There is a small and very beautiful Canary Island called La Gomera. The island has a population of around 22,000 people, and the islanders have maintained a very special way of communicating with each other. In early times, the aboriginal population, the Guanches, used a whistle language to convey complex messages across the deep valleys. As a whistle can be heard from a long distance away, it was far more effective than shouting, and much faster than travelling across the rugged landscape. When the Romans conquered the islands, they documented this language, which in Spanish is known as El Silbo Gomero, or simply El Silbo. In the 16th century, after the islands were colonised by Spanish settlers, this language was adapted to Spanish, and it still survives today. Silbo Gomero is not a language in its own right, but it is a way of echoing syllables of words by putting fingers in the mouth, and can be heard over distances of around three thousand metres. Pitch, intensity, length, and intermittent or continuous sounds are used to distinguish the different phonemes and syntax. I am told that the grammar and vocabulary of El Silbo Gomero are exactly the same as in Spanish. It is at the same time, both an eerie yet strangely wonderful sound to hear and experience. ~ The Whistle Language In The Canary Islands

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Articles On The Canary Islands

Living in the Canary Islands: Flamenco - the latest weapon! By  Barrie Mahoney  - 3Recently we have heard about protests in the UK, whether these are students campaigning against the increase in university tuition fees or anti-capitalist groups and other protestors taking direct action against what they see as injustice. Others are holding ‘sit-ins’ in the stores of a mobile telephone company or those owned by a government advisor, whose wife happens to live outside the UK, allegedly for the purpose of avoiding taxation. It seems that the days are gone when planned protest marches were the province of well-organised trade unions fighting for what they see as just causes for their members. Nowadays we see students and others taking direct action by attacking the headquarters of political parties, banks and government buildings. Protests organised though social networking groups have led to spontaneous protests in well-known UK shops and stores by protestors who see them as legitimate targets for not always peaceful protests.

Fancy a Cup of Coffee in the Canary Islands? By Barrie Mahoney  - I contrast this with a cafe bar in my nearest town, Vecindario, on the island. It is a real town with real people, and well away from the expensive bars in the south of the island. Here I can get a cup of excellent coffee for 90 cents, sit in comfort and people-watch for as long as I wish. I watch Canarians, Spanish, Chinese, Russians, Germans, Scandinavians, Africans and Indians pass by, together with a rich variety of skin colour, clothing and headgear. It makes me realise once again that I am living in a community where race, colour, faith and language rarely matter. It is a community where most people just get on with each other and I know how fortunate I am. Back to my cup of coffee. Did you know that coffee is grown in Gran Canaria, as it has been since 1788 when King Carlos III issued a decree ordering the introduction of the first coffee plants to the Island. Today, coffee is produced in very small amounts by local farmers who have kept the tradition of growing and consuming the coffee that they produce for many generations. The coffee is called Finca la Corcovada and is grown in the Valley of Agaete. This valley has a microclimate and a rich soil, perfect for growing coffee, and is grown by Juan Godoy, the only coffee grower in Europe and who is now supplying the UK market.

The Twelve Grapes By Barrie Mahoney  - Tradition has it that on New Year’s Eve in Spain and the Canary Islands, twelve ‘lucky grapes’ known as ‘Uvas de la Suerte’ grapes have to be eaten around the stroke of midnight. It is important to eat one grape at a time with each stroke of the clock and, of course, washed down with liquid refreshment, usually a lively Spanish bubbly wine called Cava. It is believed that this tradition came from ancient wine growers; well, after all it does fuel the sale of grapes on New Year’s Eve doesn't it? This fine tradition, as with a number of so-called traditions, has a number of flaws. Without appearing too cynical about the whole business of grape swallowing, I have witnessed several unfortunate incidents concerning the hasty swallowing of grapes since I have lived in Spain and I repeat these as a warning for this and future New Year’s celebrations. Most importantly, grapes grown in the Canary Islands are of the seeded variety. The process of hastily swallowing twelve grapes in twelve seconds may be perfectly acceptable with the unseeded variety, but what exactly do you do with the pips in the seeded type when you are in polite company and do not wish to swallow them?

Living in the Canary Islands: Lightening Strikes By Barrie Mahoney  - As I sit on my sun lounger tolerating a slightly cooler than normal temperature of around 23ºC I admit that we have very little to complain about. However, a few days ago many of us witnessed one of the worst electrical storms on these islands for many years. The islands’ government had announced a rare ‘Red Alert’ warning several days earlier. Schools and many public buildings were closed in readiness for the torrential storms that were heading towards the Canary Islands from the Atlantic Ocean. After being flooded in our new home within two days of moving in, we quickly learned the hard way of the necessity of fitting external shutters to windows, as well as attempting to fit thresholds to the bottom of door frames, which are virtually non-existent over here. I had always taken door thresholds for granted in the UK, but this simple addition to door frames in Spain and the Canary Islands would make such a difference during heavy rainstorms. Without them, water will pour into any room with an external door during rainstorms, and particularly when accompanied by heavy winds.

