Although it is not our intention to have sensationalist front pages, when the news merits it, we feel that we must echo what made front-page news in the Spanish press.

Neighbours on La Herradura's Punta de la Mona sleep uneasily thanks to the general feeling of insecurity in this up-market residential area. This beautiful tree-covered headland dotted with around 400 luxury villas has become the hunting grounds for sophisticated Eastern European mafias in search of luxury cars. These thieves operate at night, whereas petty opportunity thieves - young teenagers - strike during the day, when people's guards are down.

The police don't seem to be making any real progress and, in the opinion of residents, are too few and far between in the area.

Avalanche of Robberies

There have always been 'seasonal' robberies - sad but true. You could expect a dose of burglaries with the same clockwork precision as the winter Flu bug. Under Franco, of course, nobody dared to touch the pampered foreigners' villas up on the hills. Besides, there wasn't any organised crime. And that is exactly what we are dealing with today - very organised crime.

The multi-million-dollar crime industry, as well structured as any multi-national, is an efficiently oiled machine. The Eastern mafias are honed athletes on the starting blocks, just waiting for the integration of the old Warsaw Pact countries into the soft underbelly of decadent Western Europe. The Western police forces, on the other hand, starved of human and material resources and hampered by jealously-guarded national jurisdictions, lie as ill-prepared for the invasion as 5th Century Roman communities and isolated villas before the onslaught from the East.

Take Helen and David Byers, for example, they were broken into in the dead of night, by professionals who didn't dally to pick up such trifles as computers and cameras - they wanted the car keys to the 2 cars parked outside. You can multiply this experience by half a dozen on the Punta de la Mona. On the other end of the scale we have opportunity burglaries. This time we're not dealing with hi-tech gangs but high-school aged thieves. In some way, it's even more unsettling because the robberies happen during the day whilst the house owners are occupied in some other part of the house. Take the case of the Brownes. Sean was downstairs in the basement watching football on TV, whilst Sandra was sorting something out upstairs. Thieves had gained access to their garden via the adjacent empty house, sneaked in through the open patio doors, clobbered everything in sight and were out again in a matters of just over a hundred seconds. Unfortunately for Sean & Sandra, they had laid money and documents out on one of the beds of a ground-floor bedroom, ready for an early start the next day. It wasn't, in fact, until the next morning that they realised that they had been burgled. A Dane on the same residential estate on the Punta tells me that he always keeps his blinds on the patio down, even during the day.

So is that the future for homeowners here? Will we have to live in fortified colonies? International celebrities know that they will always have to live surrounded by guards with side arms and Dobermans but at least they can afford it.

Sports will be the formula to combat excessive drinking habits in the town's youth - or, at least, that's the idea. At the moment, the Council Office for Social Welfare has a scheme running, whereby on the 1st Saturday night of every month there is a special price for the cinema sessions. The entrance fee is only 1 euro, as opposed to 3. We ran an article on the scheme about 3 months ago. Now, the Councillor for Social Welfare has announced that on the 2nd Saturday night of the month there will be sports activities in the municipal pavilion. Handball, Football, Volleyball and Basketball are some of the activities on offer. The kids who participate the most will receive prizes. The idea came about after an opinion poll was carried out in the town's high schools. You have to be between 14 and 20 to be eligible. All participants will be organised into mixed teams and team shirts will be provided by the town hall. The first session will be held on the 2nd Saturday of February (14th) at 23.00. The top 50 participants will be included in a trip. Details concerning the trip will be made known in June when the programme ends and the prizes are awarded.

The Town Council has begun to remove obstructions for handicapped persons around town, in collaboration with ONCE (Spanish National Blind persons Organisation). In case you are wondering, yes, these are the people who sell the daily lottery tickets. Areas that are having, or will be having, work done on them are the bus station, the Paseo Prieto Moreno, San Cristóbal, calle Larache, Avenida Europa & Fenicia. There are 16 'black spots' all told that will be eliminated. The pedestrian crossings in La Carrera and Avenida Don Juan Carlos I will have audible alarms installed, as well.

