Dun dunnle da dun dun da dun dun - so no-one told you life was gonna be this waaaaaay CHA CHA CHA CHA..
Yeah, enough of that crap.
It's been so long since we've updated our travelog that we have fallen well behind; THUS I am going to write a very short entry to bring us up-to-date. We will endeavour to report on our experiences in a more timely fashion, mainly for the 2 Romanians who are following us, as we have now set off again on our journey into the unknown. More on this next week.
Living in Spain has been amazing. The region we were in, the village(s) and the valley were an incredible place to be all set against the stunning backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, bountiful orange trees and blossoming almond trees. The weather has also been spectacular - patchy as you would expect at this time of the year - but there have been many short and t-shirt days, warm sun and clear blue skies - what a civilised winter they have down in Andalusia, something I've been looking for: bright, sunny, warm winter, unbelievable compared to what we have back at home.
Helen wrote about some of our experiences living here so I won't go over it again. I will just say that it's been a highlight of a journey already packed with incredible highlights.. what a year we've had so far.
As if the experience of living here wasn't enough we've had the added bonus of sharing our time with friends both old and new, clever and stupid, clean and unhygienic..
First off: due to Tim Berners-Lee's invention most of you now know that 2 'daywewentto's' has become 3, I've fathered a dog - BUDDY!! He also has a number of other aliases, although there's reason he's called Buddy, so his name may change IF we find ourselves back in the UK. He is Spanish after all, has a Spanish passport, so we'll see. Calling out for my 'Buddy' in a darkened alleyway might not be advisable.
Loads of stuff to write about Buddy but as this will be a short blog entry we will keep it to this: things we have discovered about Buddy so far:
Likes - Jamon, chasing Ibex across dangerous mountain passes, rubbing his face in dung and/or dead animal carcasses, sunbathing and running after cars whilst barking and shoving his head just in front of the front wheel as the vehicle carries on at speed - suicidal.
Dislikes - Sensible/healthy dog food, heights/bridges (very strange), acoustic guitar (not just my dodgy playing either..) and roundabouts/bendy roads/speed humps..very pukey.
No need to say anymore about him other than he's a blast, was a local celebrity in the town we stole him from, a great man to have aboard and if you haven't already met him you will do soon. No doubt he will be living with you permanently when we decide we've had enough of him and want to go travelling again.
Next up, that other faithful puppy who likes to defecate in the street - Matty George, again, there's no shaking him off, even if you go away for a year, he'll find you..
Dear old Matt took the time to come and visit us over Christmas (free accommodation probably played a huge part in this) and we mashed it up big stylee, as much as you can in Acequias, a gorgeous little town although renowned for not having a bar or shop. As Matt, Helen and I all enjoy food and cooking we hit the local shops with a gastroenteritis inducing shopping list: a whole bloody huge Jamon, gigantic prawns, rabbit, lambs livers, 1kg clams, chorizo's, vast amounts of sherries, wines, spirits and other intoxicating liquors that as yet we're still not sure if they were to drink or put in your car engine.
Matt timed his visit spectacularly as the weather was incredible, 20+ degrees some days, and we took full advantage of the amazing local area by taking in some great walks - one of over 35k and up at about 2400 meters. Even at that height it was still really warm as you will see from the picture below of Matt stood up high on the Sierra Nevada (he now uses this as his profile picture on the 'Macho Man' website).
Not only did we 'cliiiimb every mounting, seeearch hiiigh and low' it was warm enough to take to the beach and contemplate a swim. Beautiful sunny day when we left the village, not so once we'd navigated all of Salobrena's roundabouts and speed humps, cleaned up Buddy's sick, ran onto the beach and stripped off. Pretty grey and cold with sea water that at first numbed, then burnt your skin due to temperature; mucho frio!
Still, we did what all respectable Brits do in such situations - plunged into the sea (we got a cheer from local fishermen) swam about until lips were blue then headed for an ice cream - an awesome Christmas eve.
It was during Matt's visit that we finally found enough chloroform to put Buddy under, bundle him into a bag and bring him home. Matt was instrumental in helping Buddy settle in his first week so thanks buddy..
No sooner had we dropped Matt off at Malaga airport than we found ourselves back there to meet and greet Mike and Jo!!
