What you have in your sweaty mitts at the moment is Costa Tropical’s first and foremost English language freebie. It’s controversial, satirical and opinionated. It contains typing errors and oaths. Above all, it’s hard-hitting and harder than rocking horse droppings to find by the second week of any month.

For the summer months, when the majority of saner residents have left to visit their homelands, we bring out a special combined July and August edition for visitors, packed full of restaurant reviews and useful information (the rest of the year we just lay into politicians, building speculators and occasionally now, George W. Bush). Talking of useful info, see inside back page for the emergency telephone numbers!

Although foreign residents have long been attracted to the Alpujarra, the Granada coast was not ‘discovered’ until about five years ago. If this is your first visit, then it is probably because you either saw the area on one of those ‘Places-in-the-Sun’ type programmes, or you have friends or relatives living here.

You have the Mediterranean in front of you (not the mention this magazine, a beer and a tapa) and the Granada hinterland behind you (and some annoying individual with an accordion, probably). What more could you ask for? You’ve got the time and a rented car; your stomach’s not playing up and you don’t glow in the dark, thanks to yesterday on the beach… So, put the damned magazine away for later and get out there and kick ass!

The shock waves caused by Operación Malaya in Marbella are definitely reaching Granada and I would imagine that more than a few in Almuñécar are getting a little twitchy and searching Internet for airline tickets. The second round of arrests involved the owners of large construction companies, amongst them Avila Rojas, whose company has probably built about 20% of the Almuñécar that stands today. To date, however, on a provincial level, only IU (United Left) is calling for the suspension of Almuñécar’s urban planning prerogative, together with that of Alhama, where they are set to build mind-boggling amounts of houses for a non-existent corresponding population.

Have you ever watched Almuñécar’s own TV channel? No? Lucky sod! It is blatantly pro-Benavides, which is no surprise, as his son runs the company and his ex-wife works for it, as does the daughter of Rafael Contreras, who is the Chief of Cabinet for the municipal corporation. Anyway, according to the PP, 52,633 euros has been paid out of public funds to this private company for ‘institutional publicity, programme production and videos.’ Therefore, claims the PP opposition party, the company board of directors, made up of several members of the Mayor’s party, have received nearly 9,000 euros a month since the beginning of the year.

The Town Hall has agreed to subsidise what was a popular attraction last summer: the medieval market up in the San Miguel Castle, which was organised and run by La Asociación de Mujeres Generación Costa. The grant of 9,000 euros will be given in recognition of the efforts of this women’s group and the large acceptation of the event, attracting around 22,000 people during the course of last summer. This year, the medieval market will be held in the same venue (the castle) every weekend, during July and August between 22.00h and 01.00h.

The IU and the governing party (formerly the PA; now the Convergencia Andaluza) came out in unison in their criticism of the PP (conservatives), accusing them of withdrawing their objection for the urban planning pact known as, La Hoya. The PP claims that they contested this pact by ‘mistake,’ which was why they had withdrawn their objection. Juan Luis González Montoro, who is the local leader of the PP, said that they had opposed all urban development pacts that deal with Suelo No Urbano (SNU or ‘urban land not for building on’), according to the stipulations of the 1987 PGOU. Do you know what? It 23.12h and I can’t really be bothered with this, so… it’s onto the next affair!

Most people, logically, expected to see the announced bridge-disaster reconstruction carried out on the said bridge, whereas, in fact, in was carried out in the Rio Seco valley, just over the hill from there. After the said test, experts concluded that the accident did not occurre because of a singular failure, but because of multi-failures. However, the re-enactment was not considered enough to reach a final conclusion, and accordingly, the Judge has ordered another test to be carried out in Galicia on a similar construction, where investigators will provoke a similar failure. This will happen before the end of July. Nobody is willing to say much before the judge reaches a conclusion. However, Mariano Campos of the national union UGT said, “A cable supplying electrical current to the motor was cut, but the loss of electricity was not provoked by the Sevillana/Endesa electricity company as claimed by the building company.” The full-scale re-enactment of the movements of the metal casting unit was carried out to observe every movement in detail, as it passed from one pillar to the next. The accident reconstruction did not entail the casting unit falling from the bridge – but they used 76 sensors to register every stress experimented during the manoeuvre, which lasted four hours and covered 90 metres.