Good news for those who live out in the sticks. 100,000 euros will be spent on repairing country lanes/tracks in Río Seco, La Golondrina and Loma del Gato. The work will comprise of track widening, filling up potholes and concreting over the parts of tracks where there is constant deterioration. There is still no news on the Suspiro del Moro road (the Otívar road), where it passes through Almuñécar, San Sebastian & Torrecuevas. Similarly, no mention was made of the entrance to the Punta de la Mona, just past the tunnel on the La Herradura side, where the habitual pothole has reappeared and squats sadistically in wait of the unwary.

6-year-old Eduardo Maldonado's world is blurred, in fact, he can hardly see a yard in front of him. The only clinic with the staff and know-how to treat him is in Barcelona and the cost of such an operation is far outside the financial possibilities of his parents. The mother has always said that if it were necessary to beg in the streets, then she would, if it could bring in the money for the operation. Now that won't be necessary because, thanks to the Deputation for Social Welfare in Granada, the family will receive a grant of 2,400 euros, so that this Almuñecan child can receive the proper medical care necessary to rectify his defective eyesight. This is the second case of its kind, both of which deserve a special mention. It is the speed with which the governmental department works that is so commendable, because, unless you knew otherwise, you would think this zeal belongs to an NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) rather than a red-tape civil servants' haven. Within 24 hours of learning of the case of Eduardo, the wheels began to turn, or better said in this case, spin. We are forever criticising our bungling municipal authorities through to world leaders. It comes, therefore, as a pleasure to report on such efficiency, so close to hand.

Almuñécar wants to move away from the huge holiday blocks of flat era, typified by the constructions on Velilla Beach, claims the Town Council. "The updating of the PGOU (Urban Development Plan) will change our development model. The Velilla model is not sustainable, as it belongs to the 60's mentality. The PGOU will not allow, from now on, these types of apartment blocks, therefore there will be no more large buildings that are occupied during 30, 60 or 90 days a year," said the PA mayor of Almuñécar, Juan Carlos Benavides. This is part of the adoption of the Agenda 21 agreement. Agenda 21 was born of the 1992 World Conference in Rio de Janeiro on sustainable development and the environment. The conference concluded with a call to all the municipalities around the world to plan their urban development along 'sustainable' lines so as to guarantee the necessities of the future generations. Almuñécar is the first municipality in Andalucía to adopt Agenda 21.

The Delegation for Culture of the Regional Government (la Junta de Andalucía), after fining Almuñécar 150,000 euros for the destruction of the house next to the town's main church (Casa Revuelto) and ordering its reconstruction, has called for the drawing up of a judicial report on 2 aspects of the affair. Firstly, the irresponsibility of those who signed the demolition order and of those who issued the technical reports, favourable to the demolition. Secondly, who is going to have to pay the fine and pay for the reconstruction of the building? (See the interview of Juan Luis González Montoro, ex-mayor and head of the town council that ordered the said demolition.)

Our neighbours, Motril, will have their new access point from the N-340 ready by next month. This is good news for all the Almuñecans who do some shopping in Al Campo. A 2-kilometre stretch of road will connect the port road to the roundabout, where the hospital ring road begins, next to Al Campo.

The Town Council has published its 2004 budget, which totals 26m euros. Some of this figure will be spent on the new high school (1.5m euros), tourism projects (1.1m euros), 700,000 euros on the restoration of the castle and 610,000 on the new health centre. 353,313 euros will be spent on the new municipal building in La Herradura and a further 478,158 on its new paseo.

The Mayor announced that work on the new health centre would begin in January and would conclude in 2005. Anfrasa S.A. won the contract to build the centre with a tender of 1,073,708 euros. At one point the regional health authorities demanded that Almuñécar should return the 300,000 euros grant for the construction of the centre, because the construction had remained paralysed for 2 years. The public car park that will be housed under the health centre is still in the throes of bureaucracy.

The Town Council should be commended for their initiative to reforest the Peña Escrita area with the citizens' Christmas trees, which were collected for the purpose. Around 100 Christmas trees were replanted one chilly Sunday morning (18th January). The majority of the trees came from the town's shops and had been used to give them a festive air during the Christmas period. Each replanted tree bears a small label, showing the name of the shop or person who provided and replanted it. Although the gesture, due to its scale, is more symbolic than effective in the struggle to protect our suffering landscape, it is a signal for more individual or collective efforts to be organised We would not then have to wait for the ponderously movements of the provincial or regional authorities.

