My travels takes me to many, what people would say, exotic places. This week I find myself in the Spanish coastal town of Puerto Banus.
The town is a typical white painted house place, created in the boom years of the Spanish growth, creating the Spanish equivalent of Monte Carlo, the playboy’s paradise, the place to been seen, the place to show off wealth, the place to buy the expensive handbags, shoes and clothes, only to be worn once, the place to drive the most expensive cars, and moor the most luxurious boats.
The man made, boxed shaped harbor opens out to the Mediterranean through a narrow entrance, with the boats of various sizes continually coming and going, carrying their pleasure seeking passengers, as this is not a fishing harbour.
Puerto Banus habour is packed with boats, there is not one spare mooring, and is laid out in a very orderly fashion, and the boats moored it seems strictly by size and value.
The first moorings have some of the biggest yachts I have seen, many decks high, furnished within like palaces. The tender boats, placed in their allotted on the large decks, are bigger than the boats moored at the other end of the harbour, and I could not even afford to think about buying one of those.
Around the the inner harbour is a road, entrance to which is controlled, thus only the most wanted are allowed in, and fronting this one-way road are restaurants and shops, mostly catering for those who must have won the lottery.
Designer names like Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Pravda, line the harbour, and open fronted restaurants where the waiters wear smart white dinner jackets, waiting to serve cuisine seen in the top Milano, Paris and London restaurants.
Cruising around this controlled one way street that divides the moorings from the shops and restaurants will be the sightseers, the holiday makers and those who want to be seen.
Those that want to be seen are in their best outfits, as if ready to attend the annual ball, expensive and certainly only worn for the parade around the harbour as there is not a crease in the fabric, not a hair out of place, whereas my clothes, fresh on looks as if I have slept in them for a week.
The most expensive cars, the Zonda’s, the Lamborghini’s, the Rolls Royce’s, the Bugatti’s, the Ferrari’s, cruise the one way street, or find a convenient parking place. Please note I have not mentioned Mercedes or Porsche as they are cheap common vehicles here.
I love to walk down the short distance from where I am staying to this parade street early in the evening at about 8 pm, wearing my best clean shirt and trousers, hair combed and shoulders back. For those to be seen, 8 pm is too early for diner, so the restaurants are empty, and the white jacketed waiters are eager to attract custom.
Being reasonably attired, with an air of confidence I will be often shown to a front table edging the parade street, as the restaurant wants to attract other diners. I also reason, that as the restaurant want to attract other diners, the food that is served will be good quality and attractive.
I then have over an hour to relax and enjoy the expensive meal with a good wine, watching the luxury boats return from their little half day cruise to unload their special passengers, to watch the cruising cars rare and expensive cars slowly pass by, and to watch the people walking by, watching me watching them watching me.
Expensive? This is 2011 and one pizza and a glass of beer cost €25, and the beer was good.
But some people do not need to show off their wealth, and will hide their opulence, but I can tell and wonder why someone would want to disguise their Ferrari?
