Los Gigantes was my first home after moving to Tenerife some eight years ago, it’s a very beautiful and sedate part of the island, so I have particular pleasure in alerting you to the latest www.tenerifemagazine.com  competition. Thanks to our friends at WimPen Leisure Management we are offering the chance to win a weeks holiday at El Marques Resort, to go into the draw on 2nd April, you just have to be a Facebook fan of Tenerife Magazine.

Ooh hang on I’m getting flashbacks to the 4 years I spent living in Puerto Santiago, at the top of the road out of Los Gigantes, and just opposite El Marques. If I was still living there I would have invited the winner round for a cup of coffee, they might have to bring some coffee err and a cup, well I was never that domesticated. I still pop up the west coast on a regular basis to visit old friends and favourite bars, I worked in “the village” as the locals call Los Gigantes, for the first 3 years, The Western Sun office in Paseo Jacaranda is now a restaurant, see if you can find my old Mr Blobby pencil sharpener if you pop in there – I really miss it.

El Marques is up on the brow of the hill and gives you great views over the village and out to the towering cliffs that lend Los Gigantes its name. The marina is a bustling mix of commerce and leisure craft, the church plaza is a lovely place for a shady cafe stop as you people watch, and you are in easy reach of some great walks such as Masca. I shall end my stagger down memory lane there before I start digressing with detailed accounts of my old haunts.

Anyway, the prize is one week self catering in a one bedroom apartment, valid for a year, subject to availability, and there is no cash alternative. As I mentioned, the draw takes place on Friday 2 April so make sure you are a Tenerife Magazine Facebook fan, and keep popping in to the magazine site as we update regularly. Good luck.

I thought I was being stalked, I saw it the first time at the main junction in central Los Cristianos, then the next time, there it was on the corner of Avenida Sueccia near the port road. Could it be the new Dr Who, come to wind back time to the start of the football season to save CD Tenerife? Or maybe it was some sort of phallic symbol for the Carnaval season?

It seems there are many of them scattered around Arona, no one else seemed to be bothered by them, but I’m a right botherer. I tried to find a door or at least a slot to insert some money, just in case it was a Superloo, but no joy.

At last though things are becoming clearer, the heading “Columna de Libre Expresion” would seem to confirm my more mundane thoughts. The “Columns of Free Expression” are there for people to stick bits of paper on. All those tatty fly postings about apartment rentals, get rich quick schemes and lost dogs can now be posted on these official columns saving the lamp posts and bus shelters as they were meant to look. Mind you I could be wrong, if they start making a grating sound and start to vanish, get well out of the way.

And the Oscar for worst defensive performance goes to…..CD Tenerife. Ok with captain Bertran out injured for a month, and Luna suspended, it was a patched up back four, but letting a 1-0 away lead slip to a 3-1 defeat at Deportivo made it 12 goals conceeded in the last 3 games. The win moved the hosts to fifth in La Liga, but they looked very ordinary and Tenerife’s goalie had a quiet evening – apart from picking out the ball.

Culebras came into the centre of defence, Hector went to left back and Sicilia moved to the captains berth. Deportivo started off as luke warm as their lowly crowd and CDT took advantage with a well worked opening goal after 17 minutes. Sicilia put in a perfect pass for Juanlu, and he turned superbly and placed his shot in the net. As always Tenerife were playing some good football with Alfaro looking much livelier than lately. Sadly a rare Deportivo raid just after the half hour was panic cleared out to Guardado on the wide open left wing, he crossed and Rodriquez rose for a free header to equalise.

Tenerife had more chances before the break, Juanlu floated the ball in but home keeper Aranzubia, beat Alfaro to the loose ball. Nino had a great opportunity, he let off a shot as a defender closed in on him but the goalie made a strong save. The little striker blasted another over the bar just after the re-start before Deportivo took the lead. Valaron crossed to Guardado, and as three CDT players tried to clear, he calmly scored.

