Andalucia 101: Pay Cash, Get a Discount

Spain has had an off-the-grid economy for years. Even in the age of the euro. It's a white-and-black economy that mixes over-the-table income with under-the-table cash transactions for every day goods and services.

A New Highway for Grumpy Old People

My guilty pleasure is watching grumpy old people. Usually from a bar stool or Costa cafe. I zero-in on old farts with a great sense of humor and great flair for the dramatic. British 'tut-tutters' who take their English breakfast with coffee and brandy. Drink pints of Campo after morning golf. Or complain how Spain and England are 'buggered-up', sipping gin and tonics under the Costa sun.

Of course, the Costa del Sol is not really Spain. It is Spain for expats. The real Spain is inland. Up the switchback mountain roads to places like the Genal Valley, Grazalema and mountain towns like Ronda, El Bosque and Zahara. Theses hideaway cities are ringed by mountains and form a natural barrier against unchecked migration.

How Many Rondenos Needed to Fix a Light?

Just one, it turns out.

This is short story about about how responsive Ronda's public works officials can be.

A house sitter sent me an email recently, saying the street-light in front of my Ronda house was out. My house-sitter was worried about slip-n-fall accidents, graffiti artists or worse.

New Rule: No Shirts, No Service

I will give Nicola a free pass. But I am 100-percent for banning shirtless, boozing tourists from the streets on Ronda.

Casa Del Rey Moro Flap

A lot has been written about this hotel flap. Olive Press. Ronda Today. El Pais.

But I got to be totally honest here. I don't believe this hotel will ever get built without a local Ronda partner.