Walk on the Wild Side

Despite the cold weather there have been plenty of opportunities to go out into the mountains behind the Costa Blanca and use the cold weather gear we bought for the Patagonia trip.  Before going away we mostly walked in t-shirts here in Spain and we remarked when enjoying walking in the snow in Chile that we ought to get out in less favourable conditions once home.  As you go into the mountains it is amazing how quickly you get away from civilisation and into remote areas where the very few people are outnumbered by wild boars and birds of prey.

We have been on some good walks with the Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers since New Year, two of which have been led by our friend David from Monte Pego.  He sets a good pace, which you need especially when walking in frosty conditions early in the morning. 

On the other walk the leader had the difficult job of managing the quicker walkers and some who were looking for a more sedate pace.  The compromise solution of walking quickly for short periods then stopping while we all got cold left him getting criticism from both sides - at which point he got lost into the bargain!  Walking politics were in evidence from the start.  At one point when he decided to stop he was asked "is this a banana stop or a water stop?".  When he tried the obvious line "it can be whichever you want it to be", he received the response "you should be telling us if you are the leader"!  And this is what people do in their retirement for relaxation - perhaps people love all the politics that go on in offices and just can't do without it?

David claimed he was supportive of the leader throughout, which doesn't really explain why he was heard shouting loudly "you should be alright from here" when we were about 150 metres from the bar at the end of the walk as we arrived a good 45 minutes late.

On the second of David's walks we were joined by a mythical group of elite walkers that we have heard about but not previously met.  They call themselves the A Team and only show up on the more challenging walks.  Disappointingly none of them resembled B.A. Baracus, but having said that the sight of a well-built black man with a mohican wearing a gold chain just wouldn't look right around here.  I stand out enough as it is.


BA Baracus - from the other A Team

Away from the Costa Blanca walks of course we strike out on our own too - learning the routes that they take us on and trying some of our own.  A regular favourite is the trip from our house around the Segaria ridge opposite to the village of Benimeli and back over the mountain home.  

The view of Segaria from our house

It's a 2.5 hour round trip with some great views but can take longer depending on how long you stay in Bar El Hogar in the village square.  However with the ascent of a 500 metre mountain to follow the bar, limiting beer consumption is the best strategy.

Bruce; Jane & Su on an official banana break overlooking Denia

On this occasion we had Bruce and Jane for company who are over here for the weekend to stay at their house in Denia.  It was really great to see them.  They had warmed up on the friday night with a trip to Aitana tapas bar (see previous blog entry) where Bruce attempted to order not one but three bottles of water which led to a predictable level of disdain from the owner.  Clearly having learned his lesson, non-alcoholic drinks were dispensed with for the rest of the evening and after a trip to their favourite late dancing establishment, El Silenci, Bruce was not looking at his best for the walk.  Of course we took no prisoners and set off at our usual pace (well maybe a little faster!) and having learned from the pros we structured the walk properly with designated water and banana breaks.  It was great to be out in the fresh air and we were all rewarded for our efforts with some warm sunshine and a suitably large dish of Arroz Negro at El Tresmall afterwards.

Food, Glorious Food

After unseasonably warm sunny weather with temperatures around 20 degrees, winter finally arrived here last weekend as we finished our run on Oliva beach in a flurry of snow. All our variety of heating equipment has been deployed at the house which was not designed for such cold weather.  When grey skies and rain arrive in this part of the world we often resort to one of our favourite pastimes - having a good lunch!

The region around Denia is well known for the fresh seafood that is hauled out of the Med and landed at the port every evening.  It is interesting to watch the bidding at the market but a lot more fun to sit around the corner in Aitana seafood tapas bar where there are no menus or prices and very few seats but it is always busy.  Plates of calamares, prawns, clams, mussels and fish are served by the cheerful Timo. Well, he is cheerful until someone makes the mistake of mentioning the recent smoking ban, or, still worse, orders non-alcoholic beer or water with their food, which clearly perplexes him.  I earned two suspicious looks, first for eating a mussel with a fork (stupid, I know) and then for declining a third glass of beer on grounds of driving (he poured me some more anyway).

