September 15, 2015
Never A Dull Moment: Cadiz to Sevilla.
I returned to the same hostel, Casa Caracoi in Cadiz. But as I write now in Sevilla, from memory with a time-elapse of two weeks in which I've written nothing and find it hard to put into words events since then. And as I've come to the same place I was almost a year ago and will continue into Portugal upon exactly the same road as last year, I thought it would be useful to read my journal from last year's tour, starting from where I entered Morocco...
For me it read like a good travel-book. And even if I say so myself and self-praise is aloud, I think it is well written, bad punctuation notwithstanding. It's an adventure to read and to relive. I also like that there are few photos to distract attention, indeed some pages have no pictures at all and those that have, have about one. Though what photos there are really count and are representative. In general last year's journal put my present journal in the shade, as now I find it hard writing in an interesting way and reading back the latter pages of my present journal have bored me. I can only imagine how dull readers have found it. The thought of closing the journal in a few weeks when I finish the European leg of this tour, has crossed my mind. But then again, I may regret doing that in a few years time, not having continued to write when I went to South America.
For better or worse, I've recently come to regard my journal as an online ordinary diary, open to whoever should wish to eves-drop.
In the familiar street outside the door of Casa Caracoi I've just lent the bike against the wall when, receptionist Gigi opens up. He is surprised to see me and welcomes me back. Then having returned behind the reception desk, says there are no beds available, but I can sleep in a hammock on the roof-terrace.
That night I go to sleep in the hammock, but wake-up during the night freezing cold as I'm wearing only a tee-shirt. I get out and go to my bag and get a warm-top and put it on. Then I get back into the hammock too quickly and it rides up like a child's swing, tipping me out the opposite side and I fall to the concrete floor of the roof-top. Luckily though I break my fall with my forearm and am able to rise un-hurt and get back into the hammock, this time with greater care.
That first night in a hammock would be my last, as there are available beds the following day.
There are a lot of new faces this year, until by co-instance. Mathew from Munich who was here last year at the same time as I turns up and then Domenik from Berlin, also here last year come a day later. Then Irish girl Nessa who was on crutches last year, is now an English teacher in Cadiz and visited the hostel.
One thing I miss about this year's stay in Cadiz is the hostel excursion to Bolonia beach, which is chancelled due to not enough people signing up.
The ride to Seville wouldn't make interesting reading. I've been in the city a week, staying at Hostel Sevilla Inn; another great hostel. And either because I've been busy getting the journal up to date, or have just been bored with writing, there's nothing more to put here.
I didn't take any photos either in Cadiz or the ride here, except for yesterday, here in Seville. Then had a tedious mind-numbing couple of hours editing the photos and uploading them to the journal using slow wifi. Sometimes I just hate digital photography.
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I know I should have written something more, now I remember. Two things actually.
When I fitted the new bottom-bracket bearings a few week ago, I over-tightened one of the five millimetre alley bolts on the lefthand crank arm. I just wasn't concentrating properly at the time, or I's in a rush to finish before dinner. Anyway, the alley-key slipped and rounded the bolt-flats and with it came the worrying prospect of difficulty not being able to un-screw the bolt to remove the crank should I need to fit a new chain-ring, or eventually the next time the bottom-bracket bearings needs replacing.
I showed my bolt problem to the mechanic who works with the hire-bikes in the hostel in Cadiz, and he brought me and the bike to a workshop that do scooters, where the mechanic used a ball-pin hammer and punch with a four mil alley-key head to perforated an alley-key counter-sink, so the bolt could be un-screwed. So problem solved. And Pelo, the bike hire mechanic provided me with an old bolt he had in his work shop as a replacement.
I have learned my lesson now. Do not over tighten bolts.
I actually was needing the bolt extracted sharpish as remember, the cassette and chain was worn. I've renewed them here in Seville and also got both front and rear hubs serviced in the bike shop, Bike Life in the city centre.
Secondly, Alison Addicks and her partner Eddy who have a journal here on Crazy Guy, where in town, so I got in contract and we met up.
We'd a nice chat over a lunch drink and tapas and I enjoyed their company for a few hour.
I like the story they told about trying to hitch-hike across Europe back in 1971.
The would-be young hitch-hikers made it from London to Dover and via Hovercraft to Calais, then to Paris. But on southbound roads out of Paris, there was a long queue of hitch-hikers waiting for a lift. So they returned to London.
Eddy is originally from the Netherlands and shortly after they found themselves in Holland visiting family, where there was a cheap deal going on new Fait 500s. They bought one of the small Italian cars and drove it across Europe, realising their original plan. Then sold it in southern Europe for more than they paid originally.
Here's the link to their journal.
Today's ride: 184 km (114 miles)
Total: 10,127 km (6,289 miles)
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