15th April - 14th May 2008

Such a funny week - Wednesday 14th May

I'm at the airport in Valencia at the moment waiting for my flight to Italy where I'm going to meet Ed. My flight doesnt leave until 19:35 and its 14:30 at the moment so have seven hours to kill. Its just started raining outside and they've announced some flights are going to be delayed. What's the bet I'm going to be here longer than 7 hours? The weathers actually been shit the last few days although I've been glad at times when I have to carry that backpack around and this stupidly heavy laptop. I actually thought it had broke again the other day but it seems working for now. The last two nights I've been staying with a Polish girl called Sara who I contacted through couchsurfing. She's a really nice person and the only one who offered me a place to stay even though she has had a busy schedule with studying. So whilst she's been at university the last few days I've been exploring Valencia, which my first impressions were that it seemed quite rough and run down. It is unlike anywhere else I've seen in Spain so far because it's much more "Spainish" and a lot less touristy (which is definitely a good thing), but means its a lot more difficult to communicate. Although going places like this and meeting the people I have over the last few weeks (which all seem to be able to speak about 4 languages) has really encouraged me to learn another language.

Before I arrived in Valencia last Saturday, I spent four days in Barcelona which I loved. Had a brilliant time there because I met a couple of Canadians, Joel and Carly who were staying in the same hostel as me. We went around and saw the sights in the day and went out every night we were there. I Haven't laughed so much in quite a while. Joel ended up getting so drunk the last night he walked into a concrete block. Then later on in the night he fell off his chair in the bar and now I've just read an email which Carly sent saying that he ended up falling out of the top bunk in the hostel later that night. He must have been in agony the next morning but they had left before I checked out. The only bad thing about the whole week was that both of them got robbed on two different nights by the pickpockets which Barcelona is swarming with. Carly got her camera stolen the first night then Joel got mugged without him knowing it because he was so pissed. It's shit that people can do that but apart from that it has been a quality week and I think they'll both agree. Now onto Italy...

Alicante and Madrid - Saturday 03rd May

I left Lauren at the campsite in Benidorm yesterday and caught the shuttle bus back to Alicante airport. When I got to the airport, still not knowing where I was going, I checked my email and found directions to the house of some couchsurfers in Alicante who had at the last minute offered me a place to stay. Not really in the mood to work out which bus I had to catch I jumped in a taxi. Straight away I was reminded how difficult it is when you leave the bubble of a tourist resort where everyone can speak English. The driver couldn't speak English (and neither should he have to) and I can't speak Spainish but it was pretty obvious he didn't know where I wanted to go, so after taking a detour to ask one of his taxi driver friends and then pushing his secret little button, which every taxi driver in the world seems to have, that adds 4 euros to the fare it cost over 20 euros. Just as well I would be having a free night on someones floor! I found the flat I was looking for and rang the buzzer but no answer so rang the guy who had left his number in the email and he said it would be another hour before he got back. I went and got something to eat and I mean "something" because I dont know what I ordered due to my laziness to learn even the simplest bit of Spainish. When the couchsurfer got back he texted me so I rang the buzzer again but still there was no answer. After another five minutes I rang him again and I found out I had been ringing the wrong buzzer. Hmmm this couchsurfing thing isnt as easy as I thought it would be. He let me in the front door and told me which floor he was on. I then went and knocked on the wrong door. A spainish woman came to the door. I dont know what she was going on about but she didnt seem too happy (probably because I had been ringing her buzzer for the last hour). When I finally found the right door I walked in and there were five people sat down in what looked like a students flat. Funnily enough it was. The flat belonged to three guys who are studying over here and have several different couchsurfers stay every night. I must admit walking into someones flat who you contacted on the internet who you've never met before, probably will never see again, surrounded by faces you've never seen before in a country where you cant speak the language certainly is a strange experience. Especially when they all introduce themselves, half the names I couldn't pronounce and the other half I forgot as soon as I heard. I've never been any good with names, especially people who I'm pretty sure I'm never going to see again. Most of the night was spent sat around having some pretty random conversations, most of them that I couldnt join in because I didnt have a clue what the hell they were chatting about. Still I was pretty glad I had found a place to sleep at all and it was pretty good of the guys to allow me to stay at the last minute even though they seemed pretty used to total strangers sleeping on there floor.

