07/06/18 – 11/06/18 – Cabo de Gata National Park – Almeria
Guest Post – Paula Karalus
9 pm Wednesday night and I am standing at the checkout in ASDA Worthing buying the holiday essentials Lorraine had suggested, a bike lock and a flannel. The message I’d received earlier in the day hadn’t expanded on why I needed a flannel…..I soon found out but I’ll leave that one to your imagination!
I had needed a break for a while, and was missing my best buddy terribly, so Lorraine and Dan kindly extended an invitation to me to grab last minute flights and join them on their MoHo adventure.
Almeria was chosen as the destination, simply as it offered the cheapest flights to an airport near them, and timings fitted in with my responsibilities in the UK. Not bothering to do any research at all, I was really pleased at how lovely the area, CABO DE GATA, was. Beaches, dry dusty hills, and lovely villages, a great destination. Although by far, seeing Lorraine and Dan was the best part!
As the plane started to descend the pilot pointed out that Almeria was under a giant cloud, the ONLY cloud currently in Spain. Laughing out loud at my bad luck, I though I was in for a cold and rainy time. Not at all, the cloud quickly floated away and clear blue sky was mine!
Leaving the arrivals gate, I worried how I would find the van. As I stood on the pavement, gazing into the distance, I realised there was no need for worry….the biggest van on the road, a giant silver snub-nosed bullet, the giant of Hymer Vans, trundled towards me, which two grinning faces waving in my direction.
After a quick trip to the supermarket, we park up at the most beautiful beach Playa Rodalquilar. Warm wind, sand, sun, sea, sun bathing, exploring and my first experience of Spanish tortia and aioli. Delicious.
Off to San Jose for a night of wild camping, paella at a beachside restaurant, then a meandering walk and a strenuous climb up a few flights of steps, around the village outskirts looking for the Reggie festival we had seen advertised. Led by the music, we found the gathering of cool people and great music. For once I found myself unable to enjoy a few nice beers due to sheer exhaustion and a pounding headache and was relived when my head finally hit the pillow!
Next morning, after a wonderfully slow start, we headed off to Playa de Monsul, down a dirt track which made the van shake, rattle and roll. At the end of the track we found two quiet beeches, and the mother of all sandunes. It looked easy ……how hard can climbing a steep sandune in flip flops be???? Very very hard! Worth every unstable step, the top was pure bliss, no people, warm sand and a sheltered crater with the most beautiful outlook over the beech and dry hills. Coming down, was much more fun, and after another delicious Spanish lunch ala Hymer kitchen, we headed off to a another wildcamping site.
We soon found ourselves driving through pollytunnel hell. Like a Martian landscape, the red soil was covered in tunnels made of white plastic, some perfect and filled with tomatoes, fat and juicy on the vine, and others derelict and sad. We reached our wild camp at the Isleta Peninsula, and were a little perturbed to find a reenactment of a building site crossed with a shanty town. After the initial “uh….really” had subsided, thanks to the unending positivity of Miss Stokes, we went exploring.
And what unexpected fun we had, exploring the town, gate crashing a local 40th party, critiquing the cake (squirty cream – seriously!) and enjoying a few beers. Finding the local supermarket we got a ‘few’ more and headed back to the van. Poor lovely Dan had to cook the two drunken ladies (that’s me and Rainnny Poo) dinner as we were totally incapable!
Next day, we visited desalination lake flamingos, a lake where the sea water is dried into sea salt- flavoured with Flamingo poo!! Think of that the next time your salt grinder comes out! Lorraine and Dan were tickled pink (yes I just said that!) with my utter enjoyment and thrill at spotting a group of pink flamingos on the lake! Really quite a sight!
Off we travelled in search of lunch, and stumbled upon a cliff top restaurant, with the most non veggie friendly menu I’ve ever seen. A quick change of plan led us to the town of Retimar and a huge Calzone at Amore Mio Pizza bar! When in Spain…. act Italian! Delicious! Followed by a lucky translation glitch, when we ordered a mint chock chip ice cream, and it unexpectedly came with half a bottle of gin poured on top!
A few hours later poor Dan was, again, watching Rain and me dancing round the van drunk as he cooked us dinner! A saint and a great friend!!
Next morning it was back to Almeria airport for my flight back to reality and the two most adorable kids ever! I shall miss my two best buddies I left behind in Spain. I can’t wait to see you again guys!
