Another Guiri in Nerja

T3 at Malaga Airport

After years of construction, finally the new terminal at Malaga Airport has opened. T3 was official opened by the King on Monday 15th March 2010. I had a flight back that evening so I had a little wonder around.

The New T3 at Malaga Airport.

New approach road.

The free parking at P3 is now closed. The private car parks are now situated at the end of the runway. To reach them you take the new road that goes through a tunnel and exits at the roundabout near P3.

The new walkway that connects the terminals.

When I returned the arrivals at T2 was closed for renovations. You exit via the new terminal 3 building, although you need to go into the old T2 to collect your bags.

La Ruta del Tren

At long last! A Sunday with no rain. A Sunday to go walking. We decided on an old favourite from Periana. La Ruta del Tren to the Mirador el Boquete at Ventas de Zafarrayas. A steady 15 Km round trip. Fabiana and Ettore came along for the journey.

Lake Vinuela.

It has been a few years since we last walked this way. I had forgotten exactly where it started. We asked a local who pointed the way. You turn right at the first roundabout you reach at Periana. Then you follow the track to La Muela until it bends sharply to the right. There you take the track that is straight in front of you. This is the start of the path.

The start of the walk is a steady climb for about 2 kms. It doesn’t get off to the best of starts as you walk through a rubbish tip. But with that behind you the scenery is breathtaking. So is the climb Ettore would argue! You have great views of Lake Vinuela and the white pueblos on the hills. The track is lined with Almond trees, adding a hint of pink and white to the lush green hillside.

Almonds on the hillside.

It was nice to walk in the sunshine. The sky was relatively clear, although a little hazy. However, things began to change gradually. At first a few white clouds that provided some welcome shade. Then they started to multiply and darken. Why didn’t I bring my rain jacket? We felt a few drops of rain. At this point we were near the half way stage. A huge downpour was imminent. We quickened the pace to make it to the tunnel for shelter.

Before the weather changed.

The rain held off as we reached the tunnel. Inside the temperature plummeted. The town of Ventas de Zafarrayas was about 10 minutes away. It was better to risk a soaking and go for the warmth of the bar than stay inside the freezing cold tunnel. The bar “Aqui te quiero ver” was now in sight. The heavens opened. A frantic dash to the bar ensued.

A quick dash to the tunnel.

The world seems a better place after a nice hot bowl of soup and a beer. We were sure it was only a passing rain cloud. However the signs were not good outside. The sky grew darker. A closer look gave us hope. Half the sky was dark and menacing. The other side towards Periana was sky blue. The climate seemed to change right at the Malaga/Granada border. All we had to do was get back to the tunnel and we would be greeted by sunshine. Then we looked again out of the window in horror. It had started to snow.

We attempted to test our Malaga/Granada climate theory and made a break for it when the snow eased off. However, we were greeted with more black clouds and snow on the other side. Defeated, we headed back to the bar. It turns out that the town of Ventas de Zafarrayas doesn’t have a taxi. But we were in luck. The nearby town of Alcaucin did and the owner knew him. Half an hour later and we were in the warmth of the taxi heading back to Periana. The weather had improved by then but we were passed caring. An hour later we were sat on the beach enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Que tiempo!

The snow capped Mount Maroma.

Rincon del Sol

A welcome new addition to the beach at Burriana, "Rincon del Sol". The chringuito at the east end of Burriana has had a make over. And they've done a good job of it too.

Rincon de Sol.

Friday night was the opening party. The awful weather we have been having lifted just in time. It wouldn't have been much of a party on the beach in the rain.

The view from Rincon del Sol.

The chiringuito has a perfect location, looking west towards the setting sun. A perfect place to relax on the comfy sofas after a hard day lounging on the beach.

Monica and Fabi enjoying the party.

The opening night featured free cocktails, and a most welcome addition to Burriana Beach, live music. Will it be a regular feature on Burriana Beach. Let's face it, the place is in desperate need of it. Maybe Burriana will cease to be the graveyard that it was once the sun goes down.

A new Copacabana?

Things are changing on Burriana Beach. Is one of the changes going to be the opening of Copacabana 2?

Copacabana.

Renovations.

The Bar and Kitchen have been ripped out.

Let's hope it is a new cocktail bar with live music. Well, you have to live in hope!

Rain Rain Rain

What a disaster of a winter it has been here in Nerja. It’s been the worst weather ever since I’ve been here. So when the skies are grey and rain puts paid to any daytime activities, what else is there to do? Marcha Marcha!

