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?Tenergrief?
2008-08-06 16:00:00 The rate of construction taking place in Tenerife is mind-boggling. Just 50 years ago, before mass-tourism, the whole La Orotava valley was cultivated land. Today, pretty much every space below about 500m altitude has already been urbanised to some extent. It has one of the highest population densities of anywhere; the average figure is now 400-500 ...
Where do professional cyclists train for the Tour de France?
2008-06-08 23:24:00 Many famous names in professional cycling come to Tenerife, including Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani and Miguel Indurain. A longer list of professional cyclists that have trained in Tenerife can be seen here. Tenerife is one of the seven Canary Islands, a volcanic island chain belonging to Spain. Tenerife is located in the Atlantic ocean, about 250km off the African coastline ...
Spanish food and eating customs:
2008-06-02 23:34:00 - A typical Spanish breaksfast consists of an expresso coffee … and that’s often all there is to it. - The main meal is usually served between 1:00 and 2:00pm in the afternoon. This is sometimes accompanied by a first course consisting of soup. Three course lunches are the norm for the all-important weekend family get-together. - Parsely is ...
¡Ni Papas! (Not even potatoes!)
2008-05-22 13:55:00 For those of you who don’t know “ni papas” is a Canarian expression which literally translates as “not even potatoes” but really means “nothing” (I suppose because if you’re not even collecting potatoes, there’s nothing left). Usually it’s tacked on the end of a sentence; I’ve heard it used in the following phrase by my ...
The top 100 strangest search terms ever?
2008-05-07 06:28:00 Many readers who do not host their own websites will not realise this, but yes, whenever you visit a website, the server records how you got there. What does this mean? Well, whatever you enter into google is usually stored by the host-server, and it is in fact all-too-easy for someone like me to peruse ...
Riding steep streets on a bicycle:
2008-05-05 20:27:00 I recently wrote an article about the steepest street in the world, Calle Monroy. So after diligently studying the countour maps provided by Google Maps, I decided to take a look for myself, IN PERSON (no one ever does that these days!) I wanted to observe the entire street to judge it for myself, compare it ...
The ?steepest street in the world record? disputed!
2008-05-02 02:56:00 The guiness book of records states that Baldwin St in Dunedin, New Zealand is the steepest street in the world. According to the figures, the Baldwin street is 359m in length (horizontal measurement) with a total elevation gain of ~80m. The plaque states that “over the 161.2 metre length of the top section, it climbs ...
Harnessing the power of the wind in the South of Tenerife.
2008-04-11 00:28:00 ITER refers to the windmill farms as “Parques Eólicos” not “Molinos” as you might think. And unlike the fake, stationary molino that was built not far from my place last year, these ones actually work! There are three such wind parks located at Grandailla & Arico in the South of Tenerife, with a combined annual energy ...
Farming the suns rays in Granadilla.
2008-04-09 03:46:00 It’s not often I post an article in both the “Inspiration” and “Island Life” categories simultaneously. But looking out the bus window earlier last month, I noticed a strange series of dark, tilted platforms located in an arid coastal region of Granadilla. They’re only visible from freeway TF1 for a few seconds. To my eyes, it appeared ...
An Island Life Giveaway Event
2008-03-28 00:30:00 While I was away on vacation, the giveaway requests really started piling up. So, in hopes of catching up with these generous sponsors and to bring some amazing products to you, beginning Monday, March 31st till April 6th, I’ll be posting daily giveaways here at An Island Life. Here’s a sneak peak at the fabulous online ...
By: An Island Life
Flags of the Canary Islands.
2008-03-26 16:56:00 Today, I thought I’d share with my readers this fantastic old link to the many flags of the Canary Islands! It is a comprehensive site (dating back to at least before 1999) with all the islands represented, and many municipalities within each island. It includes a brief history section of each region, flag descriptions and important dates. Further ...
Recognising the sounds of another spoken language.
2008-03-11 14:02:00 As far as most people are concerned, all foreign speech sounds more or less the same. It is only when you have a decent grasp of another language that you begin to recognise local speech patterns. When you are first learning another language, you can soon expect to identify people only by hearing their voice. In my experience, ...
Tenerife North airport will get a new control tower, more than 30 years aft
2008-03-10 14:28:00 It appears that Tenerife North airport (TFN) will get a new control tower, more than 30 years after the world’s biggest air disaster. While the existing control tower is only one of three to be fitted with sophisiticated surface or ground radar equipment, it’s the second oldest control tower in Spain. With an height of ...
Suggested Spanish TV programs?
