December 2008

Monday 1st December:  It was very busy at the Playa de Mazarron campsite with many vans settled in for Christmas.

I wore my French stripy top and walked around the campsite and to the local shop; I got two "hello’s" and nine "bonjours!" it made me giggle all afternoon!

Tuesday 2nd December:  Watched as our English neighbour had a huge satellite dish delivered!  So big it wouldn’t fit through his van door, don’t know how he will travel with it - strapped to his van roof resembling the "Starship Enterprise" maybe!?

Wednesday 3rd December:  I finished the last of the cornflakes and felt guilty, so walked to the local grocery store, returning with an ice cream for Paul as I couldn’t reach the cereal!

Watched as neighbour unloaded his car with Christmas decorations – wow, thought we had loads when we had a house to fill!

Started to crochet another blanket with new dodgy cheap wool that squeaks with every stitch.

Strolled around the site in the evening to see everyone’s Christmas decs, wow, the site must be visible from space!

Thursday 4th December:  Weather brighter and wind died down, wearing jeans and jumpers (summer has definitely gone!) we walked along the beach to the Bolnevo Erosions where we had previously cycled to in February.  Walking around the headland, we approached a fantastic house perched high upon the hill with the most stunning views, to see a "For Sale" sign outside.  Taking a closer look we thought we would pass this opportunity, the asking price being 2 million euros!  Walked down into the nearby cove and sat quiet in thought looking out to sea, as Paul beach combed amongst the sun dried seaweed heaped upon the shoreline.

Friday 5th December:  Checked out of the site and decided to head to Cartegena enjoying the countryside and views along the way.  Driving through the large busy city, men where putting Christmas decorations and lights up over the road with a cherry picker while we drove under it!  No hold ups or traffic jams, we just hoped we didn’t end up with the towns’ Christmas lights tangled around our top box on the roof!  Strangely Nel guided us straight back to the Nautical Museum (I think Paul may have had something to do with that!) Parked up on an unfinished car park right out side the museum - we couldn’t have parked any closer!  Paul spent (another) few hours in the museum while I was happy to guard the van armed with a crochet hook and ten balls of wool!!

Drove back to Cabo de Palos, the small fishing village near La Manga and pulled up in the harbour outside the dive shop that had just closed for the day!  Deciding to stop over, we parked up in the car park at the end of the village, next to the lighthouse for the night.  Saw a most awesome sunset, ran up the steps to the lighthouse for a better view, the sky looked like it was on fire, as if a volcano was erupting from the mountain peaks to the west and behind us, the sky and sea were tinged with pink. It was fabulous.

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Saturday 6th December:  A beautiful morning: blue sky, no wind!  Watched some spear fishermen kit up and swim out in the bay below us, nodded as the Guarda Civil drove round the deserted car park past us.

Drove back down to the pretty harbour and parked outside the dive shop.  On seeing divers kitting up, Paul rushed in to be told they were going out in half an hour and he could join them!  Mad five minutes as we scrambled around in the van, got his dive kit together and he was off in the boat.  A couple of hours later and they were back, we strung the dive kit all over the place, hanging the wetsuit up in a palm tree to dry!

On the road again we filled with diesel at a BP garage and got Paul a pair of their designer sunglasses for 3 euros!  Filled tanks with water, set off again and I turned to see Roy Orbison had got in the van next to me!!

A little while and a few verses of “Only the Lonely” later, we returned to the ‘Top Secret Location’ along side the Germans and were lucky to pull into exactly the same spot we had left on 27th November.

Sunday 7th December:  A cloudy, chilly day.  As we watched some vans come and go we started to hear a loud rumble in the distance.  The noise of engines got louder and closer, until about twenty lads on quad bikes blasted out from behind some trees onto the dirt arena before us! They then had great fun doing ‘doughnuts’, ‘wheelies’ and showing off, before leaving us in peace, engulfed in a cloud of dust!

Later, during an over enthusiastic crochet session, I managed to snap my hook; gave it to Paul, who half an hour later aided by his trusty Swiss Army knife, handed me back a custom made, go-faster hook, fashioned from a Bic biro!

Monday 8th December:  Chatted to a Dutch chap who is doing the same as us but with three children and a dog!  Enjoyed an international day of speaking (mostly in sign language) with this great mixture of friendly people from all walks of life.

I cooked some dodgy burgers for dinner that could have easily doubled as rubber bouncy balls!

Tuesday 9th December:  Really cold, glad of the thermals last night.

