We are only weeks away from The Tall Ships Challenge which I first posted about back in February but apparently according to The Royal Gazette there are still places on board for intrepid whipper-snappers:

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 still has trainee berths available for persons aged 15-30 wanting to take part in a historic 7,000 nautical mile journey across the North Atlantic.

I’m gob-smacked. I would have thought all the positions would have been snapped up ages ago. Desn’t it seem like a wild and romantic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity to you? Setting off across the Atlantic with the wind in your hair and your heart a-pumping. Sigh.

Kate Winslett would have had nothing on me 15 years ago let me tell you.

Should anyone feel the urge to throw caution to the wind and get to grips with some rigging, then Tall Ships Bermuda is the place to apply.

New owners Chris and Andy took over The Globe Bar (in Tre Bol, next to Mr. Booze Sports Bar) with a brilliant opening party. They started as they mean to go on with good food and drinks at good prices and something different going on every night.

Definitely worth a visit. Details below. All I want to know is what is a WII night?

Lager 1.00 euro a pint 1.50 a pint at all other times.
Local wine by the glass 1 euro
Reina Bottles 1.00 euro
Locan spirit and can 2.00 euros.

Sunday Karaoke 9pm
Monday Movie Mania 9pm
Tuesday Pool Night 9pm
Wednesday Quiz Night 9pm
Thursday Karaoke Night 9pm
Friday Disco Night 9pm
Saturday WII Night 9pm

Food available all day everyday!

Honestly  I don’t know what is wrong with me today. I am soooo tired. I am even experiencing a sense of humour failure over the  antics of my wild child and that is unusual. If anything can cheer me up it is usually  his daft carry-on.

But not today. I suppose nothing is ever all plain sailing. I think I am  relatively calm with the kids but right now, I could see the little beggars far enough. That sounds awful I know but if anyone ever tells you that motherhood is all sunshine and light they are lying through their gritted teeth.

All of which leads me to today’s words of wisdom which happen to be from Plato and describe being a mother pretty well, I think.

Las cosas difficiles son las más hermosas

Pachumba Reggae Band, Tenerife – playing in Las Galletas as part of the free Diversity Multicultural Festival. They were the highlight of the night and if you get the chance to catch them – GO!

The vid is a bit buzzy which is a shame but you’ll get the idea of what a cool concert this was – and all for FREE.

Heavens above! I’ve never seen Gaga so excited. She’s gone bananas over this Rod Stewart concert and quite frankly I think I’ll be sitting as far away from her as I can get just in case she decides to do a Tom Jones and throw her knickers on the stage.

There’s a lot of buzz about free tickets and promotions  so if you are interested in getting your sticky mitts on some here’s the deal:

Número 1 Stores : get a free ticket to the Rod Stewart concert on May 16th 2009 when purchasing more than 150€ in any of the Número 1 stores.

Adrian Hoteles: Book your 2 or more nights stay in Adrian Hoteles and get a free ticket per person

Dreamplace: Get 2 free general tickets when booking any of there Dreamplace Hotels:
Dream Gran Tacande 5*, 2 nights or more.
Dream Noelia Sur 4*, 7 nights or more.
Dream Villa Tagoro 4*, 7 nights or more.
Jardin Tropical: Book your 7 night stay in Hotel Jardín Tropical and get a free ticket per person

Paradise Park: Book your one week-stay in the Hotel Paradise Park and you get a free ticket per person

Spring Hoteles: Book a one week  in one of the  Spring Hotels and you get a free ticket per person

Raffle of 50 tickets
Register at the Canary Festival website to get information about concerts organized by Canarias Live Sun Festival, and you participate automatically in the raffle of 50 tickets for the Rod Stewart Concert.

For more information on the concert you can also vist the official event website at Rod Stewart Tenerife.

He may be geographically challenged but once he found out where Tenerife was, Seyth Miersma, who took the new Lamborghini Gallardo for a test drive on the island found the place to be “…a wonderland for supercars.”

Those who salivate at the thought of a speedy hunk of metal will love the online presentation of the test drive’s results. The title of the article in The Winding Road magazine – Better Than Pefect? says it all really and the accompanying photographs are stunning.

Something John Beckley of Sorted Sites said about ‘tribes’ (he was channelling Seth Godin at the time) came to mind the other day as I was wandering about the web.

I’ve never been afraid to get lost and think doing so is about the best way to get to know a new city. Well the internet is like that too. You can follow your usual treaded path or step out of your comfort zone and just see what tribes you discover.

It is amazing how many interest groups you may stumble over unintentionally as you just follow your nose through the mass of links that helpfully litter the web like shiny pebbles waiting to be picked up.

Just this morning I found a report on the Derby Arona Tenerife One Loft Race. Now if you were a pigeon fancier you maybe knew about that already. I know about pigeon hobbyists. I have one behind me who coos and calls his birds in every night and there use to be a man a few houses down that had a pair of tumblers. But I had no idea that there was an annual pigeon race in Tenerife with a purse of €60,000, did you?

I also came across the website for the beautiful Hacienda Cristoforo in Costa Adeje, an ecological centre and retreat in Costa Adeje and found out all about the various courses and seminars available there. If you are looking for seminars or classes in Reiki, Rebirthing, Art, Hatha Yoga in Tenerife or would like to learn more about ‘The Sacred Clown as Healer‘ then the Haciendo Cristoforo is the place to go.

If you think of the internet like a large city, then the commercial concerns are always the easiest to find. They throw money at the best locations and hire marketing staff, PR companies and advertising agencies to make sure they are on every map. But anyone who really knows a city, knows that the most interesting of craftsman or curio shops, the best tailor, jeweller or spice trader is often to be found off the main thoroughfares. These traders thrive for many years on word of mouth and have no need to pay the rent for flashy office or shop space. But if you are not talking to the right people or walking up the right side-street you might never come across these hidden gems.

Often too, the people behind the niche or specialist websites are not really that interested in the internet itself. Their websites are only a means to an end; a communication tool for their current clients. Often the sites are unsophisticated and lacking in the basic steps that would make their websites easier to find in the search engines.

The only way you are going to stumble over some of these hard to find specialist sites is by letting yourself get lost. So go on and give it a try and if you find any interesting tribes, let me know. And if you happen to be a hard to find specialist then send me an email now and I might just be able to help you get closer to the main thoroughfare.