The Mediterranean showed its treacherous side on the 21st of last month in La Herradura Bay, when a brusque change in the wind and current caught 3 divers unawares, driving them onto the rocks.

The sea ended up swallowing a girl who had tried to help them from the rocks and also left an experienced diver, who had entered the water to save them, in a coma. He was to die 24hrs later.

Frustration: witnesses - our publisher amongst them - spoke of the shear frustration of watching somebody slowly dying a mere dozen metres away and being unable to reach them.

Anger: no-one amongst the fire brigade, Guardia Civil, municipal police or local Civil Protection Unit seemed to be completely in command of the situation. There appeared to be a lack of coordination and equipment, which led to improvising with a garden hose and the drawing out of a rescue operation to over 4 hours.

La Herradura Tragedy

Ironically, the three divers who had been out in a small dinghy in La Herradura Bay on that fateful morning all survived. It was those who set out to rescue them who lost their lives. The incident began a little after 13.00, Saturday, 21st February. A sudden change in sea current and wind direction brought the waves around and began to drive the small craft towards the rocks below Las Terrazas. The divers attempted to manoeuvre but the small craft capsized, throwing the three men into the water. Tragedy was at hand. A young woman, reportedly connected with the divers, tried to offer assistance from the rocks, known locally as El Hombre. As she moved over the rocks, she slipped and fell into the water - four days later (the time of the writing of this article) her body had still not been found. Two of the divers managed to reach the beach and get out of the water, despite the undertow and crashing surf. The third diver, in an attempt to get away from the rocks, had managed to reach a buoy but in doing so was now 200 metres out. At this point the emergency call that somebody had made to 112 had brought the local police, the Almuñécar fire brigade and the local civil protection unit to the scene. The Guardia Civil also arrived, after having alerted the Red Cross unit in Motril.

Onlookers and two experienced divers (pictured above) on the beach now began to urge the marooned diver to abandon the buoy and to strike out towards the beach, with the help of the waves. This he did. Then the second tragedy struck. Two divers on the beach offered themselves as volunteers to enter the surf to drag him out because he was totally exhausted. Just as they reached him, the waves took on a new force and swept the three off towards the rocks again. One of the volunteers managed to reach the beach on the point of exhaustion, while the other volunteer and the original diver were swept towards the rocks, known locally as El Peñon del Medio. Onlookers watched helplessly as the volunteer was crashed against the rocks, leaving him unconscious and face down in the water. Allegedly, there was a lack of ropes. Having just narrowly escaped death, the volunteer used the only thing that was to hand - a watering hose as a safety line, in an attempt to reach his unconcious companion. Fortunately, the unconscious man was carried by a wave onto the beach were he was dragged out onto the shingle. A doctor, who was on hand, and the Red Cross team gave the man first aid in an attempt to revive him. A little later a medical team from Almuñécar arrived and finally - 45 minutes later - the 061 emergency team arrived.

All the while the original diver was still trying to keep afloat amongst the agitated waves. As he reached the surf, a group of volunteers, using a safety line and life ring, entered the sea and managed to grab the diver. The man was completely drained of strength but only had bruises to show for his ordeal (picture below). Finally, the lifeboat from Motril arrived off the beach, as did the Guardia Civil helicopter. The whole drama lasted just under four hours. After a night in deep coma in Granada Hospital the injured rescue diver died the next morning from the head wound caused by the collision with the rocks.

Questions will have to be answered. Why did the lifeboat take so long and why did no one think to call the mobile intensive care unit until the diver was on the beach?

We are a coastal community - it is unthinkable and unforgivable that our emergency and rescue services are unprepared for such an incident.

The Archbishop has given the go ahead for the repairs on Lentegí church. By the way, you're probably wondering how you spell the name of the village. Things are complicated by the sign posts at the beginning of the Lentegí road that read both 'Lentegí' and 'Lentejí' Things are not helped by the fact that depending on which map you buy, you have different spellings. Having spoken to the ex-mayor's wife, we have ascertained that the correct spelling is with 'G' and only in her lifetime have people started spelling it with a 'J.' Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Lone Ranger, cleverly disguised as a bolt, had a nut shot off! The repairs to the village church have been long outstanding, as for many years villagers have spent many hours at mass gazing up - not contemplating the splendour of the Almighty, but at the ceiling, which is all termite-y!

