The day of the big trip has finally arrived. My biggest adventure to date. Nearly five weeks exploring Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. But first the ordeal starts by getting their. Our flight to Bangkok involves an 8-hour lay over in Doha. Not really looking forward to that bit.
Our flight is with Qatar Airways. The world's five star airline so the advertising blub goes. But our will it compare with Etihad? It started off well. A courtesy call to remind me to bring my credit card. A nice touch, or was it more of a marketing ploy?
"Are you aware of the 8 hour connection time in Doha? Would you like to purchase tickets for the executive lounge...". OK, that was an easy sale.
The legroom was OK but not as roomy as the Etihad flight. When you're going to spend the best part of 13 hours cooped up in the cabin you need all the space you can get. 1-0 to Etihad.
The meal and drinks service was first class. The main meal was lamb. They weren't shy with the drinks either. You had to beg Etihad for a drink. 1-1.
The In-flight entertainment centre is very similar to Etihad's. However, it broke down an hour into the first film. It took them 20 minutes to fix the problem. We watched the "End Game" and "A Perfect Getaway". I wouldn't particularly recommend either.
End of the day, Etihad may be slighly better overall. But is it worth the extra £150 per person for it? I'll let you know after we have survived the 8 hour connection wait. The price for the cheap ticket!
Day 1: Flight to Doha
Hasta Luego Nerja
We have now left Nerja for a little while. We are off on our travels. First stop Chang Mai, Thailand. Then its further up North to Laos. A few lazy days going down the Mekong. Then it's a visit to the highlight of the trip, the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia.
That's about as much as I know about our Mekong Meanders for the moment. Monica has been planning the trip for months and it's all top secret. Our little trip will take us up to the Christmas holiday period.
After my first Christmas in Manchester for over four years it will be a quick trip to Venice to see in the New Year. Then the horrible part. A full month in Manchester for work. Could I have picked a better month than January.
Entonces, hasta luego Nerja. nos vemos de nuevo en Febrero!
Halloween 2009
A night out 0n the town at Blanco y Negro to see "Not to Fall" play for the Halloween Party. No need to dress up for me. For scary simply add Alcohol. And there was plenty added during the night.
We were joined by Fabi and we headed to Los Barriles for a few tapas to begin. It was great just sitting at one of the barrels watching the kids go by in their fancy dress. It was a pity we didn’t bring the “chuchas”. The local kids had earlier written us a letter informing us that it was Halloween and it was traditional to provide them with sweets. So Monica bought nearly 10 Euros worth of Chuchas and the kids never bothered to turn up!
Blanco y Negros was well decked out for the party. There were plenty of ghouls and scary people inside. Just your typical Saturday night out then! "Not to Fall" were excellent as usual. A great night was had by all.
Monica meets up with Jason.
Before ending up with the Devil.
Trying to apprehend the killer.
The Mask.
La Bruja de Nerja.
The perfect Sunday?
Enjoying Torres rag Man U again.
Capistrano
Today would be a perfect day for breaking in my new hiking boots before we hit the trails in South East Asia. We picked an easy stroll up the mountains to test them out. Only 4 Kilometres. But with the plus 30 degree heat and sheer vertical slopes it would still be a test of endurance.
New boots.
The route was walking along the spine of the hills behind Capistrano. You access via a gully near the Torre restaurant. After a few hundred metres you exit right and head up the hill. It is then a gruelling climb up the mostly exposed slope. The views across Nerja get better the further up you climb.
The first summit.
We reached the first high point after about 40 minutes. We paused to take in the views below. A further pause to contemplate the rest of the walk. More hills. Three more peaks to be precise. The second of these being the most challenging. A little climbing is required to scale the peak directly although there appears to be a path that skirts around it if you don’t have the head for heights.
Another peak reached.
The trail becomes easier after the final hill. But be careful where you put your feet, especially if you have a phobia of snakes. The first walk in over four years in Spain that I came face to face with snakes. One of which was basking in the sunshine. I thought it was dead. Until it turned and faced me. By the time I got the camera out it was gone in a flash.
More climbing to do.
The trail along the hill.
Halfway down the hill you meet a trail that goes to the Chillar. We turned left and headed back towards Capistrano. This part of the walk is mostly in the shade of the pine trees. A forest full of them! I’ve never noticed them before when looking up at the mountains from Nerja. A welcome relieve from the surprisingly strong autumn sun.
The trail takes you back to the gully behind Capistrano. The walk is just over two and a half hours. But be warned, the first part is tough going. Worth it though.
Nos Vamos a Tapeo
You can’t come to Nerja without going for Tapas. So we took La Rubia on the tourist route.
La Bodeguilla, Calle Antonio Millon.
La Marina, Plaza la Marina.
La piqueta, Calle Pintada.
Los Barriles, Calle Carabeo.
Basta ya!
Rojadirecta!
Meike was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun. But something was missing. A thousand miles away in a colder climate, her team was playing an important match. But no worries when you have access to Rojadiecta! I suppose it helps if your team plays in the top divison as well. Not many Oldham games get broadcast over the Internet.
Aupa Dortmund!
Except for the 1st Round of the FA Cup against Leeds. The first game in the history of the cup that will be broadcast for free over the Internet. So I will be able to watch my team from the comfort of my terrace. That's if they don't do the "UK Only" trick that the BBC usually do!
Jamon y Queso
Another request from la Rubia. A night of good Jamon y Queso. All washed down with a few bottles of Rioja obviously!
Jamon night!
We went to Fabi and Ettore’s for the feast. First it was a taste testing session. Jamon Iberico verses the standard stuff. At 70 euro a Kilo, I was expecting great things from the Iberico. Wow! It was fantastic. Well worth a try.
By the time we had polished off all the jamon, a regular visitor to the household arrived. All that was left were the insects on the wall. Still, he didn’t seem to mind too much.
Los Barriles
Back at Los Barriles.
