Costa Del Silencio is only 10 minutes from Reina Sofia airport in Tenerife South, sitting together with Las Galletas on the coastal corner of on the island before it tips up towards Los Cristianos and Las Americas and on to Los Gigantes on the southwest.

The whole small town has been receiving a bit of a face lift recently with footpaths widened and upgraded and a new one way road system. The new pavements are roomy and pleasant – a vast improvement on the narrow and bumpy kerbside trails that made walking from the Hermusa supermarket down to Las Galletas an ankle-breaking adventure rather than a gentle promenade.

Work has been completed in the stretch of Avenida Jose Antonio Tavio much to the relief of shop and bar-owners in the Chapparal and Tre Bol complexes and also from Ten Bel up Calle Diana as far as Maravilla and Desimar while it has just begun in the area of De La Te just past Club Marino and on past Alondras Park to Coral Mar.

Over the next few months I’d be recommending holiday makers look towards the self catering and hotel complexes of Palia Don Jose and Palia Don Pedro as well as Eureka and Maravilla as these properties are in locations where work is completed or not likely to start for the forseeable future.

Alborada is no longer a tourist option as it has turned 100% residential and discourages holiday letting.

With the number of abandoned dogs that the shelter groups have to care for in Tenerife there is a constant need for donations of all kinds. It goes without saying that it takes money to keep the dogs fed and sheltered and cash donations are gratefully received but contributions of all kinds including old computers (which can be renovated and resold for a bargain price with all proceeds going to the Live Arico) and any household items or bits and bobs that might be sold at the Live Arico shop in Coral Mar square or at the car boot sales for K9 are also welcome.

Here is a rundown of doggy doings over the next few months with proceeds going to the shelters. The information is blatantly nicked off the Tenerife Dogs website so go there to sign up for a table top sale or participate in any of the events.

LIVE ARICO´S SUMMER FESTIVAL – LOTS GOING ON THIS SUMMER!!!

First up is a ROCK NIGHT on Wednesday the 3rd June at Coral Mar Square AND the Albatros Bar, Costa del Silencio. Soundchaser are confirmed and we are working on more bands for the square and solo acts for the bar. Watch this space.

On Sunday the 7th June, Tramps manager Chris Fleury, 31, will walk from Los Cristianos beach to the top of Mount Teide for Live Arico. He expects it to take 3 days and is looking for sponsors. If you, or your business can sponsor Chris, please call Suzy Q on 629 388102 for a form, or pledge your money in the shop.

On Saturday the 13th June there will be an alternative therapies day and open day at Winter Gardens Spa and Gym. The last event of this kind was a huge success and we expect this will be too. With €5 entrance and then €5 for a taster session of various massages, re-birthing, tarot reading, reflexology etc etc. This will be from 10am – 6pm then the plan is to have some live entertainment outside with charity raffle. Mark this one in your diaries folks.

Coming up – Bowling day at Winter Gardens, 5 a side tournament, and lots more.

DONT THROW OUT YOUR OLD COMPUTER!!! Call Suzy Q on 629 388102 or drop it into the shop, as we can have it repaired and resold free of charge, with the proceeds going to Live Arico.

The Consejería de Sanidad of the Canary Islands Government is investigating two new cases of suspected H1N1 (otherwise know as swine flu) report Diario de Avisos. The article roughly translates to say that one person is a youngster who is being treated at Hospital Universitario de Canarias in Tenerife and was recently in Mexico and the other a 58 year old man who has recently returned from the US and is currently being treated in Gran Canaria.

Both previous suspected cases of this new strain of influenza A in the Canarias proved negative. Results for these latest cases will take a minimum of 48 hours.

Not exactly Sugar Sachet Spanish today. To the great disappointment of the lovely lady at the café her latest purchase of printed sugar sachets yielded no new phrases for me to share with you. That doesn’t mean I don’t have any sayings though for where there is a will, there is (usually) a way.