Demolition work began at 10.30 on the 26 February on the bars under the Paseo, marking the recommencement of the controversial Paseo del Altillo underground car park. The Mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, had called a press meeting on the site to promote the fact. He said that the paperwork had been 'complicated' but that the provisional authorities had worked at an accelerated rhythm to 'sanitise' the crisis. He also said that he expected the car park would be completed in the first quarter of 2005. In his opinion, the finished installation will become one of the most important 'attractive elements' - in a touristic and social sense - on the Costa Granadina. Asked whether the work would go ahead at an accelerated rhythm of 24hr shifts, he responded that there would be a meeting with the town hall chief engineer on the 1st of March where these details would be finalised. He said that one point being considered is the possibility of a service road for trade vehicles delivering to the Paseo shops and businesses and even the possibility of it also being available for one-way traffic. Unfortunately for the Seaside Gazette and its readers this information will arrive too late for the March edition but will be covered in the following issue.

Hoteles Playa closed the deal with Comarex, which is the company that built and owns the hotel building run by Sol Meliá, for the purchase of Almuñécar's most prestigious hotel. The purchase price was 24m euros, which is not peanuts. The Sol Meliá hotel chain has hotels all over the world and the fact that they had decided to invest in Almuñécar was well received and loudly proclaimed by the mayor at the time and now, Juan Carlos Benavides. The sale had been in the pipeline for several months and had raised much speculation over the consequences about the loss of such a heavy weight name in the town. Hoteles Playa has announced that they will change the name of the hotel in San Cristobal in April after an extensive refitting. All the material right down to towels at present bears the logo 'Sol Meliá', so it will have to be replaced. In the same month Hoteles Playa will inaugurate Hotel Playa Cálida in Taramay. What is not clear is whether the company that will own both, will have them open and functioning for Semana Santa.

The rains at the end of February brought relief at last to the countryside after 2 months without rain, resulting in an exceptionally dry winter so far. The negative side was the accidents caused by the build up of a surface film left by the constant traffic and some drivers being unaccustomed to driving in such weather conditions. On the 21st a 75-year-old foreign woman was seriously injured after a road accident within the municipality of Almuñécar. She was evacuated by road to Málaga hospital by the 061 service, as the helicopter was already in use in another accident close to Granada.

Work on the Rio Seco Bajo lane continues. It has now been considered necessary to build an extensive containing wall, costing around 47,000 euros, which will take 4 months to complete. The area affected is known as the Cortijo Pinchin, just before La Cuesta de Cordilla. "This improvement of the Camino de Rio Seco Bajo is included within the general project that is underway. Given that in this area we cannot cut back the bank because of the proximity of several cortijos, we have decided, in agreement with the owners of the land, to erect a containing wall and build out. This will give the lane a width of 5 metres, so that 2 cars can pass," said the councillor in charge of the Rural Environment, José Rodríguez.

On Sunday 22nd February Almuñécar initiated a temporary ice-skating rink. The mayor and his wife, who is the Provincial Delegate for Sports and Tourism, inaugurated the installation, which is housed in a marquee near the new football stadium. The rink is 17.5m x 30m and will be open 7 days a week for the rest of March. The opening times are 10.00-14.00 and 16.00-22.00. The entrance fee is 3 euros on weekdays and 5 euros at the weekend and on public holidays. Schools, clubs and group visits are free but are limited to mornings and afternoons up to 19.00. There is a minimum age limit, which is 5-years old. The minimum skating boot size available is 30 and the maximum is 47 (continental), as they are supplied by the promoters. Gloves are obligatory and sessions are limited to 1 hour, with a maximum of 75 persons at any one time. "The ice is made by a liquid that circulates through a closed circuit at between -7º and -10º. This will provide an ice surface of around 8cm thick," say the technicians responsible.

The park up from Santa Cruz Junior School has been completed and inaugurated. The area is known as Laderas de Castella, if you are interested. Some of the palm trees there come from the ill-fated Paseo del Altillo.

Almuñécar's new high school (P-4) will open its doors to the unwilling masses of education-resistant, adult prototypes for the beginning of the 2005/06 school year. The building work is going well, says the mayor. Added, of course, to the despondent sigh from teachers and pupils is the one from the town's drivers, who have lost forever a huge parking area. The mayor pointed out that he inherited a project without funds and had to approach the Caja Rural to bring this long overdue project to fruition. He also criticised the regional educational authorities for insisting that the gym should be 1 metre shorter so as to conform to standard specifications. The school will have 24 general-purpose classrooms, 2 music classrooms, 2 computer rooms, 10 studies, 2 workshops, 2 laboratories and a partridge in a pear tree. The building work is expected to last 18 months and the budget for the construction of the school is a figure that contains lots of zeroes and commas and would look much nicer in my bank account. Amen

On the 24th February the Paseo was shut off to traffic for the duration of the building of the Paseo de Altillo underground car park. Now, if you need to get from the Plaza de Madrid (Fisherman's Square) to San Cristobal, you will have to go via the La Carrera de la Concepción (Carbonell's). Whereas it might be an inconvenience for most, it will be more than a blow for the businesses along the old Paseo, between the post office and El Santo (the cross on the rocks. The damage having been done and the old Paseo being irrecoverable, let's hope they get their fingers out and get the damn thing finished.