The Valencian coastal area is however more famous for being the birthplace of Paella - now available anywhere in Spain as well as frozen and in packets in supermarkets the world over.

The flooded rice fields seen from Monte Pego

Like much of the fertile low-lying coastal strip, the marshland here between Pego and the sea was used for rice production by the Moors after they invaded early in the 8th century. Rice is still produced here 400 years after the last of the Moors were deported by royal decree from the port of Denia back to the coast of north Africa. After living here for nine centuries they left their mark here through language, architecture and farming techniques such as irrigation but perhaps it is in the food where their influence persists most.

On smallholdings (huertos) near the rice fields, locals began the traditional cooking of rice in large, wide, shallow round pans (called paellas) over wood fires. The rice is added last to a saffron-rich meat stock in which vegetables grown on the huerto such as beans, peppers, tomatoes and onions are also cooked. Whatever meat is available from the huerto is also added - typically a selection from chicken, rabbit, duck, pork and snails.  Having not eaten Paella for a couple of months that was inevitably our choice when we went down to the beach to our favourite local restaurant El Tresmall last Sunday.

Beyond the traditional Paella Valenciana described above which is eaten by families and friends on Sundays and made during fiestas in huge pans for the whole village to share, there are many other versions such as the seafood one made with delicious fish stock and local shellfish. Some restaurants offer up to 50 different rice dishes, some of them dry like paella while others are moist (meloso) or served in soup (caldoso). Another favourite of ours is Arroz Negro where the rice is cooked in squid ink from which it gets it's characteristic black appearance.

Whichever rice dish you choose for lunch it should be washed down with a glass of beer or wine and followed by that other great Spanish institution - the Siesta. There is a temptation on hot summer days to get in the pool afterwards but this is inadvisable as the rice seems to continue to expand for several hours after eating. So after an afternoon consuming rice, curling up on the sofa next to the log fire is the only option on a cold winter's day.



A classic post-paella siesta by the log fire!



Down-time

It is often said that after a good holiday one needs a good holiday to recover and our trip to South America was no exception. However for once we have the privilege of relaxing recovery by eating healthily, going running and walking in the mountains and reading by the pool. In fact we have even been in the pool a couple of times after running. At 10 degrees it is like an ice bath and does wonders for aching legs.

Monte Pego as always is a great place to rest, but is even quieter than usual.  When our house was finished in early 2006 building was still in full swing but construction vehicles are no longer seen here. Fewer people live here too as Brits on fixed sterling pensions return home because the exchange rate isn't what it was while others from all over Europe find that a second home is no longer affordable.  The property boom is well and truly over and a number of nearby new developments exemplify the state of the national economy.  Most aren't even being marketed - there is simply no point in trying to sell them. The Spanish economy was over-reliant on the construction and property sector which has collapsed and the government is struggling to deal with 20% unemployment. Meanwhile the international financial community worries whether Spain can pay it's debts.

Articles blaming American banks or Greece and Ireland for the economic woes were common here in recent months. But now I sense that, at the beginning of 2011, the warm glow of Spain's World Cup win and Rafa Nadal's grand slam tennis titles is finally being replaced by the cold wind of reality. On top of the financial crisis this is also the quietest time of year from a tourist point of view and local businesses have to struggle through to the summer. Many won't make it.  More and more empty shops are appearing and of course the many businesses targeted at UK immigrants (or ex-pats to use the preferred term) have a shrinking market to aim at.

