I'm wide awake....after all it is already 5:30 in Germany and 11:30 in Saigon!
5:30
TL is still snoring away.....
5:44
Is THAT light at the horizon?
At 6:30, I realize that this light was something else because the dawn brightness is happening somewhere else....
7:00
NOW the light show really begins ;-)
Moon with dawn clouds
By 10:00 I've walked into town I have rented myself a mountain bike for 5 days.....
OOPS, where did the day go?
MUST ride the bike to the Supermarket to replenish supplies!
16:30
LAZY day! Time to take the bike out and look for recycling containers .... all that paper, plastic, and glass should NOT go on to a landfill !
 |
| Found them ;-) |
Now what does my eye spy over there?
The plan is to go out for dinner tonight..... but then it gets WET outside.... WHAT does that remind me of?...... Oh, right !
I bless the rains down in Africa, LOL.
21:30
Then it happens. It all starts with TL's statement that Laos RENTS access to the ocean from Vietnam for its NAVY.
Repeat please?
Laos has an ocean-going NAVY?
Sure, just like Switzerland has a NAVY.......
I check Google.... NO mention of a Swiss Navy....
They build tunnels through mountains too !
Well YES, but the actually DO HAVE mountains, so the tunnels make sense.... but they do NOT have an ocean, so Switzerland having an ocean-going NAVY seems STRANGE.... and that is wording it conservatively!
All of a sudden, TL gets abusive: Believe what you think...... you are stupid....!
And it was ME who was drinking all that wine.... is THIS what they call a Tempest in a Teacup ?
Time to go to bed; I'm sure the storm over the Swiss ocean will have died down by tomorrow morning!
5:30
Time to make some coffee ;-)
It is surprisingly balmy outside when I have my cigarette barefoot and in shirt sleeves ....
6:30
The first sign of the new day
Everyone is still sleeping but I am feverish to go on a bike ride to see the sun rise.
7:30
I am still the only one mobile in the whole house....8:15
No one is having breakfast yet? ODD...
8:30
WOW!
My "GOOD MORNING" is answered by a VERY terse "Hi". No one talks to me, except the 10 year old......
COULD IT BE .... that the Swiss Navy is STILL sailing ?
Laundry is loaded without a question of whether I want to add something. The family sits down for breakfast in the other room without a word. And I don't blame the kids.... they don't have a choice of who to ally with.
I undertake repeated efforts at being acknowledged but by 9:00 I'm thinking that if nothing happens in that regard by noon, I will be moving out of here.
As the Dalai Lama says:
"Surround yourself with positive people".
9:45
I am not happy but PROUD of the accuracy of my gut feeling!
TL tells me that THEY are going to town. I ask her directly to her face whether she is going to talk to me again normally or keep up the silent punishment ..... she just shrugs her shoulders with a cold face.... then she tells me that her niece will show me how to put the key in the key safe when I leave.
LOL. That's IT !
I have enough crazy pouting relatives to put up with THIS BULLSHIT.
I am not going to be the Whipping Boy just because someone pays TOO MUCH attention whether the Swiss have an ocean-going Navy or not. Too bad she doesn't even have the courage or dignity to tell me to my face that I'm no longer wanted here.
 |
| The Three Furies (YES, that's where the word Furious comes from) |
But I suspect that this is not really the issue. Someone has long-standing issues with their opinions not being taken seriously.
And I just happened to HIT THAT BUTTON by making fun of the Swiss Navy!
Ah Well, if that is the extent of my guilty action, I can live with that.
10:45
I've booked a new place for the next 3 days.... just waiting for them to tell me how to pick up the keys.....
Now that the rush to relocate is over, I have time to assess my feelings.
I feel emotionally BATTERED ! This all reminds me of Wanda Woman living above Khokum and her nutty antics !
But I'm wiser now and there is wine ;-)
11:30
Still no answer from the rental agency !
Ideally I would like to avoid seeing my 2-night hosts here again before I leave but I might actually have to stick around to borrow their phone to call the rental agency, LOL.
12:15
I discover that Booking.com charged me THRICE for the SINGLE available room at the OTHER hotel, for which the booking did not go through. WTF?
What is this day turning into ?????
13:15
STILL no contact with the apartment manager.......
13:30
The cleaning lady arrives! Yo necesito un poco de ayuda. She calls the number. Then she has to text them via WhatsApp.....
13:45 STILL NO ANSWER !
That's already TWO rental places that are dysfunctional on this island and it is starting to give me the CREEPS !!!!
14:00
THEY are back. NOT a single word is directed at me......CREEPY..... my bags are packed and I only need to throw my computer in there....within 2 minutes I shoulder 2 backpacks, hop on the bike and I'm out of there...
there are TOO MANY people on this planet who just SUCK the positive life force out of you!
