I exit the bus depot and there is only a single cab waiting for passengers. Someone gets in and it drives off and then I wait, and wait, and wait... this isn't your typical transit hub where cabbies are lined up for waiting tourists. Finally a taxi shows up. I show him the address of where I need to go and in about 10 minutes we are there. It was funny... tourists walking all over the roads and the taxi just gingerly keeps pressing the gas so as to move the pedestrians out of the way of the moving car.
I have a very hard time finding my hostel. I walk in the wrong direction, back-track, and back-track and then after about 10 minutes of walking I find it - a doorway with a very small sign nestled in between outdoor patios. In hindsight, it should have taken me less than a minute to get there from when the cab dropped me off. Even the reception desk is hidden away to the far left side, it's only about 3 feet in length. The tiniest most well hidden reception area I've ever encountered.
Jésus checks me in and gives me the rundown on everything. I am in a six-bed dorm. I take the "lift" (as they call an elevator in Spain) to my floor. Hmmm... first impression is not too bad except my suitcase doesn't fit between the very narrow area between a set of bunkbeds and the wall. I like my bottom bunk at the far end of the room. A proper humungous under the bed locker (similar to the one in Barcelona) and they have an additional six decent size lockers for smaller items. The bathroom doesn't look too bad - at least it's clean! I throw suitcase and all into the locker, lock it up and head out and about.
I am looking for the grocery store that Jésus says is just down the street. I don't see it but I find a whole bunch of patios so decide it's a good spot to have lunch. As random luck would have it, I am dining in the square that is known for being the birth place of Picasso. I order a hamburger for lunch. It arrives, I cut it in half and it is super pink inside. Hmmm.... I know there are places in the world that eat under-cooked hamburger. Yikes! I take one bite of it and can't stomach it. I flag down the waitress and tell her that I cannot eat that hamburger. She says she asked that it be well done. I show her the meat and tell her that it is not what I call well done and that it needs to be cooked much longer. She apologizes and takes it away. Eventually a whole new burger and fries shows up. I cut it in half and it looks good. Unfortunately, this entire area is swarming with flies. It makes it super hard to enjoy a meal outdoors but outdoor dining is 90% of the dining in Spain. I use a bunch of napkins to cover up my food. The napkins in Spain are the tiniest most useless things you've ever seen. Thin and very small. I usually need about six of them just for an average meal.
Back at the hostel I meet two of my roomies: Mara from Germany and Hamie from South Korea. Both very nice young ladies and we have lots of conversations over the two days we spent in the same room. When I say I'm from Vancouver, they both light up and their voices reply in such a nice affirming way that you just know they have heard only good things about it.
Hamie says she doesn't work and she doesn't go to school but she's been travelling for two months. Never did find out what she studied in school. She is lugging around two humungous suitcases, she has all the technology including a nice-sized battery operated fan that she is constantly blowing on her face.
Mara is 22 and studying Economics and Art. She thinks she wants to be a tax auditor. She has done a semester in Guadalajara, Mexico and speaks Spanish quite decently. She has also spent some time in Toronto.
This hostel is in a prime location. There is nothing between it and the Alcazabah fortress.You have a nice view of the fortress walls from the top 5th floor lounge. Unfortunately, the hostel's website photos are misleading. The lounge is actually open to the public and is priced accordingly. 7 Euros for a drink! I think not. It is a lovely lounge with white leatherette sofas and of course the view is great. It seems to attract a lot locals as they are dressed up waiting for the elevator to take them upstairs which means us hostel types have to take the stairs or wait several minutes for the lift. The exterior style of the hostel is very nice, with old-fashioned shutter type windows,french doors that lead to a juliette balcony with more shutter-like windows that open. It makes for a nice breeze in the room except for the fact that the room was never meant to house six beds. My bed is situated such that you have to close the french doors in order to open the locker underneath my bed. Sadly, the patio cafes at street level attract a majority of smokers so cigarette smoke can be smelled inside the room and in the common areas of the hostel. The first night, the ceiling springs a leak and floods the bathroom. Hamie goes to get someone to deal with it. The "fix" is to put a bucket with a towel inside of it in the bathroom and that's where it remained all three days I was there. I bet that is not the first time that ceiling has sprung a leak as they didn't seemed concerned about it whatsoever. No apology, no discount, no changing rooms. I left a review pretty much to that extent too!