Whilst on the subject, the PP political party, who are now in opposition, is demanding compensation for the bar owners formerly located under the Paseo. According to the leader of the PP, Juan Luis González Montoro, "The botch job started by Benavides (not the best of friends, it would appear) on the underground parking is threatening these business owners with ruin." Sr. González points out that on the 8th October 2003 the Town Council was warned by the Provincial authorities not to go ahead with the demolition work, as the paper work was incomplete. Despite this notification, the town hall authorised the initiation of the demolition work on the 21st of that same month, provoking the destruction of the garden/park area of the Paseo. The building work was subsequently paralysed. The construction firm then refused to pay the compensation to the bar owners whilst the work was stopped. For this reason the PP demands that the Town Council should force the construction company to pay the indemnity to the bar owners or for the Town Council to pay it themselves and later recuperate the sum from the building company.

Epsylon Hostal is on sale after 20 years. Where's that, you ask? Right at the end of the San Cristóbal Beach where the Cotobro road starts, there stand the Epsylon buildings, which were one of the first ones to go up along that road. The hostal has 34 double rooms all on one floor (1st floor) of this building, covering some 1,100sqms. It also has a restaurant and a reception on the ground floor. The going price is around 2m euros. Pass!

89 lunatics... (sorry!) pilots from all over Europe took to the air during the first international gathering of paragliders (parapente), which was held at the Peña Escrita mountain park. If your idea of fun is dangling from a giant toenail clipping made of cloth about 1000 feet up, then this was for you! The event was a complete success although not everybody got airborne. The word had been sent out by the Almuñécar Free Flight Club and enthusiasts from as far afield as France England, Germany and Switzerland turned up, as well as from all over Spain.

The Town Council and the Costa Tropical Hotel Association have signed a deal to promote the hotel sector in Almuñécar & La Herradura. As part of the deal the Town Council agreed to invest 130,000 euros in promotion, especially in the low season. The hotel association, on the other hand, agrees to lend their name to such promotions and actively participate in them. Well, join the club if that doesn't mean a lot to you, but that's more or less the product amongst piles of verbal packing. The president of the association recognised that the signing of said agreement will bring about a noticeable change in the promotion of the town, whilst the mayor pointed out that it is the private sector who should set the pace and establish the criteria in promoting the community.

At the beginning of last month neighbours of the planned Hotel Mayoral in Taramay were out protesting against it. It is a case of one law for the average citizen and another for big building companies. The regional authorities decided in favour of the neighbourhood association, thereby and effectively putting the lid on amended nº 99 to the PGOU (General Ordinance for Urban Planning). This amendment gave permission for the construction of a hotel on land that was initially designated as green-belt land. The amendment was made on 26th February 2003 - in other words it corresponded to the previous PP town administration. It was approved during a council meeting in which the PA (the present town council), then in opposition, voted against. Juan Luis González (leader of the PP), who does not agree with regional authorities, said, "It is necessary to continue with the municipal policy, supported by all political groups since 1995, of promoting the building of quality hotels in the township."

Almuñécar has lost its independent television service to Salobreña, as a consequence of the war between the Almuñécar Town Council and El Faro Television Company. It all started when town hall workers slapped a padlock on the television transmission hut up in the hills. This action was allegedly carried out because the TV company had not been paying its telephone, cleaning and electricity bills. This was hotly denied by the company, who pointed out that these services were covered in the original contract, in which it was stipulated that such services would be free of charge in exchange for news coverage of Town Council generated news. Within days of the TV programming disappearing from the airwaves, the television and newspaper company, Costa Tropical, which is funded by the Mayor's political party, occupied the frequency and began broadcasting in its place. Faro Television lost no time in offering its services to Almuñécar's neighbour, Salobreña - an offer that was immediately snatched up. Almuñécar's loss - Salobreña's gain. Even after a minimal viewing of Costa Tropical, it becomes evident who is paying the bills.

According to a survey carried out by the town hall there are 500 young people in need of financial help to find a house. "Living accommodation is the main problem that the town has at the moment, " said Juan Carlos Benavides. The mayor said that the town needs around 800 council houses to be able to cover demand. He said that steps are being taken by the Town Council by means of signed agreements with building companies. For example, 55 dwellings will be built at cost price by the El Cercado de la Santa Cruz Company. The average price per house lies between 60,000 and 65,000 euros. He also mentioned different building estates in Citasol, Los Pinos (P-2) and 3 development plans in La Herradura (P-5/6), where 30% of the plots should go to council housing. It was agreed in the last town council meeting that a total of 181 council flats/houses would be built in P-2, P-5 & P-6.