Temple Bar, or Cayma in Calle Cristo.

It seems that it is getting easier to find live music around Nerja these days. An old favourite Cayma appears to have returned to its former self. It's still called the Temple Bar but is back under Spanish Management. There's usually a band on before midnight but it seems that the locals wait until the early hours for the sounds of flamenco. A decent night out.

Enjoying the flamenco sounds in the Temple Bar.

The Boatyard Bar.

One of the advantages of living on the west side of town is being close to another live music venue, The Boatyard bar. Friday night's appear to be the best, when they usually have a local group on. We went to see "Not to Fall" play.

No doubt we will be checking out Cochrane's over Semana Santa but there is a new place for live music in the centre. The newly refurbished Rey Alfonso directly beneath the Balcon. There is live music on Friday's and Saturdays. Even Burriana may be hosting live music in the near future. I wonder how long that will last.

Day 6 – Trekking through the jungle

We survived the night without being eaten alive by the creepy crawlies. The room was freezing cold, the air conditioning unit was left on all night to keep the insects at bay. It was another glorious morning in Thailand. The view from the rickety wooden terrace was fantastic. A good day for trekking.

We met our guide, Ame, for the two day adventure after breakfast. He handed us our machetes and we headed down the hill out of the village, walking through the Chinese tea plantations. It wasn’t long before we had our first lesson with the machete. My nerves were settled slightly as I realised that the weapon was for cutting bamboo rather than defending against any rabid animals we might encounter in the jungle.

On the jungle track.
We had headed off the track that the pickup truck brought us along and followed a path leading deeper into the jungle. Ame led the way whilst carving the bamboo. An impressive skill not just for the carving with the razor sharp machete but the pace he was able to maintain on the uneven path. I would have lost a few fingers trying to copy him.

Our first guessing game was trying to fathom out what Ame was making with the bamboo. He had given the two thin strips to Richard to carry. He had finished with the knife. Now he got out a tub with a number of small weights, then a line. Looks like we’re going fishing.

We soon encountered the river which would be our route for most of the morning. We stopped by the bank and tried our hand at fishing. Ame made it clear that if we wanted to eat tonight we had to catch it. Twenty minutes later and we all had drawn a blank. Ame was confident though. He shrugged it off by saying “Here, the fish are scared of me!”.

We toook a short path that led further up the river. Ame stayed back, wading up the river looking for the perfect fishing spot. Richard had the first success of the trip. He caught a crab. It dangled on the line, its claws frantically slashing the air to fight off any predator. Without Ame we were at a loss. What do we do next? Well I was the official photographer. It was up to Richard and Monica to unhook the catch. By the time they had a plan of action it was too late. The crab was in complete control. He had finished his delicious bamboo worm meal and was busy cutting at the line to free himself. I’m sure I could hear him laugh as he fell safely back into the river.

What to do now?

Fish for supper.

By this time Ame had returned. Thankfully he was not empty handed. Richard began to explain about his catch. Ame couldn’t believe we had let it go. He quickly showed us how it was done. He soon hooked another crab. He then quickly snapped off one of its claws and used it to pierce the heart. He skilfully unhooked it and placed it into his empty water bottle. His method for killing fish was to batter them on the head with the side of his machete. It didn’t take him long to fill two plastic bottles with crab and fish. No one would starve tonight.

Ame laughs at our poor angling skills.

Day 5 – Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

After our final breakfast at the Blue Diamond, we said farewell to Adam at the Tri Gong and took a Tuk Tuk to the bus station. There are several companies that operate on the route to Chiang Rai. You basically have the option of standard (old battered bus which are generally filled with chickens), VIP (Air con coach) and First Class luxury (Rock Star coach). We opted for the middle of the road VIP with the Green Bus company.

Tuk Tuk.

Not knowing what to expect on a Thai bus service I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coach. There was a hostess on board who served us with water and snacks for the journey. The ride was comfortable, although the Thai sitcom being played on the DVD was quite loud. The three hour journey takes you through the most beautiful countryside. It was our first real view of rural Thailand.

The plan on arrival at Chiang Rai was to go straight to the Akha Hill village that would be our base camp for the trekking. The timetable was very tight. Our pick up was at 4:30pm. The bus was due to arrive in the station at 4:15pm. There was another slight problem that wasn’t mentioned in the guide book. There are two bus terminals in Chiang Rai. The main terminal where we were heading is outside of town. We had to meet our pickup at the central terminal. Thankfully we arrived on time and jumped into a Tuk Tuk to the centre.

