You know it’s going to be a bit of a giggle fest when your knees are wedged between the large hairy legs of a German stranger on a cramped wooden train chugging through the streets of Puerto de la Cruz. My obvious itchy discomfort was a source of great amusement to Amy, aged 11 and Chloe aged 12, over on holiday with my friend Sarah, their infectious chuckles had already been fired up by our journey up from Los Cristianos on a TITSA bus.

Loro Parque’s well oiled publicity machine grabs most family’s imaginations as soon as they touch down in Tenerife and based on my past visits, I never hesitate to fuel their interest further. As we arrived at the grand entrance to this animal themed box of delights, I tried to share the first impressions of my guests and to see if it lived up to its billing as a family favourite. Estate agents would call it kerb appeal, and Loro Parque scores early with the imposing pagoda entrance backed by large metal parrot statues and even hedges trimmed into the shape of a pack of elephants linked trunk to tail.
On a very hot and busy day we spilled inside delayed slightly by the huge multi coloured Koi Carp as we were funnelled over the lake bridge and snapped with two pretty polly’s on the way into the main body of the park. With three good women to organise me we set our sights on ticking off the four big shows first and headed for the performing birds at the Loro Show in a tall central hall. With 10 minutes to the start of the show we got some of the last seats and barely had time to appreciate the standing room behind us that allowed child buggies good parking spots. With a whoosh multi-coloured parrots swooped overhead and landed on their stage perches below to perform counting tricks, bell ringing and other cute turns. Amy and Chloe were engrossed and even slightly bird phobic Sarah was won over.

Twenty minutes later we were back on our mission and heading for the Sea Lions’ show. Their small amphitheatre was stocking up well as one large, shiny, whiskered star was draped lazily over the performance area. Quite a few late-comers were kept at bay by a rope but as the park staff shuffled people to fill any gaps, we again had a good view, this time standing at the back. The music struck up, the trainers and the other sea lions slithered out and we were all caught up in a whirl of slipping and sliding as the sleek stars clapped, dived, rolled over and kissed their way into everyone’s hearts. The girls’ smiles confirmed the general feeling, another hit.
Next stop the dolphins. Although baking hot the park is designed with plenty of shady paths linking the attractions, Amy and Chloe led the charge as we did our best to keep up with their youthful enthusiasm. The venues were getting bigger now but the demand still called for sensitive stewarding. As new arrivals were fed up to the higher seats the front rows were filled with buggies and their eager passengers. The animation girls kept the mood light as they built the anticipation with competitive clapping between the various sections.

The dolphins wowed everyone with high leaps and general playfulness and one lucky child was selected for a close encounter at the pool side, that special memory of stroking a dolphin will stay in her memory for years to come. The only disappointment of the day for Amy and Chloe was not getting soaked at the Orca Whale show, we sat a few rows behind their places at the edge of the splash zone. After a build up of catchy music and cheeky video close ups of the crowd, the whales announced their arrival with a few jumps and tail flips to send waves lapping over the pool side. Even those who had bought 3 euro plastic coveralls had a refreshing wash and Amy and Chloe giggled as their legs got sprayed. The creatures and the thrills don’t come much larger than the Orcas, their size contrasted by their intelligence and sheer beauty.
Regrouping in a café, expect captive audience prices, we took a vote on the next stop, luckily Planet Penguin got the thumbs up, saving me from stamping my feet and having a bawling fit. I’m a penguin addict and was glad to see the girls also delighted in their waddling on ice antics and majestic gliding under the ice and water floes of their huge snow dome.
Always leave them wanting more would be a good motto for Loro Parque, there is so much to cram in, the second visit 10 euros ticket is a good idea. We flitted by many of the enclosures ogling otters, admiring apes and treasuring tigers before heading for home. It was tough trying to get the girls to name a favourite, they loved everything but Amy was smitten by the penguins and Chloe chose the dolphins and whales. When it comes to family appeal Loro Parque is still serving up enough holiday memories to cram Noahs Ark.

FACT FILE

• Loro Parque – Puerto de la Cruz
• Website – www.loroparque.com
• Open daily 8.30 am to 6.45 pm
• Adults 32 euros, residents 19.50 euros – includes all shows
• Children (ages 6 to 11) 21 euros , residents 13 euros
• FREE trains from Plaza Reyes Catolicos, Puerto de la Cruz seafront

Scottish voices, covers of The Kinks, The Arctic Monkeys and even Britney Spears caught many evening beach front strollers by surprise. Some typical Tenerife non advertising meant that The Replay from Cumbernauld, Scotland arrived on the Plaza del Pescadora stage with no fanfare but after a great set of mod inspired indie rock they left with some new converts to their fledgling career.
It wasn’t the ideal setting, the hastily built stage sat at the back of the plaza just in front of a parade of diners tucking into their Chinese and Canarian meals. The volley ball players and bathers had deserted the beach but there was a steady stream of evening explorers glowing in their best casual clobber.

