RANDOM AT LARGE

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32011, 11 June 1969, Page 18

RANDOM AT LARGE

THE WAITING GAME

Las Palmas we will remember for a long time. Its attractions are obvious, even as a ship approaches its busy but beautiful harbour. But our recollections of Las Palmas are not going to be based on the scenery of the island, or on its long and highly interesting history. What we will remember is that Las Palmas is a shopper’s Utopia—a free port, with prices ludicrously low. During the morning we were driving about looking at this and that, but there was time, just before returning to the ship, to note how attractive the price ranges were in the shops. In the afternoon, we returned; and we had quite

forgotten that the Spanish indulge in the siesta. We were there about 2.30 p.m., and we had to return by 5 p.m. And we discovered that the shops would not reopen until about 4 p.m. For a woman, this was agony. It was all we could do to stop our wife from beating her little fists on the doors; a fever of frustration could have been forgiven. Less than an hour, after so prolonged a preliminary examination, was a form of female purgatory. Beautifully-made shoes at half the New Zealand price, or less. One of the best makes of wristwatch, selling in Britain for more than £6O, for £lO. Two pairs of binoculars, for £l3. Very large, handembroidered tablecloths,

with a dozen serviettes, for £3. Antelope coats, styled to perfection, for what seemed practically nothing. And so it went on, in shop after shop. There was a gleam in many a masculine eye, too, with the most popular cigarettes at 15s for 200, the finest whisky for 18s or sometimes less, a leading brand of gin for 10s. It was an entertainment in itself, observing one woman, with a built-in sense of responsibility about shopping carefully, being left less than an hour in a purchasing paradise. We could really enjoy it, because we were insured against bankruptcy by this delightful Spanish custom of making the customers wait,