Well, somehow the summer is just flying by...I´m completely loosing track of time! Another ten days, incredible.

After a quick stop at the beach in the south of Spain (near Tarifa-incredible!), I returned to Calabacino and stayed for almost a month again! I´ve been working in my garden, trying to to teach myself to build (I´m working on a small “casita”—bacically just a raised, freestanding deck with a roof), playing music, chilling out. It´s a really amazing place, and the more I stay there, the more I like the simple, tranquile style of life. But I got the “itch” again, and decided to head north to cooler weather, green scenery, and hopefully some cool farms. I´ve been really getting in to the whole farming/ self-sufficiency thing, and now want to see more of what it looks like in practice. Right now I´m in Madrid, staying with the father of my friend in Calabacino. It´s a beautiful flat, right close to the city center. I´ll be taking off tomorrow though...taking a train north, then planning to ride my bike around to different farms there...but we will see how it goes... And that´s just about all for now... hasta luego!

Well... another month of blog-lapse. It's been an exciting one for me, and I'll even give you all a short synapsis of my travels...

I last left you all in Granada, when I was about to meet my friends from the states and go to the beach...well after a day of cruising around the city, we did just that, starting in the morning navigating an unexpectedly impossible series of buses and arriving at Punta Paloma in the very south of spain that evening...we found an excelente place to camp in the dunes and chilled out in the warm night under bright stars. The most incredible thing though was the view of Africa, looking close enough to swim to...its pull worked on me again, and I found myself convincing them to go to Morocco. I was successful and the next morning we boarded a "fast ferry" to Tangiers. Stepping foot in Morocco for the second time was no less surreal than the first time--it was like unexpectedly slipping back in to a dream after momentarily waking up. The sights, sounds, and people all seemed brighter, louder, and more animated than I remembered them, and strangly, I found myself amazed that all was still here, still running in the same way as I left it. We, by chance, met up with some people we met on the bus in Granada, and ended up traveling with them down to the chill tourist village of Chefchaouen. We spent only a few days there, and then I went down to Fes with the Granada people (my friends had to run back to Spain in order to catch their flight home)... We spent a couple days in Fes exploring the crazy Medina, then a few days in Azru chillin', then went down to the incredible Cascades d'Ouzoud...be sure to check out this link, even the picture is amazing. We spent a few relaxing days there, hiking around the surrounding valleys, swimming and trying to find water holes with some good cliffs to jump into. From there, after a short stay in Marrakech, I took the bus back to Spain.

To be continued...I'm out of time at the internet cafe, but I'll try to post later this week... adios!

Granada!

Well I´ve moved on again... After 5 weeks in Calabacino, I´m now in Granada. A bit wierd to be around a lot of people again, but it´s a super cool city. Really old, tons of history, lots of culture... a lot going on. I´m staying in the house of a friend of a friend, and it´s absolutely amazing--totally pivate, little gardens, a small pool. Super tranquilo as they say... I´ve been riding my bike a bit, still taking it easy because my knee isn´t 100% but I think it´s getting better. I´ve still been able to get into the mountains, though, and they are absolutely incredible... some of the best riding I´ve ever done, with incredible views of granada and the mountains--truely unbeliveable.

From here, i´m meeting some friends, then going to the beach for a bit! Should be good times... stay tuned.

Pictures!

Still here having a great time in the mountains... I'm starting to get itchy feet again though, so stay tuned.... For now, here's some photos of the area...

The house, viewed from the path to town

A path in Calabacino...

Alájar, from a ridge above Calabacino

Typical streets in Alájar

Also wanted to say thanks for all the comments! Always great to hear from everyone, and to know that you're enjoying the posts...

“Like a Rolling Stone”—The Best Gets Better!

So I’m riding my bike in the warm Spanish sun, a soft tailwind helping me along and cooling my skin. Everything I need is with me—two bulging panniers strapped to my bike. My extra tee shirt and two extra pairs of underwear and socks are packed tightly around my various camping gear and other “essentials”. (My laptop is in there somewhere too, but to mention it would detract a bit from the romance, wouldn’t it). Anyway, got the picture? Bike, warm sun, quiet road, and good tunes drifting in from my mp3 player: heaven for me. Then I hear this coming through my headphones:

“…How does it feel?
To be on your own,
With no direction or home.
A complete unknown…
Like a rolling stone.”

Well Bob, just ‘cause you asked, it feels pretty damn good, thanks.

And like a rolling stone, I continued happily one; pedaling through the rural countryside—warm sun, bike; all the time in the world, and not one thing to worry about. I muttered Spanish phrases as I admired the views around me; my exclaims of “que bontia!” and “Ost tía, que fuerte!” being past on (I hope) by the wind.

Bob wasn’t entirely correct—I did have a direction: Alájar, a pinprick village of 500 people situated right-smack-dab in the middle of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Actually, more specifically, I was going to El Calabacino, which has, unfathomably, an even smaller population of 96—actually 97 including me. A handful more babies and they might even surpass 100 by the end of the summer. Not that it really matters; the people here (and now me) are in love with the quiet tranquility of this place. It is almost impossible to drive up to the village, access is almost exclusively by donkey trail. Running water comes from streams in the mountain above us, but if you want drinking water, you need to make a trip to the nearest fountain (underground streams filtered and channeled into spigots). Electricity is solar powered, and most people use composting toilets. Shower? As often as you like, but the water—drinking water runoff drained into small pools—is ball numbingly “refreshing”. The nearest supermarket (if you could call it that) is 40km away in Arecena—and make sure you co-ordinate with your friends so you can get a ride (the van won’t start).

I have been settling into the slow pace of the life here—there are less things to do in a day, but it takes longer to do them, as everything is done manually. That, and you have to allow time to talk to the neighbors, pet the dogs, call to the donkeys, play with the kids, and admire the scenery. Nightlife is sitting around playing music with whoever happens by, and we rarely make it to bed before 1:00. Excitement is when the donkey escapes (they are faster and more nimble than you would expect). It’s a small world here—without electricity, life wouldn’t be much different from when this house was built 150 years ago (well, ok, there may be a couple more differences, but just go with it).

I am here on my first WWOOF stop, and it couldn’t be much better. This is exactly what I wanted—a beautiful place to work, plenty to keep me busy, and plenty of time to relax and think. Oh, and good food. Lots of good food. Spanish is coming along, albeit slowly; my host (Irene) speaks almost perfect english and loves to practice it. And there’s not much more to tell…life is pleasantly plodding along here, and I’m planning to settle in and hang around for a bit. So that’s all for now…don’t think there will be many posts soon, but there will be pictures, and of course I’ll let you know when (or if!) I hit the road again.