see what’s happening in the world over a cup of coffee. I watched in amazement and incredulity at the demise of XL airlines. All those poor stranded people, all those poor people out of work. Have breakfast, leave house, 10 mins later the mobile rings.

In one of our other guises we are Dragonfire TV and the trusted supplier of stories for the award winning Sky news team. The call was from Sky news UK, could we get any footage of stranded people at the airport. Absolutely, we’ll go to the airport now and see what we can do but normally the airport police are not happy with anyone filming inside the airport. When we arrive at the airport a most peculiar scene greeted us within the airport building.

Instead of huge queues at the check in desks there were huge queues at the airport flight supplier’s offices. One quick question “are any of you affected by the XL collapse and would any of you like to speak to Sky News”. We were almost mobbed with volunteers.

As for the airport authorities they obviously decided there was no point in trying to take on the dozen or more TV crews doing interviews and gathering images for their relevant news programs. Within a matter of minutes we had some 10 or more interviews done with all of the other necessary views to go with them. A further phone call to the UK, then a trip to the transmission point elsewhere on the Island which allowed the images to be transmitted back to the UK to be edited ready or the 3pm news.

Link to video  Sky news click XL holidaymakers stranded

And now…back to the plan for the day are they behaving themselves on the forum!

This morning, 11th September, at around 04.30 the security guards of Tamaimo Tropical hotel on the coast of Puerto Santiago called the Local Police of Santiago del Teide to arrest a youth who was caught breaking into hotel rooms.

The 21 year old youth, of Spanish nationality, with the initials H.D.A.G had forced entry into several rooms causing damage.

The youth resisted arrest, which caused more damage to the hotel furnishings. Once handcuffed and searched police found a large knife in his possession. A woman’s handbag, a wallet and several other personal items, which police believe came from the rooms in the hotel, were found in the corridor.

Once detained the youth, who has a criminal record of assaults, forced entries and other similar crimes, was taken to Local Police Headquarters to give a statement and was then transferred to the Guardia Civil in San Juan, to await his court case.

According to the latest figures released the number of tourists who visited in the Canaries during the first half of this year was up almost five per cent compared to the same period last year.

From the 26.6 million visitors to Spain, 4.7 million came to the Canaries, putting our region in second place behind Catalonia in the league table. The Canary Islands attracted 600,000 more tourists than our rival the Balearics, where the number of visiting tourists was up by just 2.3 per cent.

There have been reports in some media recently stating that the spectacular cliffs of Los Gigantes, are in danger of slipping into the sea due to erosion over the years. This would jeopardise marine life and popular activities such as whale-watching and scuba diving.

However, Enrique Montaner, a geologist with the Oceanographic Service, says he and his colleagues have found no evidence to support the claims.

At some point, most ex-pats who have emigrated to Tenerife or Spain with a view to a permanent move will take the important step of making a Spanish will.

Spanish law, unlike English law has a peculiarity in that it seeks to apply the law of nationality to certain legal matters personal to the individual. Hence, English law may be applied to matters affecting those of British nationality, notwithstanding the fact that they may have lived in Tenerife for many years.
Many ex-pats (and probably a fair number of lawyers) find this concept alien and confusing. In light of the large number of ex-pats establishing in Spain, the rule may even come under challenge or review in the future. However, at the time of writing, the principle continues to apply.

So what does this mean for the British ex-pat? Most notably, any matter involving divorce, family law, wills or probate is likely to proceed in accordance with the relevant British law as opposed to Spanish law.

For example, a British national making a Spanish will is free to leave their property to whosoever they choose (spouse, children, the postman, the dog etc.), whereas Spanish nationals must leave certain compulsory percentages to their spouse and children, regardless of personal wishes.