Local fishermen are not so keen on the projected underwater theme park. According to the spokesman of the Motril & Almuñécar Fisherman's Fraternity, no fewer than 15 fishing grounds will be affected and nobody has thought to ask them what they think on the matter. "At no time have they approached us - we that live off these waters - to ask us our opinion. They haven't even bothered to inform us of exactly what the underwater theme park entails," said Francisco Barros, who is the Senior Skipper of the fraternity. Their basic concern is that the underwater obstructions will destroy their nets.

The Almuñécar Fire Service closed its first year of professional (as opposed to 'volunteer') service with a total of 450 call outs. Only 30% corresponded to domestic fires. The rest of the fires corresponded to burning rubbish bins, litter bins, electrical installations, palm trees and the odd parked car. They also attended 35 road accidents.

This year's Grand Paella in the Majuelo Park, Almuñécar, in aid of the Cuban town of Baracoa went very well, as it always does. Joaquín didn't so much as 'make' a paella - he 'performed' one. You see, he doesn't add ingredients - he flies past launching rice, mussels & shrimps... smiling, to the applause of the gathered and expectant paella pirates. The local Spanish press reported a turnout of 1,000, which is probably true because the event was repeated on the following day, Sunday. Jesus reportedly fed the 5,000 with 12 loaves and fish, whereas Joaquín fed only 1,000 (admittedly) but with 12 cwts of rice and startled prawns. You could have been forgiven for thinking that the huge paella dish was a bull in disguise, by the way that our lad Joaquín gauged distances, sprinted up to the vicious pan and pirouetted past after delivering a cunning cluster of clams. Well done, Joaquín and all of your team.

The Almuñécar municipal archives are going digital. One of the things that you will be able to view will be the Libros de Catastro for the period of 1591 to 1809, for example. The town hall received a grant of 3,000 euros from the Regional Government for such a purpose. Consequently they contracted Scanea2 to carry out the task. The idea is that eventually all of these documents will be made available on the town web page, thereby eliminating the wear & tear on the originals, which have always been available for public viewing.

The Guardia Civil arrested a 20-year-old youth for selling drugs at the door of an Almuñecan discotheque. Their suspicion was aroused by his, "Roll up, roll up & buy them while they're hot" Sales pitch. He was found to have 18 small bags of cocaine on him, calculated to be worth, 'a good slapping' and a short stay in the land of striped sunshine.

The Mayor announced that there will be a shake up in the town hall in an effort to improve bureaucratic efficiency, (two words that don't sit easily together, we might add). Departments that will be receiving special attention are the Municipal property registry and Work contracts. The property registry collars around 6m euros a year in property tax. More efficiency in that department might not be such good news for most of us, therefore. The 'Urbanismo' dept will be split in two: one side to deal with urban planning and the drawing up of the new PGOU (General Plan for Urban Ordinance) and the other, the issuing of building permissions and sarcastic comments.

The Almuñecan fire brigade will receive 85,000 euros from the provincial authorities. According to the Mayor the fire department has spent 360,000 on new equipment and a general improvement to the facilities.

Jete was infested with brides without weddings. We're not talking about flocks of preying & praying husband hunters, but of a fashion show. It was the last event in the village fete at the beginning of last month. Girls streamed in over the hills from Itrabo; from down on the coast in Almuñécar & La Herradura and from up the valley in Otívar & Lenteji. The idea was to parade the best wedding dresses from the last 40 years. Mothers watched in mixed horror and pride as their piercing-beset daughters turfed out their treasured trunks and attics for the hidden goodies.

Startling news from a Council Commission concerning the damage caused to the swimming pool up in Peña Escrita after the recent heavy rains: the damage was caused by shoddy workmanship! 'Gasps of disbelief' shone in their abscence. The wording of the report runs, "The damage was not caused by the heavy rain, but by badly carried out construction work. The soil on which the swimming-pool wall sits was not sufficiently compounded before the wall was laid." The damages are calculated at 40,000 euros. The Town Council has given the 'guilty' construction firm 10 days to put it right, otherwise the Town Council will find another company to carry out the repair work, and pass the bill on. May I just comment on a personal note, Olé and good night!

