Vallobal: 0 km

So, I didn’t make it to Las Megas in time for the concert on Sunday. Joah picks me up in a forgettable small town where I’ve camped between the church and the highway. Not my best spot, but Joah finds me without trying and laughs at my situation as flutter my tent free of the frozen condensation on the inside. It’s still a 2.5 hour drive over winding passes covered in snow. It’s beautiful, but I’m happy I see it from the comfort of the heated car.

Since Joah, his girlfriend Sanne and some friends bought that piece of land in the Asturias in Northern Spain, I’ve had wild and varied imaginations of how it was going. Sometimes I hear a story through somebody else, every now and then I see a picture on Instagram. It’s a life I find hard to see myself having. They bought a ruin with a couple of hectares of land. A literal ruin. It’s starting to look great, everything but the walls is new. From the door to the floor to the furniture to the windows, all a project. Next big one; a new roof.

Yet, Joah is looking to sell his part and buy a new space close to it. Their community set out in the hippie spirit of disregarding money, and with that, expectations. Joah and Sanne want to live off this land, possibly through an Airbnb. Another community member is a wind turbine engineer and sees Las Megas as a long-term investment, not in the mood and without the time to put in effort right now. And then there are another six with even more differing ideas about the place. For me, as a visitor, Las Megas feels warm and almost familiar. It might be the trees, the slow sunrises and even slower sunsets, the way the clouds move over the snowy tops of the Picos de Europa mountains in the distance, the fact we shower with buckets, and sit around the fire at night, the way we share meals without planning, but most of all the company.

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I spend my time not only with Joah and Sanne, Patou, Kiki and Lucas are here too. The latter two through Workaway, the former working on her van. We’re a haphazard family for a few days, only chance brought us together. I like them all. There’s an laid-back atmosphere around the house, everybody comes and goes throughout the day, returning over fire and food at night. All busy with our own projects, whether that’s a van, buying a piece of land, going on hikes, or whatever I do. All together I spend five days with them at Las Megas. I wait out the worst of the cold. It’s supposed to get better next week, and this is a perfect to just be for a while. I cook, chop trees, and then their remains into smaller pieces to add some value.

Then it’s Sunday, Joah’s big day. The concert. He’s played for much bigger crowds, yet it still feels special. It’s his second gig in the Asturias, and after two years of being here on and off, a sign of his integration and of bigger things to come. The venue is a beautifully renovated rich Danish lady’s house on top of a mountain, 360 degree view of all that makes this valley special. The afternoon is magical and intimate. Joah’s warm notes and unpredictable melodies evoke hope, nostalgia, energy and introspection. I know some of the songs well, I listen to them often as I write this blog, as a matter of fact, I listen to them right now! Joah asks me to document it all. Here’s what we made:

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Joah and I haven’t been the best of friends to be honest. We like each other for sure, but haven’t gotten that close over that summer. That summer, we worked together on the beach back home. Time, coincidence and maybe lifestyle has brought us together now. I’m happy it did. I find my time with him at Las Megas inspiring. I find him brave for taking such a leap, for making such a big decision and trusting the process. It’s admiring and it motivated me not to do the same, but to look at life from a perspective of opportunity, of doing what feels good, chasing that, and finding your way. That is something that is at the forefront of my mind as I’m making my way back home. We have good talks around the fire, and I feel like he’s a come more into his own since the last time we’ve seen each other. Like he’s in the place he belongs. I feel like we’re getting closer over these talks, and yet again, I’ve made a true friend on the road.