Donde hay gana, hay maña.

Thank you to Pamela at Secret Tenerife.

So are you all ready for Roddy then? Let’s just hope he didn’t book his hotel through Xcapewithus or he’s on a hiding to nothing. You know, with all the hype and Rod Stewart’s wizened mugshot gurning at you every time you turn around (sorry Gaga, but its true) I am surprised there are seats left. Maybe the concert will be stowed out but here we are late morning on Rod Stewart Eve and it looks like there are still seats aplenty on generaltickets.com.

After the security fiasco of the Elton John concert, don’t be surprised if there are beefy blocks of lard at five foot intervals round a three mile radius of Rod Stewart as he reprises his glory years (and ours, it has to be admitted). It will be like the raptor show at Aguilas Park. Don’t stand up during the show or you will get your head ripped off.

After the last red tartan scarf has fluttered to the floor read the Rod Stewart Concert Review on Joe Cawley’s blog. There is a reason the man is an award winning travel writer and with his Elton John review summarised by the immortal phrase, ‘…sugar and shite’, you can be sure his review will be as gritty and real as the lyrics of Dirty Old Town.

Me? I’m not going. I am waiting for U2

Those tourists with disabilities who visit Tenerife are invited to present themselves at authorised issuing centres and after paying a €15 refundable deposit pick up a Eurokey which will give them access to adapted and protected facilities.

This is part of the greater Eurokey scheme which was launched in Germany with a view to providing guaranteed and secure toilets, emergency telephones and lifts to those mobility or visual disabilities. Eurokey support is now also available in Switzerland, Austria and Spain.

Though there is no mention of emergency telephones according to the Arona ayuntamiento Barriers Free Tourism Guide Book the Eurokey guarantees access to toilets at the following places:

Los Cristianos

Las Americas

Safari and Americas Plaza shopping centres
Las Americas beach Tourist Information Centre (EK required)
Public WC between Playa de Las Vstas and Playa del Camison

Las Galletas
Las Galletas Cultural Centre
Las Galletas beach

The Eurokey scheme seems like an excellent initiative which would guarantee clean and safe facilities to those with mobility or visual impairment. Unfortunately of those listed in the Barrier Free Tourism book by the Arona council only three are marked as requiring the EK and the only facilities that are included are toilets. The other toilets being public access cannot be considered part of the EK scheme and may or may not be safe,  clean and working depending on who was in there before you.

As the council is happy to boast in the book that the area’s 7 km coastal stretch is ‘Europe’s largest Barrier Free Pedestrian Sea Promenade’, and together with SINPROMI have made Playa de Las Vistas completely accessible you would think they would be willing to throw a little more effort into providing Eurokey secured facilities than three measly toilets, would’nt you?

Still, it may well be that more EK facilites have been added since that book went to print. If this is something that may be of interest to you, I think you might be best to contact the Tourist Information Offices for more details about the Eurokey on the email for accessible tourism which is turismoaccesible@arona.travel

Chicago rock band Wilco are no wall flowers when it comes to embracing new technology. After an illegal release of their latest album ripped through the torrent sites this week – months before official release – they have decided to stream their whole album nattily named Wilco (The Album) through their website.

Brilliant ploy especially as they are now on a concert tour. Given that movie makers and music moguls are squealing the game’s a bogey over their inability to keep the latest releases off the internet at least long enough for a profitable number of mugs to actually buy the damn thing will Wilco’s generosity actually impact positively or negatively on the sales of their record or concert seats? I’m betting positive – it’s one thing to be able to click on and listen to a streaming album on the ‘net but its an even better thing to have the physical product in your own collection.

Anyway, see Wilco in all their living glory at the Tenerife Auditorium on 23rd May or just keep coming back here to replay this little video clip. I don’t mind. It’s not like your disturbing me or anything… The song is Impossible Germany from the Sky Blue Sky (2007) album.