The support band B For Team from Los Cristianos and Granadilla had some local fans moshing away near the front and at one stage even the police glided by on their mopeds to see what the fuss was all about. B For Team, did a good job of pulling in a few curious listeners and the young female lead singer impressed with her strong voice.
Four piece The Replay were preparing in a small marquee and replaced the openers after a few respectful handshakes and some tuning up. You know you’re getting old when bands look younger, but The Replay are young guns; three 14 year olds Jack Boyce on drums, Scott Parker lead singer and rhythm guitar and Carlos Hernandez on bass, plus the 17 year old Luke Boyce on guitar and also the band’s song writer. The bands’ influences were clear in the covers they mixed with their own tunes, The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys featured in their set as well as the considerably older Kinks classic You Really Got Me and a well worked up tempo cover of Britney’s Hit Me Baby One More Time.The B For Team fans were soon converted and an appreciative audience grew as passers by recognised the musical skills and delivery beyond the band’s years.

After an hour The Replay signed off and found that rock bands at any age always attract keen young female fans. After the boys had posed for photos and swapped a few numbers with their new fans I grabbed a few words. Carlos explained how the Tenerife connection came about “I have family here in Tenerife and my uncle spoke to Arona council and they kindly invited us over to play here and another concert in Cabo Blanco.”

Sounding like veterans of the music scene and making me feel like an old dinosaur Luke ran through a bit of their history. “We all met at school and formed the band two years ago, I have been writing songs since I was 13” at this point brother Jack chipped in that he too was now penning a few songs. Playing clubs and bars around the Glasgow area, 20 miles from Cumbernauld, hasn’t been easy. “It’s tough fitting it in with school and our age means that some places can’t let us play but we have a good following, have a CD out soon and a few dates supporting rising band The Law.”
So make a note of the name The Replay these boys are determined to be taken seriously as musicians and have plenty of hunger for success. You can follow them at www.bebo.com/thereplay

Title: Alisios Pop Festival
Location: Plaza del Cristo, La Laguna
Link out: Click here
Description: A showcase for local groups and singers. Entrants applied via radio station Marcha FM and take to the stage with a chance to win glory. The event is part of a campaign to promote healthy fun without abusing alcohol and drugs. Starts at 9pm and is FREE.
Date: 2010-09-17

Title: Summer Carnaval
Location: Playa de las Americas
Description: The spirit of carnaval on a balmy summers evening. From 7.30pm a Coso parade will travel from Hotel Villa Cortes to Piramides de Arona along La Milla de Oro (Golden Mile – don’t tell Blackpool) Featuring dancers, music and colour – expected to last around two hours and all FREE.
Date: 2010-08-20

Title: Heineken Campus Rock
Location: Plaza del Cristo, La Laguna
Description: Live from 9pm a great line up of Hombres G, Bebe, Efecto Mariposa, Preciados and more. First 1,000 tickets 16 euros, then 20 euros in advance or 24 euros on the night. On sale at Carrefour, Viajes Halcon or via www.ticketmaster.es
Date: 2010-09-24

Title: CD Tenerife v Mallorca
Location: Heliodoro Stadium, Santa Cruz
Description: The pre season presentation game. Mallorca finished fifth in La Liga and should prove a tough test for the new look CD Tenerife. Kick off at 9pm.
Date: 2010-08-20

For every Clash of The Titans there is a whole cutting room full of made for TV movies and adverts. Hollywood came and went after filming part of the swords and sandals saga, bringing a burst of activity and a whole army of technical crew, but the reel deal would be to have a purpose made studio and academy here in Tenerife to nurture and develop the home grown talent.
Sitting in the kitchen area at Blackstone Film Company in Parque de la Reina I feel a long way from tinsel town but for producer Julia Schroedl and executive producer Jurgen Hartmann this is the grainy black and white reality of the film world. After four years of dead ends and endless meetings they are about to submit a new scaled down studio plan, maybe Tenerife’s last chance for a happy ending.

“The government here needs to take a different viewpoint and realise what a big industry filming could be in Tenerife” explained Julia. “Our original architect’s plans were for a large studio, academy and film theme park and now the same 150 million euro package is being built in Lithuania; one of many eastern European countries that are embracing this opportunity. They donated free land for the project.”
Tenerife hasn’t yet matched the incentives being offered by other countries to lure in the lucrative film trade. “There is capital out there but many countries offer tax incentives. Germany gives 20% back on taxes as an encouragement, France has just gone a stage further and offered 30%. That was enough to make Woody Allen move his new film over from Germany. There is also a different attitude in other countries to clearing the way for filming. It can be a nightmare here getting permission to film in locations and being allowed to bring in catering and other back up on site.”

Both Julia and Jurgen insist that there is a large pool of untapped talent here in Tenerife and they should know; they provide electrical, scenery, technical and casting for many productions that crave the unique scenery and settings that Tenerife and the other Canary Islands have to offer. One shining success story is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a local director, script writer and producer who left Tenerife to pursue his dream in Madrid and is now directing Clive Owen’s new thriller Intruders after making it big with zombie sequel 28 Weeks Later.