An English chap came by to say hello whilst walking his dog, he stood and chatted for two and a half hours!  Thought I was bad!  After he left, Paul and I walked along the coast towards Aguilas.  Beautiful black volcanic rocks, layered with quartz, interspersed with rocky coves and sandstone erosions.  We passed the immaculately kept Percheles sandy, palm fringed beach and further on to a natural cove of sandstone rocks, sculptured by the wind.

Wednesday 10th December:  The Weather Station alarm went off at 2.18am, waking us up with a start.  It must surely be faulty as it had registered a storm force 11 gust of wind!  Think we would have noticed as the van would have rocked some what!

We had some trouble with the fridge and the charging system during the day, so decided to move onto a campsite to be able to use mains electric while Paul investigated. On driving away Paul saw we had no 12v charge and pulled onto a garage forecourt.  He checked all the fuses and circuits: still no charge.

Drove towards Aguilas and detoured along coast to Calabardina and Cabo Cope checking out places to stay along the way whilst taking in the beautiful coastal scenery in the area.

Eventually arrived back in Mojacar having left 10 months ago and drove up and down the seafront trying to find a shop to buy new batteries for Paul’s electronic tester.  Booked into the same campsite (El Cantel) as before and settled in under the trees.

Thursday 11th December:  Paul pulled the van apart and found the faults – a burnt out wire behind the fridge and a break in a printed circuit inside Nel’s ‘Elektroblok’ box of tricks.  Paul set to with bits of wire and a soldering iron, some time later he emerged from the van with a big pleased-with-himself grin on his face and the faults were fixed.

Walked along the prom on top of the beach to the end of town, a really cold wind blowing, we went into the shop I remembered from before and chatted to the owner. Saw lots of bars and shops shut, closed etc, no doubt casualties of the “credit crunch” effect.

Friday 12th December:  Our One Year Vanniversary!

Yes, we have survived a year living in our six metre home!

Woke to a bright sunny morning, I did a load of washing whilst Paul tried to fix a small leak on the roof with his Captain Tolley’s: sitting up on the roof he somehow managed to get the glue-like solution all over his (clean) jeans!  We then hand washed the jeans and wrung them out best we could, then hung all the washing out to dry – under the trees.

Gemma (our friends’ daughter) came by for a coffee, it was great to see her again, to chat and catch up.

Later, we changed into walking shoes and set off to walk along the front and up the very steep hill to the Old Town of Mojacar.  It got dark as we walked and we explored the lovely old traditional town with its maze of tiny narrow streets, shops and white washed buildings.

Saturday 13th December:  Packed up and on the road again, drove to Carbonares over the beautiful hills and back to Las Negras in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park.  Unfortunately for us since our last visit, a barrier had been put across the entrance of car park next to the dive shop where we had hoped to spend the night, so we went off exploring in the van; down a track to El Playazo and stopped in the sandy car park on the beach, beside Castillo de San Ramon.  We watched as a large ship out at sea dropped off an inflatable and a couple of divers and Paul theorised what they were up to.  With the weather turning damp & chilly and not wanting to get stuck in the sand, we decided this location was too exposed and desolate.  Drove around and through San Jose turning left as we came out of the village in search of a fabled Hippy Commune we had been told about.  Finding no Hippies we parked up again in another deserted car park at Playa Del Mónsul and Paul walked along the now wind swept beach to see its stunning volcanic rocks. The van rocked violently with the wind and I persuaded Paul to head for a campsite further on at Cabo de Gata.  We passed the apparently closed campsite and continued along the long stretch of beach at Playa de Cabo de Gata and watched as the sea beside us got rougher and rougher.  With the wind howling and daylight fading fast Paul decided to drive up the winding mountain track towards the lighthouse on the Cabo! Up, up and up! Past a heard of sheep and goats where the road narrowed into a single track!  Scary drop offs with waves crashing in on the rocks below us! To my relief the shepherd waved to say NO! ¿Estás loco? And kindly directed us as we reversed back down past his sheep and goats again!

A short discussion later and we were heading back up to El Berro (the tiny village in the Sierra Espuna that I hadn’t wanted to leave back in February.)  A wonderful journey at night time, we could see the lights of all the towns and villages in the distance as we trundled along the main road.  After a few hours, we drove through the town at the bottom of the mountain, Alhama De Murcia with its Christmas Decorations and lights strung across the road.  We arrived at the campsite in El Berro about 9pm; it was great to be back.

Sunday 14th December:  Bright sunny morning, sun streaming through the curtains making our honey coloured cupboards glow like amber.  In the afternoon we walked up to the statue of Jesus that looks over the village and it snowed!  Went to the bar on the campsite to sit in front of the log fire and caught up with some couples we had met before.  Also met a Dutch couple, Renate & Mitch, who were camping in a tent!  (It’s freezing!)  Had a lovely evening chatting and catching up with others and listening to their travel stories.