2008-03-09 14:21:00 Here in the north of Tenerife, we have about 15 free Spanish TV channels and zero english ones. Spanish television can be an enjoyable experience. First I reccommend reading this article about spanish television customs in preparation, and only watch the suggested TV shows described briefly below. Spanish Comedies- If you have an advanced understanding of Spanish, ...
Meridian Zero, the one and only local metal rock band.
2008-03-05 15:35:00 Meridian Zero is a local ‘homegrown’ metal rock band based in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. They do give me a lot of inspiration, especially when I see the individual band members playing separately in the videos below. How they manage to create new music by melding all the sound contributions together never ceases to amaze ...
Making sense of chaotic Spanish drivers.
2008-03-03 03:53:00 You may not be able to think of anything more chaotic than a crazy spanish freeway, and in many cases you’d be absolutely darn right. But there is an underlying order in chaos, and this is what I’ll attempt to extract and share with you here. As many regular readers know, after many delays, I recently obtained my ...
Watching Spanish television. Some reccommendations.
2008-03-02 13:47:00 Here in the north of Tenerife, we have about 15 free Spanish TV channels and zero english ones. Spanish television can be an enjoyable experience. First I reccommend reading this article about spanish television customs in preparation, and only watch the suggested TV shows described briefly below. Subtitles & language preferences: The good thing is that if you ...
Finding a needle in a haystack
2008-02-27 17:35:00 I’m pleased to announce that I have recently become an official sponsor of www.pedaltheocean.com! As a part of the pedal the ocean team, my designiation is ‘Canary Islands support advisor’. One of my current tasks is to help Greg Kolodziejzyk find a dedicated support boat + skipper to aid him on his -trans Atlantic quest. His aim is ...
An Island Life
2008-02-26 11:01:00 Full-time mommy, part-time flight attendant, occasional wife . . . living a chaotic life in Hawaii. My greatest fear is that there is no PMS and this is my personality.http://islandlife80-8.com/
Mission Impossible: Driving in Spain, a rite of initiation.
2008-02-21 03:03:00 In many cultures, the passage of childhood through adulthood is defined by various types of initiation cermonies or “rites of passage”. In Vanuatu they exchange pigs, mats, kava, and other goods between a child’s father’s and mother’s families. In indigenous Australian and African tribes, they perform face painting rituals and circumcisions. Similarly, throughout Melanesia and Polynesia, tattoos are used ...
Island Life
2008-02-20 07:52:00 And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for, ’cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever… —- Richard, The ...
By: GoBackpacking
Pedalling across the Atlantic ocean. A new world record attempt.
2008-02-15 12:36:00 In Dec. of 2008, Greg is planning on pedaling his human powered boat “WiTHiN” 3000 miles across the Atlantic ocean in less than 43 days setting a new world record for the fastest human powered Atlantic crossing. Pedal The Ocean explores the limits of what is possible with human power. 2700 miles from Canary Islands to ...
Driving me insane; the legendary Spanish driving test.
2008-02-13 03:45:00 In case you hadn’t realised, this has turned into a 5 or 6 part series on getting your license in Spain. Today I attempted the final driving exam for the first time (yes in Spanish). I just got back and I failed. This is despite completing over 3600 practise theory questions in Spanish and almost 30 hours of compuslory ...
Spanish driving lessons, a billion-dollar-a-year industry.
2008-02-11 18:13:00 In Spain, if you want to get a driving license, official driving lessons are compulsory. There is no such thing as learning to drive with family members or friends. Not only that, but unlike the USA and Australia, learning to drive an automatic vehicle is also not an option. Furthermore, both the theoretical and practical driving standards ...
Predicting the weather, Canarian style.
2008-02-08 12:47:00 Here I’m going to attempt to demonstrate the ways in which local Canarian people are able to predict the local weather patterns reasonably well. Note that these observations are based from La Orotava, in the North of Tenerife: General stratus cloud cover almost never produces rain, especially if you can see patches of blue sky directly ...
Pasatiempos Tinerfeños / Españoles
2008-02-08 03:43:00 Reading newspaper obituaries daily Neatly arranging clothes outside on the line so that they dry quicker Wearing slippers Sweeping terracotta tile floors Sweeping tile floors in general Watching television
Who?s with me on this one?
2008-02-03 22:37:00 Thanks for stopping by… now why not sign my online visitor guestbook & add a photo of yourself?
?Entrar es fácil, lo difícil es salir?
2008-02-02 01:33:00 I really really like this advert… it’s an anti drug campaign created by the program “twelve months twelve causes”, broadcast by channel 5 here in Spain. As the title of the program indicates, for each month of the year there is a new cause - awareness of an important issue. In translation, the slogan that the man ...
