Mojacar has launched a German tourism brochure in an attempt to bring more Germans to the area.
The glossy A3 brochure (seems big for a personal brochure unless it’s folded up into one of those pesky maps you can never re-fold once open) is entitled ‘Entdecken Sie. Mojácar’ (discover Mojacar for yourself) and will be distributed in BERLIN! Yes, some copies have been posted to a tourism fair taking place in Berlin this March.
It talks of our rambling routes, our biking heritage (yer what?!), ancient history and beaches.
No mention of uncleaned mess on those same beaches, half the street lights being off to save power, potholes or hotels that are closed for good.
I’m still trying to find out if they used a real German to translate the brochure, or if they did the same as with the English one and just used Google translate.
Meanwhile, if I go over to mojacar.es and click on the English flag (pretending to be a tourist interested in coming here), I am met with the fascinating news that “All receipts of I.B.I could be benefit with a bonus of 5%”, the dates of the Moors and Christians 2013, and “Mr. Carlos Cervantes recive the award “Indalo de Oro”.”.
Click on the intriguingly named “Tours Taylor” (who’s he?) I am met with the following babble:
“we suggest the following circuits should not miss:
Ideally, to spend half a day in Mojácar is to visit the town and then leave some time to get down to the coastline. (option links to places to visit)”
So put the “option links to places to visit”, don’t leave the flipping website designer instruction there.
I can then decide whether to spend half a day in Mojacar or to spend a day in Mojacar. “We can lose the labyrinthine streets of this town of Arabic origin …”
fair enough.
What if I’m bored of Mojacar? An alternative is suggested! A third option entitled “People – Cabrera” suggests that
“To spend away in Mojacar, early climb up the Old Town for breakfast at one of the terraces with magnificent views of the mountains or the sea. “
Once tired, we can return to Mojacar and “In the morning we walk the old town and visit the art center located next to the Source and sinks.”
At the bottom of the page, we give up and return to native Spanish for the links to “ocio – restaurantes – fiestas – rutas” etc.
With great interest, I notice that whoever wrote this original crap in Spanish is assuming that no-one is going to be on the Playa. The Playa, as far as this writer is concerned, is another village far away, something you have to drive through to get to “play one game of bowling, an ice cream by the sea “. Or, indeed, “No need to be profesional, we can perform a baptism of diving in the sea or to a class of catamaran sailing.”
Indeed, go to “The Beach” section and the possibility of dining along Mojacar Playa is not contemplated above a vague hint that “in CALA DEL SOMBRERICO is located a beach bar”. Although I was interested to learn that “Playa de Macenas: Macenas beach owes its name to the tower built during the reign Carlos III, according to a generic project conducted in 1765 for a major waterfront area of Almería. ” Also there, is “located a beach bar”.
In fact, take a look at the following official publication I just found, which is all that comes up when you go to “Plan your Trip with our Tour Taylor” | Night in Mojacar | Bars and Restaurants. “List of bars and discos in Mojacar”. A list of 16 establishments – all the ones in the Pueblo, the bigs ones on the Playa (Mandala, Mar Salada, Pachamaran Rock) and The Rusty Nail.
Anyway, in short, Mojacar townhall appears to be spending more time and money on promoting the Cabreras (property of Turre, anyway) than on the Playa, which is not, as far as I can see, mentioned or photographed once. Come to Mojacar, enjoy the pueblo, go up into the mountains or scuttle past the English hovel on the way to the beaches, which are listed in an exhaustingly comprehensive list. The possibility that there may be a huge bustling tourist resort on the beach is not even contemplated on the official website. No, you have to come to a village with no hotels, no banks, a mirador which is falling down and a huge sodding carpark in the middle. Voters of Mojacar, I hope you’re proud of yourselves.
(Yes, I did wander offtopic once I started clicking about on mojacar.es. Mainly because I was so amazed at the arrogent censorship on there. I imagine the following: “Don’t mention the Playa” whinged Rosimari. “Mention the Playa and we’re fired” growled the chap at almerimatik, the company that made it. “Musn’t mention the Playa, mustn’t mention the Playa” muttered the typist under his/her breath as they typed frantically into the night. It’s like China, but without the red pens).
It’s the fear of giving money, kudos or indeed any participation, to a foreign devil which is the underlying problem. The webpage, google translation included, cost 30000 euros. It’s point is to attract tourists, rather than make them laugh at us. Then again… who needs tourists anyway?
As a foreign devil that gave the Ayuntamiento over 480 Euros this year in my IBI contribution and then had to pay separately for my rubbish collection and for street lighting on an unrepaired, pothole filled track, that should be maintained by the Ayuntamiento, I cannot help but be underwhelmed by the total waste of 30.000 Euros on a badly translated web site that achieves absolutely zilch.
Well, at least I tried to vote for the right people in the last elections, but my vote was obviously overwhelmed by those postal votes from the remotest parts of South America.