VIP travel?

A pickup truck was waiting to take us to the remote hill top location. We climbed in the back and headed towards the guest house where others were waiting. Five more passengers jumped aboard and we set off towards the countryside. The ride along the roads was pleasant enough. A great view of Chiang Rai and the commuters on the road. Once we went off road things got a bit scary. We were gripping on for dear life as we speeded over the rough terrain. It was a rollercoaster ride up hills and down valleys. The driver only slowing when we passed through the remote villages. The locals smiling and waving at us.

Room for at least three more.

Richard.

The Akha Hill village is set in beautiful countryside, amongst the tea plantations and rice fields. Set up high on the hill it commands fantastic views. Accommodation is in a series of wooden huts of varying standards. We decided to opt for a “VIP” bungalow for 1000 baht per night. Inside the hut was anything but luxury. There were bugs everywhere. Monica was worried about the lack of mosquito net on the bed. The solution was to freeze them out, air conditioning on full blast.

In the centre of the village is the communal canteen. A wooden terrace overlooking the valley. The bar system was self service. You wrote down what you took in your log book. We ordered dinner and had a few beers whilst we thought about the trekking tour. We had booked a two day trek in the jungle. The overnight stay would be a “home stay” in one of the villages. Although there were quite a few tourists in camp, we would only be accompanied by one more, Richard from Paris who came up on the truck with us. We had a few more beers and headed back to our hut. Early start in the morning.

Akha Hill Village.

Day 4 – In search of Night Life

Our last evening in Chiang Mai. We decided to try out “Ratana Kitchen”, as recommended in the Lonely Planet guide. We tried the traditional Northern Thai starter platter which featured a strange tasting spicy sausage. After dinner Monica wanted to find a bit of night life. She had read about a street that had a few bars she wanted to see. The trouble was she had forgotten to bring the guide book. Not deterred we went back towards the moat to find the place.

One of the Gates to the city.

We searched high and low, up and down the back alleys of Chiang Mai. Our bearings were completely messed up. The moat wall seemed to be a magnet as we were forever turning out of an alley to be confronted by it. We were convinced it was the south side but it turned out that we had spent 45 minutes walking around in circles.

Then Monica spotted a bit of neon lighting outside of the moat. We headed for it. The discussion before then, apart from me wanting to enter the first bar we came across, was how relaxed Chiang Mai was compared to Bangkok, with none of the seediness. Until we found the source of the neon. Chiang Mai’s very own red light district. Bar after bar of young local girls playing pool with retired westerners. A grim sight.

Seedy part of town/

We had given up the search and decided to head back home. Out of nowhere we found the place that Monica had wanted to go nearly an hour and a half ago. Finally, we could sit down and have a few beers.

Carnaval de Nerja 2010 – Polvo

Walking down Pintada heading towards Plaza de España, I was accosted by a group of “Ladies of the night”. Cue an impromptu lesson in the significance of the Spanish word “Polvo”.

Working outside the Church.

As far as I knew, “Polvo” means “Dust”. Nothing more nothing less. So when the young girl draped her arms around me and said “¿Quieres echar un polvo?, whilst tickling my face with a feather duster, I thought she wanted to dust me. Being quite flustered at the time, I managed to stammer my reply of “No Gracias. Soy limpio!”.

Oh how the others laughed. I spotted the “Quorum” lot from school and thought I´d better ask Mari-Carmen and Nathalie. It turns out “polvo” has quite a few meanings.

Apparently, it is quite a common thing for a professional lady to enquire if the gentleman would like to “echar un polvo”, meaning “have a shag”. So I suppose the reply of “Soy limpio” was apt, meaning “I’m clean” or “I’m innocent”. Not the use of Ser as opposed to estar!

Another Spanish Lesson from "las chicas"

In common with English, the phrase “estoy hecho polvo” can be used when you are really tired, to mean “I’m shagged”. Other uses of “Polvo” other than to refer to dusting are “depressed”, “to be ruined” and you can also “bite the dust” with “morder el polvo”. A new favourite of mine will be the expression “limpio de polvo y paja”. “he ganado diez millones de Euros limpios de polvo y paja” meaning “I´ve won a clear 10 million euros”. I wish!