Having recently driven to the airport, we must say how pleasantly surprised we were with the new extension to the airport road. It really does look quite smart, especially when compared to those dreadful unwelcoming tunnels. There's a bit more work to be done to finish it off, but at least people arriving or leaving will see a bit of Mediterranean style instead of huge concrete walls. One thing we must clear up and that's the question that Juan raised in his "Letter" last week. He asked where the "Torro" statue had gone? Surely everyone knows that two weeks ago all the bulls were running through the streets of Pamplona!

Sheer Greed

We fully understand that people have to make a living and in these inflationary times it's not always easy, but there's a way to do it and a way not to. So many people work really hard to provide good service at a fair price, but sometimes their efforts are spoiled by what can only be described as the "greed" of others. We have recently seen or experienced three examples of what visitors don't want to experience.

  In one establishment we thought we would treat the friends who were with us to a drop of bubbly, we almost fainted when we were shown the price list. For an average cava they were asking 300€, for a bottle of champagne a whopping 3,000€. Don't they realise not everybody's a footballer.

  Example two. On the same night we decided to take a taxi home from Ibiza, there were five of us so we knew we couldn't take a normal sized cab. We walked down the line and found two seven-seater vehicles, both drivers refused to take more than four people. The manufacturers spend millions advertising how versatile these vehicles are, but as soon as they reach here and get into the hands of our greedy taxi drivers three seats seem to disappear. Why? Yes greed.

  Finally, we spent a day on the beach in a family resort, paying 12€ for two beds and a parasol, fair enough. At around 4.30pm a family of four came to use the beds next to us, it was their last afternoon before returning to the UK. The beach attendant came along and for 4 beds and a parasol he asked for 20€. They throw you off them at 6pm so that they can get home and count their daily takings, so why demand the price of a full day when there was only an hour and a half left. The family offered the attendant 10€ which he refused, so they invited him to store the parasol in what would have been a painful place and then lay on their towels. So greed lost the man 10€. Multiply that by the number of times that this must happen and you're talking about a lot of lost money. So it's little wonder that the hotel terraces are full and tourists opt for the wristband syndrome!

Summer Entertainment

During the next few weeks the mobile outdoor cinema will be visiting various sites around the island. A number of the films are in English, with Spanish subtitles. There are posters all over the island showing dates, times and which films are being shown. So it's up to you to check it out for your area. In Sta Eulalia there's a programme of Folk Dancing being held in front of the town hall. You can find more detailed information from the number of posters that we have seen around, or from the tourist information office and kiosks.

Who's a Clever Boy Then?

For those who have lived in the Sta Eulalia area for any length of time, the names of Jan and Mick (Video Mick) Neeham will be known to you. They have lived here for a number of years and at one time even tried to escape to the mainland, but that Ibiza magnet drew them back again. What may be less known is that their son Mark has recently become the State Director for the Liberal Party for New South Wales in Australia. Mark lived and spent his formative years on the island, being educated at Ibiza's International school, after which he worked at Casa Luis in Sta Eulalia and Hotel Palmyra in San Antonio as an entertainer. He then went to the UK taking up a position at Butlins and became interested in politics, taking and successfully passing the examinations in election law, compliance, strategy, campaign management and fundraising. This led him to being appointed Conservative Party Agent and Campaign Manager for Eastbourne and he helped to successfully defend the seat in the elections of 1997 and 2001. Mark was soon promoted to head the campaign for the Tories in Scotland and turned around the fortunes of the party north of the border, not an easy task. A further challenge was then to train campaign managers for political parties in such unlikely places as Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine. In April 2004 Mark joined the Liberal party in Western Australia as Campaign Director and became their State Director in 2005, guiding them to election successes. Mark married Abbey in 2001 and they have a two year old daughter Summer. We wish him and his family continued success and happiness and a pat on the back for Mum and Dad for bringing up such a talented son.

Asian Summer Delights

Arroz Y Bambu, the Asian food ingredients shop in Sta Eulalia has now extended their opening hours to include Saturday afternoons. During the month of August, Kai will be bringing you some Cool Summer Asian Recipes, for those hot summer days and nights. Watch this space!

Moonlight Sponsored Walk

Thirty-four sponsored walkers from across the whole of the island turned out last Friday night to take a walk in the moonlight raising over 3,800€ for the Control of Cancer Ibiza and Formentera. Some were walking for charitable reasons, while others had a more personal interest in supporting this particular charity.

  Starting out under a full moon on a beautiful summer night from bar La Cantina in Cala Llonga, the route took them through the countryside and the Roca Lisa golf course. Torches and yellow, or in some cases orange, reflective jackets were the order of the night. On their return to Cala LLonga, cava and snacks were available for everyone, kindly donated by Bar La Cantina. The evening was organised by Margaret Nawaz and if the first walk of this type was anything to go by, then we feel sure that it will become a regular charity fund raising event.

The 2 Old Rockers.