Torremolinos Hotels
|
  | |  |
Torremolinos... chillin´ for 2 days at the beach!
Entry 11 of 25 | show all | print this entry |
After a short (but this trip´s standards) 3.5 hour bus ride to Granada, we got the tourist resort city of Torremolinos... packed with vacationing Europeans (mostly rural Brits and other Spaniards) in the summer and nearly dead in the winter. In theory I have a problem with places like this because of the wasteful nature of beachfront resort cities, but I don´t care right now... I´m extending my birthday celebration, so morals be damned! Besides, if any country can make beach resorts ecologically sound, it´s European cities (I say this to myself in the back of my mind...)
Upon arrival, we found that our hotel was on top of the hill of death. It was very close to the beach, but a real workout to get up and down. I´ve been burning the candle at both ends for several days now, and it looks like it´s only gonna get worse. Since we had spent the day in Granada, we didn´t pull into the hotel until about 5:30 PM. One thing I´ve neglected to mention about Spain is that it really doesn´t get dark until about 9:45 PM, so the summers consist of long glorious days, and there was nary a cloud in the sky at this beach.
The most memorable hotels thus far have been either really really good or pretty god-awful bad. This one was the latter, to excess. It was ugly, the rooms were small, and the meals were not particularly appetizing. I compared to the beds to large, human-sized cereal boxes with springs inside and a thin layer or fabric covering the outside. Luckily, the beach made up for it. I was tired from my trip, and I wasn´t quite ready to run down to check out the water but I did want to see what was around after (the nasty) dinner.
After dinner, I went walking around with Valerie (who's taking the classes associated with this trip), her slightly older sister Shanelle, and their mom Sandra. They're a fun family and good to hang out with. We were also joined by Sonia, my roommate Steve, and Mari, la Chilena, who I've enjoyed getting to know better and who helped me celebrate my birthday in Granada. We talked to some of the younger guys on the tour and they mentioned that there was a place not far down the beach that was chilled called Mambo and then a club district. Well, not too far down the beach ended up being about 1.5 to 2 kilometers (about a mile...sorry, I've gotten used to putting everything in Euro terms... even the temperature).
Mambo was well worth it! It was very touristic, but fun. The night was very windy, and this little place was right near the beach on a large patch of flat grass. It was done up tiki style, and had large comforter-style blankets to sit on as well as gigantic pillows. We really enjoyed sitting there relaxing, talking, laughing about the trip so far and sucking down a few mojitos. Our waiter was particularly friendly too, and we had a good time talking to him and getting him to take pictures of us. Some of the guys stopped by Mambo for a some beers right as we were leaving, and Shanelle and Val decided to head out to the clubs with them for a bit afterwards. I still hadn't really slept since my loooong night in Granada, so I passed and walked the looong walk back, then up the hill of death to go to bed.
The next day was... well... a fun-filled beach day! It was our first bit of total unabashed free time during the trip, and we really needed it. We had no wake up call for the first time in almost two weeks, so after sleeping in a little bit I headed down the giant hill with my pals Sonia and Steve. We went into a grocery to get unbelievably cheap bottled water (25 cents for a giant 1.5 liter bottle), laughed at the HAM-flavored Lay's potato chips (blech), and I bought some cheap flip flops at a little souvenir stand. We spent a small amount to get an umbrella and two chairs for the day and then tried walking into the Mediterranean for the first time. Instant FREEZE! I couldn't believe that it was so much colder in the south of Spain than it was in the north, but I guess the ocean currents simply are what they are. The good thing is that we were lucky to have unbelievably great weather. I began the day by bathing in the sun and listening to the familiar--yet foreign--sounds that people make at the beach... the children laughing, parents saying to be careful, the easy breezes of the wind and the voices. I think I sunbathed for a bit over half an hour.