The local recovery drink: Aquarius.
2008-01-30 20:29:00 This a great tasting refreshing drink commonly available here in Spain. It’s almost identical in flavour to Staminade, another refreshing (Australian) drink that has been popular since the 1970’s. It’s really good because it’s not only cheap, but it actually quenches your thirst, unlike those hyper-sweetened gatorade & powerade sports drinks available on the market. It is ...
Crime and Punishment
2008-01-18 07:22:00 Yokwe. Tonight I was sitting in the bar at Buffalo Wild Wings playing buzztime trivia with my friends. I was having a decent night having won one game and finished second or third in all the others and had a perfect game going into the last question when I heard a voice behind ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
Sticky: An Island Life Audition
2008-01-08 05:48:00 Do you remember Wendy’s Monthly Casting Calls? Sadly, a while back she decided to leave the blogging world and I really miss her and her auditions. It was a fun way to get to know new bloggers and so cool to interact with them in real time. In fact, I made some really great ...
By: An Island Life
Ghosts of Roi-Namur
2008-01-02 00:18:00 Posted 1/1/2008 The title is kind of a tease because I only know one Roi-Namur ghost story. There was a huge battle fought on Roi back during WWII. There were quite a few Japanese soldiers and a few American soldiers who lost their lives during the battle. Some of ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
Someone I'd Like You to Meet: Kailani from An Island Life
2007-12-28 16:00:00 When I read about Kailani's Island Life it's like a Calgon moment for me--suddenly I'm whisked away to a world that is much more exciting, more glamorous than my own and I'm relaxing on a sun-soaked beach with the waves nibbling at my toes . . .Oh where was I?The guest judge for this month's Write-Away Contest, Kailani lives with her husband and two darling daughters in Hawaii, of course that's only when she's not zipping around the country as a flight attendant to exciting destinations or hanging out with family on the world-famous beaches of Maui. She's like the James Bond of the mombloggers--only with an Aston Martin minivan--she's even seen the Cheetah Girls. Married for eight years to a man who also happens to be a flight attendant for the same airlines (though that's not how they met, for the whole story you'll have to go here) Kailani has great reviews, contests and stories of life in paradise which she somehow manages to post while she's jetting from place to pl...
By: Scribbit
Christmas on Roi-Namur
2007-12-23 07:04:00 Well Christmas is almost upon us so I would like to thank all of my readers and wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Most likely your next question is, what is Christmas like on Roi-Namur. That is a very good question but it is one I cannot answer. ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
Mega Tsunami Numero Uno (it?s all La Palma?s fault)
2007-12-22 11:27:00 Since this is “science simplified”, I don’t think these two videos need further explanation: Here’s an interesting science paper written by Steven N. Ward and Simon Day
Island Life
2007-12-11 19:12:00 Hi there and how goes it? I've been a busy bee again as I've been involved in the auditioning of our new recruits for GMTV's Inch Loss Island that will be hitting your screens in January. We saw people from all over the country who desperately want to lose weight and get fit. We whittled it down to four of the best who will be joining us on the island for a fun-packed, action-filled and emotional week. As yet, they still do not know the location of the island. Check out the photo of our new Inch Loss Island team. Kate Garaway will be presenting with experts Dr. Hilary, Amanda, Mark and myself. Here's a bigger one. Now, I've been thinking a bit since the fire... so, let me start off by asking you a question, (I do this a lot)Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining?Well I do. And, I think it's possible to find a way of taking something positive from difficult or challenging experiences. Take my house burning down ...
Roi Survival Kit
2007-12-08 05:56:00 Roi Namur Survival Kit OK, let’s say you’ve just landed what looks to be a challenging and highly rewarding job working on Roi-Namur and you’ve started going through all the usual steps of preparing to relocate there such as the thorough physical examinations that are required to insure you are in the prime of health. ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
Meridian Zero are playing Live in Concert at La Orotava this Friday!!!
2007-12-04 23:36:00 I thought some of your readers might like to know that the local rock band Merdian Zero just released their first CD entitled “Doors of Creation”. Here’s their proffessional-quality video-clip. To celebrate the release, they’re holding a concert in La Orotava this friday, and attendance is FREE!!!!!; They’re quite a talented new band, and the lead guitarrist is ...
Saving ?Pancho?, the most famous fish in the Canary Islands!
2007-11-27 00:23:00 This famous fish, who lives in the Marine Reserve known as Mar de Las Calmas, has become an icon of El Hierro and is now well-known all throughout the archipelago. The fish with big lips is apparantly a gentle giant, making friends easily with new local scubadivers. The grouper, affectionately named “Pancho”, is over 40 years old ...
