Been recuperating in Motril a couple of days now. The day we left Alhambra was somewhat fraught. Somehow, somebody hit the “excitement” button on Tom Tom. A quick journey to the Supermarket 3 kilometres away turned into a white knuckle ride, ending with us lost in the middle of Granada, with Tom Tom insisting we make a course correction down some tiny side streets, which if you were on a bicycle, would have had the skin off both legs simultaneously, as the gap between parked cars on both sides (one side on the pavement) was nonexistent.
Yours truly, resting on the bed, waiting for attention.
Dad at the other end, doing his DS-Brain Training (I dont need it !)One of the things up for discussion, has been the varying price (and availability) of wifi, as we have been around. Last year some of you may remember us saying that the Italians had all gone for it, most sites having installed masts, only to be told by the Government that they could not turn them on. They said it would be a problem with “data protection and freedom of info” so no public wifi. This year France was as last year, sites advertising it but when you get there “there’s a problem” so no or very limited service. Charges have been between €6 hour to €10 day, or best free !
I thought apart from me doing my blog, there would be little use of this type of service. How wrong I appear to be. One step back though. When we arrived at Don Cactus (who thinks up these names?) they were told the wifi over the site was not working properly, but there was “”free” access from the main building. So they have been going off at regular intervals, with laptop under arms, supposedly updating my work of the day. I have been puzzled that they seem happy to have to go to the main building and not sit in Priscilla doing the “net”. Then it slipped out, the wifi is available in the BAR……and they serve drinks with free tapas , in what they now call “mission control”.
When they went this morning, there were many of the international cast of “Cocoon” sitting around the tables, laptops open, all with headsets with mics attached. All were, or trying to, make Skype telephone calls. Dads were apparently giggling, because they could hear the constant “hello can you hear me” in a variety of languages. The problem Alan said (computer wizz kid!!) was so many trying to make calls at the same time, not enough bandwidth for calls that use a lot, so the calls fail as more and more are placed.( I am glad I don’t have to understand all this mumbo jumbo) They thought a ticket system like the deli at Sainsbury, with its “No 323” time to call, would help !! But it does show what a demand for wifi has become, me blogging and the rest of the site making calls to outer space !
Got a long walk in yesterday before the heat of the afternoon (time to go green – 26deg with a pure blue sky, and gentle breeze), and 16deg all last night. Went to the village at the end of the beach, only to find it was a ghost town. They said it was mostly holiday homes, but a very nice place. All along the beach road, and as far as the eye can see are fields completed tented with fine plastic fabric gauze/mesh. We did a bit of peering in to see what went on under the covers. Huge plants 2m tall, then we could see the little flowers then the …Cucumbers. We are on holiday in cucumber land !
The cucumber fields under cover
Cucumber terraces well up into the hillsWe are also reminded that we are in the land of perpetual building. Our navigator was insistant, again, we take a road that has not been finished (n fact built) yet. And the main building has builders and painters at work, and the entrance has been dug up to lay pipes. I think we had to pay extra to have both building and road construction as part of the service provided !
The motorway our navigator said we sould be on !
Just visable the missing piece of road, he did not know about (but we did !)I will finish with a sad (although slightly funny) facility they have on site. A children’s zoo, which has a monkey, a white rabbit and a wallaby (or it’s a dwarf Kangaroo) and an aviary. The small monkey is in his own medium cage, with real tree inside. But he just goes round and round and round his cage all day. I did see him in his tree once yesterday, but then down again going round. Maybe when the kids are here in the summer he get attention. The smile is the rabbit is in love with the wallaby (even if it is 10 times his size) and the wallaby don’t like it. Every time he lays down the rabbit jumps on him for sex. And while he’s trying to eat, the rabbit is nuzzling his face and he gets mad. But then if your on your own you take friendship where you can maybe the sex is pushing it ! What some animals have to put up with in their short life !
Today is Thursday and its going to be another near the pool, and taking in the rays, there are a lot of new dogs arrived so will have to do my socialising promenading later to meet them all.
Distance today : 0 km
Total do date : 2875 km
Tolls : € nil
Best diesel price: € Lt
LPG € ? lt
