Villa la Manga news team reports…The Spanish tax office has published some interesting (well quite interesting) figures about earnings in the La Manga area. Here are the highlights of the report. There are 630,538 wage slaves, with 187,000 earning less than €600 a month. Top dogs earning €10,000 a month number a staggering 2,800. Sexism is alive and well, with men earning 41% a month more than women. Bottom of the heap are foreign workers who earn just over half the monthly wages earned by locals.
Villa La Manga’s favourite airline is in the headlines for all the right reasons. In a year that has seen bankruptcies and stranded passengers, Monarch has managed to increase its passenger numbers. The airline carried 3.9m passengers in 2008, an increase of nearly 7% over the previous year. While it’s difficult to claim green credentials, the news that the average aircraft was 82% full is also encouraging. Monarch operates scheduled flights to Murcia and Alicante, flying from Birmingham, London Gatwick, Luton and Manchester airports.
Villa La Manga reports…Murcia’s La Condomina Bull Ring is establishing itself as one of Spain’s leading music venues with the arrival in September of megastar band REM. Tickets for the concert, scheduled for September 30th , will cost 58 Euros and are now available through Tick Tack Ticket and Servicam.
Villa La Manga reports…The Spanish Airforce will be hosting a major airshow in Murcia. The show scheduled for the weekend of June 3-4 will be based around the 20th Anniversary of the Spanish Demo team Patrulla Aguila. International display teams from other countries will be joining the fun, including the Patrouille de France, Patrouille Suisse and the Flying Bulls. Visitors to La Manga Club will be able to enjoy watching these teams as they fly in formation above the local beeches. The only down side, San Javier Airport will be closed for the two days of the show, commercial flights will be diverted to nearby Alicante.
More information from the villa la manga news team…. Why not take a walk? For the more adventurous visitor to La Manga Club, there are lots of opportunities to stretch your legs. The Calblanque nature reserve is on the doorstep, with beeches, cliff tops and salt flats all on offer.
More leisurely walking can be found in the area around the Mar Menor. This area boasts a national trail that takes walkers through the various beeches that surround the massive salt lake.
For walkers willing to travel further a field, the Sierra de Espuna National Park offers trails for walking, hiking and rock climbing. The paths take vistors across ridges with breathtaking views across the Spanish landscape.
Latest news from the La Manga Villa news team – it is alleged that Murcia is at the centre of a massive ‘black water market’ that is rampant throughout Spain. Illegal water wells account for nearly half the water used by large consumers including golf courses. A report by Spain’s Environment Ministry has concluded that water extracted from illegal wells could provide supply to 56 million people.
News from the villa la manga environment correspondent…We can all see for ourselves the developments round the Spanish coast – now Spain’s National Geographical Institute has released figures showing that the coastal area (defined as land within 2 km of the sea) has seen a 22% growth in developments. Just over a quarter of the Spanish coast is developed. Murcia it seems is one of the country’s fastest development areas. This could all come to a shuddering halt if the current economic crisis continues. So it’s not all bad news, at least the environment maybe saved! As a spokesperson for the ministry noted, there are lots of vested interests at stake. Developers who want to carry on building, environmentalists demanding an immediate stop and fishermen who just want to get to their boats.
News from La Manga villas…. a Roman theatre unearthed in Cartegena twenty years ago is now open to the public. Discovered under modern buildings, the archaeological site is now one of a number of Roman sites opened to the public in the last few years. Finds from the site can be found in the local museum.
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La Manga, or La Manga del Mar Menor (The Sleeve of the Minor Sea) to give the area its full title, is a stunning natural phenomenon.
La Manga is actually a narrow strip of land, no more than around 300 metres wide and 21 kms in length that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. It encloses a huge salt water lagoon known as the Mar Menor (Small Sea), a protected piece of water that is shallow and warm, making it perfect for watersports. These conditions provide a safe place for beginners including relatively young children to learn the basics.
‘The strip’, as it’s known colloquially, has long since disappeared under high-rise flats and other buildings. While the view from the La Manga Club is breathtaking, it’s not worth a closer look.
The one exception is the small fishing village of Cabot De Palos. Despite small scale local development, the village at the southernmost tip of La Manga has retained its local identity. It is primarily a working port where fishing boats regularly unload the daily catch. The ‘catch’ is available in one of around a dozen restaurants. For those who prefer to self cater, take a look at the local fishmongers, the variety and quality of sea food on offer is simply amazing!