I want to go and explore so I head up to what looks like a castle in behind the hostel. I come to learn that this stone structure is called the Alcazabah (a fortress) It was built by the Hammudid Dynasty in the early 11th Century. It is the best-preserved Alcazaba in all of Spain. It is a steep climb, holy cow! The 360 degree views make it worth all of the huffing and puffing to get there. Not only are the stone walls an amazing thing to be able to walk around and through, the views are breathtaking. It's about 6:30 PM on Sunday night and I get a free admission after 6:00 PM on Sunday. Bonus!
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| I was unaware that bull fighting rings still exist - they do and are active |
I walk back down the mountain and am so glad I went up there. The views were spectacular. I shower and then head out to find dinner. There's a bunch of restaurants within a minute's walk of the hostel. I settle on a pizza place. It was so-so. 11 slices of pepperoni on the entire pizza. It definitely left a lot to be desired. Oh well, it filled me up and that was the purpose I guess.
I return to the hostel, put in my ear plugs, and then my Bose noise cancelling earphones tuned into Spotify and sleep solid until morning. So glad I brought all that stuff including a sarong which I safety pin to the bed frame of the top bunk and it hangs like a curtain to give me some privacy on my bottom bunk
In the morning, I follow the directions from the reception desk on how to find the shopping area of Malaga. In hindsight, now that I have a lay of the land, did he ever send me on a round-about way. In any event, I find the shopping area and am stunned at how beautiful it is. Honestly, I can see how the Las Vegas hotels came up with their concepts. At times, I could totally convince myself that I was in a shopping mall in Vegas but in actual fact I was outdoors in Europe - the ambiance is just that stunning.
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| The type of shop where you select all of your adornments and they make it into a hat |
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| Baking potatoes |
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| Hamon |
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| All the tables and chairs get packed up every night and the plaza is hosed down |
Bakeries are a dime a dozen in Spain. I find one and order a coffee and something to eat (I don't recall what). Probably my go-to hamon and cheese baguette.
I wander in and out of shops enjoying all that I'm seeing. I head back to the hostel during Siesta time (2:00 - 4:30 PM). It's so very odd to be out and about shopping and all of a sudden shops start to shutter up and turn out the lights. Not much to do during this time of day except eat as restaurants and bakeries stay open but almost all retail shops lock it up.
After I'm showered I head out for dinner. Don't know what I feel like tonight and it ends up I find myself eating tapas. The only good one out of the bunch was the octopus. The tuna was thoroughly cooked and I prefer pretty much raw tuna, and the pork wasn't to my liking. Just like last night's dinner, it filled the stomach. That's about all I can say about it.
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| L-R: Octopus, Tuna, Pork |
Back at the hostel, I take my laptop and sit in the common area until almost midnight typing on my blog all about Granada.
I sleep well. As soon as I wake up I take all my laundry and look for the new Lavomatic (laundromat) that recently opened down the street. I find it no problem. Geez Louise, this one is even more pricey than the one in Barcelona. This one is 5 Euros ($7.50 Cdn) to wash a single load but drying is 2 Euros for 20 minutes of dry time and my clothes actually do dry in only 20 minutes so in the end it came out cheaper than Barcelona laundry. While my clothes are washing I cross the street and find a cafe. I order a toasted baguette with marmalade and a cafe con leche (coffee with milk). I don't drink milk in my coffee at home but here the coffee is just way too strong for me.
I'm just going to wander around today and see what I can see. I have plans to meet up with a member of my Sacred Lomi Ohana, Amor, who lives in Marbella. He posted a few months back on our private FB group asking if there were any members living in Spain. I replied that I didn't live in Spain but was planning on traveling to Spain, and now here we are planning to meet one another for the very first time.