Shopkeepers will now count on a better rubbish-collection service. From now on cardboard boxes & packing materials will be collected daily. From 18.00 till 21.00, council workers will call at every shop to collect such waste. Mind you, the cardboard boxes must be collapsed and bound, otherwise it stays where it is. Should a shopkeeper 'dump' such material out on the street outside these times, they will face a fine of 600 euros. Motril has a brilliant system that would be very welcome here. They have a special 900-phone line service where town residents can phone and point out any defects around town. The service came into being in June 2002. During the course of 2003 they received 1,059 calls. 55% of the complaints were rectified within 2 days and only 12.5% took more than 10. More than 10 days! Good God, you'd be lucky to get a pothole sorted out in Almuñécar in 10 months of Sundays! The sort of calls that the Motril town hall received were about broken street lamps, potholes and missing litter bins. Ladies and Gentlemen, perhaps our Town Council should sit up and take notice!

We're going to repeat something that has been said many times in print here, yet, nevertheless, never fails to stagger the imagination. We are witnesses to mindless construction - block after block, after block - but do we really need them? Figures just out show that 75% of the rented accommodation along Velilla during the winter months stands empty. In other words, it's virtually a ghost town. Most landlords will not sign a yearlong contract because the summer months provide a sufficient bounty: a winter month is charged at only 20% of the summer price. Turned around the other way, you're paying 5 times as much rent for a summer month. As one real estate agent put it, "Our clients receive 1,800 euros for one month and nobody touches their property for the rest of the year." Of course, some agencies do have flats to rent out in the winter months - in other words, the rest of the year outside summer, Easter and Christmas. The tenants are usually retired foreigners who come to spend the winter months and pay around 480 euros for a 2-bedroom flat, which would cost them 2,000 euros in August. In La Herradura at Las Palomas they would be expected to pay between 500 & 800 euros in winter and 1,500 & 3,000 euros for a summer month. Now, of course, for somebody who has recently arrived from the UK these prices might seem reasonable, but here, we are looking at a tremendous increase. As far as the law goes, most contracts are illegal. By law the minimum lease is for 5 years - you can't rent out a house for 1 year, for example. A landlord can offer holiday lets, however. But it doesn't matter what a contract says, if a tenant can prove that it is his 'living' accommodation and not a 'second home,' i.e. a holiday arrangement, then he has the right to a full five years. The law is disproportionately in favour of the tenant, hence, landlords are very wary. There was a major rumpus in Madrid because the mayor was intent on introducing a tax on empty flats. It didn't get through because of the proximity of the national elections but it will come about and come about here, too because the lucrative pickings on the coast are attracting the authorities' attention. When that does happen, then we can expect to see a bit of sanity in the rented accommodation sector.

The Mayor has officially recognised that the Paseo underground parking won't be completed by this summer (gasp!). He has also recommended that we brace ourselves for an excruciating Semana Santa (Waster Week). Consequently bulldozer & bikinis will be the banners of this coming summer. Both the Town Council and the construction company that will undertake the work contemplate that the building work will be carried out 24 hours a day on an 8-hour shift system. The Mayor implicitly puts the blame on the Regional Government for not lifting the freeze on the project. However, the Seaside Gazette has an official document that shows that the Town Council received orders to stop the building work on the 8th October, which is when the bulldozers laid into the flowerbeds between the beach and the lower car park. This is a full 2 weeks before the massacre of the Paseo Gardens and all the subsequent political and social upheaval. You can only draw the conclusion that this whole calamity that has befallen the town was provoked, not by senseless bureaucrats in distant Sevilla, but by the stubborn bulldozer tactics of the Town Council. Amazingly, no bank guarantee was exacted from the construction company before work was commenced. Any lesser mortal, who wishes to build a house, for example, would have to deposit a tidy sum for the duration of the building work (and for a considerable time afterwards) to be held against possible damages caused to public property. In the meantime, the Town Council's answer to the looming parking problems is to turn the town into a pay-parking area or, Blue Zone. Whilst nobody would reject that motorists should pay for parking - something that is as inevitable as taxes and Death - it is incomprehensible, and a slap-in-the-face to motorists, that they should be penalised for the incompetence of our town leaders.