Deportivo still looked a beatable side, Juanlu set up Alfaro but his glancing header went just wide, and Richi went close with a looping shot. Tenerife had 5 players behind the ball as Colloto moved in but they backed off and the home player took his chance for a 3-1 lead. The inevitable late changes saw Angel for Ayoze and Omar for Alfaro but despite another wide shot from Richi, the scoreline stayed the same.

They may be a little old but I love to admire their curves and sleek bodywork, but enough about the mature ladies on the beach, lets look at the Autoepoca Classic Car Show in Santa Cruz. I headed up from Los Cristianos on the early 110 Titsa with Ian from the Armada Sur and his good lady, Janette. Isn’t fate cruel, I ended up sat at the back of the bus next to a Scottish family with a ginger sprog wearing a Real Madrid Ronaldo shirt – what self control I have.

Arriving in under an hour at Santa Cruz, us chaps headed off to the Recinto Ferial, buying our 3 euro tickets we waited outside for the dignitaries to complete the opening presentations. Looking around the concourse it was clear that there wasn’t going to be a mass scrum to get in, most people would no doubt visit after work or over the weekend. I’m no car fanatic but I appreciate the design and beauty of these great machines, the 200 cars and 50 motorbikes looked fantastic as they spread across the hall. It would have been nice if some brief descriptions of the motors and their history was displayed with them, mind you I was also hoping for a few dolly birds draped over the bonnets of the cars, maybe that’s just me.

Great names like Porsche, Ford, Ducatti, Kawasaki and Rolls Royce rang out from the highly polished chrome of the bikes and cars. There were a few more unusual models, early kit cars, camper vans, U.S Army jeeps, and police motor bikes. I also expected a few more trade stands, there were a few specialist dealers selling model cars and some technical gadetry for cleaning and preserving collectors wares, maybe more will turn up for the weekend.

Those are just small criticisms, at 3 euros the fair is great value and will evoke many memories of first cars and back seat fumbles. There is a large cafe bar upstairs if you want to take a break, good views over the hall as well. Autoepoca closes on Sunday March 7 and opens daily from 11am to 9pm. Walking down into the main shopping area of Santa Cruz, I showed Ian the CD Tenerife shop, they still have a sale on and a few new items to go with the kits, scarves etc. After meeting Janette for a quick meal as we beat off the pigeons, we hopped on the tram from Guimera back to the bus station for our speedy 110 direct bus home.   For more details on the motors and more photos go to www.tenerifemagazine.com

As the island braced itself for hurricane strength winds, CD Tenerife charged into the face of the oncoming Real Madrid storm. In the end they were ground down for a flattering 5-1 defeat, but they showed plenty of fight, it was just the cutting edge that was missing.

A sea of tifo and banners evoked the Guanche spirit that repelled the Spanish invaders for so long, and made a rousing welcome for the teams. Tenerife dived straight into the action, Alfaro was through on goal in the first minute, only to be denied by a Garay block. The home side pushed forward, strangely Mikel Alonso was left on the bench but Richi and Ricardo spurred the charge. Ronaldo got little change out of Sicilia and only really caught the eye due to his dainty yellow boots.

Madrid were put off at first by Tenerife’s energy but grew in confidence and broke the deadlock after 29 minutes as Marcelo set up Higuain to bury the ball in the top corner. Nino had a good chance to hit back but Albiol proved too strong for him and took the ball. With the half time whistle approaching, Garay whipped in a cross from the right and found Higuain for his and Madrid’s second.

Tenerife made a perfect start to the second half, Nino put the ball in to the area and Ayoze and Casillas both went up for the ball, Ayoze proved the stronger and bundled it into the net as the Spain goalie complained. That could have been a way back for CDT but as the crowd savoured the goal Madrid went forward, Higuain found Kaka and his finish was deadly to make it 1-3.

Tenerife kept pushing, coach Oltra made a brave move taking Manolo off and adding Omar to the attack. Ricardo went close but Casillas earned his keep for the afternoon with a quick series of 3 great saves. At the other end Sergio Aragoneses denied Ronaldo one of his few clear chances to loud cheers from the crowd. Both sides continued to create openings, Higuain hit the Tenerife crossbar but Luna gifted them a 4^th goal handling the ball, leaving Ronaldo to convert the penalty.

