Getting back on track after our amazing weeks detour and return to Cabo de Gata, we headed south for the lovely out of season town of Nerja and found a beach side parking for a few days. From here we explored Nerja which at the end of November had a British retirement home feel to it. Much like a more relaxed and cleaner version of Benidorm. We also visited the mountain village of Figiliana and spent some nice time hiking the waterways high above this quaint village.
After enjoying some more time at our lovely parking watching the most incredible sunrises, we made our way a little further down the coast to Torre del Mar and naturist camping Almanat. We were not sure if we would stay but after walking around we thought we would give it a try even though we were very sceptical. As it turned out we should have gone with our gut feeling and just left and cancelled the booking.
The campsite was pretty awful to say the least. Still absolutely filthy after the high water where everything you touched or put down was covered with dirt and mud. Not their fault obviously but the entrance and all access roads around the camp were like a swamp. It left us feeling depressed and sorry for the state of this part of Spain..
The beach was like a bomb site with no real attempt to clean it up and even if you could find a spot amongst the debris you then had to put up with the inevitable flurry of activity around us when an attractive woman appeared. So we packed up and left there as soon as we could.
Driving further down the Costa del Sol we were heading for our final destination of the trip and the furthest south we would go. We wanted to visit Malaga and parked just outside Torremolinos and directly under the flight path! The car park did turn out to be a decent base though as it was close enough to walk to the train station and also near a Nike outlet where I finally had some new running shorts as Leela had sewn up my old ones too many times now on this trip!
Malaga was a nice city with plenty of room to move and a relaxed atmosphere. We walked to the castle, the marina and all through the old town. Unfortunately the one art exhibition that we wanted to see was closed on a Monday so we just walked the city and did enjoy the market and Christmas lights, even though they were not on in the middle of the day.
The city gave us a feeling that it is mainly geared toward the huge cruise ships that dock right in the centre. Even the market, where we hoped to have eaten, had a very structured menu. Not the vibrant chaotic locals market that we were led to believe and hoping to experience. The options for a cheap beer and nice Tapas replaced with expensive cava and a €15 bowl of paella that looked like it had been sitting there for three days! So we continued walking late into the afternoon before taking the train back toward the Costa’s and the parking lot.
We were hoping to have stayed at least another day there to take a look at the naturist beach nearby, but as the beach clean-up was progressing very slowly we decided to move on to have a last day together at a beach further south.
We found a nice little park-up very close to Cabopino naturist beach where we had hoped to enjoy. The usual unfathomable behaviour and cruising in the dunes on a Wednesday afternoon bringing stress to straight couples and single women is a constant irritation to us. But the sun shone and we tried to focus on ourselves.
Unfortunately we had to leave shortly after when a man walked around us 3 times within a couple of feet and then began playing with himself. I tried to be polite and then more threatening but I should have just called the Police. The outcome was the same as with all of them. Run away. They do not understand the extreme stress that they bring to people and they are so lucky that they don’t get themselves into more trouble than just a verbal exchange. We were jointly hugely frustrated with the day, the local people, and the area.
It was so sad as it was to be our final day together of the trip and it was spoiled by the state of something that we love so dearly – Naturism. Well of course not exactly the lifestyle of Naturism but the men (and it is only men) who are now using it as a foil to their terrible behaviour in ALL naturist locations that we have visited. Without exception.
We hoped for a fantastic last day together, but we were both left deflated with people so we had a few beers and watched an amazing sunset and night sky which cheered us up no end..
The next day was our planned official end to the trip as Leela was flying back to Austria first as she had to prepare to go back to work and there was lots to take care of, and I would slowly make my way back over the next days to return by Christmas.
There are always highs and lows with extended travel and this last week or so was definitely the low point of the trip. It was such a shame that this particular journey had ended a little flat, but what we had done, achieved, seen and experienced was just incredible.
Happy travels.
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