Here are some pictures to remind you of the state of the Paseo del Altillo, before and after the Town Hall started its 'project':

News came through at the very end of the month that the Consum supermarket would be closed by the 1st of this month. Some would say that it is hardly surprising, as in that area there are no fewer than 4 major supermarkets and many questioned as to whether a small town such as Almuñécar should warrant so many. The staff were only given 2 days notice of the closure, which is not on, because the owners of the supermarket chain must have known long before. Paseo Update The Mayor has officially recognised that the Paseo underground parking won't be completed by this summer (gasp!). He has also recommended that we brace ourselves for an excruciating Semana Santa (Easter Week). Consequently bulldozer & bikinis will be the banners of this coming summer. Both the Town Council and the construction company that will undertake the work contemplate that the building work will be carried out 24 hours a day on an 8-hour shift system. The Mayor implicitly puts the blame on the Regional Government for not lifting the freeze on the project. However, the Seaside Gazette has an official document that shows that the Town Council received orders to stop the building work on the 8th October, which is when the bulldozers laid into the flowerbeds between the beach and the lower car park. This is a full 2 weeks before the massacre of the Paseo Gardens and all the subsequent political and social upheaval. You can only draw the conclusion that this whole calamity that has befallen the town was provoked, not by senseless bureaucrats in distant Sevilla, but by the stubborn bulldozer tactics of the Town Council. Amazingly, no bank guarantee was exacted from the construction company before work was commenced. Any lesser mortal, who wishes to build a house, for example, would have to deposit a tidy sum for the duration of the building work (and for a considerable time afterwards) to be held against possible damages caused to public property. In the meantime, the Town Council's answer to the looming parking problems is to turn the town into a pay-parking area or, Blue Zone. Whilst nobody would reject that motorists should pay for parking - something that is as inevitable as taxes and Death - it is incomprehensible, and a slap-in-the-face to motorists, that they should be penalised for the incompetence of our town leaders.

El Hostal Verdiales, which is on the main road just past the Tartana, going west, is being transformed. In fact, it will no longer be merely a 'hostal,' but a 3-star hotel. Consequently, it will go from having only 8 rooms to 52 double rooms, 6 suites and 8 single rooms on 4 floors. The conversion is going to cost 1.2m euros and will be finished in the spring of 2005. These specifications will make it the first hotel with 100 beds in La Herradura. "It will be of an Andalusian style (red-tiled roof and arcade terrace), with most of the rooms facing west (Cerro Gordo)," says the hotel manager, Juan Antonio López.

As mentioned in the Almuñécar columns, the Estacíon Náutica will have its permanent office in La Herradura, next to Hotel Los Fenicios. At present, the office space is leased by Granada Sub S.A., which is a diving school/club (pictured above). La Herradura, is without doubt, the town where the majority of diving clubs are concentrated on the Costa Granadina, so it is an obvious choice. This fact, however, didn't prevent a tugging match between Almuñécar and Motril for the honour of having the permanent office within their own municipality. "It (the siting of the office) is absolutely logical and rational, since 80% of the business associated with nautical activities is situated in La Herradura," says the mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides. "If we can potentiate (this sector) to the maximum, it follows that there can be an Estación Náutica in each one of the coastal towns," he added. Consequently, he advised the mayor of Motril 'to cast aside a policy of confrontation' that will lead nowhere.