Steve got the itch to go into the water, and I was shocked to see him smiling heartily as he walked into the steep drop off of the chilly Mediterranean... He looked calm, and for that I give him bonus points, but he was still out in a little over 5 minutes. When he came back to the little cabana where Sonia and I were, he explained that the coldness subsides very fast once the numbness sets in. Hmmm.... Well, it was only noon. Maybe with a little daytime heating the water would warm up a degree or two. Ha!
The day before, I had found a little tintoreria (a laundromat) not far from our hotel, and after hanging out a bit at the beach, I decided to go see if my colada (load) was ready. I checked, but the lady said the clothes still had half an hour, so i went back to the hotel, saw Steve, and we decided to go find a place to get some chow. Near the tinto, there was a little place called Cafe Mediterraneo. we got the menu del dia with a salad and a quarter chicken, dessert, and a beer. The lady at the counter was memorable because she was very patient as I practiced my Spanish, and she was actually very happy to see Americans (remember, most of the people on holiday here were Irish, British, or other Spaniards or Latinos). She explained to me that she likes to go on holiday in Miami, where she's been a few times, and she thinks Americans are the friendliest people in so many ways. After Steve and I had our regular beer with the menu del dia, we split something that I'd call a "40" but I think it was a liter. The beer was CruzCampo, a famous Spanish beer, and think a good one. EstrellaDam, Mahou, and San Miguel are some of the other tasty varieties I found around Spain. All are good, but I think Mahou was my favorite (I didn't get to try the local brew...Alhambra...in Granada, and I'm still kicking myself for that!)
After the filling lunch, Steve and I picked up our separate coladas of clothing. I wanted to go back to the hotel for a minute and Steve wanted to head back to the beach, so I took his back. Near the hotel, I ran into Carlos, one of the younger guys, and he was heading out to the beach to go ride the jetskis. I told him to wait for me down there because I wanted to do the same, but by the time I got down to the jetski area I ran into Carlos's buddy Chris (who everyone calls 'Special') and Chris said Carlos waited a bit but decided to go out. Damn! Oh well, I headed back to the cabana area with Chris, and there I saw Sandra, Shanelle, and Val. I looked down the beach and saw Sonia walking and deep in thought. She looked like she was really enjoying herself taking it easy, but I could tell since Granada that she had sort of checked out a bit for the trip... She was obviously missing her husband and four sons, and I couldn't blame her. She wanted to bring them all here, and I think someday she will.
Val had wanted to go parasailing like me, so we decided that we'd spend our money doing that after Carlos got back to the cabana. Carlos and Special watched our stuff and we headed out with Sandra and Shanelle, as well as Kim, another woman on the tour. All three of them wanted to pay to go out on the boat with us to watch us parasail. Near the shop, we ran into Steve, and Sandra noticed that he had an almost perfect red square on his back where he missed putting on suntan lotion, in addition to a single fingerprint near the square. Steve laughed and told us he'd watch us from the beach.
Well, I think I've wanted to parasail since somewhere around 1997, so it only took me ten years. I've gotta say that it paid off dong it for the first time on the beautiful coast of Espana instead of the Texas (or even at one point the North Carolina) coast. We watched the first group go.... a trio of girls from London who were of Indian descent. They had us use their equipment to photograph them, and they looked like they had a great time. Afterwards, Val and I got to go... she hid her nervousness well, but I could tell she was a bit shaky. I was ready fro anything! Up, up, up we went, and it was just fantastic! It was a much calmer and relaxing experience that I'd imagined, and it was amazing to see the coral reefs near the beach, and all of the beautiful scenery from so high up. Val and I believed we saw Africa too in the distance, but who knows? All in all, we were in the air about 10 minutes or so, but it felt like longer... Val loosened up, and we had fun rocking back and forth a bit and pointing out the hotel and places we'd been (like Mambo).