Mike, the Essex boy with not, 1, but 2 PHD's and who insists his friends call him 'Dr' (he books his flight tickets this way, I've seen them) and his lovely girlfriend Jo who, poor thing, not only had to arrive with Mike but was also full of cold - this being NYE and all bless her. We were sure Jo was allergic to dogs but we brought Buddy along anyway, can't recall if he was sick or not, probably though! Having not seen Mike and Jo since we left we all decided that NYE would be spent at Casa Esquina with a log fire, good food (in particular a huge plate of a rather interesting cake we had made) and plenty of social occasion lubricant - plus a session of the brilliant game that they had brought over for us - Carcassonne! New Years Day, as always, was a write off.
Mike and Jo had taken the time to fly out to us for such a short visit so the next day it was up and at them and into the mountains: early start, let's get going, no time for slackers, hang backers or anything else that rhymes with 'ackers'.
Shall we take the young stray dog that's only been with us a few days on a 7 hour plus hike way up into the mountains and let him run about off the lead in territory that neither us or he knows? Yep. Why we did this i'm not sure, how we didn't lose him I don't know. Buddy ran, foraged and generally got lost. Where Mike, Jo, Helen and I covered over 35k, way up into the clouds, Buddy must have done 50k.
Never have I seen a dog so excited by its surroundings, the mountains making a huge contrast to the streets of Durcal where we met. Mike was the same, coming from Essex and all; his big old face lit up as he ran through the snow, urinated against trees and drank dirty puddle water all the time screeching 'call me doctor, call me doctor' bless him..
We got very lucky that day with Buddy. About a week or so later he ran off across the mountains, chasing Ibex, until he was just a tiny little white dot scrabbling across a cliff face perilously close to falling off. When he finally realised his situation and turned back he slipped into a valley and couldn't get himself out for a while.
Anyway, these walks were pretty knackering. Fairly steep tracks that take you from 900m up to about 2300m to a mirador and lunch, about 3.5 hours before a break. I know that Jo is a fit and enthusiastic walker but, laden with a cold and hunger, I could hear just a tiny bit of prickliness in her voice when she asked 'Swag, how far is this mirador?' and I lied each time to try and help make the journey easier. 'Oh, er, you know..that line of trees, 2 corners more'.. although shot to bits by the time we got home we ended the day with a suburb roast that Mike cooked and he'd also bought the finest tart in the shop, that's not a reference to Jo of course..
I've been up into the mountains a few times now, always in hiking boots too tight and feet swelling up so badly, that despite a man who was the spitting image of Giuseppe, (Pinocchio's pop) stretching them for me a number of times I am now running at a toenail count of: 3 M.I.A, 7 still just about hanging on in there. The fallen were good soldiers to a man - lost on particularly harrowing tours of duty.
Buddy was still very new to us when Mike and Jo arrived but he fully enjoyed having two extra people to fuss and play with him, both of them made a huge effort to help him feel settled. He spent more time with them than with us.. little bugger.
Finally, as Helen has done previously, I have to mention Andrew and Eva (experts in where to get the best local tapas), a most amazing couple that we met by chance whilst discussing a mutually favourite - and hard to get hold of in Spain - herb of ours (coriander) in a local bar, La Osa. It's not often you meet people that you know instantly will be lifelong friends but we are sure this will be the case (not least because they've said we can stay at theirs whenever we want!). They made our stay even more special and we spent many a long afternoon in either the local bars, or at their fantastic house in nearby Niguelas hanging out, swapping films & music, getting drunk, eating jamon and playing the fantastic game of 'cornhole' in amongst rabbits, chickens and cats (big shout out to the rooster Wasabi who unexpectedly disappeared, not Buddy, honest)..
Our last week with them involved them making us beautiful Sushi one night and then on the day before we were due to leave we met for a quick last drink that lasted all day and evening and delayed our departure. Awesome. If you ever find yourself down in this region you can rent them both off of us as ready-made holiday friends for a fee, they are well worth it.. Andrew is American but don't let that put you off!
A huge thank you to you both - we hope everything works out for you and we'll see you soon - and to Matt, Mike, Jo and Buddy for making our stay in Acequias more than we could have hoped for. We must add to this list also Inma, Eva's sister, a fine player of Jungle Speed another fantastic game, Maria, co-owner of La Osa, a great bar if you're ever in the area and all of the local mamas.
Right, van's packed, house cleaned, we've said our 'adios', got sick bags ready... let's go.
I'd had a pot of coffee before I wrote this, so not that short in the end, hasta Luego!