Where this will all end economically is anyone's guess. In times past the Peseta would have crashed making Spanish real estate and holidays cheap and bringing much needed revenue and jobs. But now, tied to the euro, there is no quick devaluation route out of the mess. Unlike the US state of Nevada, which has similar problems to Spain, there is no federal government to finance the pension deficit and of course cultural and language differences make moving countries to find work difficult for most. So Spain has the disadvantages of monetary union without the benefits of political union and the government is virtually powerless to take action, short of the doomsday scenario of pulling out of the Euro.

So around us the economic suffering looks set to go on for a long time but at least the sun is shining, Rafa is still winning and the Spanish national team are still world champions.  If only the Irish and Greeks hadn't got us into this mess...

Back Home

We arrived home on Tuesday night from London tired but very happy.  Happy to have had a great trip but also to be home and to have the chance to rest, cook our own food and reflect on the journey.  Easy Jet even arrived 20 minutes early, which is almost unheard of.

We have now added photos to the various blog articles written while we were away in South America so, if you are interested, have a look back through those to see what the Baobab Hotel, Iguazu Falls and Copacabana beach really looked like. Below is an album of another set of photo highlights that didn't make it into the blog entries.

South America 1

We hope you enjoy them! Thanks in the meantime for all the positive feedback we have received about the blog.

A Fond Farewell and a Warm Welcome

After a relaxing last day in Santiago eight of us went out for a farewell dinner organised by Yvette at a large place which has dancing from various parts of Chile. An excellent MC introduced the acts while running through an impressive range of jackets of various lengths, cuts and colours.

The stage retracts so that when the dancers have finished the professional bit there is room for them to dance with some suitable victims from the tables.  With Strictly Come Dancing style audience participation on the cards and being sat at the table of nearest the dance-floor we knew we were in the firing line so it was heads down and hope for the best.

I ordered the poor man's steak which was a large sirloin served with lots of chips, caramelised onions and two fried eggs. About 80% of the way through and beginning to feel rather full I was whisked onto the dance-floor to perform with a handful of other unfortunates. I have to say I was concentrating more on keeping my dinner down than where I was putting my feet but I think I did ok. Fortunately it happened at such speed that few photos exist (Su took a nice close up of my knee and a couple of shots of other people).

Following the main performance the MC led his band through renditions of old Chilean favourites which got most people on their feet but didn't mean much to us. Imagine a Chilean at the English equivalent and not being familiar with the Birdie Song or Agadoo...

However before long they switched to 70s disco music and Su was in her element, proving to be our group's most tireless dancer. Returning home at 230am wasn't perfect preparation for a 24 hour journey back but it was nevertheless a good night all round and an excellent way to say farewell to Chile and South America after five weeks.

Su, Yvette, Jay, Claudia & Gustavo on the floor

The 13.5 hour flight from Santiago was only 45 minutes late but that was enough to miss our connection. Iberia blamed everyone but themselves and offered us a new flight a mere nine hours later. Fortunately we got on a standby flight instead and arrived just two hours late, having called Sally to rearrange the cab that she had booked for us to take us to her and Keith's place for the night.

On walking through customs I thought the driver holding our name board looked very like Keith. It was Keith...and Sally!  It was fantastic to see them and to be collected. It was really nice of them and made our day after a long journey. We have been looked after very well by friends on both sides of the world.

Santiago

The last stop for us on this trip is Santiago, capital of Chile. We travelled here last Sunday arriving late after a long trip which began with a 4am start heading out by bus to the geyser field at Tatio (the geysers are at their best in the -8 degree temperatures before dawn), passing through some interesting villages and ruins on the way to Calama airport, where we heard the news of two quite large earthquakes in southern Chile (7.1 and 6.5 on the Richter Scale).

Fortunately after the huge earthquake last February in nearby Concepcion, this time there was no serious damage. However the relatively small percentage of old buildings in Santiago is testimony to the many earthquakes that have hit this part of the world.

