The search goes on...
Sunday, July 21, 2013 @ 4:06 PM
After that first most enjoyable holiday in Competa, I was hooked and returned time and time again for over 25 years. I eventually found the house of my dreams outside Competa in Cuesta Benamayor - a mile or two down a dirt track. It was a very small property with no running water or electricity - such luxuries had not reached the valley then! Water was delivered by tanker to a water deposito under the terrace which held about 20000 litres. The deposit was also fed by rainwater from the roof and guttering. The way of getting water into the house originally was via a hand pump in the bathroom. There were four rooms in total, including a bathroom of sorts and the toilet was a chemical version which had to be emptied at regular intervals - a messy job!
We installed a smaller water tank on the hill to get water pressure to the new hot water tank - a Junkers - and to get water to the taps. We also installed a new kitchen, shower and wash basin. Water was pumped up to the small tank from the deposito by means of a cable connected to the car battery and left to run until it started overflowing! Primitive, but it worked. Later we installed a float switch inside the tank and a single solar panel to run a 12v pump. It was heaven - we had running water!
Mains electricity was not to come until much later....