That strange period of disorientation seems to be hitting me less and less as the days go by. I have been staying in Malaga, a town in the South of Spain after taking a twelve hour overnight train from Barcelona. Málaga is the major coastal city of Andalucia and is a genuine and typical Andaluz city with a gritty individualism untouched by tourism and, to a large extent, the passage of time. More accurately I am staying in a coastal suburb 20km away from Malaga called Benalmadena, in a Five Star Beach Resort courtesy of RCI. I have been living in my own apartment for about eight months in South Africa and it feels good to return to my own comfortable space even if it is only for a few days.
Ofcourse it is also an added benefit to have a view of a the Costa del sol out my window. And I think for the first time in my life I have found blue skies that rival the clear blue of the Johannesburg winter sky. Although that moment of awe would be brief shortlived as the rain seemed to follow me everywhere I went. Malaga is also filled with British tourists, infact it would probably be easier to find fish and chips than tapas on the coastline.
Coush surfing somes to the rescue again as I met up with an American exchange student from Missouri, Sarah, for a drink. We then later went out with her friends for trivia night with somer of her friends. I still think it is the most fun I have had in Spain so far. We came second place which equalled a free shot when we realised I had missed the last train to back to the hotel so I had to stay the night with Sarah in her spare bed. Her manner is almost identical to my cousin and childhood other half, Kavita. I havent seen her in years so it felt nice to be close to someone who reminded me of her.
The Alahambra
So the next day I set out to Granada as everyone said I should. ¨There is a huge punk and grunge scene you have to see¨, they said. So i got on a bus a trekked for two hours to the neighbouring city only to find that the rain clouds didn´t dissipate with distance as they did back home. It was pouring and miserable and seeing that I didn´t not go out back to the Hotel I ended up spending an extra three euros to buy another Umbrella. Having come all this way, I refused to leave without makingmy way to the Alhambra,anold Arabian Fort dating to Spain´s Arab days. The architecture is astounding and it kind of took the edge of my grumpy mood. On the walk down the hill I happened to stroll into a shop in search of postcards and managed to strike up a conversation with the salesman. He was a Jazz enthusiast from Peru who said he had been to South Africa (!). He had stayed in Kempton Park and took great pleasure in recounting his trips to Newtown to visit the Jazz Clubs. He insisted that I stay with his niece when I make my way to Lima, so we will see what happens.
From Malaga I have decided to take a bus to Sevilla. If the weather is good I will stay the night, If not I will head back to Madrid and then off Toulouse in France. Until then...
