# Day 23 Caribbean in Spain ... when the sun is shining

Playa Percheles - the snake bay. Many thanks to Gabi and Jörg for this tip.

The journey was already a bit difficult. We wanted to take the coastal road N 332 and were sent from one roundabout to the next. The navigation lady could hardly catch her breath. At some point she was so overwhelmed that she wanted to send us into the middle of nowhere. No, no, not like that - now we drive by intuition and back along the straight line. Behind Cartagena, the N 332 winds through serpentines and coastal mountains, behind which the landscape around Mazarron opens up. Somewhere here should be the turn-off to the snake bay - and there it is. A narrow road leads us through agricultural fields with greenhouse tents and an unimpressive landscape. It ends at a gravel road (just like Gabi described) and two corners further is the entrance gate in front of us. The spacious parking lot has now become a proper pitch with a €6 daily fee. That way you can stay overnight without feeling guilty.

We find a good spot on the left side (here you should have the best internet reception!) with a direct side view of the palm avenue and the bay.

The place is a dream and has an immediate magic. It is a bit at the end of the world, but with a fantastic Caribbean flair. Divided into terraces, there are large areas facing the bay, on the left side (where we have settled)

with a side view of the bay and therefore the sunset directly into the motorhome, and a bit higher up are the insider places with people who have been there for a long time and will stay for a long time.

The weather could be better, but it is dry and people are sitting in front of their motorhomes. So chairs out and join in.

When walking around the place and along the cliffs, I discover a motorhome with a license plate VER and its occupant - a dropout and globetrotter type.

I laugh and he asks me why. Well, because I also have a VER license plate. Arno from Langwedel is happy and we immediately start talking about origin, travel route, duration of stay, etc.

Arno has given up everything at home and lives in the motorhome. He has been in Spain for 3 months now since July 1st and has been in Norway before. That's how long he has been felt here in the area.

Surely some of the long-term residents here have a similar background.

Back to the beach - that's why we are here. It extends as a bay, framed by cliffs, with shallow water. With calm seas and good weather, it is an ideal place for beach time. Unfortunately, it is currently not so popular.

In the evening, the sun comes out again and gives us great light. We meet Arno again at the beach and continue the conversation. He is originally from Morsum and of course also has a handball past - what a topic at the snake bay.

Arno also has great tips on what you absolutely have to do here. On the hill there is a ruin. There used to be a bar owned by Miguel - of course, illegally built. After his death, the building fell into disrepair, but he received a memorial site with his urn in it along with his dog. From up there, you have the best view over the bay.

In the middle of the square, a building with a bar, café, and terrace is being built. If you believe the many travel reports from the area, the building has been under construction for some time - completion date unknown. In any case, the counter inside is already finished, seating is available, taps are installed at the counter and only waiting for the start of the season.

Currently, the place is relatively empty, hardly 20 motorhomes are there. That was quite different in the recent past. The current slump is surely due to the weather. I'm torn about how long we should stay. On one hand, the place is so beautiful that you want to enjoy it in beach weather. On the other hand, the next 5 days don't seem to bring such weather.

On the other side of the mountain, the road leads to Capnegre, where some restaurants offer good and cheap food.

We will do that tomorrow.

TOMORROW:

On foot over the mountain to Calnegre (I spare you the discussion of whether this name can still be used, with greetings to the German know-it-alls!)

The challenging walk ends in a village at the middle of nowhere. There is nothing here, except for the actually open restaurant 'Al Faro' - a nice Spanish harbor pub with aluminum tables and paper tablecloths, no foreign languages spoken.

We ordered a beer (1 liter bottle), cheese and ham, and fried potatoes with hand gestures and gestures - price €14.60.

Our rating on the scale of 1 to 5 = due to the clean toilet, still a 2.

With better weather without occasional drizzling rain, the mood and rating could have been different. But now we want to go back over the mountain to our Playa.

On the way, we meet like-minded Germans who are also on their way back with their dogs. They are part of a group of 4 people who met on the internet for this trip and are now standing at the Playa together. That's the nice thing about traveling in a motorhome - an instant connection is made with other travelers who are here with the same or similar intentions. Everyone carries their own story with them.

Our neighbors from the night before from Groß Gerau said goodbye nicely in the morning. He retired at the age of 63 (on March 1st) and they set off immediately. I topped the date with February 1st, which he took note of with surprise. The motorhome break is omnipresent here.

Slowly but surely, we are also getting the feeling that we don't have to visit the highly polished campsites. Freedom camping is the measure of things, but it also needs to be learned. We are on our way there.