Business people here on the Costa Tropical are never satisfied with how this part of the province is represented on the provincial stand in the national and international tourism fairs - this year was not an exception. They feel that not enough emphasis is given to the coast during these events. In their opinion, all the other provinces that have coastline dig out their 'heavy artillery' to promote it - not so in Granada. The problem, without doubt, is that Granada is the only coastal province that does not have its capital on the coast: Málaga, Huelva, Almeria, Cádiz are all maritime provinces. As far as Granada city is concerned, its coast is an appendix. Granada offers that which no other province of Spain can offer: Skiing in the mountains in the morning and sunbathing on the beach in the afternoon. And of course, there is La Alhambra, which needs no explaining. Consequently, this feeling of playing second fiddle to the capital is generating a growing opinion that Costa Tropical needs its own stand.

Almuñécar can now count on its own bull-fighting club, Tendido Cero de Almuñécar. The club is presided over by Juan Quirós Guerrero (the owner of El Quirós cafe-bar on the Paseo). One of the prime objects of the peña (club) is to promote un interés taurino (bull fighting following) in the town. "We are putting the finishing touches to what will be our HQ in the Calle Transversal de San José, where we can meet and exhibit bull fighting literature: books, magazines, posters etc." says Ángel Jiménez, the Club Secretary. They will also organise chats and debates on the subject, as well as trips for members. For more info: 958 639 233 or Aptdo. 372 Almuñécar 18690 Granada. A web site is under construction.

With Semana Santa just round the corner, the coming parking problem is looming. For that reason 2 steps have been taken. Firstly, the San Cristóbal beach road will go back to having 2-way traffic. Secondly, the street market will get its marching orders and the Easter Fair Ground told to go else where, because the Paseo Blas Infante will become the town's principal car park for the duration of the work on the Paseo del Altillo. So, where will they put the Friday market and the summer fair? In front of the new football stadium, of course. The taxi rank has already been transferred to the Avenida Don Juan Carlos II (In front of The Kasbah book shop). The Calle Bikini & Guadix will also take on their old function of 2-way traffic (near bird park). Oh for the old days when the winter streets were virtually empty of parked cars! Come back - all is forgiven!

Almuñécar Church Conferences. Up till now such topics as Alzheimer's Disease and Genetic Illnesses have been covered during the talks sponsored by the Almuñécar Church. The lecture on Alzheimer's was given by Fernando Validvieso Amate, who is a university professor at Madrid University, whilst the talk on Genetic Illnesses was given by Doctor Magdalena Ugarte Pérez, who is also a professor at the same university. On the 26th March and the 23rd April, Doctor Ignacio Osuna Carrillo, who is a professor at the Granada University, will lecture on 'Alternative Medicine - Truth and Fraud.' He will also cover 'Biotechnology - Present & Future.' The Last in this series of conferences will be held on the 20th May and will be given by Doctor Adela Valero López, head of the Parapsychology Department of Granada University, and will speak on 'Anisakis: a fish parasite that can affect Man. The parish of Almuñécar should be highly commended for providing such interesting & professional conferences although a good understanding of the Spanish language is essential.

Right at the beginning of last month an extraordinary meeting of the Town Council was held by request of the opposition parties to debate the motion for the resignation of the Mayor. The reasons for this motion are: The mayor has been sentenced to reimbursing from his own pocket 1,114,897 euros to public funds over the Tropical Fruits affair. The Mayor ordered the destruction of the Paseo del Altillo to build an underground car park without the necessary planning permission from higher authority. The Mayor who, at a stroke of a pen, closed the local television station over an alleged outstanding bill that the previous TV company had never been asked to pay? What else has to happen for a mayor to resign? This is what the chief opposition leader, Juan Luis González asked the Mayor and the gathered councillors, press and public. The motion for him to resign was approved but it only has symbolic value and is not binding, because neither the PP or the PSOE - who have a combined majority - were willing to move a vote of no confidence and provide an alternative candidate. A motion of no confidence would be the only way to force the Mayor to resign, as he won the majority of votes during the last local elections. Although both opposition parties agree that Benavides is nefarious and pernicious, they do not agree on what level he is unfit to govern. The problem is that thanks to a serious of regional pacts Juan Carlos Benavides was also appointed to the post of Vice-President of the Association of Coastal Municipalities. Whereas for the PP Benavides is unfit to hold any responsible post, the PSOE believe he should only resign as Mayor of Almuñécar. When Sr. Gonzalez pointed out that Benavides enjoys the post of Vice-President, it is because of a pact between the PSOE and the PA, the leader of the PSOE, responded that the PP governed in Salobreña and Motril precisely because of a similar pact between the PP and the PA. What a mess! There is one important difference between the two opposition parties. Sr. González insists on the resignation of Benavides despite opposition from his superiors. However, Sra. Palacios (PSOE) obeys orders from above to the letter, even when this means the disintegration of her own local party. The party members of the PSOE at the time of the elections gave Sr. Palacios the ultimatum of supporting the PP to oust Benavides or resigning herself. Thanks to the support from her provincial party leaders, she was able to suffocate the rebellion and expel these rebellious party members.

