Quemao Viejo’s Off-grid camping.

One of the projects within Quemao Viejo is to create a little Off-grid camping in front of the old cave were people can camp in full contact with nature.

What is an Off-grid camping? Well, I don’t think there is a definition, but for me it is a place away from cities, totally merged with nature, and so, without many of the commodities we are used to!!

There are many things to be done yet. But my good friend Gines wanted to spend a night in his tent at Quemao Viejo, and I grabbed the chance to set up my tent as well and check how the thing would look like:

Thanks again Gines!!

As I said, there are many things still to do, but the shower is in its way; and the toilet…so, if you want to  have a different camping experience, come and visit by booking at quemaoviejo@hotmail.com

Not dead yet!

Nearly a year without posting, but we are not dead yet. And just to prove it…some photos ( quite dark, sorry. Night visits to the cave!) of a few visits and a bit of work done recently:

 

Kropan ( the dog without glasses) looking at Jose loosing a chess game ( F***!!!!):

A detail of the cave’s decoration: Guitar and Tom’s picture of Zarzadilla:

Paco saying hello to mom ( sorry Paco, blurry photo!):

Ismael having a moment:

More moments:

Ismael, opening the wine, supervised by Alejandro:

A few moments after opening the bottle:

Chicken barbecue:

And to show that not all is “fiesta”, a bit of work ( coverage of the shadowing in front  of the cave):

And much more to come soon…

James’ visit.

When James came to Quemao Viejo, I didn’t have the materials for what I am planning to do next, a toilet and a solar shower for the off-grid camping. So, instead, we cleared a little patch where the herbal veterinary practice will be place in the future. After a few seconds of hesitation:

There he went, action…

We have a good laugh during sunset, when the shadows reminded us the scene from Indiana Jones and the raiders of the lost arch, when the guys are digging up the entrance to the…

We ended up with something like…well, it will be a table. Trust me!

James had time to share his knowledge on architecture and suggested several designs for the future practice ( a fed days more, and the whole project would have taken a complete new direction…ha,ha):

Some time for reading in the sun in front of the cave:

Here, making a panoramic photo, and getting ready to lose the first ever chess game in the cave

The next day, we were asked to lend a hand to some friends in Zarzadilla de Totana with the “Vendimia” ( cutting wine grapes):

The whole team:

After the work, we were showed the process to make the wine: Removing branches and leaves, pressing and fermentation:

We tried the freshly pressed grape juice:

and the same day, visited a chicken farm, where James kept making friends:

Thanks for visiting. I will be posting updates soon!! Don’t lose hope. In the meantime, to keep you sweet, a photo of the smiling spider we found:

A family day at Quemao Viejo.

I always thought that QV was not a place for kids, but after the visit of my friends and their children and watching how much they enjoyed the place…well, It made me think. They where running, falling and standing up in a second, playing, laughing all the time.

It was amazing to see the kids entering the cave without any fear. I’ve seen adults feeling a bit…weird let’s say. But kids… Well, it seemed it felt natural to them. Before leaving, we had to wake up one of the kids. He was falling sleep inside the cave!

Here are some photos of the day:

Nice.

Anna and Kim.

Anna and Kim are an Australian couple, interested in self-sustainability, collecting information about alternative projects in Spain.

Kim is a freelance writer who recently finished a master in sustainably ( did I know that existed!) and is putting together a report about alternative ways of living in relation to the economic crisis. He  pointed that It would be good to visit the project even when it is just at the beginning, so It would be possible to learn the difficulties when starting.

We met at one of the village’s bars, where our friends had the chance to merge with the local youngsters.

I was interviewed there by Kim. Just saying because it is nice when somebody shows interest. It helps you think you are not the only mad man out there. Also, listening to yourself answering the questions makes you realize where you are. If that makes any sense!

After that we had a walk at Quemao Viejo:

There we visited  the places and the future projects:

Then we had the photo in front of the cave ( I must admit I am starting to become a photo-in-front-of-the-cave collector). And because we didn’t have time to carve a boomerang , Kim suggested a bit of surfing ( Ok, sorry, stupid stereotype!!)

later that night we had time to join the locals for a dinner:

I asked Anna to take some photos. I find nice to see things trough other’s eyes. I like this one:

Many thanks for your interest. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and find your way into sustainability. Kim, do not forget to pass on the results of your report!