A potential pitfall occurs when a British national goes to a Spanish lawyer, gestor or other such individual to prepare their will. In most cases, the local adviser will have had no legal training or experience in English or Scottish law or matters relating to UK tax or trusts. Very often, the local adviser may not appreciate the effect that an existing or subsequent British will may have on the Spanish version. Important matters may be overlooked that could affect both wills, or in the worst cases, render one or other void or ineffective.

Each client’s individual circumstances are best reviewed to ensure that the resultant Will achieves its intended purpose and properly protects the client’s interests.

John Hatrick is theprincipal lawyer with Tenerife Solicitors and will be available through these pages to answer your enquiries on English or Spanish legal matters. E-mail your questions to info@ic-news.com with the heading ‘Legal Questions’. More information can be found on their website at www.tenerifesolicitors.com

Source: Island Connections

Telefonica have reacted to the global crisis by charging for services that in the past were free.

The company presided by César Alierta has announced that it will charge clients 50 cents per call for the identification of callers on their home telephones. The new charge will commence Oct this year and will cover all of Telefonica’s 6 million clients across Spain.

Telefonica rather sheepishly admitted that the caller identification service was introduced during 2001 as a “promotion” and the offer had to come to an end “sooner or later”.

If you have the service and want to cancel you will need to inform Telefonica directly.

Source: The Tenerife Sun

The treasury is moving to embargo the bank accounts of EU citizens who are not resident in Spain, government officials have confirmed.

Foreigners who have opened accounts with either passports instead of NIE numbers, or with NIE numbers without paper-work from the National Police declaring that they are non residents in Spain are being hit.

The situation came to light after an expat complained to CB News that her account had been embargoed while she was in the UK without her knowledge.

As a result and unbeknown to her the bank was no longer paying standing orders or making transfers. A source at the Treasury department explained that the Spanish government is following an EU directive introduced to crack down on tax evasion.

However the source added that they are not informing non-residents of the situation “because it would be impossible to do so”. The source also added that the Treasury is working “little by little” and that all the accounts will not be embargoed in one go.

In order to have the embargo lifted clients are being asked to provide their banks with an NIE number and a certificate of non residence (un certificado de no residencia). British citizens affected by the new regulations appear to be those who live in Spain for less than 180 days and who have not declared their “non residence” with the National police. The initiative is not only affecting EU community residents – the government is using the legislation as a tool to clamp down on illegal immigrants.

Hundreds of Moroccans have been hit by the embargoes and thousands of non-resident workers from North Africa have been drawing money out of banks before their accounts are blocked. In response to the information provided by CB News, the British Embassy in Madrid has advised British expats who are non resident to make sure they are registered as non residents with the National Police.

Source: The Tenerife Sun

Update 7.10.08  More info:-http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/property_and_mortgages/article4691513.ece

For full details of the Lions Grand Summer draw which took place at the Green Corner - Los Gigantes  on Friday 29th Aug 2008

click this link
http://lionsclub.losgigantes.com/whatwedo.htm

The awards presentation of the recent “Ruta de la Tapa”. (tapas route) competition took place at the Town hall last week by the Mayor, Juan Ramos Damian Gorrín.

The competition was organized by the Department of Trade and Tourism, in collaboration with the employers’ association, Dealers Santiago del Teide and Eating Plan de Tenerife.

The contest, held during the first ten days of August, had a total of 25 participating bars and restaurants from the Santiago del Teide district.

There were 3 judges, one member proposed by the Department of Trade and Tourism of the council, one by the employers’ association of the municipality and a third by the Food Plan de Tenerife.

The outcome of the contest was as follows:

A first prize of € 300 was awarded to the Restaurant La Taberna de Verin, Edif Eva – Los Gigantes, whose tapa was called “La Tapa de Verin”

Second prize of € 200, went to Tuscany Restaurant, in Playa de La Arena, for their entry called “ Montadito la Toscana”. (montaditos Tuscany).

Third prize of € 100 went to Little Italy Restaurant ,Tamara - Los Gigantes, for their tapa called “Champiñones Rellenos de Salsa de Queso”. (Mushrooms Stuffed with Cheese Sauce).

