almerimartoday

Yesterday a group of 11 of us went for a Thai lunch at Cueva de Aladin in Cádiar. We understand it was Marion´s first trip away from Almerimar since she came here to recover from breaking her leg in 4 places while skiiing in Austria. As you can see from above she was on good form.

Read More for some details of the day.

Lawrence and Peter E were designated drivers for the day. Many thanks to them for performing this vital service. Even though it meant they couldn´t drink as much as the rest of us. You can see a very unusual sight below, Lawrence drinking water.

John Wi had informed us in advance that there was a massive rockfall on the Berja to Cherin route so we had to take another route this time. I am glad we did as the scenery was amazing. It was a bit of a shame that we didn´t stop to take some photos of the snow topped mountains with the fields of trees and vines below.

First we all went down to collect Marion then we were on our way. The route we took was the motorway towards Málaga. A reasonable distance after the Adra turn off we turned off at Albuñol and headed inland. We took the road through Albuñol and once out the other side of the town took the turn off to the right to Albondon. We followed the road all the way to Albondon then once in the town there took a left and went uphill missing out on going to the centre of town. The road wasn´t signposted to anywhere but looped around the town then headed up further into the mountains. Eventually we saw a sign saying 13 km to Cádiar so we knew we were on the right route. Then we settled down to enjoy the views. In all it took just over an hour to reach Cádiar without driving too fast.

The scenery was so great I would definitely take this route again when we next go for a day trip in the Alpujarras.

There seemed to be an interesting looking winery just above Albondon that I would perhaps like to stop at sometime. Also, past Cádiar there is Cherin and Ugijar which are both worth a visit. Plus you can join up to the road to Laujar, Rio Nacimiento and Puerta de la Ragua.

You can put the names of these towns into the search box at the top right of this site and find quite a lot of articles about trips to the Alpujarras if you are interested in planning a day out yourself.

When we arrived at around 1pm the market in Cádiar was still going strong and was much bigger than last time. Jane from Cuevas de Aladin  prepared us a complementary drink to welcome us and to celebrate Easter (thanks Jane). After that Joan, Jacqui, Sandra, Chris P, Teresa and Janet all popped out to have a quick look around the market. They came back with clothes, oranges and plants. I am sure if they had more time they would have bought more. Pete, Lawrence, Robert and myself kept Marion company while waiting for everyone to return for lunch. Although Robert couldn´t resist popping to a nearby bar to test out the beer and tapas which apparently was very good.

Then it was time for lunch. Each of us had chosen either Thai fish cakes or spring rolls to start. Then we had yellow curry chicken, red curry pork, sweet chilli fish or prawns with sesame and vegetables. Here is a photo of the prawn main course:

You can see photos of the other main courses here in the Gallery.

The planned dessert was deep fried banana but a few of us tried some cheesecake or sticky toffee pudding instead. 

We had 6 bottles of wine between us, plus some beers, water and coffees for most of the 11 of us. The total cost was around 13 euros a person plus a tip.

We then made our way back home to Almerimar taking in the great views again. One thing to watch out for on this route is that the winter weather has taken its toll on the road in some places. So it is down to a temporary one way track in a few places. So it is not a route I would advise people to take in the dark.

Thanks to Jane and everyone at Cueva de Aladin for their hospitality once again and for preparing us one long table to accomodate 11 of us. I certainly enjoyed myself and would definitely go back again either on a market day for the menu del dia or on a Friday evening from 6pm when you can choose from a more extensive menu at a higher price (still only 12 euros for 3 courses).

If you do fancy eating at Cueva de Aladin the it might be worth getting in touch with Jane in advance. You can see her contact details here in our previous story about the Thai lunch a month ago.