Hills of Hell -El Chorro-

-         Length: 5km 

-         Height: 200m

-         Rock: limestone

-         River: Guadalhorce, running through the bottom of the gorge.

The Romans dubbed the El Chorro mountains ‘the Hills of Hell’. Maybe looking at the Garganta del Chorro, better known as the "El Chorro" you might see why.





Why "El Chorro" (The Jet)? There is a strong and visible jet of water springing from one of those caves inside the gorge. Find it on the pic above!



The gorge in perspective.

Hell's hills pricking into heavens.



Spanish Sunsets, now IN SPAIN

Dusk from the up high one of the walls at El Chorro:

Sunset on the pastel-colored hills and the wind turbines.

 


Sun shedding soft orange hues on the walls of Sierra de las Nieves, from Turon.

 

Warm light of dusk spreading on the magnificent valley, the lakes and the olive fields (from uphill Teba).

 Note: to understand the Title of this post, please go to July posting named "From Spanishly salt-free to Spanish sunset".

Periodic Dose of Breath-taking

Peeking from the top of El Chorro village into the El Chorro/Tajo de La Encantada/ Guadalhorce River.

A dam into infinity. Embalse (dam) de Guadalhorce/Guadalteba.

Bushes and "palmitos" (mini palm trees with HUGE thorns!) sprinkled over the mounts, and a playful winding road over the ridge.

 Velvety intense green carpet of of pines between harsh gray colosal rocks, with orangy strikes. Like a carpeted path leading the even higher peaks in the horizon. (from Tajo de la Encantada, El Chorro)



Some breathtaking from the heights at Desplomilandia.





Morning views from uphill Teba.



Afternoon sun trying to break into over Pizarra, from the top of El Santo mount.

Lush mini palm-trees ("palmitos") on a steep slope of El Chorro, in contrast with the lush pines on a more gentle slope in the back.

Mounts, mountains, valleys and beyond, with curvy roads wrapping slopes or drawing lines on ridges. This is as high as you can go with your feet touching ground. The mesmerizing Abdalajis, Guadalhorce, Guadalteba region in the lively Andalusia.

Double rainbow on Pizarra valley, Andalusia. This last Monday. What a promising way to start this week!

Natural Sculptures and Natural Monuments

Main landmark at Desplomilandia, Valle de Abdalajis.

These cacti supersede any man-made sculpture!

Circular carvings around this mount, as if someone has been playing with his finger from above...



Hood-shaped carvings on the walls of Desplomilandia, Abdalajis Valley.





Man-made enhancements

Represa de Guadalhorce-Guadalteba:

 Taking advantage of Spanish winds... they look like huge toys, adding playfulness to the scenery.



Plain Pretty

No need to be spectacular. Sometimes in the smallest detail, or the everyday views to which our eyes have got used to. Beauty is surrounding us. It is up to us to be receptive of that charging power, in its multiple forms.



Castillo de la Estrella (Star Castle, ruins of a former arab castle, on the top of a hill escorting hilly, lovely whitewashed Teba).



Spanish handcrafts (Talavera ceramic) on Spanish staircase.



Spanish cactae (bonsai) in Spanish ceramic pots.



More Spanish ceramic.



Teba's hills and the church tower.



 Everywhere you rest your eyes in Teba, there is beauty, whether man-made or natural. Street signs in Teba.

Olive trees in perfect rows, escorted by unbelievably pretty cactae.



More Spanish ceramic.




The streets of Teba lead to turquoise embalses (Guadalhorce/Guadalteba) and their gorgeous valley.



From the Heights, From the Distance

Abdajalis Valley.



Punta del Convento Mount (Point of the Convent).



El Chorro, from the top of one of the mounts.



Sun trying to break through a loaded sky over the valley, from uphill Teba.






Cactae precede the rows of pristine olive trees on sand-like soil.



View from Teba uphill: into the hills further out, the "patchworks" of olive trees, sprinkled with whitewash houses.

 

Sendero del Gaitanejo

 What you see in different directions from the top and end of Sendero del Gaitanejo, a low-profile trail through pine-perfumed, pine tree woods:



Embalse.



Lake and in the horizon, Teba, with the castle ("Castillo de la Estrella" or The Castle of the Star, a castle from arabic times in Andalucia) at the top of the hill, overlooking and protecting the cute Teba.



Zooming in the above take. Now the olive tree fields come into the picture.





Mount "Punta del Convento" (Convent's Point).



"Penya Rubia" mount, one of the landmarks in the Valle de Guadalhorce.



An island popping out from the lakes, carpeted in lush pines.