The two-days ago bar is closed, but at least I get to skim their WiFi and use the strange Servicios.
Now that I'm riding through this town, I"m glad I didn't walk to this part yesterday. Your typical UGLY tourist main strip packed with FAT OLD sunburned tourists ogling useless JUNK in overabundant tourist stores.
THERE: Slow Boat Chinese Wok......That shouts: Food & WiFi
Oh, there is an answer from the apartment owner. 15:00 is the meet time..... it's 14:30 now.... I have to eat FAST ;-(
But the Green Curry Chicken is YUMMY, even though no love was wasted making it....pre-cooked and nuked... not enough veggies...but a huge portion.
English cooking?
But the actual curry sauce is good enough for me to take the left-overs home.
The owner shows up at 15:05....... his family is still cleaning the place...
OMG, this place is HUGE........
Alas, NO corkscrew in the drawer..... must keep that in mind when I buy wine ;-)
16:30
I'm back in my apartment with wine, yogurt, bread, GOAT cheese (not the soft creepy stuff, but the REAL stuff), chorizo, baguette, and a carton of Winston.... AND a corkscrew ;-)
I'm exhausted (it was QUITE a day ;-) but its too early to veg out. I should hop on the bike and ride around the block.
At first I'm very confused by the view below......then I realize that Halloween must have spread to Spain. CRAZY World!
4:00
That's enough sleep..... there are also quite a few issues I have to address today....
REAL coffee from a coffee maker for the first time in a LONG time... of course, I ruin the first cup by loading it with two spoons of SALT...
Sufficiently awake, it is time to plan the return journey for Saturday and Sunday.....
... recent events have made it necessary to make this a two-day retreat ....6:00
I am realizing in spurts that yesterday's drama also has its benefits... Of course, the company is gone now, leaving me cut off from socializing, but I also am free again to be myself. Get up at 4, make coffee, no longer a need to consider my actions at any moment because I'm just a house guest.....
Change is GOOD ;-)
6:15
Armed with the map on my phone in my pocket and the recycling in my backpack, I ride into the dawn....
Recyling delivered. ...Yesterday, I e-mailed TL with a request to put my left-behind 6 packs of cigarettes on the inside of their yard perimeter wall (hey, that's CAN$ 90!) ......
and I'm actually SURPRISED that they are NOT there. There must be SO MUCH HATE eating at her from the inside..... I can understand being MAD at someone..... but refusing to return their property.... that's beyond my comprehension!
How am I handling this crazy affair?......
bits of anger, disappointment & disillusionment well up occasionally but I am surprised how I a am NOT seething with anger......and what would be the point?......
Lesson learned..... Move on !
7:00
I'm back in my place......
Time for some BREAKFAST !
Goat cheese & Chorizo on a crunchy baguette ;-) I am HOME, lOl.
8:00
9:45
I've finished watching The Great Wall on Netflix..... an odd and not particularly excellent movie....
....but a FABULOUS movie in other terms......because of the moral:
Go to Asia to appease your conscience and rediscover your humanity ;-)
11:45
Noon is early enough to take the first shower of the day... isn't it? LOL.
12:00
It's time to go on an adventure ;-)
 |
| From the outskirts of town..... |
 |
| ...to the Outer Outskirts of town.... |
 |
| ..... to .... this reminds me of Barstow California, LOL |
The lazy devil wins and I turn around !
When I do, I realize how high I have climbed already:
 |
| going DOWNHILL is MUCH easier ;-) |
 |
| hay pescados ! |
 |
| WHAT is WRONG with these people? Such a desperate NEED to belong..... I mean..... Jesus already loves you, you say.... why the NEED to join clubs ....? |
I'm back at Chez Chris .....
Wow, that bike ride took something out of me.....
Time to buy some bread and check out that e-bike rental place.... maybe I'll make it up Camino Caldera tomorrow ;-)
NO ONE breaks ground like this anymore ....
Late Roman period decadence has set in ....
Late Roman period decadence has set in ....
"Dissatisfied? Just CONSUME and you'll feel better ...."
What a horribly BORING century the West lives in!
4:00
Enough sleep?
5:30
I'm utterly undecided what to do with my last full day...... attempt the Camino Caldera AGAIN?..... but this time with MORE wine and maybe water & food ? But then the first half of the trip would Parts Known .....
6:45
It's colder this morning and a bank of clouds hides the Eastern horizon... good thing I didn't head out early.
