Day 7 - The painful verdict

First thing in the morning, the mechanic gives us bad news: the distribution box is gone, the car is a write-off. Forget it, it ain't worth the effort. Faced with the prospect of saying goodbye to our carefree, go-where-we-like, Anita-friendly mode of travelling, Ana persuaded him to try something, anything! ... and within a couple of hours the man had found a second-hand Renault Express motor in good condicion for 300 €. He warns us the work involved in changing the whole motor is big, and the bill will come to about 700 €. After assessing our options, we decide to fork out the cash and risk it.

Anita says 'go for it, guys! I'm having a ball!'

The rest of Monday is spent exploring the town of Sax and the neighbouring Villena. Around here, every village has its own fetching castle on the hill – this was one area that the Moors lived in a thousand years ago, and the remnants prove it.

Another thing we were surprised by was the friendliness of the locals - not in that Andalusian chatty style, but practically every person you cross says hello looking you in the eye. We realise not many places are like that any more - fear causes isolation... After a few days here, locals start to recognise us and we almost feel like part of the village!