Breaking the myth that children learn new languages faster than adults.
2007-11-26 21:05:00 Recall that babies take 1-2 years to learn a language. Guess what? So do adults!! “But babies learn by immersion; they soak up everything like a sponge!” …I can hear you echo. Its the same thing I tell you!!! In less than 2 years I went from knowing almost nothing (10 or 20 words) to being able to ...
The inconvenience of island life
2007-11-13 06:05:00 Some of you know the area that I live in, but for those who don't - I'm located on Vancouver Island, which is just off the west coast of BC, Canada. It's a fairly large island, and unless you're near the water, it doesn't really feel like an island at all.Living on this island is great, as I'm sure Wooly Woman would agree with me. I love everything about this city and this island, except when it comes to traveling to the mainland by ferry. It's a pain in the butt, and requires a lot more planning ... not to mention more money!This weekend was the worst I've ever seen the ferry service. Not only was it a long weekend (lots of travelers!), but we also had a pretty severe wind storm (over 100,000 households are still without power up the coast) ... and that led to sporadic ferry service, long line-ups and lots of angry, frustrated travelers. What a nightmare. The foot passenger line-up was out the terminal door, and down the street a good 400-500 metres. (The car line-up was ba...
The puzzle of language learning.
2007-11-01 12:03:00 I often use the analogy that learning a language (including your first one) is like fittting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together to form a picture. Each puzzle piece could represent a word, clusters of pieces representing a phrase or an expression. The effectiveness of communication of a concept or idea is the ability of the puzzle to ...
Typical Day on Roi
2007-11-01 05:49:00 Day in the Life If you’ve been checking out this web-site for a while or even a first time visitor you may be saying, “OK we’ve read all about your many exciting experiences in a highly entertaining format but tell me what day to day life is like on a remote island in the middle of ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
A dozen easy ways YOU can help www.Tenerife-Training.net:
2007-10-30 14:29:00 Rent a pro road bike with us whenever you like, but please remeber to Reserve it as soon as possible. Preferably stay somewhere in the North on your next visit to Tenerife! Watch my cycling in Tenerife videos, share them among your cycling buddies. Rate, comment & subscribe to my videos. Become my friend on myspace & youtube. Make a comment anywhere ...
Canarian Expressions I?ve picked up:
2007-10-26 01:02:00 “Panza de burro” translates as “the donkey’s belley” but what it really refers to is the band of stratus cloud that permanently hangs over the la Orotava valley in the North of Tenerife. “El quinto pino”… similar to the place Timbukto, in Mali, Africa, a very distant land. Signifies that the place is far from anywhere. “llorar ...
Ostracised, but that?s alright?
2007-10-24 19:51:00 Well in recent news, I’ve been banned from the www.TenerifeForum.com, again. And basically, I could see it coming. Hence the recent posts concerning social outcasts. I talk about the breakdown of modern society; have we lost that all important ability to interact and communicate with others? Either face to face or even on the telephone. The internet seems ...
Life from an Outsider?s Perspective:
2007-10-23 19:14:00 My advice to anyone thinking of moving to a foreign land is to start thinking of yourself as an immigrant not just an expatriate, accept the local culture for what it is, try your HARDEST to learn the language and use it wherever possible. Don’t make the minimum effort - go for maximum effort! Think ...
?Multiculturalism? or ?Immiscible Cultures??
2007-10-23 19:08:00 WARNING: possible controversy ahead!! Who actually invented the word “multiculturalism”- anyway? I think it was our politicians who did that (at least in Australia). Sure, most cultures in a multicultural society tolerate each other, but I think the real trouble arises when immigrant cultures make little or no attempt to integrate into the host culture, leading to the ...
Roi-Namur Rastaman Vibration Reggae Hour(s) Extravaganza Part II
2007-10-18 05:55:00 Posted for the first time October 17, 2007 My radio show started from humble beginnings and over time it grew into a show that was not quite humble anymore but still close to being humble. I think I can say with all due conceit that it was the very best reggae show on Kwajalein atoll. ...
By: Roi Rat Journal
Driving on a busy Spanish freeway on my very first lesson didn?t exactly re
2007-10-17 14:50:00 I had my first driving lesson yesterday, in Spanish. Firstly, there is no option for learning with an automatic vehicle. That’s fair enough because this place has no flat roads and autos just don’t cut it here. Secondly, you’re not licensed to drive without an instructor until you’ve passed the practical exam. Naturally I was a ... |
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