Santiago is a very civilised place with everything you could need and it feels a good deal safer than Rio. It is also clearly growing and more prosperous than Buenos Aires as the many cranes on the skyline suggest.  For sure, like the other South American states, Chile has inequality and poorer areas but it hides it well and seems a bit more at peace with itself than Brazil or Argentina and more organised. On the other hand, despite the greater prosperity, stability and the incredible diversity of fantastic scenery it has a lower profile than some of its larger and more famous neighbours.

In the city centre

We have six days here and our great friend (and Spanish teacher) Yvette has given us a fantastic guided tour around the city and the outlying coastal city of Valparaiso.

It has been really nice to spend some time with Yvette and Jay sampling the restaurants and bars, meeting friends and doing some sightseeing.  Our superb tour guide has shown us  the historic centre of town, we've eaten lunch at the legendary Donde Augusto (Yvette was greeted by the man himself) and drank a number of Pisco Sours.  We've looked down on the world heritage site of Valparaiso from the Brighton, our museum-piece of a hotel, and been round the newer up-market beach resort of Vina del Mar by horse-drawn carriage.  On the way back to Santiago we sampled the wines at a vineyard in the beautiful Casablanca valley.


The view from the apartment


The feeling of being more at home has been added to by renting a serviced apartment rather than staying in a hotel. After five weeks of buffet breakfasts and eating out twice a day it was a treat to have a night in cooking pasta.  We ate it while watching the sun set from our balcony over-looking the river and hills while sipping some local wine. Thanks to Ana, our other Chilean friend who is also here, for helping us with the apartment.

So we have reached our last night here before the long journey home begins via Madrid and London.

Lost in Translation

Being in Argentina and now Chile has been a great improvement after the language problems we had in Brazil. However, the more significant misunderstandings have generally been either when speaking English or when (as frequently happens) people assume I am Brazilian and launch into Portuguese. The woman from the car hire company assumed I was Brazilian until I showed her my UK driving licence at which point she said: "you are from Ukraine?". I assume she hasn't met too many Ukranians if she thinks I might resemble one.

As happens in Spain some of the translations into English on menus can be misleading so if you want to be sure what you get it's best to stick to Spanish.  The same is true of the safety demonstration on the Chilean airline, LAN, where the stewardesses read out the English version such that it sounds like it has been put through the verbal equivalent of a food processor.  I'm sure we frequently get our own back when speaking Spanish.

More confusion came on a walk in Argentina when our guide stopped to show us a plant with yellow flowers which he said was used as an ingredient in "Beak Bappa Roop". We all looked blank until someone worked out he meant Vick Vapor Rub to everyone's amusement. When in Chile a few days later we saw the same plant I asked the guide if it was used in Beak Bappa Roop he said yes without hesitation.

Our favourite "lost in translation" was in a lakeside restaurant in Puerto Varas that sold the local freshwater fish. They had decided to continue the theme on the bathroom doors such that the Gents are "Salmon" and the Ladies, rather unfortunately, are "Trout"!

Our most difficult conversation in terms of language came at lunchtime on our New Year's Eve day trip. We sat down to lunch with four people from Catalunya and were having a good chat to them in Spanish when a Brazilian couple came to sit next to us on the long table at which we were seated. For the next half hour we struggled to hold a conversation because they spoke some Spanish but with very heavy Portuguese accents. It was a shame because they seemed such nice people.

It turned out that the Brazilian couple were having dinner in the same place as us that night and they came over to wish us a happy new year. We were with a German couple speaking English at which time we found out that the Brazilians spoke English too!  For some reason earlier in the day it never occurred to any of us to try English.

Communication gets easier on New Year's Eve

On New Year's Day we went out to lunch with Sandra and Rolf, the Brazilian couple, and chatted for three hours with no problem at all.  The only odd moment was when a local came and told me slightly aggressively that Chile was a better country than Brazil. When I told him I was from England he wouldn't believe me. When Rolf our (white) Brazilian friend told him he couldn't sit with us the local left saying to Rolf: "you English are cold people"!