When we got back to the beach, Val and Shanelle said they wanted to go on the banana boat. Now, I'd never heard of this thing before, but it was basically a long inflatable log-shaped tube that you straddle as you get pulled behind a boat in the ocean. Carlos and Special had wanted to go on it too, but they were a kilometer down the beach, and the place was getting ready to close soon... so it was no or never. The parasailing was already 40 euro, and the banana boat sounded OK, but it didn't sound too exciting at the cost of another 7 euro. Still, we did it, and we needed at least four people, so we persuaded Steve to get on with us. I rode up front, the girls in the middle and Steve behind.
We had on life jackets.
After getting pulled around on the boat for only 3 or 4 minutes, I thought, "OK, this is alright, but not worth the money." Then the boat that was dragging us started to swerve, and we banged around a little in the wake of the ship as it went pretty fast. OK... this was better. All of sudden, the boat slowed. I remember the driver looking back for a split second, then he cut left fast. I leaned into the turn, but realized it didn't matter... we were going over! Plop. Right into the chilly sea. Everyone was shocked, especially the girls. Steve looked unfazed though, and despite the fact that I was surprised, the whole experience was a thrill.
The boat came back around to pick up up, and Val looked a bit off. She said her arm hurt a little. Getting back on the boat was no easy feat... a bit like mounting a horse, but harder given the slippery conditions. After getting back on, we were surprised, but the driver asked if we were OK. Was this part of the experience? We weren't quite sure what to think... But then, it was wash, rinse, repeat. We were back in the drink after a command performance. Val was OK, but hurting a bit, and we all knew at that point that the whole idea is to get tossed. Once we got back to dry land, we found out that Sandra had shot video of the ordeal, and there was audio of her yelling from the beach for her two daughters. She was a bit freaked out, but she has a relaxed attitude, so she was OK. What a trip! Que flipante! (as the Spaniards say).
Well, what a day! I hadn't intended to go all the way into the cold water, but there I was.... twice. I can not just that I was in the Med, but that I was in there 100 feet offshore.. with sharks (although we were assured they we many MANY meters deep. Hmm.....
That night, we mostly just snacked on the gross dinner at the hotel (it was slightly better the second night), then walked down to an Irish pub that had karaoke. The Alaskan contingent, which was younger, had gone out there the night before, and said they had a good time, so we wanted to stop by.
over towards Mambo with the intent of going there shortly and then going to the club district. We popped into a McDonald's first... the first Mickey D's I'd been to in Spain. I had a Cuarto de Libra con Queso.... very surprised that they actually called it a quarter pounder... Then, it was on to Mambo, which was cool, but to me it was a "been there, done that" thing. We stayed a bit too long for my tastes, and I started to drag. But I wanted to go out, and we went to the place that everyone had gone to the night before since there was no cover. Inside, we saw Mari and her roommate Victoria, who was with some guy they had met on the way to the club. Interesting.... they were drinking and showing another side of themselves.
I don't recall the name of the place, but it was a big Brit hangout, and when Brits get pissed (drunk), they simply get loud, crazy, and sometime obnoxious. I noticed this a few years ago in London, but it was much tamer there. Here, there was a rural British element, and they were all the rowdier. The myth that the British as high on decorum may still apply to the royal family, but your everyday Englishman is a right crazy bloke. Also, the music was not my first choice... techno. I'm not talking danceable techno....just electronic beep music with a little thump. After a bit, they did play a block of hip hop and salsa style dance songs (like Shakira), but it wasn't the same. This place didn't have the feel the Granada place had, and I never quite found my dance groove... still we had fun. It was interesting seeing the British folks doing their thing as if they were in their native country. We danced for a while, chilled out, then some of others went home, and Shanelle and I walked around for a while until we got tired and walked back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, we would be on our way to Sevilla... I wonder if I can find a peluqueria and say hi to a barber of Seville. Hardy-har-har, right? The coast here was great though, and what a crazy day it was!
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Spain or try a new search. |
| |
| Table of Contents |
| 11. | Torremolinos... chillin´ for 2 days at the beach! - Torremolinos, Spain Jun 24, 2007 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