The Paseo del Altillo was officially finished on the last day of June, with the symbolic turning on of the streetlights in the garden area. All told, the Paseo del Altillo will have 24 street lights, each with 150W bulbs. The bars below should be finished by the end of July. In the meantime the leaseholders have been working on the interiors with the decoration. The old paseo was demolished several years ago under very controversial conditions to make way for underground parking.

Another controversial underground car park, however, is still under seemingly eternal construction. The work began smack in the middle of the Christmas-holiday period, which was a blow for most. The reason given at the time was for it all to be concluded as soon as possible. Time has proved that this was not to be the case, as six months later the excavation work had hardly begun. Work on the hotel, however, has come along nicely… Many believe that the fencing off of the Avenida Don Juan Carlos had little to do with starting the car park, and everything to do with a secret deal between the hotel builder and the Town Hall. Circumstances appear to confirm this hypothesis. Anyway, on the 1st July this main town thoroughfare was re-opened for the summer, only. The hotel has cut the town in two for its own convenience. However, the re-opening is only partial as the narrow lane is only wide enough for one-way traffic. The owners of the garages below the blocks of flats affected still have no access to them. In fact, as no warning was given, their cars are trapped inside until the end of the summer! The cars actually scrape past the block entrances, which invites mishaps.

The price of a two-bedroom, seafront, apartment on the coast this summer is around 1,300 euros a fortnight (15 days). That’s between 3% and 5% more than 2005. This makes the Costa Tropical one of the most expensive places on the whole of the Andalusian coast to rent an apartment during the summer. The same apartment during the first fortnight of July, however, is ‘only’ liable to cost you between 900 and 1,000 euros. Now, if you’re after a small chalet with a pool, be prepared to fork out (spend) between 3,500 and 4,000 euros for the month of August. Talking of swimming pools, there is a greater demand this year for apartments with rights to the use of a pool, thanks to the Great Jelly Fish Invasion of last year, which literally made it impossible to bath in the sea during the whole summer season. If we get another such visit from our ‘condom-impersonating’ sea fauna, then it will probably finish off more than a few businesses. Couple this with the fact that along Almería way you can expect to pay between 30% and 40% less for an apartment of similar characteristics during the same period, and you might begin to wonder… Anyway, one sector that is not too pleased with the official and unofficial apartment-rental offer is the hotel sector. Apartment sharing between two families is definitely cheaper than staying at an hotel, whose juicy off-season offers disappear during the summer period. Of course, from a mother and father’s point of view, staying at a hotel is the only time that s/he will really be on holiday, as the hotel does the cooking, cleaning and looks after the kids. When the family stays in rented summer accommodation, it normally means that s/he has to do all that s/he is normally expected to do, but with fewer electrical appliances – some holiday!

The coast’s chiringuitos (beach bars) will not have to close this summer, as they have received a temporal reprieve – all existing chiringuitos (51 in our province) will have their licences extended one year. However, not all chiringuitos have received this reprieve – three or four in the province will have to go eventually be moved off the beach. So, until February 2007, when the licences come up again, Granada’s chiringuitos can sigh with relief… after that, it’s revision time again.

According to the IU (United Left Party) the opening licence that has been issued to the Aquatropic discotheque is ‘illegal.’ You might remember, if you live here, that the said disco was completely destroyed by fire last June.Well, the IU claim that the reconstruction work was carried out without the requisite permits from Costas (the ministry that deals with the coast line). Costas did not authorise the rebuilding work, say the IU, because nobody told them that it was going on; not the owners of the disco, nor the Town Hall, who, by the way, gave the owners an opening permit in record time. The Mayor has received a letter from the Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Provincial Environment Department) telling the Town Hall to check the licence paperwork again, because the work on the construction did not abide by normal procedure. The IU point out that several months ago the Mayor was ‘threatening’ the owners of a block of flats in Velilla with the loss of their swimming pool, because it was built on Costas land. Costas is demanding that the land be returned to their ownership because the Town Hall intends to build a breakwater and a wharf next to the water park. Anyway, it’s all very complicated, but according to the IU, the owners of these apartments face losing their pool that was built well over a decade ago, because the Town Hall has decided to favour the water park with a wharf and breakwater.

