Off to the south

We arrived at our friends' private campo near Aquilas. The two of them have settled down here with a caravan, an outdoor kitchen and now, due to water damage, a tent with a stove. The site belongs to a young German who runs the Montemero Art Residencia there. Artists come here to find inspiration. The area with finca and other living options is beautifully landscaped. Unfortunately we can't help them because the water damage to the van is too severe. So we'll leave again after a few days. Our wheels want to roll. Goodbye you two, we were very happy to have met you. We wish you only the best.

We fill up with diesel for 1.26 euros (happy) and head south again.

At Garrucha we see some campers standing right by the sea and join them. The place is great and located right on the water. Every now and then the police come and clear the beach, but we are lucky and sleep wonderfully that night with the sound of waves in our ears.

In Carboneras we head for the super cheap parking space again, take a long shower and wash and then drive on to Almeria. I want to visit the city, which turns out to be not that easy. On Sunday with a bright blue sky and a great 21°, many others also had this idea and the parking spaces were completely full. There are thousands of white motorhomes on every site and of course there are also the Spaniards who are of course all outside in this weather. There are people everywhere and we quickly escape from this chaos.

On the coastal road to Almeria we come to the greenhouse area again. We drive past the white sea of plastic sheeting for what feels like hours. All you can see as far as the horizon is white plastic. The vegetables grow here and are on the shelves in our supermarket for dirt cheap. The workers mostly come from Morocco and live in poor, poor shacks right next to the greenhouses and work there for 2 euros an hour. All rivers and lakes have dried up here.

In Motril - we only wanted to take a break for two days - we're stuck again for a week. Our friends Karin and Nicole are still there and the aunt from Lake Constance, who I also know, is visiting. We are privately invited by the friendly boss Pepe and our departure is repeatedly delayed by a day. Just like it always is in Motril, grin.

At some point we make the jump and land at a reservoir behind Malaga. Last year there was much more water than today and we hike for a long time through the dry foothills of the river and enjoy the solitude in the mountains. The dogs think it's great too. They frolic happily in the sandy mud and look accordingly in the evening.

We have now completely slowed down again. Kilian's illness and the strenuous 10 weeks in Germany are behind us. We enjoy life, the sun, the togetherness, the here and now every day. We stay longer in places that are beautiful and there are a lot of them in Andalusia.

Almost every day we meet people, mainly from Germany, England and the Netherlands, who, like us, live full-time in a van and have turned their backs on their homeland. A real mass movement has emerged.

I'm putting out feelers on the internet looking for opportunities to earn money in the 'home office' - at some point 'gravel' has to come in again. Even if we live a very minimalistic life and the fuel and food are cheaper than in Germany, we of course need money.

Tomorrow we will comfortably set off to the southernmost tip of Spain, to 'Tarifa'. This is where the Mediterranean ends and the Atlantic coast begins. Spain we can't get enough of you. Hasta luego!!