Wear, Dao and Guadiaro

Settling for now by the Guidiaro, it seems right to acknowledge the third river in the blog ... having wandered from the Wear in the North Pennines of England around Spain and Portugal, with the Dao in central Portugal as a direction of travel as well as a nod to the ancient and timeless philosophy ...and back to the Wear for a while before being drawn to the unlikely Costa del Sol with the intriguing invitation to take care of this once luxurious villa overlooking the old bridge over the Guidiaro ... far enough from the coast ... just ...

Starting a new blog with a new title was considered, but it all hangs together somehow ... not sure how and trying not to force it or drop into familiar patterns ... yet, having irresponsibly abandoned Stanhope by the Wear, the base for A Place to Be as well as the Wheels to Meals project, for a second time, it seems worth examining if there is any purpose for any of it ... and collaborators come and go in the story and stories .... some encourage the writing, and writing itself is worthwhile if there are readers enjoying it ... the question of form is open ... a book is suggested, but a blog is a valid contemporary form too ... if writers could be persuaded, a wiki has always been tempting ... was certainly tried in the days of Du design and animation ... writing has indeed restarted after a year of rest and was suggested as the ideal occupation by Juliet when she imagined her caretaker ... a comfortable, peaceful location with internet and material with which to work ... maybe ...

Another theme returning is the intentional community ... and where better for an extreme contrast than the horror that is the gated communities along the costa ... where fear reigns ... security tries to protect the inmates, but only reminds them of their fear ... and then the frightening folks are often locked in the sunny ghettos with you! Best leave the details for another post ... the sunny place for shady people quip from Graham Greene about the French Riviera surely applies here ...

Having landed here, tempted by Claire, a recent connection through A Place to Be via Joe via the festival at Burnlaw via via via .... who knows how these things link up ... the heart goes for it anyway and lets the purpose follow ... the point about these places in the sun (maybe even the gated ghettos) are to insert some soul ... remove the fear ... the climate and the Spanish psyche are propitious ... the old world of toxic money is crumbling ... technology harnessed for good, allied to permaculture, and of course aligning to love meets the needs of the new earth ... and research shows intentional communities all over the Iberian Peninsula ... so ... is Casa del Puente wanting a community for its current three bedrooms, potential fourth and fifth, plus land for growing, seasonal yurts and so on?

Maybe it's a launch pad for places more rural? Both? Neither?

Let's see ... meanwhile the crumbling casa has a custador and guests are welcome ...

Mutuality ...

Part of the progressive economy is mutuality ... this is not new, of course ... history and herstory move spirally. .. coming round looking a bit the same, but in contemporary forms ... the good old 60s. .. the dawning of the Age of Aquarius had lots of examples of peace, love and co-operation ... then the spiral turned awhile  ... the 80s reminded us of separation, hatred, competition, greed ... easy to get caught up in all that with fear the driver as always ...

The beauty of mutuality in its purest form is its escape from the money system .... dancing with life and open to its desires, what one requires serves the other ... though playing this game  demands different rules ... calculating minds are out and trusting hearts are in ...

Which brings us to the Casa del Puente ... a place in the sun which has seen better days ... heirs seeking other ways ... a market place overcrowded with luxury villas, let alone ones in need of serious attention ... and while this situation prevails, the house needs someone to take care of it ... maybe one of the many security firms, though they cost and there is an ancient cat ... who would do that? Maybe a writer, wanting time in the sun? Perfect for a pensioner! The deal is done ...

Friends and family welcome ... 3 double bedrooms and 3 bathrooms too ... crumbling around the edges, but all in working order (the house and the caretaker) ... writing resumed, walking, reading and preparing for visitors  ... owners relieved .... what could this place be?

Embracing impermanence is key ... who knows when a buyer will arrive ... a polo player wanting a seasonal pad and a million euros to fund it? If so, good luck ... on with the next ... what's clear is all is for the best ... and the Costa, along with the Casa, is in need of a makeover ...

Technical stuff ...

In case readers are confused by the random re-posting ... reviewing old posts revealed some spelling mistakes and other typos ... blogger may have a way to allow the post back in its proper place ... if so please comment with advice ... and on the subject of comments, do feel free to add your thoughts on the topic ...  the interactive internet is a game changer and collaborative creation is encouraged ... maybe move on to wiki working and be democratic !

Estepona ...

... is one of the more typically Andalusian towns on the Costa del Sol, said Tony, who lured me in to his ambiguously  named establishment, "The Spanish Estate Agent" .... with a combination of heavy showers and a longish wait for the return bus home from this rather awful town ... and the opportunity to research the Costa del Merde with the help of a local ... and since there were no other timewasters, your correspondent had his full attention, along with support from a friendly, female colleague ... she understood the requirement to be off the Costa, whereas Tony kept promoting its proximity as a plus .... good information, because it is important to understand other points of view and avoid judgement ... readers may have judged my occasional judgment  and found it rather jaundiced ... plenty more where that came from, the theme of Brits abroad has some way to go, whilst trying to avoid national self-hatred ... perhaps compassion is the goal, with a perception that separation serves none of us .... and today's snarky observation that the newspapers on sale are a good indication of the demographics of any area, be that UK or expat land .... round here the well known compassionate and liberal minded journal "The Daily Mail" prevails ... enough said ....

