El Chambao de Joaquin – La Herradura

So, on Sunday myself and two very close  friends and I went to La Herradura, just to get out of town for the afternoon.  After visiting the new bar La Bamba owned by Joe and Jackie formerly of Torre Nueva, they used to have a very successful bar there called Crazy Joe´s.  Anyway, they are now running La Bamba, and it is a bit of a going concern. Because the weather has been so good, they had 60 reservations for the Sunday Roast Lunch which has proven very popular with tourists and locals alike.. You should try and stop in. Prices are good, and the Hosts very friendly and accommodating.. more on them on another day.

Today’s restaurant review is another restaurant in La Herradura (just 25minutes from Salobrena) called El Chambao de Joaquin.. This place is famous for its BBQ and its giant Paellas, which they serve every Sunday.  The place is located right on the beach, and they also have plenty of indoor seating available.  I have included pics for you to enjoy, finished off with the sunset pictures of that same day. Enjoy

Restaurant El Chamboa de Joaquin

There are lots of cool shaded places to enjoy a drink and read the paper

Indoor shot

more of the inside

Mmm Paella pronounced pie eh a, not, pie ehla I impore you to recognize the difference.. for all our sakes

Beach front seating

Our cook hard at work,A drum wok cooker

multi tasking big time.

Octopi or Pulpo as it is called in Spanish

Pork and Peppers in a wok

Sunset

I know that I have been remiss, I have no excuse.

Hello, and sorry for such a long absence, but things to do people to see, visitors, it’s the best I can come up with sorry.. The real reason, is that I have just not felt like it.  But I am back and hope to be posting regularly again.

My first bit of news is in the form of a charity dinner to raise money for the

organization called Paws for Thought. Here is their hand out for the up and coming event.

Paws for Thought

Paws for Thought

(your local animal organisation)

Invites you to

El Asador Restaurant – Salobrena (opp Supersol)

Friday 11^th December 2009

8.00 – 8.30pm

Menu on the night consists of

A glass of wine, beer or soft drink on arrival

Large mixed table salad

Stuffed aubergines

Fillet of beef or griddled tuna steak

served with sautéed vegetables

Chocolate surprise

Coffee

17.50 inclusive

Reservations only: Please contact Jo or Linda on 628548895 or 628643235 or pop in to see Paco or his friendly staff at el Asador to reserve your table. A deposit of 10 Euros will be required.

 

 

 

Salobreña Romeria 2009

Please forgive me for not posting some of these pictures sooner, but I have just been that busy.  Overall the day was a great success and everyone had a wonderful time.  The weather was a staggering 45C in the direct sunlight..it nearly killed me.  Anyway.. over the next few days, I will be posting my favorite pictures of the 561 that I took.  It’s hard work you know.

Enjoy!!

Check out the girls in the background.

Who doesn't like baloons

The yellow dress

Lovely little donkey.

Fair maidens in a row.

I want

More photos from Morocco day trip

I still have lots of great shots to show you from the Morocco day trip. Enjoy!

Inside the main fruit,veg and meat market

halal butcher

man selling prickly pairs

skinned and ready to go..hint- it's upside down

Barbary Partridge

Prickly pears up close

Bread for sale

Bread for sale

Bunnies and Chicks

Olives and then some.

More photos tomorrow. Watch Monday for the Romeria photos from Sunday.

Annual Salobreña Romeria

Okay, so I had no idea it was October, honest..I also thought that the Romeria was going to be held on the 6th, but they have decided to have it on Sunday the 4th so that more people could attend.. it is always best when it occurs on a Sunday or Saturday.  The weather is always good for this event,and in case you don’t know to what I am referring, this is the annual fiesta where the locals dress in traditional costume, there will be drassage demonstrations, Wagon judging you name it..it will be great.. be down on the beach for about 10 am to catch it all.. I will be taking lots of photos to be sure, but try and be there if you can..you can see pics from the last two in the October archives.  Please remember, that everything will be closed on the 7th for the official holiday.

And then before we knew it, we were in Tanger.

The quick trip to Tanger was done thru the port at Algeciras.  The return fare is 66 euros or one way 37.50 bought separately. We went by fast ferry from Algeciras to Tanger.  First let me give you the inside scoop.  When you arrive at the Ferry terminal, there will be guys there trying to get you to park under the bridge and buy your ticket thru them.. They will quote 20 euros a day parking.. its only 23 in the official lot.  Plus they will try and tell you that the ticket offices are closed due to a fiesta… The ticket offices Never close, these guys are just gonna take your money and then your car in all likely hood will be either towed or broken into.. Don’t do it.

Now, we took the fast ferry, which still managed to take 2.5 hours.. they say and hour..never gonna happen. I have done the crossing 3 times, and 2.5 is about the norm..if not longer depending on the seas.

