Day 140 6th December
No cycling, but a bus ride from Malaga to Benahavis
I woke up early at 6 and listened to the radio, got up at 8 and went to the baker’s for bread, cheese and chorizo sarnie for breakfast, which I shared with a cockroach in the kitchen. This was to become a day of extreme contrasts. I then checked out of the hostel and locked all my panniers together in the luggage room for the next two days. A nice bonus was that the guy on the reception gave me €5 for my key deposit, but I’ll take it as compensation for being nearly crushed by the roof falling in. My walk to the the bus station was a pleasant one as it is Constitution Day here and the first of two bank holidays, which meant an almost deserted town centre.
Window seat on the bus
Malaga to Benahavis
The bus left at 12 and I had just enough time for a coffee and to let Peter Staunton, my friend from work, know I was on my way, via the Turkish café’s wifi. Peter met me at the bus station and drove me to his beautifully renovated apartment next to one of the many golf courses in this area around Benahavis. It is stunning and although there was a lot of storm water damage it is still an idyllic place. Security is tight and as you approach the gated entrance you need a mobile to hand so that you can ring the gate telephone number to automatically open it. I met Christina, and had a lovely cup of tea and a sarnie with the bread I had left over from brekkie. They showed me to my double bed and my bathroom!
Bedroom
We then went to Caffrey’s Irish Bar and it was good to chat. Back to their apartment and while Christina prepared dinner we drove into Benahavis for a look around and a cheeky half. Back again at the 4 bed apartment I changed for dinner into my black jeans and dress shirt. I then met our dinner guests for the evening, Rene from Bulgaria and Jeremy Thompson and his wife Lynne. We had Christina’s delicious home made canapés in the kitchen before moving to the terrace for dinner. A fantastic meal in good company with the wine flowing and in a wonderful location, was a far cry from the hostel I left this morning, where I had to find hot water in another part of the building and share my brekkie with a cockroach.