Patrick x 2 @ Antonios.

'My goodness.' I thought as I watched 77 yr old Patrick tuck into his half of my expanded evening meal of stir fry chopped Chorizo sausage and 'other'. He was sitting opposite me in Sadie relating at length his fascinating life story. We also finished off the last of the delicious Almond cake, care of Consum supermercadi, with a second cup of tea pleasantly assisting it on its way.

This was all going on at Antonios. Now I had heard of Antonios from the Somerset couple up near Aguillas. It seems Antonio has what we would call an 'arrangement' with the Guardia Civil here in Mojacar. They clear motorhomers off the seafront, by orders of the Mayoress I am told,  and direct them to Antonios here at the South end of Mojacar. Now Antonio is very acommodating and you can stay here for up to 4 days free of charge as long as you patronise his restaurant either for a meal or for coffee.

The 'arrangement' is a good one as here I am right on the foreshore. It is 1800hrs and I have enjoyed a wonderful day which started with a swim in the sea (yes in February! Short but very pleasant.) A good walk, another brief skinny dip on a deserted beach and a scrumptious Paella washed down with Sangria at Antonios with next door motorhome neighbours Phil and Linda from Torbay in Devon.

Oh! And I nearly forgot. I also met Patrick number 2 this morning. Just after my first swim. I was drying off in the sun outside Sadie when Patrick number 1, whom I had enjoyed inviting in for a meal the previous evening, ambled over with Patrick number 2. Similar to number 1; number 2 was also a divorced single male. He was younger at 70 and he lived, and had done so for the last 5 years, in a small Citreon van type family car! Well; I had to see this and was duly fascinated as Patrick showed me all the little hidey holes and ingenious ways he had adapted bungee cords, blankets, and sheets of hardboard to fashion his living space. Not for me admittedly, but it reminded me of how fortunate I am in having all the home comforts of Sadie to live in.
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We've moved on again. Just west of Almeria tonight. I've decided to head on westwards and stick to the coast and the warmer weather for a bit. I'm parked right on the beach and just down from a sign saying 'Acampacar Prohibio' I'm sort of expecting to be moved on but both the local Policia and the Gardia Civil have driven by without stopping so looks like I should be OK for one night. There are a couple of hippie type vans a bit further up and when I asked one of them if it was OK he indicated .... 'No Problemio.'
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Sunday 17/2/13
Now deep in the amazing 'Plastic fields' along this coastal strip between Almeria & Motril. I am down a wee track that literally was just wide enough for Sadie to squeeze along between the plastic covered landscape. It opened out not far from the beachfront in a wild area just by an overgrown overflow levee and is so peaceful and quiet with just the odd local passing by on foot or a moped. As I raise my eyes and look out there in the distance are the snow covered heights of the Sierra Nevada. They glistened in the early morning sun as Tanya and I walked the beach but now, with the sun higher, they are misty with some of the lower peaks shrouded in cloud.

Internet, or in particular, wi fi access is once again proving a bit hit or miss down here. Out of 4 cafes offering wi fi only one was successful. It seems there is no problem connecting to the cafes router which of course makes you think you have an internet connection. Trouble seems to be the cafes computer is not actually connected to the internet. I managed to explain this to the one good cafe and hey presto we had wi fi. The other 3 did not understand or just shrugged their shoulders and walked away. Each time it costs me a coffee and sometimes a Bocadilla which is more expensive than me paying out the £3.00 daily charge for 3g access via my Vodafone contract.

In general though things are going well, Tanya is happy, and the schedule?  Errrrr .... what schedule!

........

While travelling we stopped at a Mirador with lots of padlocks on the decorative railings. Lots of them were inscribed with protestations of love and the names of the couple. Unusual and touching.