Siesta! what’s that?

Well you would have thought that by now, that Kay and I would be in the siesta frame of mind as the weather here has been in the constant high 30’s by midday and 28 degrees in the shade. 

Most of the locals and the long term Brits find that from 12 to 2 its time to siesta for a few hours to relax, but not us… oh no.

It’s up at day break, which is 8 o’clock in the morning here just as the sun clears the sky line, a leisurely breakfast and then out on the cycles for a ride down onto the Guardarmar sea front. A short stop for a tea and bagget and then a cycle back just as the sun is getting midway up the skyline.

Notice that apart from the time we get up I've not stated what the time was? That’s because we don’t bother to wear our watches; well we have all day so what’s the point in clock watching.

We’d cycle up the river past the hide tower, down the ford across the river back down the other side of the river past the urbanizations to the marina. There’s a friendly little taverna on the marina as well as a reasonably good restaurant. 

Kay going down the ford

Kay crossing the ford

The Riu Segura landward

The Riu Segura Seaward

The marina is packed with expensive looking yachts and loads of fishermen who line the breakwater and naturally the river itself looking for that catch of the day. 

Then it’s through the dunes on a purpose built footpath and cycle way surrounded by a forest plantation and park of Alfonso the XIII to the Sea front at Guardamar.

There is an interesting story about this plantation it was built to stop the sand dunes invading the village of Guardamar by Francisco Mira Y Botella and the local village folk. It’s a long story but if you set your Google to translate here is the story http://www.alicantevivo.org/2007/10/las-dunas-de-guardamar.html

Guardamar Marina

Boat at the Entrance to the Marina

Cycle / Footpath through the Dunes

Kay on the Path

Each day seems to fly by as we get out and about exploring the area, we are either looking for new places to shop like the Urbanization of La Marina. 

Here the whole hillside is one huge complex of newly built villas and a main shopping street. We complain in Britain if ghettos are formed by immigrants who refuse to integrate with the local community yet here it’s us Brits that are ghettoising the place. 

La Marina could be a sunny estate in the UK there are so many English speakers there.

Kay has attended Line dancing in the resort of La Marina on the coast and I have gone cycling with a group to Rojales a nearby town to see the caves. These are not caves as we think of them but a troglodyte settlement on the edge of Rojales.

Rojales from the Sea Shell House

Troglodyte Bar

The Sea Shell House,
This has taken the owner 12 years to complete

More troglodyte houses

We are trying to keep under control our eating and drinking as it is only too easy to get into a routine of eating out every night or being too involved with the scene and drinking all the time.

The group I cycled to Rojales with
left Bernie from Germany, right is Caroline & John from the UK
and behind is Alex our Spanish Guide 

We have made many new friends of English, German, Swiss and French nationalities it’s a wonder how the poor Spanish manage with so many different languages being spoken to them.

There is a nice young Spanish lad who organises some of the Animations (entertainment and events) here called Alex he must have the patience of a saint to have to deal with so many different peoples.

Kay and I visited the new site of Marjel Costa Blanca with Nigel & Lyn to look at our plot locations. The first plot we were offered was unsuitable due to our American RV having its waste outlet on the left of the vehicle and the sites waste connection was on the right. 

This would have meant the waste pipe running under the RV and out to where our Awning is situated and we would have had the smell of the waste as we ate our food, not a good location at all. The second had a steep slope towards the road and as we need to raise the front of the RV even on flat ground we would have had to have extra blocks under the front of the RV to get level.

The next plot was excellent flat and the waste was on the correct side at first it looked like two pitches but trees had been placed in the wrong location so these we have been informed will be removed. It means we have what is called a Lux pitch in size so we can fit not only the RV but our trailer and car all on the same pitch.

Our meeting with Costas at the new Site

Fountains in the Plaza

The new Plaza

Plots gradually taking shape

Costas the Director of the new site took us on a guided tour all around and the whole area; it is a hive of activity as workmen busy themselves to get the site completed on time. It will be interesting if as Costa has promised that everything will be up and running by the 11^th of November.

More Anon