I make use of all of the campsite facilities, and sort my van out. After, I drive into Ronda. Parking is difficult but I find a space a little walk outside of the town. I head back into town, passing interesting Spanish life along the way. Ronda is a much bigger and livelier town than I had expected. The main pedestrianised shopping street is very big. I walked around the town, stopping at the bridge with stunning views at the southern end of town.
After wandering around for a while I headed back to the van. I decided to head towards Torremolinos. The drive through the mountains is amazing. The landscapes and textures of the mountains seem to forever change. I stop several times and take photos. At San Pedro I meet civilisation again. The ocean is a welcome site, and it is my first glimpse of the Mediterranean on this trip. The views of neat apartments and pristine golf courses is nice to see.
I head east on the main road towards Torremolinos. I pass around several towns, including Marbella. The level of development here is astonishing. There and endless apartments and villas. Although I was prepared for it I was still shocked.
I kept driving until I got to Torremolinos. I followed a sign for the beach and parked up. The beachfront area is surprisingly pleasant. It is brash, but not as much as I had expected. I take a bike ride several kilometres along the beachfront. There are many Brits and Germans, as I had expected. I take a short walk around the streets behind the beachfront. Yesterday I sent a text Steve, the Aussie guy I had met in Conil, to see if he wanted to meet up in this area. Steve replied whilst I was walking in Torremolinos. We agree to meet up near my van. I go back and meet Steve in a café. We have a pint that costs only €2. We decide to move my van to where Steve is parked. When we get there it is much busier than when Steve left his van. We try and find another beach, but we cannot find anywhere suitable. We decide to head back to Playa Bajondillo where I have parked. We decide we should be ok camping where we have parked.
We have another beer in the café, and head into town. We have a drink and stew in an authentic Irish pub. We chat with the staff for a while, and then head out. We stop at a Spanish café and have a beer. We stop at another Irish pub and have another beer. After this we are pretty tired and head back to the vans. We see the police, but they do not bother us.
