La daabacay: 14.11.2018
I've been at Camping Los Llanos between Oliva and Denia on the Costa Blanca for a few days now and I feel amazing!
Ok, it's not like Eden in Peñiscola, but I feel comfortable here too and have everything I need for less than €300 per month, including electricity, dogs, Wi-Fi, and a beach just 500m away. And to the nicer beaches with dunes and beach bars, it's less than a 10-minute drive. So what ... ?
And you always meet such nice people! Almost everyone is there to help you when you arrive at a place. And in Peñiscola, I met Anders, a Swede who loves to cook (and cooks well!!). He invited me to a great goulash dinner on my last evening. He stayed a few more days than I did and then wanted to continue to Calpe. We decided to stay in touch on WhatsApp. After a few days, I get a call from him; he's at my reception to bring me a portion of chili con carne. A portion so big that I ate it for 2 days ... 😂
Speaking of people.
On my arrival day here, I met Prisca, a German woman in her late 50s, who claims to have been in Spain for 9 years and is now separated and traveling with very few possessions and a tiny tent - on foot! One morning, she asked me if she could put her espresso maker on my stove. When her coffee was ready, I invited her to sit with me and we had breakfast together. We spent a few hours together on the beach over two days, had breakfast, and had a glass of red wine in the campground bar in the evenings. I lent her a towel to shower and the next morning she set off with an undefined destination. Walking south in search of a job and a place to stay. I wish her all the best and I'm curious if I'll hear from her again!
Today was a strange day. It actually started off great: breakfast outside, cleaning inside, invited by my neighbor Achim to eat rice pudding (with cinnamon and sugar ... Yummm) and then went to Rio Mar (a fantastic dune beach) and took a walk on the beach and later had a drink at the beach bar. After that, went shopping at Lidl. After shopping, I unlock the car and what do I see? 😳
Some dog ate something indigestible on the beach and vomited all over my car - specifically on my driver's seat and the footwell of the passenger side. Quite a lot ... 🤢🤮
I immediately closed the door, went back to Lidl and bought a huge roll of kitchen paper to clean up the essentials. As I was getting out of the car backwards, I accidentally hit the door frame and the handle of my glasses broke off ... I thought, this can't be happening! 🤪😵🙈
Thankfully, I had a car blanket with me that I could sit on.
Back at the campground, the word quickly spread about what happened to me, and before I knew it, someone had fixed my glasses with superglue, his wife brought me laundry detergent and vinegar so I could clean the car ... I'm blown away by this helpfulness among campers!!
Oh, and for tomorrow, the Swede Anders has made a reservation, he'll stay at this campground for 3 to 4 days and then slowly head home to Malmö. He told me not to worry about food for the next few days ...
I've really been wondering if I look so hungry 😂😂😂