Perhaps you could entitle this article, 'When Victims are Punished - judge for yourselves. Amor and Ferid Ben Ammar are 2 Tunisian brothers, who have lived in Almuñécar now for a couple of years. At the moment there is a 9-month prison sentence hanging over their heads for allegedly 'resisting arrest.'

When the press was summoned to the Casa de la Cultura, none of us were quite sure what it was about but it soon became apparent. Sat before us were the 2 brothers, a representative from the UGT union, a psychiatrist from the APAT organisation and the Councillor for Social Services. After various preambles from the others, Amor retold what had happened to them. They had been waiting at the bus stop just outside Alfa Mar (on the border between Salobreña and Almuñécar), when the Guardia Civil from Salobreña drew up. It was 15.00 on the 11th February. The brothers were asked for ID - Amor had his on him but his brother didn't because he had left it at home. "If there is a problem, we can go home and pick it up," said Amor, who had already identified himself correctly. The policeman allegedly responded, "Don't tell me how to do my job!" Amor said that he politely responded that it was not his intention to do so. Next moment the policeman allegedly told them that they were arrested. Amor offered to go home and get his brother's ID and bring it to the station. "Don't piss me about - you're both arrested and are coming to the police station," replied the policeman, according to Amor. Amor said that the police didn't have any right to arrest them for this, to which the comment, "Your rights are back in Morocco!" was offered. On the way to the station in the patrol car one of the policemen radioed, "We've got 2 packets aboard," which didn't go down too well with the brothers. Once there they were ordered to hand over their shoelaces and belts and when they asked why, the policeman allegedly responded, "If you don't want to do this the easy way, we'll do it the hard way." According to Amor, they were then shut into a room, where they were beaten for 10 minutes with truncheons. The next day they were taken before the judge were the prosecution asked for 9 months imprisonment for contempt of authority and resisting arrest. The judge has yet to decide. In the meantime the brothers have reported the policemen for abuse of authority, so a decision is pending on that, as well. Two points that should be mentioned are that 'packet' is normal police jargon for arrested persons travelling in a patrol car and that the removal of shoe laces, ties and belts is universal practice when shutting somebody up. This is done 'to stop them hanging themselves' - strange but true. The brothers immediately went to a forensic doctor who took photos of bruises etc and concluded that the injuries had been caused by 'a blunt heavy instrument.' Up to fairly recently in Spain it was law that you should carry your ID with you at all times, under penalty of arrest for neglecting to do so. Now, the law is the same all over Europe: If you cannot identify yourself to the reasonable satisfaction of a policeman, then you can be asked to accompany him to the police station to establish your proper identification. Both brothers have lived in Spain for the last 4 years and have been totally legal since October 2001, which is something that some people who are reading this and live here permanently might not be able to claim, themselves. The union representative, councillor and psychiatrist all offered favourable character references to the press.

The building development company, Apex Imobiliaria, has announced that it will spend 50m euros on a housing complex in La Herradura near el Cerro Gordo, above the main road. The company has bought 88,814 sqms of land and intends to build some 300 dwellings, which should be finished in 2007. Included within the development plan is a commercial area of 7,400 sqms and a hotel on a 3 ,700 sqm plot.

In one of the Town Council meetings it was proposed and accepted that Almuñécar should request the equivalent of 1% of the budget for the La Herradura-Taramay stretch of the new motorway from the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento). This money would be used for the excavation & restoration of the Roman aqueduct and the necessary compulsory purchase orders. The Town Council would also like to restore the Cortijo de Bóvidar, which is a Visigoth construction and is situated in the upper Rio Jate Valley. Finally, the restoration of the La Herradura castle would also be included in this project and budget.

The village's civic centre forges ahead thanks to a kick back from a building company. It sounds shady but it's not. A building company, by law, has to cede a certain percentage (either in value or land) of a project to the town hall of the municipality where it will carry out a building project. Campomarina 2000 S.A. handed over 600,000 euros to the town hall for such a reason and... (hey presto!), we have the first phase of the civic centre financed. The budget for the civic centre is 3m euros, however, so the Town Council will be busy giving planning permission, left right and centre, to rake in some more cash. This six-floored building has 3,712sqm of floor space divided thus: the basement will house a theatre and the local police station amongst other things. The ground floor will house the pensioners club and an exhibition hall. The most important room on the 1st floor will be the conference hall, whose use will be principally for town council meetings. On the 2nd floor will be the vice-mayor's office and meeting rooms. Finally, on one of the upper floors there will be the secretary's office for the Annual Andrés Segovia Guitar Competition and a library. Soon the only things that will be lacking in the village will be parking and a permanent exhibition of well-fed Brazilian Mardi Gras dancers, given to carnal undulations.