Monday 15th December:  Donning thermals under our clothes we walked into the village to the bakers and into Fina’s (the grocery store).  Fina (the owner) recognised us.  A freezing cold north wind blew right through us.  Paul went for a walk whilst I stayed in the van with the electric heater!  The campsite bar had closed early in the evening, so we went to one of the two bars in the village where we met Pippa and Alan; a notorious English couple that we had heard much about last time but somehow had not met.  They now run the Bar Espuna.  We all hit it off and stayed up until the early hours chatting and putting the world to rights!

Tuesday 16th December:  Bumped into the Renate in the shower block, she was sitting in front of the heater!  Still can’t believe they were in a tent!  Went to site bar to say cheerio to a couple who were back on the road in the morning, but we had missed them so went to Alan and Pippas bar and had a fun evening playing a game of Killer Pool with our International friends, a Dutch couple, a Swedish couple, some Spanish and English!

Wednesday 17th December:  Hurt my neck - spent most of the day lying flat………..Only 2.4° degrees outside! 

Thursday 18th December:  Packed the rucksack and called into the bakers and the grocers for some provisions and set off to walk to the Hotel Mariposa in the next village of Gebas.  Thought we may remember the way and ended up exploring the whole valley!  Walked passed ruined houses, along a dry river bed, over terraces of almond and olive trees, along a gulley and a chalky ridge; found the aqua duct, saw Mouflon (wild mountain sheep/goats) and ended up at the hotel sometime later!  Popped in to see Sam and Mark whom we had met before and they gave us a map for our return journey.  Walked back through “Rogers Passage” the tunnel we had walked through in February and made it back to the site just before 7pm in the pitch dark!

Friday 19th December:  Secured items in van, filled and emptied our tanks and drove down into Alhama for a major stock-up of groceries.  The road down is breathtaking and we marvelled at the lunar landscape and the mountain vistas in all directions; it’s awesome!

Saturday 20th December:  Walked up the steep track beside the campsite that we had spotted from our pitch and turned to see the village below us, mountains in the distance and more stunning views beyond El Berro!  Walked along the road and saw a group of Spanish lads walking through the wooded valley below us, they called "hola!" to us and we shouted "hola!" back out across the valley.  We kept walking until Paul had said ‘lets just see what’s round that next corner’ one too many times, before returning toward the village. Passing a praying mantis and scrambling through undergrowth of wild rosemary and thyme (no parsley or sage!) on a hillside, we walked back down another steep track that passed by some loud, scary, large, barking dogs who looked like they were about to push their retaining fence down!  Startled, I slipped on some loose ground, bending my finger back; I took my ring off to see my finger swell in front of my eyes and Paul managed to loose his BP Garage, Designer, special edition Roy Orbisons!

Sunday 21st December:  Had a lovely Greek Salad for lunch, made some Humus fully loaded with garlic, (note: need a food processor) and threw together a yogurt and garlic dip.  An English chap came along for a chat and we discussed the different walks we had been on.  Only later, we twigged why he had kept backing away from us!

Monday 22nd December:  Sorted some washing, just about to put a load in and we had a power cut! Went to Fina’s and asked to see her husband Sebastian’s famously renowned Belén, (Nativity Scene).  It was fantastic, the detail was unbelievable, figurines, tiny houses with tables inside, curtains at the windows, running water, ducks on a little pond, a bread oven with flickering flames full of tiny loaves of bread.  Fina then invited us into her kitchen (a seasonal Spanish Tradition) where we sampled her homemade cakes, some wrapped in shiny paper, others flavoured with almonds, and a homemade aniseed, lemon and honey drink, delicious!

Later, it was warm enough to eat our lunch outside. Re spun the washing, hung it all up then both nodded off – must have been something to do with the pre-lunch drink with Fina!

Tuesday 23rd December:  Hung the washing out again in the hope that it may dry!  Packed our bags ready for the off tomorrow!  Had a fab dinner of leftovers from the fridge, all cooked up and served with pasta! (Minus any garlic!)

Wednesday 24th December:  Tidied, sorted, cleaned van, emptied fridge and water tanks and waited for Brian to pick us up to take us to San Javier Airport.  We were flying back to England for a couple of weeks.  The plane took off ahead of schedule and landed thirty minutes early at Gatwick!  Have never been through passport control or picked up our luggage so quickly! Guess everyone wanted to get home to their families.

Thursday 25th December – Wednesday 31st December:

Had a lovely time catching up with friends and family, celebrated Christmas and New Year living out of sports bags!  I have never travelled so light!

Seasons greetings!

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