This morning I caught the train to Madrid with a girl called Veronika who had stayed at the flat the night before. She is from Austria and learning Spainish over here which made things a whole lot easier when she could talk to the Spainish and I didnt have to try and go through what I went through in Japan - stumbling through with gestures, sign language and lots of pointing. When we arrived in Madrid four hours later, she had to catch another train to where she was living but she helped make sure I got on the right train towards the hotel that I am staying in at the moment. I was so tried last night when I booked it I didnt care that it cost 70 Euros. Although that was the cheapest thing I could find at such short notice. I'm just realising what a rip off it is when I'm trying to survive on a budget. I wanted to stay in a hostel unfortunately I forget how hard it is to try and book for weekend at the last minute. I remember saying this when I went around the world, but cities really bore me unless they have something different about them and Madrid doesnt. Or not as far as I can tell. I'm moving onto a hostel tomorrow night then going to try and carry on to Barcelona..

Working out what to do next - Wednesday 30th April

Yesterday me and Lauren caught a boat to Calpe and spent the day there. The weather has been lush except for Monday when it was overcast and so went to the shopping mall where Lauren bought a top but ended up falling over and breaking her phone. Not really been doing much else except laying on the beach and by the pool which is what I plan on doing today. Spoke to Ed and going to meet him in Italy on the 14th of May for two weeks so now just have to find something to do between when Lauren leaves on the 2nd and when I meet Ed on the 14th. Thinking of visiting Barcelona and Madrid for a couple of days. Have contacted a few people on couchsurfing.com to find somewhere to stay but haven't heard anything promising so far. Might end up sleeping on the beach yet!

Benidorm nightlife - Saturday 26th April

Have been staying on this campsite for four days now. Last night we went out to experience the Benidorm night life and Saw Sticky Vicky (see photos). Spent most of today in bed hung over. Went out for a nice chinese earlier on then I was still feeling rough so decided to have an early night. Laurens gone out to meet up with some guys she met last night. Tomorrow were supposed to be going horse riding. I'm quite looking forward to leaving Benidorm Friday but still havent sorted where I'm going next.

Holiday before the traveling starts - Wednesday 23rd April

I've been in Spain with Lauren for just over a week now staying with Laurens grandparents, Jo and Jeff, who have lived here for the last three years. They have a nice Villa up on a hillside in a place called Bella Orcheta, about a 10 minute drive from a little town called Villajoyosa. On the whole the weather has been pretty good and Jo and Jeff have been brilliant letting us stay with them, driving us around and taking us out for some nice meals. Spent a couple of days chilling out on the beach and led by the pool. Went on several walks around by a lake and up around the hills where Jo and Jeff live which is all very scenic. Yesterday they dropped Me and Lar at a campsite on the outskirts of Benidorm, which is a town full of people who don't want to live in England but still want to live the English lifestyle. Everything here is British and tacky and I dont think I've seen anyone in Benidorm so far who is under 50. Last night me and Lauren went out for a meal, then walked back along the beach and ended up in a bar with drag queens doing a show. I've never seen anything so cringeworthy in my life and couldn't help keep thinking how the Johnny Vegas show "Benidorm" pretty much sums up this place. British tourism at its worst. We're staying here for the next ten days which is about nine days too long but the campsite we're staying at is nice and cheap, you get a free breakfast and it has a massive swimming pool which no one else uses. So thats what I've done my first week "traveling" although happy to treat these first two weeks as a holiday and stay in one place as no doubt will have plenty of traveling to do in the coming weeks. Got to go now because were going on a free trip to a blanket factory this afternoon (dont ask).