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Welcome to sunny Tenerife. We won a week's free holiday in Playa De Las Americas, the busiest resort in the Canary Islands. The welcome on the front door to the premises hardly inspired confidence: "WARNING - In case of any disturbance during the night you will be told to vacate your room." Having visited Tenerife in 1996, we had thoughtfully taken earplugs with us to protect against nocturnal disturbances as far as possible. Much of the town still appears to be under construction. |
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This clown is one of the safer chaps to meet in Las Americas - he indulges in a form of passive begging and stands in contrast to the salespeople and three card trick merchants who abound elsewhere. However the emphasis in Las Americas is on having fun: those who prefer peace and quiet should wander along to nearby Los Christianos, or visit other resorts on the island, such as Los Gigantes or Puerto De La Cruz, even though the weather is rather less reliable in the North of Tenerife. |
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The cuisine is international and usually of high quality. One unusual pleasure was to eat pizza and chicken without any arguments as to where to go: KFC and PizzaHut coexist side by side in shared premises - an exercise in cooperation rather than competition that some other businesses might do well to copy. If you prefer to have food and drink brought to you on the beach, there are numerous enthusiastic purveyors of tropical fruits, drinks and other substances somewhat difficult to identify. |
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There appears to be a shortage of roofing material, hence the design of this rather striking edifice. The sloping roof approximates to a minimal surface of constant negative curvature. Presumably topologists and students of hyperbolic geometry would feel at home here, and cosmologists who believe that our universe will expand for ever would develop a hearty appetite while trying to visualise an analogous 3D manifold that models the universe. Even the rest of us could enjoy a good meal here. |
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This is a rather striking rock, on the shore near Las Americas. At least it looks like a rather striking rock to me. Presumably the surfers avoid it like the plague when the tide comes in. The rock has probably been there for very many years, but I would be delighted if some historian or geologist can shed further light on this structure. Its nature seems to be a closely guarded secret, for I have been unable to unearth any reliable information pertaining to it. Perhaps it is some sort of symbol........ |
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Tenerife OnlineLast Revised
: 28th April 1998 