Still Tenerife refused to lay down, substitute Mikel Alonso came close with a shot from the edge of the box and Alfaro twanged the crossbar. There was time for one last goal in injury time, Raul showed his class turning quickly to fire a 5^th marker for the visitors.

Zaragoza’a 2-0 win at Getafe was not the news the fans wanted, it pulls them out of the bottom three and makes it even tougher for penultimate placed Tenerife. The fight for survival continues with a tricky away game next week at Deportivo. Real Madrid managed to rub our noses in it a bit more, the Armada Sur had to wait an hour for their coaches, to let the pampered and over policed Madrid coach eventually pass by.

Touching home base, stepping up to the plate and ball park figures are nothing new to me, not because I’m an expert on baseball, but I used to work in Oxford with an accountant who constantly used that awful management speak. If your wondering, yes he was, a complete and utter one. Despite that, a visit to see Tenerife Marlins baseball team has been on my to do list for a couple of seasons, so yesterday I set off to Puerto de la Cruz to see them training.

This week has been hot and sunny after the storms of the previous weeks, a 343 Titsa bus whisked me up to Puerto in just over an hour for 7.65 euros on my bono ticket. Coming in to Puerto on the motorway Mount Teide looked magnificent coated in glistening white snow well down it’s peak, as the temperature registered 29 degrees. Tenerife Marlins play at El Burgado, just past Loro Park, a 381 bus from the temporary central bus station got me there in 5 minutes, well before the morning training session was due to finish.

My very basic knowledge of baseball comes from films like Field Of Dreams and Major League but we are lucky to have the current 5 times Spanish champions here in Tenerife. Tenerife Marlins have quite a few South American players but they have an eager crop of local youngsters making quite a name for themselves. The team management were very helpful, filling me in with background info and making sure I didn’t get my head blasted off by a stray strike. You can read my full article on Tenerife Marlins at www.tenerifemagazine.com The Marlins new season starts this Saturday 27 February at Noon in El Burgado.

Taking a leisurely stroll back into Puerto de la Cruz along the coast road overlooking Playa Jardin, I could see the beach was busy despite some big waves crashing in. Back in town I was drawn to the walkway above Playa San Telmo where tourists posed with backs to the large rolling waves, go on smile for the life insurance payout photos. With time to spare I met up with Jack Montgomery, fellow Tenerife Magazine scribe and co writer of Real Tenerife Island Drives. A few shady drinks and a chance to put the world to rights was just what we needed in the heat of the afternoon.

I carried on my strolling, Puerto de la Cruz always looks pretty and well presented, yesterday it was in very regal form. I ended up back at the bus stops for my 5.15 pm return bus, with just enough time for a coffee in the street above the now deserted and delapidated wobbly bus station. After my slurp I asked the barman for the toilet key and he gave me a bottle opener, was this a make fun of the gormless looking tourist moment? maybe not, a nifty flick of the flat end of the opener slipped the toilet lock, very bizarre.

The journey back south was swift eneb though this late afternoon bus calls in at both the north and south airports. The day was still lovely and sunny but even in high summer Los Rodeos north airport seems to be shrouded in low cloud, and yesterday it was almost fog like. Hammering down back onto the TF1 motorway, the sun soon emerged again lulling me into a soft snooze as I headed home to Los Cristianos after another satisfying day up north.

Shall we start with the good points? CD Tenerife didn’t give up trying, even late on when 4-1 down, and the traveling fans could still be clearly heard giving it their all as this dire defeat drew to a close. Monday nights stirring 1-0 home win over Mallorca was suposed to be the springboard for a decent run and escape from the relegation zone. Instead back came those stupid basic defensive errors as the away drought continued.

