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Water is pretty central to summer on the Costa del Sol: swimming either in the sea or in a swimming pool and taking a cool ... shower before enjoying a refreshing drink with friends and family in the long, balmy evenings.
Well, on Tuesday I wanted to do all of the above. The plan was to go for an early dip in our communal pool before all the local kids descended, then wander down to the beach with a friend, before going for the inevitable 'it's Tuesday, I am not going to drink...oh well, as we're here, a beer would go down quite well' beer.
By 10am I had fallen at the first post. A message came round from the administrators of our 'urbanización' saying that the pool would be closed until further notice as the water was not fit for use following the regular analysis required by law, as well as the low levels of water. We are one of the lucky ones whose pool is open and according to the administration company there is enough money in the coffers to pay for a water tanker. But, as SUR reported last week, there's a waiting list and water tanker companies are run off their feet.
Later on I received a message from my friend to say that the sea was "disgusting" and "full of natas" - the Spanish word for the dubious looking foam that appears in summer, which experts say is formed by mineral dust, as reported in SUR last week. However, the other, admittedly unconfirmed theory is that it's what happens when sewage treatment plants have to deal with bigger populations than they're designed for.
Even for the very brave - and those who believe the experts rather than the alternative theory - who choose to swim regardless of the flotsam and jetsam, there are no beach showers to wash it off afterwards. So what to do? Well, I decided that when the temperature cooled down in the evening, I would go for a late walk and meet my friend for that beer, but of course by that time, the water cuts had kicked in and I couldn't even take a quick shower (turn tap on for five seconds, turn tap off, soap, turn tap on for further 10 seconds to rinse and spend the entire 20 seconds wondering if there's a way to collect the shower water for use elsewhere).
Carmen and I are good friends, but even so, it's nice to turn up to any kind of date smelling reasonably fresh. So, here I am surrounded by water, for now: the swimming pool is relatively full and awaiting the tanker and I live on the coast so I can see the sea. There's water, water everywhere (except in my taps), just not a drop to bathe in.
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