Near Tarifa, Andalucia - SPAIN

SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 1998

A warm sun and clear sky was the order of the day and after a somewhat slow morning we set off by 12pm to look over nearby campsites. The one we stayed at offered its standard rate of GBP 2 per day for motor campers but didn't offer the security. "You can park anywhere", they said. The next on our list was called "Torre de la Pena", located on a rocky beach which is a windsurfers paradise. Would you believe he offered secure parking by reception for GBP 0.80 per day? Awesome. We did check out the rest and found them to be nowhere near as good.

Before checking in we visited Tarifa to see what times the ferry left for Tangier, but ended up on a wild goose chase around the castle and port (full of small fishing trawlers). Although the views across the Strait of Gibraltar were magnificent and it was so hard to believe that Morocco and its Rif mountains were just a short ferry ride away.

We returned to Torre de la Pena 1 (by the beach) and checked in for two nights in order to relax and work out some sort of itinerary for Morocco. The deal seemed to be that we could stay by the beach for two nights then drive the car down to Torre de la Pena 2 in the hillside, where it would be secure.

We found a spot to place the camper on a flat terrace only metres above the meeting waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean. It was so nice to sit outside and watch the waves roll in and smell the sea air.

It was the afternoon sunset that set my heart on fire. Although the site was quite populated behind us we felt as though we were the only ones there and were mesmerised by the great ball of flame that set itself into the raging sea. I was comforted and amazed by the fact that the same light was now waking up our many friends on the other side of the globe. Suddenly they didn't seem so far. The fireworks of colour that danced across the horizon were the highlight and as the darkness of night set in, the bright lights of Tangier gave off a welcoming glow.

In the lingering light we decided to enjoy our bottle of Saint Emilion (Bordeaux, France) red and a simple three course meal of soup, tagliatelle and chocolates. One now knows that a good bottle of plonk will set alight the cheapest of packet meals available. You've got to love the French for that.

I spent the rest of the evening outdoors listening to my walkman and taking in all the magnificence that 180 degrees of vision offered. To the left was the Spanish town of Tarifa and across the Straits of Gibraltar soared the bright lights of Tangier and its surrounding mountains where I could see the headlights of old beaten Moroccan Renault 4's make their way across the darkness. The sky shone with a million stars and a small section of the moon lit a line of light across the water which twinkled with the tides movement. It was almost as thought the moon was shining for me alone and I stared into its straight highway of light for hours until it set in the east. I was forced indoors by the cold of night and went to sleep with the sound of waves crashing against the rocks outside. Indeed this is more than I envisaged on departing England for the summer that we had missed. Who could want for any more than nature blessed us with that evening?