8:00
A CUNNING PLAN is taking form for the next 10 days....... 4 days in Malaga, then a plane to Casablanca, LOL..... I was thinking about Lisbon but the hotels are too fucking expensive there..... but they are very affordable in Morocco ;-)
AND THEN : THIS SONG IS A HINT ;-)
We shall see ;-)
10:00
WOW, good SLEEP ;-)
I didn't miss anything: it's still overcast and coldish ;-(
In addition, it's been quite a while since I had a REST DAY, and starting tomorrow, there will be more high-paced action....
12:00
ENOUGH Sloth!
The skies have cleared and it's JOE-and-the-volcano-day today !
....here is that point where I turned around yesterday..... have some wine....
There is a spot where everyone seems to stop to look into a caldera!
and there are chip-munks!
Keep going? Why not ....
At first I think that I'm trying to take a picture of a vulture......
Where is a real camera when one needs it? but it's just a Raven.
I've come over the top ......
Yes, I will turn around and head back.
13:45
I'm back.....
15:15
Time to bring out my recycling.... wine bottles, yogurt containers, empty cigarette packs...that stuff does NOT belong in a landfill !
18:30
Waking up I fill full at first..... until I see a picture of a fish dish at the restaurant around the corner on TripAdvisor..... MUST HAVE, LOL. AND I'm living across from a church AND it's FRIDAY, LOL.
It's highly rated and it's 60 meters away from my apartment.... HOW could I NOT go?
It's around the corner and I get LOST, LOL.
But that's a good thing because otherwise I would not have seen THIS:
I finally find the restaurant....... and it gives me the CREEPS.... there is not a single Spaniard in there. Instead, the guests are ALL BRITISH.... And we all know what the British know about food ! But I also hear some German words floating around the room as well)
Since I'm speaking my particular blend of Spanish (lOl), the waiter asks "German or English?" I have to answer "Soy Aleman pero vivo en Canada"... Judging by the confusion leaving his face, that explanation seems to explain my particular accent...
I can see the reason for the fascination of the British instantly: The aioli in the HUGE pot is LOADED with garlic.
The food arrives QUICKLY.... The portion is HUGE... the fish is FRESH (it's some meaty white fish without ANY bones)...
I can't even finish the portion... OK, so maybe I could, but while it tastes good, it doesn't taste overwhelmingly so ;-(
I shouldn't have had that coffee back at home..... I'm still wide awake at 23:00 ..
6:30
Only 4 hours until check-out time ...... the rush is about to begin again....
7:25
I discover that I LOVE rooms that get flooded by light when the sun rises ;-)
8:15
One last load of sink laundry -)
8:55
A quick recycle and restock trip .....
10:30
I only want to SLEEP, but I have to leave soon.... and a mini nap of 10 minutes actually does the trick
I leave at 11, dropping off the key, then cycle to the bike return with backpacks back and front, and then walk to the bus stop.
It all works flawlessly! Until that fat bus driver with his door open sees me running towards his bus, closes the door when I'm 20 meters away, backs up, and drives away....
Ah well, Karma will deal with it ;-)
Unfortunately, the next bus does not leave until 12:05, 50 minutes later....
A short 10 minute wait for the #3 connection in Rosario and another grumpy bus driver drops me a few hundred meters from my new hotel....
OMG, when booking I didn't realize that I'll be staying at a 4 Star hotel.......
My room is supposed to be ready.... but they have to check it again..... HOW LONG is that taking... I'm almost done with my glass of wine in the cafeteria ...
OK, this is NICE ;-)
What I already noticed from my room, becomes even more obvious. The hotel sits right in the extension of the airport's runway and every 10 minutes there is a roaring sound and a plane turning North over my head....
I'm getting peckish and there is a 'Tapas Beach Bar'.
Chilled red wine..... (it's PERFECT)........
... and easily the best Tuna Salad I ever had.... it contains pieces of mango, walnut, kiwi, and I don't know what else is hidden in there.
What I didn't count on was that as soon as I'm away from the hotel, there are NO sidewalks and NO street lights...
Even when I get closer to the gas station, I find myself walking through poorly lit and badly paved deserted alleys......
20:30
I'm feeling peckish, so I head down to the bar to get some food.
Pan-seared octopus tentacles with garlic & coriander sauce?
I am in Spain after all, I might as well eat Spanish food, no?
In the news:
Vancouver is being drenched with 50-80 mm of rain and 70km/h wind .... NASTY...... Heavy rains and storms killed 17 people in Italy last week..
The food arrives.
OMG!
When I ordered this, I was imagining those tiny or at least small CRISPY grilled octopus arms I've eaten in Cambodia and Vietnam.....
The thing that just arrived on my plate is the size of and flops around on the plate like a quite big flaccid penis. But a penis with SUCTION CUPS!
I surprise myself when I actually finish off both these thingies !
