The Cunning Canary

Taxi drivers in Telde have all been given language guidebooks to study with useful phrases in. Driver in the resorts in the south already have these guidebooks. A thousand copies have now been given out. Most people can manage “por favor” and “gracias” (a common courtesy since the tourists are the ones in Spain) but what about the other phrases? Well it’s OK for me because I speak Spanish!

Here are some of the phrases in the guidebook:

• Driver, to the nearest hotel please!
• This is the promenade
• How is this street called?

Scandinavians made up a large percentage of the population in resort towns such as Arguineguín but the book is in German, English, Spanish and French.

I bet “can I have a complaint sheet”, “slow down you maniac” and “I’m going to the cash machine, I’ll be back in 2 minutes - honest” aren’t in there!!