Meanwhile, back at the Palace of Doom (i.e. the Town Hall) it has been announced that they have plans to spend 24m euros on a desalinisation plant… All the paperwork should be finished by the end of this year, announced the Mayor and when the plant comes into action it will provide 265 litres of drinking water per second. The Mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, says that together with the sewage recycling plant, water shortages will be a thing of the past, sort of thing. He pointed out that the township is three cubic hectometres of water short, thanks to the dry years and the nonexistent dam up in Otívar, which was to store around 13 cubic hectometres during the wet years for a thirsty occasion. So, bearing in mind that the promised eleven cubic hectometres from the Rules Dam aren’t going to arrive in the near future, he thought that the said desalinisation plant would be just the job (a good solution) until such times that we all get washed away by the bountiful and sparkling waters of Rules Dam. The plant will be situated on the right-hand side of Río Seco, on a 6,000sq/mt plot and would be ‘ecologically respectful’ of its surroundings. The water would be drawn from somewhere along the San Cristóbal beach. Who would have guessed that we have the local elections next March?

Talking of rivers… Jete is going to have a bridge over the Río Verde! (Visions of a swaying rope bridge, with mule train’s plunging down into an abyss spring to mind… must cut back on the hallucinogenic intake). When the river level rises in the winter… OK, let’s be realistic here… When the river actually has water in it, in the winter, farmers have difficulties getting to their land on the other side of the valley; not because sky-diving mules are in short supply, mind! So, the village is set to splash out 300,000 euros for its very own bridge! (Marching bands and fireworks, stage left). All you sneaky foreigners that bought a cortijo on the other side of the river, will see the price of your property rise, of course. The said bridge will be 29 metres long, six metres wide, with a walkway of 1.5 metres down one side – no bungee-jumping mules allowed.

The Peña Escrita mountain park has received nine wolves from Germany for its growing wildlife population. Actually, eight of them are Canadian wolves (canis lupus hudsonicus) – four males and four females, all of which have been donated by the Disburg Zoo (Germany). The other wolf is a timber wolf (canis lupos occidentalis) and was donated by Nuremberg Zoo, where they had a space shortage for such animals. Several months ago the park received eight Iberian wolves, which already have their own pad next to the hippopotamus den.

Here is Eladio from Los Geraneos restaurant, full of enthusiasm, before the Spain - France Match. The rest, as we all know, is history...

La Herradura’s English library under the municipal market has had a great deal of support throughout 2006. Thanks to the hard work of librarian Ann Maxfield and a team of helpers, locals and visitors alike can use the facilities every Wednesday morning to enjoy a variety of older and more recent English books. Anyone who is here for a short visit will be charged a nominal fee of only two euros for access to literally thousands of books. There are also duplicate fiction books on sale at bargain-price 50c each. Please be aware, however, that during the summer there will be a break. The last day open will be the 26 July and the library will re-open again on 6 September. For any further information, please contact Ann on 958 640 069.

Joan Bevan – Happy Birthday! We’re delighted to wish Joan Bevan, who is a well known and recognised octogenarian of La Herradura, a very happy birthday on 3rd July. This date marks 88-years young, as anyone who has ever met Joanie will tell you. Living in La Herradura for over 35 years now this wonderful lady is more than a landmark, she’s a national treasure! Many happy returns for a brilliant achievement, from your many friends and admirers.

Have you noticed the difference between this year’s visit and the last? We thought it might be interesting to point out some changes, as a lot can happen in 12 months, particularly in this part of the world!

Almuñécar and La Herradura road system is improved as a total of 411,000 euros has been spent on thick new tarmac which provides a cover 4cm deep. Hopefully, by the time you read this, we may even have the road markings in place, but as usual, things seem to be stepped up here, just as it gets busy and more complicated to organise the final touches, so fingers crossed! But I have to admit that it certainly beats negotiating the potholes that appear after heavy rainfall during the winter and spring months.