You can't move around vast amounts of rock and earth without somebody getting killed - ask any earthquake victim (using a medium, of course). So it follows that the excavations up in the hills to provide us with our new motorway should have their death toll. The most recent was a construction worker on the Marchante Tunnel. At 08.00 a wall of stone cascaded down onto an unfortunate 51-year-old worker, leaving him partially buried. Although the fire and ambulance services from Almuñécar were immediately dispatched and soon arrived at the scene of the accident, owing to the gravity of his injuries, he was evacuated by helicopter to the Orthopaedic Surgery Dept. at Granada's main hospital. There he was treated for a crushed pelvis and placed in the ICU. Sadly, he died next day. Work on El Marchante Tunnel, which is a little over one kilometre long, is being carried out in 24h shifts. It is the longest tunnel being constructed between Maro and La Herradura and is being excavated from both ends.

There was a small fire towards the end of last month in the Peña Parda area (west end of beach). The fire affected 1000sqm of pine forest and mountain scrub near the Las Palomas private housing estate. The firemen took nearly three hours to put it out.

Yet another new hotel is on the way in La Herradura. This one is being built by Sierra Herradura S.L. and will be constructed in the area known as Cuesta Marchante on an 11,500sqm plot. The hotel will have 16 double rooms and 3 suites. The access to the hotel will be under a pergola/arbour of trees and climbing plants. The front of the hotel will have an Andalusian arched patio. All the rooms will be large, each one with a small hall, bathroom and an ample terrace-balcony. The suites will have hydro-massage installations in the bathrooms. All of the rooms will have sea views.

We had a minor moan about it last month and, as we enjoyed it, we'll have another bash. Why do drivers insist on parking on the semi-roundabout that serves as the entrance junction for the village? Because there isn't anywhere else park? Because there's a bus stop there on the other side of the road and if there's room for a bus...? Besides, if the Town Council, in their considerable wisdom, consider that it's a good wheeze to slap a bus stop on a main access junction, what harm can my li'le old car do? The trouble is that the Brits always moan at the ridiculous parking habits of the Spans and then have the nerve to do it themselves. I know - I'm prattling on but look on the bright side: now there's sufficient text to justify the photo!

NerjaMar Real Estate agents, under the 'Granada Costa' banner - currently in Castilla Perez and for the last 18 months at Burriana Beach, Nerja - have just opened in La Herradura. This is great news, if you are looking for a home further east. After having spent some time in their office, it's very apparent that they run an efficient and friendly service catering for a wide variety of property needs. (See report next month).

Bad weather has foiled all further attempts to locate and recover the body of the missing girl that fell into the sea during the dramatic events of 22nd February on La Herradura Beach. 20-year-old María Cuesta is not the only person to have been swallowed by the sea recently. At the beginning of January a 40-year-old man with mental problems set off in a small boat and has not been see to date. For 10 days following his disappearance coast guard boats and helicopters swept the area before finally abandoning the search and rescue operation. Going back to María Cuestas, her mother lamented, "When they told me that she had disappeared, I accepted it as best I could. Yet what I cannot understand is how she could spend an hour at the mercy of the waves, without a helicopter appearing with a winch or something." According to an expert diver, "the seabed just off the beach is not very deep - between 8 and 10 metres. There are few medium-sized rocks but the sand soon begins towards the centre of the bay. However as you advance towards the Punta de la Mona area, there is a zone known as Fogarín which is very deep - between 30 and 40 metres, which is where there are strong currents and whirlpools caused by the collision of the currents with the rocks. Another deep area is Las Piedras Altas, which is also near La Punta and reaches 30 metres depth." Concerning the fatal change in current on the day of the accident, Antonio Jerónimo, who has been Andalusian Scuba Diving Champion on several occasions, says that such conditions are not very frequent but that it has been known to happen. This usually occurs when a gale in the straits coincides with a Levante current, which tends to happen at this time of year.