Villagers have banded together to collect signatures for the total dismantlement of the demised wooden paseo. María Victoria Ruiz, the councillor for the village, supports the gesture. "I hope that this will bring about, once and for all, the withdrawal of these posts, which apart from being anti-esthetical, cause an obstruction to those who wish to gain access to the beach," she said. She, together with Daniel Barbero, who is the Councillor for Transport & Local Police, promised that they would make sure that the petition would reach the coastal authorities. Perhaps it is best to explain that everything within 500 metres of the sea comes under the jurisdiction of the Dirección General de Costas (marítimo/terrestre) and that, therefore, nobody can tamper with the wooden posts without their permission. Sra Ruiz pointed out that during the 95-99 council term, (before the wooden paseo had been erected) her party had had to form a town council without a majority vote. During this period they had tried to convoke a referendum on the subject but that the motion had been rejected. During the previous administration under Juan Luis González (PP) that had tried again but were similarly defeated. "We are at present, being full aware that the actual state of the Paseo is prejudicial to the village, working to rectify the situation and to provide a new and appropriate paseo," she concluded. The Town Council has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Environment for the financing of such a construction and is at present drawing up the conditions for the project so that a company can be found to build it. An agreement has also been made for the building of 2 car parks - one at each end of the Paseo. Finally, there are plans to remove the illumination west of the pier, where the now non-existent Paseo stood, as it never worked properly, anyway.

The clouds closed in again after 6 weeks of sun, which was quite uncommon at this time of year, even for the Costa del Sol. Precisely at that moment, however, the town hall sent a JCB to flatten out the dry river bed for transit. Never mind. Talking of water, a water-mains pipe decided to get truculent and leave part of the beach road awash. Perhaps, it was a kind reminder that we are in winter and that we should get used to wet roads.

Why do people park in such ridiculous places? Because there's nowhere to park. Yes, but there are ridiculous places and there are really ridiculous places! I was coming round the roundabout on the main-road entrance junction and nearly ploughed into the back of a parked delivery van - on the damned roundabout! As, I said, never mind.

The Certámen Internacional de Andrés Segovia is a very important one in musical circles. It is, in fact, probably one of the most import Classical Guitar competitions in the world - certainly in Europe. And it takes place every year in little 'ole La Herradura. The reason why it takes place here is that Andrés Segovia spent a many years of his life here. He lived in a villa, Los Olivos from 1962 to his death in 1987 on the Punta de la Mona. This year, for the first time, competitors in the annual competitions were invited up to the house, which is now owned by a couple, from New Zealand. - Doctor A. Morton and his wife. The prizes were considerable: 8,000 euros and a guitar, valued in itself at 5,500 euros and made by the prestigious guitar maker Paco Santiago Marín especially for the winner. The 2nd prize took 4,000 euros and the third 2,000 euros. The competition began on the 2nd January and 2 days later, the 24 competitors, (from 13 different countries, spread all over the world) had been whittled down to the semi-finalists. This stage of the competition was recorded for Radio Nacional de España - Spain's equivalent of BBC Radio. On the evening of the 5th the 6 finalists had to interpret the Concierto de Aranjuez composed by Joaquín Rodrigo accompanied on the piano by Javier Herrero. Finally, the prize for 'The Best Composition,' worth 2,000 euros, was won by the Cypriot Evis Samoutis with his composition 'Alter Ego I'. This piece, then, will be an obligatory test for the competitors in next year's competition. Unfortunately, when all was concluded, nobody received the first prize as it was declared void. Instead the 2nd prize of 4,000 euros was shared by the Bosnian Alen Garagic and the Cuban, Marcos Tamayo. The 3rd prize of 2,000 euros was shared between Anabel Montesinos Aragón (Tarragona, Spain) and David Martínez García (Granada, Spain). The chairman of the jury recognised that, personally, he wasn't satisfied with the result. "It is what the majority of the jury have decided and that is what we must stick to. It is very hard to reach a unanimous verdict when the level of the competitors is so high. I repeat that we could not reach the consensus necessary to award a first prize. It has always been the aim of the Certámen Andrés Segovia to have a clear winner, well differentiated from the 2nd prize," he concluded.

The local police will be dealing out tougher fines for people who don't wear crash helmets. The 30-euro fine has gone up to a 90-euro one, which will make more than a few 2-wheeled acrobats choke. One young lad complains that the helmet ruffles his hair and that there's less chance of getting laid, whereas a 19-year-old girl thinks that those that are caught not wearing a helmet should have the moped confiscated. However, just about everybody agrees, it's a waste of time putting up the fine, it's application is only occasionally applied. In other words, a 30-euro fine is just as effective if the police fine people 365 days of the year instead of sporadically.