Mentioning changes to the road system, this might be the first time you’ve been exposed to the kind of roundabout located between La Herradura and Almuñécar (before the tunnel). It gives you the chance to change direction on the N-340 and sadly has already resulted in at least one nasty accident. Do take care, as with the heat, many drivers take silly risks which could so easily be avoided.

Another change you might have noticed is the new children’s park. Twice the size, with new equipment, a brand new wall and incredibly popular amongst the kiddies and teenagers alike, this new park has been up and running since the end of March. I’m still asking about the wisdom of having sand on the ground, particularly when we hit the windy season here and why they didn’t invest just that little bit more on additional shelter, or for that matter, some gates to keep out the animals, but hey … having waited this long, we certainly can’t look a gift horse in the mouth now, can we?

And then there’s the new Estación Náutica (Aquatic station) at the Sol Fenicios’ end of the beach. This has been set up as a common resource for all the dive centres in the area. The aim? To encourage better practices, increased safety in the sport and offer facilities for training and instruction. In time, when (and if for the cynics amongst you) the sub aquatic park is complete, these headquarters will be the base for activities in the whole area along the Costa Tropical (stretching from La Herradura to Motril). Time will tell, but it should prove a huge attraction to visitors from all over the world, as well as helping to improve the standard of the waters in the area and the quality of the undersea flora and fauna. Exciting stuff!

Entering the village of La Herradura, you couldn’t help but notice the huge progress that’s been made on the Civic Centre. The presence of this building says a great deal about the perception - in the very least at Town Hall level - of La Herradura and its future. There’s no doubt about how the village has grown even over the past five years that we’ve been here, but this building is really something else. Let’s hope they make really good use of it. I know of at least one event for later this year, which you can put in your diaries now: the long awaited Andrés Segovia Classical Guitar competition is set for 20th-25th November. Yet another reason to visit us again!

Talking about events and fiestas, with any luck we’ll be treated again this year to the Títeres in August - the week long festival of puppeteers and marionette experts that come from all over Spain in order to present shows for children and adults alike. They normally bring with them the folklore, traditions and costumes of the parts of Spain where they originate, so it’s a pretty fascinating experience and can often touch on the macabre street theatre that is so typical all over Europe. Watch out for signs and posters closer to the time.

Residents of El Rescate (to the north of La Herradura) look to build a place of worship as the Town Hall agree on the basis of public use and social interest. The project will consist of some 147sq/mts on a plot of 200sq/mts and would be located on non-urbanized land within the rural zone of El Rescate. This initiative has been supported by the municipal council, although before things are officially approved, there needs to be agreement from the religious authorities, as well as a technical study undertaken to check the viability of building here by a delegation of the Planning Department. It’s anticipated that if all goes well and things proceed, the place of worship at El Rescate will join other similar venues nearby (El Cerval, Las Maravillas in La Herradura and el Pago de Guerra) in continuing the tradition of at least once a year organising a procession or religious festival. It’s a good job God doesn’t need things approved in triplicate!

Summer: just one long celebration as we gear up for Virgen del Carmen on July 15th. Although she is one of the patron saints of La Herradura, we should also be aware that we don’t hold the monopoly here. Indeed, if you travel up and down the Costa del Sol, the Costa Tropical, as well as along most of the coast of Cádiz, Almería and Granada provinces, you will discover similar celebrations taking place. What you can expect to see is the procession of the statue through the village during the evening, moving down towards the water, then with the help of the fishing boats, a ‘procession’ around the bay, accompanied by fireworks. The inevitable partying in the village (normally you’ll find things going on in the Plaza de Independencia) will probably last at least the whole night through, if not on to the following day as well.

To understand why the Virgen del Carmen should be considered so important to the coastal villages, we should take a look at the Old Testament. Apparently the prophet Elias decided to abandon his lifestyle and take up a more humble existence in a cave in Mount Carmelo, near Haifa (Israel). Many centuries later, hermits took Elijah’s path and prayed for protection from the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmelo - the Virgin of Carmen. She was also known as ‘Stella Maris’ and soon became adopted by sailors and fishermen everywhere as their patron.