Blackstone Film Company did a major casting weekend in Plaza del Duque in May and added 1,300 faces and profiles to their bulging extras database. “We get companies calling at a few days notice needing very specific types, ages and looks of people”. These recruits won’t be stars but will pop up in many future productions, further enhancing Tenerife’s reputation as a good place to make films.
But now it’s make or break for the future of the Tenerife film industry. The next few months will tell if it’s going to be Hooray for Sollywood or an epic wasted opportunity.

Title: Classic Toyota Car Festival
Location: The Esplanade, Garachico
Description: Family, sports, big and small, if it’s a Toyota it will be heading for Garachico on Sunday 22 August. From 10am the cars will gather at the esplanade down by the new marina. There will of course be music, and a giant paella will make sure your fuel tank isn’t empty.
Date: 2010-08-22

A burning lantern is held aloft from a set of steps on the La Caleta shoreline, the waves lap gently as 2,000 people gather around candles burning in small hollows in the sand as the hot Tenerife sun slowly sets out to sea. That was my introduction to the Hindu faith in Tenerife in May 2009 and this years Ceremony of Divine Light on 22 August, promises to be even more inspiring after a day’s Festival of Yoga at the El Galeon sports centre, also in Costa Adeje.

The Hindu Association of Tenerife South has reached out to the other Tenerife faiths and communities over the last few years and the response has been warm and encouraging. I met with Rajesh Pursnani  known locally as Rocky, in the Safari Centre. The Indian involvement in local commerce has mirrored and driven the growth of Tenerife South over the last 35 years. So what does the association do?
“We formed our group back in 1975 and have nearly 300 active members and many more that contribute in different ways. Then in 2008 we decided to get more involved with our neighbours and staged an Intercultural Feria (above) in the streets of El Galeon, Adeje. Mayor Fraga and the Adeje Ayuntamiento (council) were very helpful from the start and have supported all our events. We had 10,000 people turn up for the feria and it was a wonderful meeting of people from different backgrounds. Then we had another earlier this year and raised 24,000 euros for the Haiti appeal.”

The Ceremony of Divine Light in 2009 was a celebration of music and dance telling many of the stories that form the backbone of the Hindu faith. Children played a big part, many already mingle daily with other cultures in local schools, and the buzz of them chatting and playing in groups across the sand reflected the open, friendly mood of the evening. Mayor Fraga and other local dignitaries shared the stage and the ceremonies with honoured guest Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji , a revered spiritual leader from Rishikesh in India. This year the Swami will again lead the prayers and wishes for peace in Indian, Spanish and English.

Earlier in the day the free Festival of Yoga takes place in the El Galeon sports hall from 9am to 6.30pm. Yoga plays an important role in the Hindu faith as Rocky explained. “It’s very much a union of body, spirit and mind and helps to put you at ease with yourself and the world. We are looking to attract people who haven’t tried yoga before, we have local teachers and monitors will look after groups of around 25 so they get a good introduction. There will also be talks about the history and meaning of yoga, the Swami will be leading one of them.”
After the day of yoga all roads will lead down to Playa de la Enramada at La Caleta for the Ceremony of Divine Light,  the Aarti is the climax of the event and best described in the words of the faith.

Aarti is the beautiful ceremony in which deepas (the oil lamps) are offered to God. Aarti can be done to a deity in the temple, it can be done on the banks of the Ganges to Mother Ganga, or it can be done to a saint. It is performed to God, in any manifestation, any form, by any name. The essence of the aarti ceremony is that all day long God offers us light – the light of the sun, the light of life, the light of His (Her) blessings. Aarti is a time when we say “thank you,” and we offer back the light of our thanks, the light of our love and the light of our devotion. We realize that the small deepa is nothing compared to the divine light which shines on us all day. So, aarti is a ceremony of humility, a time in which we acknowledge that “God, you are everything. I am nothing. All day you shine upon the world. All I can offer you is this small deepa, a flame which will be blown out by the passing wind. But, I offer it with devotion and with love. Please accept my offering.”

One of the meanings of Aarti literally is “remover of pain.” This is beautiful, because there is nothing inherent in the name of the ceremony that says which form or name of God it should be performed to. It should be performed to the Divine Remover of Pain in our life.

The aarti takes place as  the sun goes down at around 8.20pm, that’s when everyone heads down to the shoreline as a forest of flames flicker brightly and prayers are said for future peace and healing.

Everyone is welcome at the yoga and the beach ceremony, and will be again for the biggest Hindu event of the year, Ganesh on 19 September. That will start at 11am at the Hindu Cultural Centre at La Pineda, Torviscas Alto before heading to the beach in the evening. For more information on the Hindu religion go to www.parmarth.com or the Hindu Association of Tenerife South site , you can also find them at Facebook.

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38660 Playa de Las Americas
Tel (0034) 922752005
Fax (0034) 922795250
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