The Nerja Town Hall has brought out a 'Guiri Guide,' or if you prefer, an information booklet for foreigners. The booklet is entitled 'Vivir en Nerja' (Living in Nerja) and covers all the major subjects that might be of interest to foreign residents. 10,000 copies have been printed, of which 6,500 are in English, 1,800 in German, 1,200 in French and 500 in Spanish (for South Americans, obviously). Amongst other things, the booklet deals with, 'how to buy property' and the steps to follow, putting special emphasis on investigating the property beforehand to see if it has outstanding debts, for example. Remember that in Spain, it is the property and not the owner that accrues debts in the form of taxes, etc. Therefore, when you buy property, if you are not careful, you end up inheriting debts. The publication also covers how to go about registering yourself on the municipal scrolls (empadronarse), which is not the same as taking out your 'foreign residency' and obtaining an ID card. The first carries no fiscal obligations and merely allows the town authorities to receive more financial aid from the regional and state governments, according to the population. The second, on the other hand, effectively converts you into a formal resident in Spain with all the respective rights and obligations entailed. This handy guide tells you exactly what documents you need and what steps you must take to take up residency in Spain. It is, therefore, a must for those who wish to take that step. Let's face it, it's a pretty handy thing to have in your possession. There are 9,500 EC citizens living in Nerja at the moment, of which 5,500 aren't registered.

A British lady had her piggy bank stolen by cads disguised as Good Samaritans - is nothing sacred! The lady in question had suddenly felt ill in the middle of town and asked 2 passers-by to help her get home. Once back at her home, the 2 'Handy-Andies' made off with her piggy bank containing 200 euros!

The law, which obliges dog owners to have a microchip implanted in their mutt, is just around the corner. The law states that such a chip should be implanted no later than 3 months after the dog's acquisition. Failure to do so could fetch you a fine of up to 30,000 euros. Yes, I had to read that again too. Accordingly Rafael Rivas had a meeting with the vets of the town to establish a standard price for such an operation. The result was an agreement on the figure of 30 euros, which is the minimum established by the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Málaga. However, from the third animal on, belonging to the same owner, the price drops to 20 euros. Shops and kennels that sell pets are not forced to install the microchips themselves - it is solely the obligation of the dog owner. Oh, and you can't do it yourself, if you should feel so inclined. Images of a little old lady advancing on a lap poodle with a carving knife and microchip hidden behind her back, crooning, "Come to Mummy, my choochy-woochy," spring to mind.

Nerja's Carnival celebrations will commence on the Wednesday 18th February and will last through to Sunday, 22nd. A marquee will be erected on the Balcón de Europa, where the competition for the best disguise will be held. Don't miss the 'Chirigotas' on the 21st. A chirigota is a song sang by a band of disguised lunatics. The lyrics are always based on some contemporary social event. They're fun, and if you can understand what they're singing about, you're guaranteed to split your sides. These 'choirs' practise for most of the year for the big day.

The Rio de Miel mountain road is going to be tarmacked, together with the tracks to las Cuadrillas & Cantarriján. However only 15 of the 20kms surface will be done, as 5kms belongs to an authority other than to the Town Council. This stretch is between kilometre point 11.8 and 16.1. The first work to be carried out will be on retaining walls & drainage ditches, etc, so that the tarmacking can go ahead. 4.1kms are already tarmacked (starting from where the Rio de Miel road leaves the N-340 main road), so in reality only 11kms are left to be done. It is going to cost around 69,000 euros per kilometre. Just preparing the surface for tarmacking is going to cost 280,000 euros, which is less than the costs of the actual tarmacking, itself (255,000 euros). Eventually, the Rio de Miel road will receive road signs and crash barriers for the more dangerous bends. This road improvement scheme will benefit 600 families in the area.

The Town Council is toying with the idea of building a skating rink in the El Chaparil area. Such an installation would cost 144,440 euros, half of which has already been requested from the Regional Government. The Guardia Civil is investigating a robbery carried out at a local opticians. Thieves got away with 20,000 euros in sunglasses. If they are eventually caught, of course, they won't be needing sunglasses for a while - not in the land of striped sunshine, they won't.