Llorente headed over the Tenerife goal just after the start but Nino had a half chance on the turn and Juanlu had a speculative cross, both were taken cleanly by the home keeper. Then the nightmare started, Bertran was too slow to get back from an upfield run and with Toquero bearing down on goal, Culebras had to try to intercept him. It seemed the gentlest of touches from Culebras but the forward went down, the ref waved the red card, and Llorente converted the penalty.

The second goal started with a long clearance from the keeper, Llorente won the aerial challenge with Alfaro and nodded the ball onto Toquero, who ran through the Tenerife defence for a simple goal. Alfaro and Nino worked a great exchange late in the half but Nino couldn’t beat Iraizoz in goal.

Athletic thought they had added a third soon after the break but it was clearly offside, another defensive lapse gave them the chance to make up for it. Koikili drilled a low cross in front of the Tenerife goal and Iraola had time to shape up and take his shot in the area. To their credit Tenerife hit back, Juanlu laid on an inviting pass to Alfaro, who slipped it past the keeper. The final nail came from Gabilondo, another player given the freedom of the goal area.

Alfaro tried a curling shot that just missed the bar, and Nino was through on a break and set up substitute Kome who skied his shot at the clouds. Nino managed another pop at goal but the game was well out of reach. The pressure is mounting now, getting at least a point at home to Real Madrid next Saturday night (7pm) is a tall order but vital to avoid slipping further out of touch.

This will go down as one of the classic nights in the Heliodoro, CD Tenerife full of confidence and passion seeing off fourth placed Mallorca 1-o, and the Carnaval crowd full of song (and beer) roaring them on to a much needed win. A late injury to Manolo meant changes to the defence, Culebras came in for a rare appearance and had a fine game.

The Armada Sur pre match Doradas went down well as we watched the colourful, crazy and downright strange costumes that fans were wearing, The Morons came as Batman and a Wicked Queen (you can guess which was which) and Twat Hat looked spooky in a Scream mask – well he does serve spirirts. Onto the game, there were some great outfits around the terracing, very camp looking security guards lent over the top tier but I was more taken by the police chicks, adds a new meaning to “will you come quietly Sir?”.

Mallorca are red hot at home but don’t travel well, Tenerife tested them from the start and soon got their reward. Alfaro  picked out Nino with a perfect ball and amid the hesitation for a possible offside call, Nino slotted it into the net for a 1-0 lead. A couple of minutes later he nearly added another but Nunes blocked his effort. The visitors only looked good in patches, Suarez unleashed a 25 yard rocket but Sergio pulled off a great save. Marti tried to squeeze the ball past Sergio at the post soon after but the keeper was again equal to the attempt.

Tenerife came out the stronger for the second half, lifted by the fantastic Carnaval atmosphere among the 18,000 crowd. Israel keeper Aouate had to be at his best to deny Omars top corner shot and a low effort from Nino. For once it was Tenerife looking the confident side, but Mallorca had their moments, Suarez tested Sergio again and lively sub Webo came close with a diving header. Nothing was going to spoil this party, not even 5 minutes of injury time conjured up by the ref, Tenerife held their ground to milk a deserved ovation at the final whistle. Any of the players going down to the all night Carnaval celebrations would be assured of a queue of free drinks, they earned it. More pics and coverage on www.tenerifemagazine.com

…sang Marc Bolan. Little did I know, swinging my flares to T Rex in the 70’s, that one day I would be banging away, like J.Arthur Rank, inside a pitch black oil storage tank. The Espacio Cultural El Tanque was the venue, the converted tank is just up from the Auditorium, and just along from El Corte Ingles and the main bus depot.

Just in case the tank isn’t strange enough they have added an old American style coach as a walkway down from the street. Once past the reception, I took the dark path up and emerged in the barely lit interiorof the tank. As my eyes adjusted I could see the 18 gongs suspended in a circle around the tank, each was picked out in a spotlight and had a drum stick complete with fluffy cod ball head, just crying out to be swung at the gong. In the centre of the circle sat a white figure covered in letters that spelt out the names of seas, the huge steel girders still thrust up towards the top of the dome, where small lights twinkled like stars.