Living the Dream in the Canary Islands By Barrie Mahoney  - When I moved to the Costa Blanca, I recall being told by one consular official that, “The Brits come here to die”. I quickly discovered that nothing could be further from the truth. In my newly appointed role as a newspaper reporter, I quickly realised that far from going to the Costa Blanca to die, the Brits and other expats had moved to the Costa Blanca to live - and a very good job they were making of it too! Many people that I met had finally been released from the crippling pain of arthritis and other conditions linked to cold, damp Northern European climates and had quickly realised that a whole new world of mobility was waiting for them. Others had realised their dream of a home in the sun, inspired by the many “You can do it too” TV programmes, earlier in life - thanks to rising house prices and the newly found equity that they had discovered in their homes. All had one thing in common, fulfilling the dream of a new life and adventure in the sun.

Expat Life in the Canary Islands - Cars from Bananas By Barrie Mahoney  - I like eating bananas and, since coming to live in Gran Canaria, I am now a passionate advocate for this humble fruit, which, incidentally, is also called “the fruit of the wise”. From a health point of view, it really is a wonderful addition to the weekly shopping list, as it contains vitamins and minerals essential for the human body. Bananas contain Vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, but do not contain sodium, fat or cholesterol. Bananas also contain three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose and gives an instant and substantial boost of energy. They also contain Vitamin B6, which helps protect the immune system and the functioning of the central nervous system. Pretty good stuff, eh? Yes, I like bananas. Not those perfectly shaped and tasteless Caribbean Eurobanana varieties that grace the shelves of the UK supermarkets, but that gem of all bananas - the Canarian banana. Small and sometimes misshapen they may be, but the creamy yellow flesh and sweet taste makes them very special.

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Rent to Buy Property in Spain - Launched by Mercers - Rent2Buy - With purchasers hesitating and vendors despondent, a Rent2Buy arrangement bridges a win-win gap between the two. Jason Báez Sulsona, Property Consultant for Mercers’ Jerez office, comments, “The two key stumbling blocks for today’s Spanish house hunter are the poor pound-euro exchange rate and the bank’s inability or unwillingness to lend. However, price-wise, the climate is right for negotiating an incredible deal. This leaves the purchaser in a dilemma which could be easily solved by a Rent2Buy scenario. The house hunter gets their home and the vendor some welcome cash flow.” ~ From The Expat Daily News

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Starting a New Life in Spain ~ I suppose it was about ten years ago when we first started thinking about buying a property in Spain – a holiday home that we would intend to visit for two or three weeks of the year. Over the following years, at weekends, we would trail numerous property exhibitions organised by the big estate agencies. But back then, like with many others, owning a home abroad turned out to be only a dream, as the visits to the exhibitions were as far as we got and we never took that step further. But about five years ago, on visiting yet another of these property exhibitions, we actually booked on to a four day inspection trip to the Costa Blanca (an area of Spain that we knew absolutely nothing about).

Open a Bar in Remote, Rural Spain - Are You Crazy? - Is establishing a successful, thriving British bar/restaurant in a remote part of Spain a possibility? Buy two crumbling old farmhouses in a remote, rural part of Spain and open up as a British bar/restaurant? Are you mad? These were just the thoughts running through the minds of John and Trish when a friend (and property developer) asked them to take time away from their well established busy, thriving bar/restaurant in the bustling town of Torrevieja, Alicante and drive out into the countryside of Murcia to view these properties. However, John and Trish did just that and their hard work and determination has paid off and the rewards are now beginning to show. John and Trish moved over to Spain in the years 1998 and 2000 respectively. Both disillusioned with life back in the UK, both decided to make the final break. Trish had previous worked as a Home Care Worker and John had worked as a sub contractor bricklayer and had had a Scaffolding and Plant Hire firm.

On The Coast Of Spain ~ A Look At The Ecology Of Coastal Living ~ by Paul Read - Over the last twelve months, we have seen nature at its most unforgiving: whilst the tragic tsunami hit Asia, Spain experienced freak frosts that decimated crops and fruit trees followed up a drought that many believe is one of the worst in living memory. This summer, whilst the USA was hit by Katrina we have witnessed jelly-fish invasions on the coast and tornados in Barcelona.  Some may see few connections between these widely spread climatic events, but for many others the message is clear: we mess with mother nature and mother nature messes with us. Almost 40% of the world’s population now lives within 100km of the coast. In Spain the percentage stands at about 60%. And as these coastal populations increase so too does the pressure on the surrounding eco systems. We can see this along the Mediterranean, as more and more people are persuaded to buy property near the sea. This has caused an increase in residual waters which are poured into the sea, creating an excess in certain nutrients which the jellyfish, amongst others, frantically feed on.

The Cave Houses Of Southern Spain -  Old cave houses in the Granada countryside can still be found for a relatively small investment. Last year, old cave houses in need of renovation were on the market in Granada's pricey Albaycin district for 30,000 to 50,000 euros on small lots with no conventional buildings and no Alhambra views. For finished cave houses, expect to pay eighty to two-hundred thousand euros, depending on the adjoining land that goes with the cave, the views, etc. There are currently cave houses with land advertised for as high as 900,000 euros, with Alhambra views, though we regard this price as extraordinary. Given the real estate market in Spain, prices will continue to go up. You can also explore areas such as Guadix and either buy existing cave homes or buy land and build, with the latter option probably presenting the best value if you discover a good site.

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