Day 9 - Heading South

The morning sky is moody, and as we breakfast we can see a storm out at sea. The wind suddenly changes and it comes inland towards us. Time to test the weatherproofing of the Renault Express! Pepe, the owner of Casita Verde, has done a truly fantastic job on what was a roof like a colander, and not a drop comes inside. Thanks Pepe, and all the wonderful friends who have helped us, allowing us to ride off for the summer!

We explore the north of Cabo de Gata natural park - this is indeed spaghetti western country! When the sun appears we take a dip in the cool waters, marvelling at the sand, which is a mix of gold and coal-black.


We continue South through Murcia and into Almería, deciding to make the most of the cloudy weather to travel, and not stopping off finally to see the Earthship in Murcia. But I must tell you: the particularity of this Earthship is that... they have just obtained planning permission for it! This is huge! It is such a revolutionary way of building, authorities just don't know how to handle it and generally prefer to say NO. Laura, who with hubby Dave are building this Earthship, explains a little on the phone about the process they have gone through, which is applicable to any sustainable, self-sufficient, wacky little construction project you may have in mind... and here are the main tips she gives:

1. get an official (or more!) from the council's building department on your side (slowly does it...)
2. divide the project into bite-size pieces they can handle, until all sides feel comfortable with a larger project
3. a good justification for the project: the reduction in CO2 emissions that Spain has officially committed to + benefits to the environment. Drum that in!
4. be patient. It will take time, probably years.
5. dont' hassle, but follow up and follow through

Laura and Dave's blog is well worth visiting, and they are available to discuss details further with those interested.

We avoid the Almería 'mar de plástico', or sea of plastics made up by the huge greenhouses where a huge chunk of the fruit & veg consumed in Europe is grown in the winter. Most of these greenhouse plastics will only last one season, and will then either be burned (releasing poisonous dioxins) or chucked somewhere.

No photos of this, but we ab-so-lu-te-ly recommend the following film: "We Feed the World". Find the original version (German) with English subtitles here.

It is 96 mins long, and in some moments feels a little slow, but is well worth watching all the way through. The last five minutes really are the punchline, all the more effective if you have seen the whole thing.

Top recommendation from us to you!

We drive into the Alpujarras - breath-taking views! Finding a perfect spot to camp out at, sheltered and with amazing views - a little of it on the photo above, in the forefront our comfy set-up, ready to make our evening meal and sit back and enjoy the moon bathing the wonderful views.