La Manga Amarilla y su amigo, La Flama Blanca...
Sept 16, 2025
37.6312° N, 0.7200° W
I said I wanted to be more spontaneous with my trips, because well, no good story comes from things going right. Quite the opposite actually. If you knew how the movie was going to end, it would make watching the movie a lot less fun. So I'm learning how to relish not in the plans, but in the detours. Thanks Glenny for your words of wisdom.
Our trip to Murcia was nothing but last minute. Car rented the day before, Air BnB booked on the way there, and Connie last-minute joining us that evening. All factors contributing to an amazing trip.
Day 1: Madrid to La Manga
5 hours to Murcia via rental car. Joshie was mobbing and Jake was giving him wrong directions in shotgun. Scottie and I enjoying the backseat sin responsabilidades.
About 2 hours out from the destination, we got confirmation that our Air BnB was good for the week. Perfect. We gotta place to stay. Check in was a mess, so the boys had went on a mini adventure before picking up the keys. Jake's coworkers provided many a rec, so we set out for a beach day and maybe a mini hike.
Thirty minutes along a lovely coastal trail to a a beach with some of the clearest water I've ever been in. We messed around for awhile, Scotty and I dominated the chicken fight, and Josh got harassed by a fish.
Fun thing about beaches in Murcia. By now, we becomes accustomed to the topless aspect of the beaches in Europe. What is less common, in general, but apparently very common in Murcia, is the additional bottomless aspect. And thus, I took less photos of the beaches while on this trip.
The bluessss
Boys en Camino
Looking back
"La Flama Blanca, is that you?
We raced back to our key pick up and learned just why this place is called "La Manga". In English, "the Sleeve". It's this strip of land in between Mar Menor (absolutely massive bay) and El Mar, the ocean. And thus, you can see the sunrise over the water over the bay and then the sunset over the ocean on the other side. And we had some good ones everyday.
We saw our first sunset on our way to pick up Connie from the train station and well, we knew we had picked a good spot. Connie pick-up in Cartagena and dinner in the little town. Reminded us of Alicante or Valencia with the marble floors in the centro comercial.
Good start
View from the balcony
Day 2: Playa de Viaje
Delicious breakfast. A little snack before we hit the beach.
Classic beach day. I think the boys spent about 4 hours hanging out in the water. It was pretty shallow so we just kinda floated on our hands as the waves hit us. As Josh reminded us, "You can't drown when you can just stand up." Sometimes you get so caught up in the wonder of the ocean that you forget simple things.
I drew a picture. We napped. And then back to our sauna balcony overlooking the water.
What I saw
What I drew
A little exploration
Views from the crib
Dinner rezzie at Paque Bote. Looked like an awesome spot. Right on the bay, perfect for watching the sunset, eat some delicious paella, and relax into the night. And it was all those things, at first. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, our tranquil enjoyment quickly transitioned into a merciless bloodbath. The mosquitos were ruthless and I think Connie was the only left somewhat unscathed.
Oh, and our waiter couldn't split the paella five ways to save his life. And we were crying laughing as one plate was filled to the brim while the last pretty much had nothing. He went 3/3 on disproportionate servings, "pero no pasa nada, somos amigos, así que voy a robarles."
Pre Dinner Exploration
Boys!
Eres un buen hombre, tío
Una copa...pues, una botella de vino blanco...
Day 3: Camino de Las Calas
Early start for the sunrise. Connie and I took the short walk to Playa del Viaje and set up as the sky started to illuminate. Before the real photoshoot began, I took a dip in the water. Que calor. Very relaxing to float as the colors filled the sky. You could tell it was going to be a good one. I told my Spanish tutor all about it while I was on the beach and even walked to the other bay during our lesson. Paso a paso!
Tranquilito
Blurred Lines
Que bonito!
Look at that strut
Hike day! Drove over to the Parque de Calblanque and did the Camino de las Calas. Un buen nombre.
We set off on our journey and just kinda winged it. We quickly stopped at set up camp at a little cala. Sun. Water. Sand. The works.
We weren't quite as prepared as we thought, so we ended up returning to Cala Reona for lunch at the chiringuito. Jake, Josh, and I split a big ass Lubina, also known as sea bass. Josh and I ate the eyeballs. Delicious.
So many naked people on this beach
All aboard
Getting the shot baby
Delicious
We posted up on the beach right in front for a quick food coma. Then, since we had seen some people doing it our first visit, Josh and I checked a rock that just screamed "JUMP!!!".
We made sure to check our landing spot to make sure it was safe (very responsible, right mama!). There was a couple checking it out as well, and while they opted to just watch, we did a few tests jumps and worked our way up higher and higher.
When I say test jumps, I mean Josh immediately hucked backflip. Didn't know that was in the cards so naturally, after a few jumps myself, I had to run back and get my camera.
By the time I returned, Josh had made his way to the highest little ridge. Perfect. No backflips from that high, but still an epic shot. He hucked the backflip again from a lower ledge, and then it was my turn. That highest ledge required a little more technical climbing than I was expecting. Certainly high enough to get the heart pumping (sorry mama!), but plenty of water as landing pad and a nice sandy bottom. Maybe a little sketchier than I had originally let on... Mems for a lifetime!
Slow evening at home. Sunset down at the bay. Winding down.
Sorry mama! Totally safe!
Absolutely magnificent
Had some fun with this one
Consider that pose struck
Crew minus Unc :(
Day 4: La Manga to Madrid
Final sunrise. Drive home. Ya esta.
What a trip.
La Ultima
Mar Menor