Tourism has clearly played its role in increasing the importance of this festival throughout many Costa towns. However, it has to be said that fishing communities still retain a strong attachment to ‘la Reina de los Mares’ (the Queen of the Seas). In fact, people once believed that it really depended on the Virgin’s ‘touching’ the waters on July 15th before the sea would be fit for swimming in. I suspect that some of us have already risked dipping in our toes by now, especially if you were around for San Juan on 23rd June. Of course it might do no harm to send up a little prayer to the Virgin et al to please keep the jellyfish away this year!

A bit of info on jellyfish stings might come in handy!

Things not to do: Don’t wash it with tap or bottle water; only do it with salt water, and, don’t rub it with a towel or anything abrasive.

Things to do: swear profusely. Apply ice for about 15 minutes, but not directly - put it in a plastic bag, for example, because the ice will most certainly be made from fresh water. If you’re going to the beach, it’s not a bad idea to buy a small plastic bottle of vinager, which counteracts the poison. Dilute the stuff, mind!

Finally, looking at the Plaza de Independencia, you’re bound to spot the new businesses, which have sprung up over the past twelve months. There are a number of clothes shops, as well as a shoe shop, plus Antonio’s fabulous new bar, La Barrica, a hamburger place and of course Nico’s brilliant, new, home-improvement shop, Vuestra Casa. So plenty of interesting new and familiar places in which to spend time and money!

The village has been saved by the CIA! No, not the Americans, but the Ciclo Integral de Agua, which is the municipal programme that has provided the new domestic water deposit. This much-needed water storage facility comprises of two chambers – one above the other – each containing 10,000 cubic metres of water.

The very last sugar factory in Europe – which is in Salobreña – closes after 145 years, signalling the demise of one of the coast’s most emblematic crops. No more, Folks, will you be able to smell that most distinctive sweet aroma the beginning of summer – something that has impregnated the lives of the oldest members of the village’s population. Can you imagine Jaén without olive trees or La Mancha without windmills? Well, for many, that will be the impression felt as they gaze over the land once covered by sugar cane, which is destined to disappear beneath brick and mortar. But the crop has lingered on its death bed for years, owing to its null economic viability, hanging onto life thanks to the artificial lung of stubborn hope. The old chimney still bears the scar from the impact of a shell from the Nationalist cruiser, Baleares, during the Spanish Civil War. In 1998, the factory processed 115,000 tonnes of sugar cane, but this year the figure was only 35,000, producing 3,000 tonnes of sugar. Anybody who has lived here a number of years will remember the old, lumbering lorries, completely loaded with over-spilling sugar cane; The main road between Salobreña and the river dotted with fallen canes. Salobreña was always a beautiful white village, perched on a rock, floating in a sea of sugarcane. Think yourselves lucky, Folks, to have seen Salobreña still with its fields of cane, because visitors in coming years will only see fields of tarmac, concrete and bricks.

On a lighter note, the Town Hall intends to spruce up its streets, quarter by quarter (barrios). In fact, that will be the name of the campaign: Barrio a Barrio. A team of twelve electricians, cleaners, gardeners and builders will be looking after the streets of the village. “We have created a multi-faceted team that will attack the problems and deficiencies in our streets…,” said the Mayor, Jesus Avelino Menéndez. What we’re talking about here is a team containing all the necessary components to sort any problem out. In other words, instead of having to co-ordinate between departments, one singular group (Barrio a Barrio) will be able to deal with it.

The Salobreña Beachfront ‘one way system’. During the busy summer months, there is a change to the priority on the beachfront road in Salobreña that you have to watch out for! To improve the parking situation for the many thousands who come to the beach in the summer months, the beachfront road becomes ‘one way’ and you can park, not only in the normal parking places, but also along the right hand side of the road as you travel from west to east. The short stretch to El Peñon remains a two-way road. Despite the introduction of signs showing the change to a ‘one way system’, some local drivers, who live in Salobreña all year, will ignore the new system and insist on driving in both directions because they have always done that. So please drive carefully with all this extra traffic and changes in road priorities. There will also be lots of fairs and fiestas in the area during the summer months, so if you want the latest information on these, visit your local Ayuntamiento or the tourist information office.