What a horribly BORING century the West lives in!
 |
 |
| and there it is AGAIN: Late Roman period DECADENCE..... FAT bored people stuffing their bodies and shopping bags REVOLTING, really .... |
The e-bike place is CLOSED...... the waiter next door tells me that this is because it is.....
All Saint's Day!
maybe tomorrow...
4:00
Enough sleep?
5:30
I'm utterly undecided what to do with my last full day...... attempt the Camino Caldera AGAIN?..... but this time with MORE wine and maybe water & food ? But then the first half of the trip would Parts Known .....
6:45
It's colder this morning and a bank of clouds hides the Eastern horizon... good thing I didn't head out early.
8:00
A CUNNING PLAN is taking form for the next 10 days....... 4 days in Malaga, then a plane to Casablanca, LOL..... I was thinking about Lisbon but the hotels are too fucking expensive there..... but they are very affordable in Morocco ;-)
AND THEN : THIS SONG IS A HINT ;-)
We shall see ;-)
WOW, good SLEEP ;-)
I didn't miss anything: it's still overcast and coldish ;-(
In addition, it's been quite a while since I had a REST DAY, and starting tomorrow, there will be more high-paced action....
12:00
ENOUGH Sloth!
The skies have cleared and it's JOE-and-the-volcano-day today !
... and keep going
 |
| Smoke? It's going to blow! |
 |
| More HILLS |
.... and the road is downhill from now on.....
I'd have to come back up if I went down there .....
time for some reflection....
13:45
I'm back.....
15:15
Time to bring out my recycling.... wine bottles, yogurt containers, empty cigarette packs...that stuff does NOT belong in a landfill !
 |
| Rich people! |
 |
| Tourists |
 |
| Naaa.... that beach is WAY TOO PACKED for me ! |
Waking up I fill full at first..... until I see a picture of a fish dish at the restaurant around the corner on TripAdvisor..... MUST HAVE, LOL. AND I'm living across from a church AND it's FRIDAY, LOL.
But that's a good thing because otherwise I would not have seen THIS:
I finally find the restaurant....... and it gives me the CREEPS.... there is not a single Spaniard in there. Instead, the guests are ALL BRITISH.... And we all know what the British know about food ! But I also hear some German words floating around the room as well)
Since I'm speaking my particular blend of Spanish (lOl), the waiter asks "German or English?" I have to answer "Soy Aleman pero vivo en Canada"... Judging by the confusion leaving his face, that explanation seems to explain my particular accent...
I shouldn't have had that coffee back at home..... I'm still wide awake at 23:00 ..
7:25
I discover that I LOVE rooms that get flooded by light when the sun rises ;-)
One last load of sink laundry -)
8:55
A quick recycle and restock trip .....
10:30
I only want to SLEEP, but I have to leave soon.... and a mini nap of 10 minutes actually does the trick
I leave at 11, dropping off the key, then cycle to the bike return with backpacks back and front, and then walk to the bus stop.
Ah well, Karma will deal with it ;-)
Unfortunately, the next bus does not leave until 12:05, 50 minutes later....
A short 10 minute wait for the #3 connection in Rosario and another grumpy bus driver drops me a few hundred meters from my new hotel....
OMG, when booking I didn't realize that I'll be staying at a 4 Star hotel.......
My room is supposed to be ready.... but they have to check it again..... HOW LONG is that taking... I'm almost done with my glass of wine in the cafeteria ...
OK, this is NICE ;-)
Time to go out:
What I already noticed from my room, becomes even more obvious. The hotel sits right in the extension of the airport's runway and every 10 minutes there is a roaring sound and a plane turning North over my head....
Chilled red wine..... (it's PERFECT)........
16:30
That's IT. I am BEAT.... travel exhaustion or just last night's less than perfect sleep?
18:00
I have a hard time waking up...... no wine and no munchies in the room either..... and tomorrow morning I will have to leave before breakfast even starts.... I have to go shopping!
The receptionist confirms that Spanish gas stations DO sell food (you never know!). Google Maps says it's a 1 km walk each way....
20:30
I'm feeling peckish, so I head down to the bar to get some food.
Pan-seared octopus tentacles with garlic & coriander sauce?
I am in Spain after all, I might as well eat Spanish food, no?
In the news:
Vancouver is being drenched with 50-80 mm of rain and 70km/h wind .... NASTY...... Heavy rains and storms killed 17 people in Italy last week..
The food arrives.
OMG!
When I ordered this, I was imagining those tiny or at least small CRISPY grilled octopus arms I've eaten in Cambodia and Vietnam.....
The thing that just arrived on my plate is the size of and flops around on the plate like a quite big flaccid penis. But a penis with SUCTION CUPS!
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