Reflections (open-hearted and without anesthesia) from a rural house that tries to survive… in a country that seems determined not to let you.
Because as a person, I understand it perfectly.
But as a rural house, as a self-employed, as a worker, as the one who gives EVERYTHING to make his project work… I don’t understand anything.
💣 There is a brutal, real, deep crisis…
But yes: silenced.
Nobody talks about it. It does not appear on the news. There are no graphs or round tables or ministers recognizing that everything is going down the drain.
But it is there. You can feel it. It is drowning us.
💔 July has been a disaster. Just like that.
And I am not saying it alone. We have discussed it among colleagues in the area and … ALL the same.
Especially those who have rural houses for rooms, we are the ones who give more work and less margin we have.
In my case, in the 20 years that I have been in charge of Mas Torrencito, I have never experienced such a bad July.
👉 Almost 50% of the bookings have been for one night only.
Yes, ONE.
Which means:
- More sheets
- More towels
- More thorough cleaning
- More cost
- And to top it all off, having to put in bids… and say thank you.
😩 And the loyal customers? Even they are suffering…
This weekend we had 5 repeat customers. The usual ones.
And what happened?
- The one who used to come 5 nights… now 4.
- The 4… now 3.
- The 3… now 2.
And it’s not because they like us worse.
They just can’t do it anymore.
They can’t make it.
And what used to be a disconnection getaway, now becomes a «we do what we can».
🧱 And meanwhile, the system squeezes us to suffocation.
We pay more than 70% of what we earn in taxes:
IRPF, self-employed fees, VAT, waste disposal fees, inspections, water charges, air and holy spirit fees…
And while you are crunching numbers,
💥 the electricity bill arrives,
💥 they raise your gas bill,
💥 and the IRS sends you a «friendly» letter to remind you that if you miss a day in filing the 303, they will crunch you.
And you think:
«But didn’t we have enough of being robbed by the Bourbons?»
Well, no. Now also the top of the government.
And you, paying your taxes and VATs, and watching how those at the top distribute envelopes, per diems, bribes, commissions, briefcases and black cards.
💬 As they say out there:
«From Aznar’s wedding only the dolls of the cake are still to be charged…»
And you putting washing machines.
With two balls.
🔪 What about HUTs? The ultimate dagger
Because if fiscal pressure and institutional hypocrisy already had us on the ropes…
They arrived.
The Tourist Housing.
The HUTs.
Apartments with zero regulation.
Zero taxes.
Zero inspections.
Zero soul.
But with swimming pool and QR code to enter without seeing anyone.
And of course… who wouldn’t prefer to pay less for a bed without human treatment and without rules?
Who is going to choose a rural house where the dogs run free, the breakfast is homemade and you are received with love… when for 40€ less you have an apartment with a view of the parking lot?
They are killing us. They are killing us. And nobody does anything.
⚖️ And the SMI? Of course, it has to be raised… BUT…
Does no one in government really consider that raising the minimum wage WITHOUT reducing the tax burden makes it unfeasible to hire anyone?
Large companies can.
But how many SMEs and freelancers do you know who have closed their business to leave as salaried employees?
And you know what they all say?
«It was the best decision of my life. Fuck them. I now have my salary, my vacations, and no VAT, no income tax or anything else…»
And of course it is. Because this is unsustainable.
🐾 In the meantime… we are here to stay.
With the doors open.
With the field full of happy dogs.
With our usual customers, shortening stays but coming with love.
With the heart in a fist and the current account trembling.
But there will come a day when we will say:
💭 «Either change things… or we do some thinking.»
And it will not be an outburst.
It will be an act of survival.
Because dreams also die, when you bury them in taxes, injustices and institutional abandonment.
🙏 Thanks to those of you who keep coming back.
To those of you who bet for the real.
For the human.
For the rural.
For the doggy
For For……
Reflection
💣 «The future ahead: between loose bitches and tied hands.»
For years we were told the story that being self-employed was to be free.
Free from schedules, free from bosses, free from depending on anyone…
Bullshit.
Today, the self-employed is the new slave of the system.
A system that demands everything from you and gives you nothing back.
We were promised that with effort we would go far.
But in this modern jungle, effort without cronies, without privileges and without cheating is not worth shit.
Those of us who work with soul, those of us who do not cheat, those of us who bet on closeness, sustainability, legality and honesty…
we are becoming lonely.
Lonely, squeezed, unprotected.
The future?
It is the soulless Airbnb.
It is the faceless tourism.
It is the customer who seeks price, not experience.
It is the Spain emptied not of people, but of values.
It is the self-employed who leave everything because they prefer to collect 1.400€ than to live with ulcers because of the Treasury.
And meanwhile, those at the top -the usual ones- handing out envelopes, lifetime salaries, armored pensions and other people’s embarrassments that are no longer disguised.
The same people who talk about entrepreneurs with their mouths full… and their hand in your pocket.
If there is no real change -deep, urgent and courageous-, this country will be a wasteland of stolen opportunities.
A graveyard of illusions where only opaque businesses, legal scams and those who know how to dance the tango of bribery and «I don’t get caught» flourish.
Maybe there will come a day when you look at your empty rural house, the dogs asleep on the sofas, the silence in the dining room…
and think:
«We gave everything. But they didn’t let us live.»
And that, dear friends, is not a failure. It is a historic swindle.
From MasTorrencito we wish you a good day and may your dogs be with you!!!!
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If you want, you can see our vouchers for weekends, retirees vouchers, at an incredible price… go to www.mastorrencito.com or if you want you can read more history and anecdotes that have happened to us in MasTorrencito… Click here … https://mastorrencito.com/
