Carchuna (Motril)

Finally, we arrive at the Mediterranean Sea. In Carchuna, a small town next to Motril, at the Don Cactus campsite. The place is rather bleak and the campsite is surrounded by greenhouses. Actually, the town consists almost exclusively of greenhouses. Carchuna is a small town of workers, where many emigrants come to work in the greenhouses. Allegedly (according to internet research), the workers earn around 22 euros per day. Unfortunately, this reflects the bitter reality here. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables that we can buy in Germany in winter come from here. The streets are full of plastic waste, partly the beach too, and there is a gloomy atmosphere in the evening. Twice we have to park the car outside the campsite's restaurant because the barrier is closed after 10 p.m., and we feel safer with a steering wheel lock. The campsite is guarded at night and is checked with flashlights at certain intervals. There is hardly any tourism here, as you would find in traditional holiday regions. But of course, this place also has something good. One becomes aware that even in such beautiful places, not everything is always good and that our vegetables in Germany are grown and harvested under such precarious conditions.

But now let's talk about the beautiful things. The people are very friendly and it is a little paradise for dogs. Hardly any dog ​​has to walk on a leash and the beaches, even though they are rocky, stretch for kilometers. Maybe we can socialize Rocky a bit more?! Motril, the next larger city, appears as a typical Spanish coastal town. It depends a lot on industry and the port. There is also a lot of agriculture here. In the mountains of Motril, we visit the band 'il civetto' of Nicole's cousin. A cozy finca with a large property and 30 avocado trees. The owner is a German emigrant from Cologne. Paul has been living in Spain for 20 years and rents out his 4 walls or his small houses to bands that want to record albums or songs in his studio. So we were very surprised to see golden records hanging on the toilet of the studio from Paul's active days as a producer. Generally, it was nice to see family in such a place, considering how long we haven't seen each other. And maybe through the spontaneous change of plans, one becomes aware of how free we are now.

After a week, we will move towards Marbella tomorrow.