The man who risked and lost his life to aid another had his funeral in Motril on the 24th February. Antonio Fernández had a send off with over a thousand friends and neighbours in attendance. Motril declared the day of the funeral as an official day of mourning. "It was an act of heroism and nobility that merits recognition from the Town Council and from the citizens of the town," declared the Mayor of Motril, "because this diver lost his life, trying to save a colleague." 33-year-old Antonio leaves behind a young wife, but thankfully no children. It's worth remembering the testimony of a fellow diver: Antonio and I had arranged to go diving on that Saturday off Calahonda but on seeing that the weather was not so good we decided not to. However, I had the idea that in La Herradura bay things would be better as it is quite sheltered. At noon the weather was splendid so I phoned him to tell him that the sea was calm there. He told me that he was going to eat in the village and that then he would see if he was going to dive or not. As he didn't call me back, I thought that he had decided against it. And he had, but somebody needed help and Antonio didn't baulk at offering it.

The La Herradura Insiders
February brought the first real rain of the year much to the delight of the locals and land owners but not much fun for the holidaymakers. The aforementioned rain caused a spate of minor road accidents in the area mainly due to people failing to slow down and adapt to the new conditions. On the night of the 25th the heavens opened and many people were woken up by the thunder and lightning which appeared to be right above us. Next morning the clean-up operations were underway, removal of stones and rubble washed down the hills by the driving rain.

The end of February saw the terrible earthquake which killed hundreds of people in the north of Morocco. The epicentre was believed to be in the Mediterranean and indeed many people from the village reported that they had heard the rumbling at 03.30 in the morning followed by light fittings and ornaments etc. shaking. Make sure your insurance policies are up to date.

The Guardia Civil have stepped up their efforts to cut the recent increase in crime in the area. In the early hours of Last Sunday morning they set up road blocks to all roads in and out of the village, be warned if you have a tipple. This, coupled with increased visible patrols in all areas, will hopefully deter any would-be thieves from carrying out their business.

Anyone want a puppy? We have six puppies looking for a good home and they will be ready to leave their mother in approx. 5 weeks. The father, Flash, is a Golden Cocker Spaniel, whom the owners have been trying for years to breed with Tess their other Cocker Spaniel to no avail. You guessed it, Flash took a Fancy to Lucy, a cute little Spanish number and the business was done. The result is six gorgeous black, tan and white puppies, waiting for the right person to come along. Both parents can be seen with the pups, which is a novelty, and anyone interested can contact David on 650 367 881.

Maria Karcher completed her move to the beachfront office, which was christened by an opening get together on Saturday 14th February Gaby and Encarna will remain in the old office in Avda. Prieto Moreno dealing with rentals.

The traffic situation within Nerja is chaotic and getting worse - and people are not impressed. Accordingly the Town Council has decided to act. The parking prohibitions that had been in place, which limited parking or waiting to one side of the street and which changed every 15 days, now will change once a month, on the 1st at 09.00. According to the Councillor for Traffic, Francisco Adrián Fernández, the old system caused a lot of chaos a necessitated the frequent use of the municipal tow truck and countless, avoidable parking fines. Another measure will the remodelling of streets, such as c/Nueva and c/Doctor Ferrán, where work is being carried out to widen the road and put in order the entrances to garages.

They're looking at new underground parking areas in Plaza de Antonio Villasclaras in the Chaparil and another one in Calera de Vidrio, in the northwest of the old town, next to Avenida de Pescia. They have also approved the installation of traffic lights at the Avenida de Pescia intersections. Finally, work on Puente Viejo has gone past the planned one-month timetable meaning that traffic there is still obstructed. Whereas drivers are asking for at least one lane to be opened, the construction company has opted for longer working hours to shorten the duration of the road works.

The Nerja local police had cause to arrest 46-year-old J.H.H. for allegedly placing his fist on the end of a policeman's nose and applying a spot of kinetic energy. The reason for doing so appears to be because the said officer refused to drive him to a nearby pub in the patrol car. This happened down on Burriana Beach one sunny Sunday, when a group of bystanders stopped Mr Nose Adjuster from using his own car, as he was already well on the way to visiting 'Alcoholic Alice in Wobblyland.' One of the gathered crowd phoned the police - this man must have been totally legless! - and they soon arrived and relieved him of his car keys. The police offered to drive the man and his friend to their respective homes. They accepted the offer. Once underway, one of them decided that the upholstery would look nicer in a different colour and obligingly vomited copiously. The policeman screeched to a halt to examine his punished patrol car-cum-vomitcomet.' J.H.H. then decided that the distraught & distracted policemen might like to run them to a nearby bar and voiced his request. The two aromatic policemen selfishly refused, so J.H.H. punched one of the policeman, when he leant in through the window to suggest that the two gentlemen might like to continue their journey on foot. After a brief struggle, the drunks were stowed on board and taken to a new and previously unrequested destination.

The Regional Authorities (La Junta de Andalucía) have frozen the enlarging of aperos de labranza (brick agricultural tool sheds) and rural houses in the township of Nerja until the Town Council comes up with an environmental impact study. This work must be done before the Town Council is allowed to modify its PGOU (General Urban Planning Ordinance). In this PGOU ammendment it wanted to increase the square meterage permitted to 20sqm for aperos de labranza and permit the building of rural houses on under 5,000sqms of regadío land (irrigated). This adjustment to the standing PGOU was carried out on the 22nd August because, up till then, the maximum floor area of a apero de labranza was only 10sqm.