I really didn't pack enough clothes. I really haven't seen any tank tops for sale - perhaps that season has already passed in Spain. Despite the hot temperatures, by my standards, I've seen plenty of sweaters, winter coats and winter boots in the stores already. Dresses, dresses, dresses. It's the most common thing for sale in every shop. I very rarely wear dresses at home except in the summer months so am not really shopping for dresses.
Amor and I are messaging back and forth to find a time and place to meet. We agree to meet in the "Centre". I wait for him by the fountain. Eventually, we spot one another and greet with a big smile and a good hug - Lomi Ohana are very much like that. How cool! We try to find a relatively quiet street and have a coffee and conversation. So awesome to meet a like-minded person who understands LomiLomi and all that it offers to the giver and receiver.
Amor tells me that Malaga is like a Village. It looks like a big city but doesn't feel that way. As we are sitting having coffee, someone comes along that knows Amor... that's what brings us into the conversation of how, in a city this size, does a familiar face just come along especially when Amor doesn't even live in Malaga any longer? What are the chances of running into someone you know when you come into the city for a day trip to meet up with a stranger you've never met before?
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| Meeting up with Amor |
I wander around for a bit and then stumble across the Carmen Thyssen Museum. My hostel recommended this place. What the heck, I'll go take a look. Museums aren't really my thing but I do enjoy it. It's only three small floors and big enough for me. Lots of historical paintings from 200-300 years ago in Spain. Interesting.
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| My favourite painting. The faces were so realisitic. |
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| Street art |
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| There are 3 or 4 of these in a row. They are various types of recycling bins and garbage dumpsters. I can only assume that it's like a garbage chute and there are larger bins underneath the street because I saw people throwing some massive things into these bins. |
I go back to the hostel and get changed. I want to climb up to the top of the Alcazabah one last time before I leave Malaga. The views were so memorable. I time myself. It only takes 20 minutes to get to the top. It felt like it took so much longer the first time I did it. This time it costs me 3.50 Euro to get in the gates.
The Alcazabah closes at 8:00 PM. They make an announcement advising everyone that the gates will be locking. Time for me to go. So glad I came up here one more time. So worthwhile.
Right beside my hostel are the remnants of a Roman Theatre from 1 A.D. I can hardly believe I'm seeing such a treasure in person.
No clue what I'm going to eat tonight. I'm trying to evade some guy that is walking with me and talking. I suspect "they" have marked me as I was listening to this group of guys from Senegal (so the guy talking to me tells me), drumming and singing. I really liked it a lot so I gave them some money. But I stood and watched for a good 10 minutes so I gave them more money... I think that's what caught their attention. Anyways, I slowly sauntered away and about a half a block away this guy is walking beside me making conversation. He says he saw me watching the musicians. My radar is working overtime. He just keeps walking with me and talking. In an effort to lose the guy, I just walk into the first restaurant where I can go inside and sit down. What a very good decision that was.. The food was the best I had eaten in Malaga.
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| Greek salad (with tart green apples) - definitely not the typical Greek salad. Wild Mushroom Risotto. Both dishes were very delicious. |
It's about 10:00 PM now so I walk the block or two to my hostel and call it a night. Looking forward to moving on from Malaga and seeing what Ronda has to offer.
I am catching the noon bus from Malaga to Ronda. Time in the morning to have breakfast. I wander the streets but there isn't much open at 9:30 AM Eventually I do find a place and order a hamon and cheese croissant with a cafe con leche.
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| The "secret sauce" to my favourite drink: Tinto de Verano |
Back at the hostel, I grab a cab to the bus depot. I have pre-purchased my bus ticket with the help of Hamie. I couldn't figure out what bus line goes from Malaga to Ronda, and then I have found that certain site won't let me plug in the date. Well Hamie clued me in to the fact that the dates only work if you're on the Spanish version of the site (it doesn't work in English).
Next stop - Ronda!
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