45 years ago, last month, a group of five young teenage lads made a historic discovery - the galleries of the Nerja Caves. Out of curiosity, Francisco Navas Montesinos, the brothers Manuel & Miguel Muñoz Zorrilla, José Luis Barbero de Miguel & José Torres Cárdenas decided to make a hole, which had been used as a dump till then, a little bigger so they could get in and have a good look around. There is no doubt that the discovery of the beautiful underground galleries was of tremendous importance for the future of the town. José Luis Barbero de Miguel remembers that when they emerged from the cave late that same evening, he could see Nerja in the distance - a small cluster of lights. Today, 45 years later, that small cluster of lights is a sprawling sea of lights. They soon returned with their village school master in tow, who was dumbstruck by their discovery. Yet, the discovery wasn't widely known until one of the five invited a newspaper reporter to come and take some photos in Aril 1959. 3 days later it was published and the news spread like wildfire. Things have come a long way since that day, because last year alone half a million tourists visited the caves. Amongst the names of distinguished visitors is that of the King of Spain, who was still the Principe de Asturias back in 1972.

A British Resident of Nerja jumped from an ambulance that was taking him to the area hospital. Finally, the ambulance crew had to request the help of the local police and Guardia Civil to get the patient back into it. The 55-year-old Welshman with the initial of M.D. is a doctor by profession. It all started when the owner of a cafeteria called the local police to inform them that a customer had locked himself into the toilets and refused to come out. The police arrived and discovered a man who was suffering from a severe depression, (according to police reports). They accordingly phoned the local hospital, who immediately sent an ambulance round. It was just coming up to the Noria roundabout, when the patient ejected...

The Frigiliana town council has stopped the work on a building site in the Bancales sector of the village. The reason being is that severe cracks have appeared in 7 buildings in the plaza de la Iglesia and El Chorruelo. The most affected house of the 7 is precisely number 7 in Chorruelo Street. Apparently most old folk of the village know that the land round that way is unstable. However, the building company believe, with the retaining wall that is being built, the problems will disappear.

It seems the writing bug has truly taken hold in Nerja. A regular Writer's Group meets throughout the winter at the Nerja International Club. Organiser Nigel Beard, writer and broadcaster, is on the look out for new members, experienced and beginners, to expand the gathering. A typical meeting might involve a member reading a short story, penned on a theme or word set by the group, to open a constructive discussion on it. Anyone interested should contact Nigel on 95 252 3378.

Costa Animal Society
Wed 4th: Quiz Night in aid of CAS at Henley's Bistro (adj Newsagent, opp Monica Hotel) 19.30/20.00 Tickets 10 euros to include supper with wine.
Fri 6th: Cas Walk, Full day walk Cruz de Pinto 8-10km dependent on route taken. Meet Nerja bus Station nr. kiosk at 09.30 am prompt. Details and tickets 8 euros in office.
Sun 15th: Quiz Night at the Rib House, Torrox. 19.00/30.Tickets 10.00 euros to include supper with wine. Please book early.
Wed 18th: Grand Quiz at the Pavo Real, Competa in aid of CAS. Big Prizes. 19.30 Tickets 10 euros Thu 19th: Day trip to Gibraltar. Passports essential. Sightseeing and Shopping Trip. Coach departs Monica Hotel 7.30am. Tickets 18 euros (Members 12 euros )
Fri 20th: Race Night. Further details to be announced.
Wed 25th: Day trip to Almeria with visit to the Alcazaba. Coach departs Monica Hotel 08.30 . Tickets 22 euros (Members 18 euros)
Thu 26th: Cas Walk Maro Tower and coastal walk 8km Easy-Moderate. Depart from Maro village, Restaurante Cuevasol at 10.30 (Nerja/Maro bus 10.00). Drinks in Maro afterwards (not included) Bus to start and finish of walk, Maro. Tickets 8 euros
Sun 29th: Residents Day. Come and see us.
Sun 29th: Competa Quiz at La Barriquete (Tracey's). 19.00/30. Tickets 5euros.

To book please Tel Office 952 523 607 or Richard on 659 458 020. Tickets can also be purchased at the Capistrano Oasis Community Office All coach trips pick up at the Monica Hotel, Iranzos, Nerja Club Hotel, Marinas Hotel Bus Stop and The Torrox Roundabout