The work is called Jerusalem by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, I was the only person inside the tank (apart from my non living statue friend) and the whole atmosphere was eerie. I sneezed and it echoed mockingly around the metal cage, good job I hadn’t been on the curry the night before, I just had to try a gong. The drumstick was suitably sturdy and the resonant crash as it hit the metal was wonderful, I savoured the shimmering sound and waited for a rush of action but it just settled back into that dark silence. Each gong has a verse written on it from Cantar de Cantares by King Soloman, they all refer to love in various forms such as “Love Is As Strong As Death, Jealousy Is Cruel As The Grave”. You have until 21 February to experience Jerusalem, from Noon to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 2pm on Sunday, and it’s FREE.

Outside, the real world had its own bizarre offerings, it’s Carnaval time, and the previous night was the biggest celebration to date, the Cabalgata (launch procession) followed by lots of drinking and dancing. It was a subdued and quiet Santa Cruz that greeted my early arrival, but within minutes of the TITSA bus entering the city, I noticed a few hairy men in dresses lurching along on their high heels. Plaza de España was being hosed down and the lake was securely sealed off to deter anyone thinking that they had become amphibious. I headed to Parque Garcia Sanabria for my first art assignment, the Cielo/Sky Part Two exhibition.

Parents were strolling with fancy dressed children in hand, as tired clowns crashed out on the grass looking less than jolly as the hangovers kicked in. I grabbed a coffee at the park cafe and found the organiser of the exhibition that features 12 Californian artists, part of a twinning link. Shelby Graham curator of the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery in Santa Cruz, California was joined by Miriam Durango, curator of the Circulo Belles Artes a short stroll away in Calle Castillo. There’s a full article on the California connection on www.tenerifemagazine.com

After whizzing off to El Tanque I crammed in some more art at TEA – Tenerife Espacio de las Artes in Avenida de San Sebastian, a real favourite of mine. The building is as much a work of art as the exhibitions, always a joy to visit, especially as the three main halls all have new displays, but more of that at a later date. Heading back into the centre of Santa Cruz, bodies were stirring and the hair of the dog was merging into the late afternoon preperations for some rousing street concerts. Some costumes were starting to look well lived in, but the Chicharreros can always dig deep to find more Carnaval energy. I already have a return visit booked for Monday nights CD Tenerife game v Mallorca, and will be diving into next Saturdays big party day and night, there’s never a dull moment in Tenerife.

Resilient and adaptable, that’s Tenerife. Last weeks record storms and rain fall made all the major media outlets around the world, a friend told me her daughter phoned from Australia to check on her, after reading about the deluge. If you read my previous post about Santa Cruz, you will know that within hours the emergency workers and council cleaners were on the case, a simliar response was also made down here in the south.

I was back swimming in calm seas at Las Vista beach, Los Cristianos within days, the beach did take a bit of a pounding but that has now being addressed. Inevitably the torrents of rain water rushed down to the coast, carrying debris from trees, rocks, and rubbish, when it hit the beach it carved its way through the sand to the shoreline. Forewarned, the beach workers stripped back most of the wooden decking for the sunbeds and disabled areas, but some was still covered in the avalanche. Most of the shoreline debris was quickly scooped up, but there was an unexpected treasure trove as thousands of small shells washed up, great for any collectors. Yesterday there seemed to be a lot of broken bamboo coming in, hopefully we wont get a wave of Giant Pandas to follow.

The big boys moved in and JCB’s set about levelling the piles of sand, ready to re-lay all the decking. All this was done without distrubing those worshipping the returning bright, hot sunshine, and the movement of tides and sand, gave plenty of encouragement to the scavenging seagulls. So just a few days after the downpour, you would hardly notice that the beach was churning with the power and fury of the storm. It was good to see that even the beach volleyball courts were soon back in action, I lingered a while to check that the young female players were settling back in nicely.

If you want to see some stunning photos of the storm in and around Santa Cruz, at it’s height, check out the selection on the Tenerife Magazine Flickr account.