The story of an 18th -birthday card. I wanted a special card for my grandson’s 18th birthday and, as we who live here in Spain know, such cards are not always easy to find. My wife and I had an old photograph of our grandson Damien, standing on the toilet seat and cleaning his teeth when he was about eighteen months old! We decided that we would like to use this photograph, to make a unique card for him and so we contacted local photographer, Justin Curran, to see if this was possible. Justin said he could produce a special card to our requirements and also re-produce the photograph in both colour, as well as black and white. He could also airbrush out the reflection of someone in the mirror, possibly me, that was part of the original photograph. Justin produced two different styles of card, complete with colour photograph, grandson’s name and an appropriate message we had asked him to use. He also gave us a copy of the photograph and the two card-designs on a computer disk as a memento. My wife and I were very pleased with the results and with the service we received from Justin. Our grandson, his friends and the family also liked the special card. If you need a unique card for that special occasion or any professional photographic work carried out, then I have no hesitation in recommending Justin Curran to you, as he can help you to capture those special moments in all our lives. Call him on mobile 697 428 901 or email him at justinecurran@fsmail.net. You will not be disappointed.

Bogus Gas Men. Once again, these thieves are in the area and they have already duped people out of their money. These bogus gas men will claim that repairs or maintenance work is required on gas appliances in your home and that the work is essential for your safety. The men have very official looking credentials and appear to be genuine. However, no one has the right to enter your home unless you invite them in, other than the police or the emergency services and these men are not part of this group. My advice to you is not to let them come into your home and, if they become insistent, to call the police. Gas appliances should be checked every five years for your own safety, but this can be done by your local, approved and known plumber. Someone has had essential work done on the gas system in their home, when the owner was away and they had houseguests, who let these bogus fitters in and then paid them. Imagine the owners surprise when they returned and were told that this work had been carried out and paid for, especially as the house was all Electric and didn’t have any gas supply. Please be warned!

How to Register to Vote in Spain. If you live in Spain for more than three months each year, then you should register onto the census at the Town hall in Salobreña, or your local Town hall. This has nothing to do with taxes! What it does mean is that, when more people register, the central and regional governments have to provide more money to your town, to pay for an increase in services, such as doctors, policing, street cleaning, road repairs, infrastructure, etc. etc. You are also able to vote in your local Spanish elections. It is so easy to get onto the census, just take your passport and your escritura, (deeds) or an electricity bill to the Town hall, tell them you wish to be added to the census and to vote in Spain. You do not have to be a resident in Spain to vote here and you can still vote in your country of origin, if you come from another EEC country. Registering to vote in Spain does not take away this privilege. If you have any queries, contact Maria Jose Rodriguez Puertas at the Junta electoral centre on 913 906 000.

The Summer Holidays will bring chaos to the roads once again. The traffic along the coast road throughout the summer, not just at the weekends, gets heavier each year, as thousands flock to the beaches to cool off and generally enjoy themselves in the hot weather. As in previous years, the situation is seemingly not helped by the police, trying to control the traffic entering the coast road from Granada, Salobreña and other junctions. It would seem they park their motorbikes and then frantically shout, blow their whistles and gesticulate wildly at motorists to drive more quickly, when this is impossible, due to the volume of traffic on the road. I would like to point out that the traffic seems to filter in when the police are not controlling the junctions, so why should they get hot and bothered, when all they seem to achieve is to slow the movement of traffic down and in some cases, cause it to stop. It can take two or three times as long to get from Salobreña to Motril during the summer months, so just try to relax and be patient when you are driving. For those of us who live here all the year, or do not just come for the summer months, be calm and remember the other nine months or more, when the pace of life is slower, the roads are much less congested and Paco can stop his car on the crossing and talk to his friends, who are going across the road, without being tooted at by other motorists. Let the holidaymakers have their frantic few days on the beach, you take extra care, relax, stay calm and just be cool. It really is wonderful to live here, but will the new coast road help to reduce the traffic problems or just bring more vehicles into the village, carrying those who wish to enjoy the sun, sand and sea? What do you think?