Three Guardia Civil policemen were arrested and taken into custody by the drugs squad for allegedly 'helping' smugglers. The three officers supposedly received commission for shipments that successfully reached their destination. The officers were attached to the coastal vigilance dept that patrols the coast between Maro and Rincón de la Victoria. The arrest took place just four days after the National Police dismantled a drugs ring that operated in this area and for whom the accused allegedly 'covered.' The policemen supposedly passed on information concerning beach surveillance. When the National Police pounced, they caught 11 men who were involved with the landing of 800ks of hashish on a Nerja beach.

The Town Council has requested permission for the Confederación Hidrográfica del Sur (Southern Water Board) to use land in the Barranco de Almijara for the weekly street market, which is held on Tuesdays and Sundays. The reason being that the present location is causing serious inconveniences for neighbours and local traffic in the area. At present the emergency services have difficulty entering the area on market days and should there ever be a fire or major accident, the consequences could be catastrophic. To carry out the transfer of the street market to the proposed area, the Town Council has drawn up a project that will cost 407,783.63 euros. The Councillor for Markets, José Miguel Jimena, has requested from the regional authorities a grant of 203,869.32 euros to help finance the project. The preparation of a new market area would entail water and electricity mains, drainage, parking, pavements, lighting etc. At present 300 stalls barely squeeze into the Avenida de Chanquete and side streets on market days.

In a town council meeting it was approved to serve a future compulsory purchase order on the Endesa-Sevillana building in the Calle Cristo. "The building has stood empty for several years and the town hall needs more office space for the Urban Planning Dept.," says the Mayor, José Alberto Armijo (PP). The commercial manager of the electricity company to whom the building belongs, says that they have never received an official offer from the Town Council. The Mayor, however, says that the municipal corporation is willing to come to an agreement over a price before they serve such a compulsory purchase order.

Athletes from Nerja have been making a name for themselves during the Campeonato de Andalucía Absoluto de Invierno. The Athletics club Cueva de Nerja has won 25 medals, of which 6 were gold.

The Provincial Delegate for Public works for the Regional Government has forced the Frigiliana Town Council to reduce the building space available of the Exótica complex by 20,000sqms. The reason for this is that the project exceeds what is permitted under the municipal PGOU. Accordingly the Town Council has agreed to reduce the total area down to 60,000sqms. Therefore, according to the Mayor, Javier López Ruiz, the municipal corporation has fully complied with this requirement. The construction ceiling stands at 36 single houses and a luxury hotel with 100 rooms. The building complex will also include an artificial lake, surrounded by trees and gardens. The project will cost 18m euros to build. The Exótica will be situated on the border with the municipality of Nerja, near the motorway, with access from the MA-105.

The Councillor for Sports, Rafael Rivas, has let it be known that the Municipal Sports Board Potholing Club has discovered a large cave in the Rio de Miel area, which has difficult access. He also said that the said potholing club is carrying out at a topographical survey which they will hand over to the Fundación Cueva de Nerja once completed.

From the 4th of February a new service has come into being, which will provide free legal advice from lawyers for the senior citizens of the town. Appointments can be made between 10.00 and 11.30 every Wednesday. Carmen Ortega, who is one of the lawyers attending at the Day Centre, says, "They have never dared to consult with a professional, mainly for economic motives." The first consultations carried out have been about inheritance and the Social Service system, concerning pensions. The first step to receive free legal advice is to request an appointment at the Day Centre, so as to be able to talk with a lawyer on Wednesday mornings.

Nerja Theatre Workshop
On 22nd & 23rd January Nerja Theatre Workshop presented their first annual pantomime of "Cinderella". Both nights played to a packed theatre. The members of the workshop are aged between 3-17 years. After the success of "Cinderella" the older members of the workshop are now working on a modern play "Much Ado About Clubbing" which focuses on teenage life and the issues that come with growing up. This will be played to audiences in April. In May we have two shows: "Festival Of plays" which is a selection of plays devised by its students that have been auditioned within the workshop. The finalists then make it through to a fantastic evening of entertainment which is viewed and judged by a panel of professionals. Then later in May we present: "Pop Show 2004" which is a selection of songs and dances that have been auditioned to be in this spectacular evening's entertainment which will be judged before a professional panel. All productions are performed at The Cultural Centre, C/ Granada, Nerja. Look out for our Summer Schools!

For more information on Nerja Theatre Workshop please call Robert on 645 305 950 or Tara on 645 469 141.