Day 127 23rd November
26miles Ave 7.4 Max 27 Odo 4036 3hrs 31
Up early at 8am having been a bit nervous that Woody and friends may have woken in the night.
Bed in the playroom
Toys shelf – they’re harmless
I had a shower after saying good morning to Lucia and Diego before they went to school. Then tried to swap Raul’s pannier rack from his old bike to his new but it didn’t fit. So as he would be bringing my bags tomorrow I offered to take his bag in my rack. Then we set off for Alcaucin via Velez, Malaga where I used a garage for air. My right knee was a bit sore for a while but eased off after a while. It was good to ride out with Raul and we chatted most of the way.
Brian and Raul on the road
We had lunch at La Era; menu of the day, which was lovely; yellow bean and meat soup and chicken and chips with salad, bread and creme caramel all washed down with Tinto Verano.
Restaurante La Era
I’m not sure how much it was, as Raul paid while I was in the loo. He is sneaky like that and so generous. I offered him money later but he would only take €10. Then the hard work started with a 7km climb up to the bungalows. I’m not used to riding on a full stomach and carrying the extra weight was tough on the digestive system. Soon settled down and we took photos and videos of each other and the scenery.
Fantastic scenery
We got to Alcaucin and I took photos of the same place I had 7 weeks earlier at sunset after that tough day to reach here last time.
Alcaucin in daylight
Raul showered and got ready for his English lesson. We had been discussing his Seat Marbella on the ride up the mountain and how it had belonged to his father. I cycled down to the shops where I stocked up for three days. When I finally got back up 2km to the bungalow Raul was still there – the car’s wiring had caught fire and he was waiting for a tow truck.
The tow truck has arrived. What a day!
It turned into an expensive day for him as he had to get a cab home.