When you arrive at the port on the other side, there will be gentlemen that will try and take you to a hotel get you a taxi etc.. these guys are a great idea.. most are licensed, so they won’t see any harm come to you.  They will also offer to be your guide, but they will try and charge crazy money.  The truth is, you don’t need a guide in Tanger, everything is walking distance, and a taxi to anywhere in town is 5 euros.. so use them if you get tired.  Confirm price prior to commencement of your journey.

I have a lot of photos to show you, so without further ado here they are.

Don't be shy, get in there.. this is the main entrance to the sook thru the old gate

can you pick out the westerners?

Men don't stand a chance in this market..

Beautiful fabrics were everywhere.

Just look at this fabic.. just gorgeous!

I could spend days walking thru the textiles market

Market in Tanger more more more

Fresh breads daily in the market

life goes on.

Little side street I helped along

We are still in Gibraltar.

So, a bit of info about Gibraltar.  It is said, that who ever controls the mouth of the Med, controls the med, this is why the struggle for its control has been ongoing for years and years.  Inside the rock itself, you will find 30km of tunnel, hundreds of small opening where cannons protrude unseen from below.  During the Great Siege, 1779-1783, the tunnels and its rooms could sustain 10,000 people for up to 2 years, that is pretty amazing in itself.  Up the rock, you can enjoy the monkeys and the view, as well as wonder thru the tunnels up to a certain point, most of the old rooms and tunnels are shut off to the public now, but there is still a lot to see.  I have included a photo of the soldiers rations as posted in the rocks entry way.

A soldiers monthly rations

Cannon hatch

My Brother Kelly looking non chalant

Another view from up the rock

With this flag I do control.

The rock from the customs office parking lot. Dragados means dredging machines

Flash back curtains. On this pole would have hung long strips of leather which would have prevented any back flash from occuring and possibly starting a fire in the tunnels.

a soldiers monthly rations

Gibraltar for the night.

Well we are still on day one of our road trip from Salobreña. After seeing the monkeys, we decided to stay the night in a small inexpensive pension.  Two beds to the room, bathroom down the hall. 40 pounds a night per room, and it includes an English breakfast. One egg, bacon, 1 sausage, 1 toast, juice and coffee, jam and butter.  There may have been something else on the plate, but I cannot remember.  The name of the place was the Cannon Hotel.  It is basically a 1 star property.  The photos today are in and around the town and shots of the harbor, airport and cemetery.  I will give you more info about the rock itself tomorrow. Enjoy!

Main shopping street.

Shoppers on patrol

There are jewelery stores everywhere.

Liquor and Cigarettes are very cheap here.. actually a lot of the liquor is cheaper in Spain.

Our hotel room, simple but sufficient.The rooms are very basic, but over all okay.

This fellow is officially out of the witness protection program with this photo.

A busy little cafe

Fortunately, you can also take a cable car up the rock to the top.

A busy harbor

harbor again

Yes that is the runway right behind the cemetary.

Marina and runway

A cafe in the main square

An old cannon protecting Gibraltar from attack by the French and Spanish during the Great Siege of 1779/1783

Gibraltar for the night.

So believe it or not, this is still the same day… day 1.  We have been to Guadix, La Calahorra, Ronda, the cork forests, and now Gibraltar.  We stayed the night in Gibraltar, and I will give more details on that later.. I have a great number of photos of the Barbary Apes, mainly because I can’t resist them.  The Gibraltar post, will be spread out over 2 or 3 days so that I can show you everything.

Without further explanation, The Barbary Apes of Gibraltar.

What a face.

Mmm bread

Hangin with Ma

Sentry

There's no place like home.

Cute

the family

A reminder that they are wild.

And I have the bite marks to prove it. It was a juvenile that did this.. more of a love bite, but it did hurt.

On to Ronda

Okay so after Guadix and the cork forest it was on to Ronda followed by Gilbralter.  Our visit to Ronda was cut short due to the lack of parking anywhere down town, and there were large numbers of tourists.  Normally Ronda is too hot during the summer months to visit, so Sept thru April are usually good months to visit.  Here are our shots. There is lots to see there other than the gorge, like the Bull Ring..it either is the oldest in Spain or one of the oldest.. either way, it’s old..sorry no pics time was limited by the crowds.

Giving up and pulling over on the left to take photos..No parking here

Travelers and their dogs on the Gorge Bridge

Running to get that photo

Bottom of the Gorge

part of the gorge in Ronda

Great iron works between the posts on the bridge. No jumpers here

da gorge at Ronda

gorgeous shot

The Ronda Parador overlooks the gorge

The Parador

a view from the bridge

A farm house still in use today.

A very Henry Moore like bronze statue down town Ronda