The event was also attended by representatives of participating restaurants in this first ever “Ruta de la Tapa”. All entrants were handed a diploma of participation.

Three female sea lions aged 3, 11 and 21 years old have finally arrived in their new home at Siam Park. It will take several more journeys this week until all 17 sea lions have been moved from Loro Parque to Siam Park, making it one of the most important homes for these mammals in the whole of Spain. The sea lions are transported with great care, using a special vehicle fitted just for them and accompanied by a vet and 5 professionals responsible for their welfare.

The sea lions have quickly acclimatized to their new home which has been designed especially for them and which forms a mini water park where they can relax on the beach and rocks in the sunshine or body surf as they catch the waves made by their own wave. The sea lion pool can be found at the entrance of the park in the plaza. They really set the scene for a day out in Siam Park as they show everyone what a great time can be had playing in and out of the water. The sea lion pool, with a volume of 1,500m2 of sea water, has its own nursery area where mothers will give their babies swimming lessons and an area where the carers can look after animals individually if they need to separate them. The Thai Tea House has a great view across the sea lion pool, where you can grab a coffee or a bite to eat for breakfast before hitting the attractions. Thanks to the great care the sea lions have received in Loro Parque, over the past few years there have been quite a few additions to the family!

The “Zalophus Californian” sea lions weight between 61 and 255kg and can reach up to 2m in length. Their diet is made up for fresh fish which they love, squid and cuttlefish, eating up to 9 kilos a day! They are extremely sociable animals and live in groups in and out of the water. With the female sea lions, their pregnancy can last a year, they only have one baby and have a tendency to give birth in June. The male sea lions are much bigger than the females and can weigh up to 400 kg. All the sea lions in Siam Park are still to reach their mature weight.

According to the department for public works and transport, work has already begun on the road which links the island ring road, which is being constructed between Adeje and Santiago del Teide with the new port at Fonsalía.

The five kilometres stretch, with a six per cent gradient, will descend to an area between Playa San Juan and Alcalá connecting directly with the port, allowing a high speed connection between the TF-47 and the southern motorway.

The new road will have dual lanes on the climb and one on the descent. It will join the ring road which will have dual carriageway lanes in both directions. There will be no urban junctions or roundabouts, making an average saving of journey time of more than ten minutes.

Work has been going at a good pace for the past four months in the area of Armeñime. Speed has been restricted on the stretch between the end of the motorway and Los Menores while a diversion road is created allowing traffic to flow while work continues on the main section.

Work is also under way between Los Menores and Tijoco. According to the department of public works, earth moving is well advanced and many drainage works and underpasses are complete.

Work is also well advanced between Tejina de Isora and Arguayo where many ravines have been crossed and underpasses completed.

The southern section of the island ring road is supposed to be completed within 36 months and has a budget of 167.8 million euros.

Gloria Estefan, the world’s most successful Latin-American singer who is considered to be the “Queen of Latin Pop”, will be in concert at the Centro Insular de Atletismo in Tenerife (CIAT) on 19th September, 2008, her first ever performance in Tenerife.

She will be accompanied by her band, the legendary Miami Sound Machine, and she has already announced that her show, in which she will present her latest record, “90 millas”, will include all the hits from throughout her career. Boleros, salsa and son are the Cuban rhythms of such emblematic songs Mi tierra and Oye mi canto, which will be combined with such successes as Píntame de colores (one of the songs from 90 Millas) Lo nuestro and No llores. Anything for you, Can’t stay and Reach will bring back her records from the eighties and nineties, sung in English. All this show will be part of a great production with the seal of the singer’s husband, Emilio Estefan, one of the world’s most important musical producers.

The tickets, at the price of 30 euros in the general area and 40 with a seat on the stand can be obtained at the usual points of sale or on the generaltickets.com web page.