We are all familiar with the ladies and gentlemen who massage on the beaches in Southern Tenerife.

Some folk find their presence acceptable. I regard them as pests, this is because I am in Tenerife for extended periods and spend all my time on the beach. I am no longer civil to them, I just ignore them. In the first 30 minutes after you arrive on the beach every day, you are approached perhaps 10 times. After lunch it's a repetition. Every day.

They arrive together in the morning and sit together in the evening waiting. I assume that they arrive and leave by mini bus.

Are they Chinese? They appear to have almost no English or Spanish.

Where did they come from? are they legal? Do they draw social welfare? Where do they live? Do their children go to Spanish schools?

On the beach at Puerto Colon I counted 10 in number. I assume the beach at Playa Troya, which is larger, has a bigger number.

We are familier with them melting away from clients and from the beach when a policeman appears. 15 minutes later they all return and continue where they left off.

On Playa Troya in November I saw 3 masseuse and a fruit seller lined up with a local policeman. He had a long printed list and he appeared to check their !.D.'s About 20 yards from where he stood with his captures, 2 other masseuse carried on as if he was not there. It was as if the two who continued to work had some clearance. I never noticed this before. It made me think that perhaps the authorities are trying to legalise some of them. Perhaps this is to get them off welfare and into a tax net?

What's the story

Kind regards,
Billyboy.