Saturday 16 July 2016

Benalmadena.

I like it.



This is what I say:

It is so crazy it almost makes me feel sane. Almost. I drank myself very contently through all of it.

I only want to mention the park for now. That is craziness enough. It is actually a zoo. A beautiful zoo without cages. Full of exotic trees, obscure plants, big pond - proper landscaped, English style city park on the Costa del Sol.

Get away from the beach for a while and enjoy it!

Some of these Costa del Sol resorts are beginning to mature and develop in a way no town planner, or architect could ever have imagined, or predicted. 

Sitting in the park after falling out with police on the promenade (long story for another time), I was wondering what to sketch here for cash to get my next beer. (Sorry, I meant new passport). Then I noticed the sounds of the cockerels. Thousands of them. The cacophony distracted me. Then I noticed all the buck rabbits. WTF?

At every entrance to the park is a large sign; 'PLEASE DO NOT ABANDON ANIMALS HERE'.

So, here are Hundreds and Thousands of abandoned cocks and bucks living in paradise. Exotic plants. Landscaped grounds. Possibly drugs amongst the cacti and Amazonian things growing and making seeds. Happy tourists happy to feed for a photo. Fenced off at night - no foxes, or dogs to bother you whilst roosting, or burrowing. Only one thing missing really unless you are inclined another way!?!

I see how they are here, but don't understand why. Who is abandoning cockerels and buck rabbits? Not a meat farmer obviously. In my present financial state, and with a farm boy background, all I could see was about €5,000 worth of organic, free range chicken. Why is nobody taking them? If the authorities don't want them here perhaps they even pay someone like myself to erm... 'take them away'?

I went to one of the many English pubs here and enjoyed a chicken roast with a pint for less than a Tenner instead. Next time maybe. This is my madness - what is yours?

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Mentionable thanks to everyone who gave me work, contributed and bought sketches. Thanks to Phil and family at Cheers bar (midway along the promenade) for keeping me watered. Hope the chalk boards are paying for my beer!

Crazy place. Look forwards to returning one day.