Back to Tony and his observation that Estepona is somehow authentically Andalusian .... and wondering at what stage authentic around here will be all those gated communities and their private security ... also if he is right then there is no need to go further north up the coast ... it's all relative and Estepona seemed soulless, albeit with shops ... sorry there are no photos ... those tasteless and ubiquitous urbanisations affront the lens ... the spring flowers up the track behind the casa are easier on the eye ... and San Enrique, in contrast to surrounding areas, is looking rather splendid ...

By bus to La Linea

If it's too far to walk, the bus is next favourite ... a chance to see the less direct route and to be in a public space ... the Land Rover does not really appeal, though will be handy for off-bus routes and dropping the rubbish (for friends used to having your rubbish collected at the the door this is one of the minor inconveniences of Andalucian life ... along with not flushing your toilet paper) ...

The Estepona to la Linea bus stops at the roundabout by the bridge, which is very handy for La Linea ... the return is slightly trickier, along with the Estepona trip, since the bus stand is not safe on the other side of the road at that point (though safe enough a little further along ...  these safety folk, however,have covered their backs and are not responsible for pedestrians' movements when not actually boarding or alighting buses).

La Linea has an interesting history, if not an ancient one ... its location at the junction of Gibraltar and Morocco making it a mecca for traders between three nations and their various customs ... when your blogger first visited Gibraltar it was closed at La Linea (which caused much economic upset to the town and created families separated by fences) ... the Spanish government resenting the presence of a foreign country on a small but strategic corner of their territory ... and the trip entailed a ferry via Tangier, which was far more interesting ... and evidence of the source of much contraband making its lucrative, if perilous, way to eager customers in Northern Europe.

Today's trip to La Linea made a change from the typical Costa towns ... somehow more authentic, with an indoor market, lots of shops and bars ... and a Tourist Information Centre staffed by the very friendly and helpful Raquel, giving me a break from my attempts to speak Spanish.

Reviewing the blog, it becomes clear that it misses the direct contact with friendly folks like Raquel ... all along the walking routes these images popped up ... not so much so far here ... with subjects rather reticent ... fewer subjects encountered ...

The writing itself is stuttering a little and, not being a serious writer, there is no urge to force it ...

Meanwhile, a call from England from Juliet's friends who know the villa well and are coming over in June for a while ... a break for your blogger, though who knows where ...?

exploring ...

After yesterday's loop east, north, east then south and back into San Enrique through the very opulent Club Ayala polo estate .... followed by a stroll into Torreguadiaro, a chat with Antonio at the beach .... a retired local looking for a chat and happy to indulge my attempts ... then back to Brit Breakfast Bar the Beach Box (though not actually on the beach) ... full of Spaniards enjoying Workers' Day ... back to San Enrique for more language practice at the bar where Gato enlists his pal Frank, the owner, who worked for eight years in London ...

... today's expedition is more ambitious .... east, north and up the track to gain a great view over the sea and Gibraltar ... with mountains further north, polo estates south and a path off the hill into Secadero for a coffee and three choices for the return trip: bus five minutes down the road, two and a half hours stroll back the same way or a swift walk along the rather risky road .. which takes forty minutes since the bus time is not entirely clear ...

This road through orange groves and polo fields has its hard shoulder line right on the side ... mostly cyclists and walkers have a metre or two to play with,which gives some chance even on the Route of Death... although this one is a little quieter, so feels safe enough as long as two vehicles are not approaching from opposite direction, in which case evasive action in the ditch must be considered!

Sunday stroll ...

Torreguadiaro is first stop ... coffee with breakfasting Brits and a 1.20 cafe con leche including the local English language rag ... a whimsical editor with some amusing stories ..,including some belated interest in a very OTT mansion once owned by a pop star recently deceased ... just 5.6m and a bargain if you share Prince's taste .... and have 5.6m of course ... in other news geriatric expats are terrorising the community with mobility scooters ...

Tempted by this off-road route, it's eastwards again and onto the beach, which is heavy going, then a nature reserve with a fine footpath to tempt Sunday strollers of all nationalities .... cyclists too, though the serious Spanish chaps are zooming along in lycra and peleton formation dominating the main road ... urban planning catching on to the idea that gated communities steal our souls and promoting public spaces in which to meet new people ... to exercise in the fresh air and sunshine ... radical stuff!

And having walked quite a way, tempted to catch the bus back ... the 240 from Estepona to La Linea stops right outside the brothel and the very pleasant driver is relaxed about running nearly 15 minutes late ...at 1.36 it's a bargain and another social good ... a chance to learn the language, see the passing scenery and leave the gas guzzling Land Rover at home ...