Dedicated to a wonderful Mother Jean Noble 31/5/1929 - 20/8/2007 - may we never take our mothers for granted. - Goodbye Mum

SPAIN PAGE 2 JANUARY 2008.

Few “tribes” have had an impact on the world more so than the Spanish. It's language is spoken in many countries, particularly South America, and increasingly in the USA. Spanish explorers are legendary. The paintings above are from Pablo Picasso This multi-talented artist was born on 25 October 1881 in Málaga, Spain to José Ruiz y Blasco and María Picasso y López. We are currently starting our cycling in his home town. Knowing little about this country, Lee and myself are here to learn... Plus tell “our” story about this land the way we see it... Warts 'n all.

Thursday 17^th January 2008. Torremolinos to Marbella Cabopino Campsite.
Approx. 35.34k's Average Speed 11.74kph Cycling time 3Hr(s) 0Min Max speed 43kph Max temp we recorded 21°C

After completing SOME of our financial problems with the help of our good friends Anne & Graham.. we are able to move on... Until we complete the rest of these “problems” we have NO choice but to remain in Spain... For the time being we can cycle :-) We can ONLY use the freeway – there are NO, none, zilch!!! Other options. Met this great guy who runs the tourist bureau from a 16/17^th century battlement..

We mentioned some of the difficulties we had experienced in the accommodation area... He tried the local 1 (one) star hotel, extremely basic, neat and clean, run by a nice old lady, but woefully overpriced €34.00 ($AUD60.00).

(Just to add some perspective here, the minimum wage in Spain is 20 Euro's per day (Source: local daily paper) (about $AUD35.00). Around Malaga we saw people living in “slums”, reminiscent of the slums seen in the Philippine's or Calcutta India, although certainly not in the numbers one sees in those places. It SEEMS as soon as a “tourist” is seen, that prices are not as “normal” as would otherwise be... I am probably wrong, however, I fail to see how an average person can stay anywhere in his/her own country given the high “relative” prices?)

He then put me in his car, to try the caravan parks. First one he negotiated a price about €15 ($AUD27.00) , then took me to a second where he got the price down from around €21 to €17 ($AUD30.00). We thanked him for all his help and went on our way. The first Caravan park – Knowing he was not with us - tried to steal OUR PASSPORTS... This is the park....

And bellow you will find the thief that tried to get away with it... Of course you should NEVER give your passport to a total stranger... This person thought he would somehow cover himself, by getting us to sign a document in Spanish.. At NO time was he interested in the money. His TOTAL focus was on retaining our passports.... For whatever purpose – Who knows! “Identity Theft” cost the world, over TWO Billion US Dollars last year... Just handing your Cards, Passport etc..to anybody that demands them, is a complete “No-No”. Sure let them copy details, as required by tribal law – but not retain them for extended periods without excellent cause – e.g. as in the case of a consulate issuing a visa..

Pointless reporting the person to the police as I am certain the Spanish “version” (His version) is the ONLY story that will be believed. Plus if he is corrupt, then he will have a perfectly legitimate cover story. See this for perspective http://tinyurl.com/2ldxrk and this http://tinyurl.com/2rplkk NO justice in Spain...

We are now in the second park that our guy showed us... They are so much more professional...

Friday 18^th January 2008. Torremolinos to Marbella Cabopino Campsite.
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C

After some deliberation we decided to remain and take some Spanish lessons which are included in the price of the campsite. As stated before we MUST remain in Spain until our financial reasons are overcome. The campsite itself is like a “First World” refugee camp. A cacophony of accommodation types and colours spread amongst what appears, hundreds of acres... The population seems to come primarily from Britain with other “Northern European(s)” in some numbers. There are NO Australians at this park! (Always knew Australians are a clever mob :-) ) The person(s) that own this “licence to print money” are dripping with wealth, as evidenced by their own infrastructure... The “refugees” on the other hand get nothing more than basics.... The “stiff upper lip” is everywhere :-)

We hope that by learning some Spanish we can try to understand our situation. We see little or no “happiness” here, (amongst the locals) there MUST be a reason we are seeing this. Normally one must look “inside oneself” to see the problem. We have both done this and are still confused. At the two parks we have stayed at, it is decidedly uncomfortable to be in contact with the “Warden” (that's how it feels). Abrupt and unhelpful to an astonishing degree, as have been shops and other public places we have had contact with. There are some exceptions of course - The HUGE exception is the guy who helped us yesterday. He had been to New Zealand (Met a girl) and stayed 10 Months... He also spent 10 Days in Brisbane Queensland, so has seen a little of “our” tribe. Both Lee and myself are going to continue to try and be as cheerful and pleasant as possible with EVERYONE we meet... Usually a smile is infectious – We certainly hope so :-).

Saturday 19^th January 2008. Marbella Cabopino Campsite. To Campsite near Estepona
Approx. 27.73k's Average Speed 12.39kph Cycling time 2Hr(s) 14Min Max speed 51kph Max temp we recorded 17°C

Unable to stay at our “refugee camp” any longer “the bad feelings” between management and us, just unbearable... We moved south and chewed up some more kilometres. Pulled into another “refugee camp” with the usual mix of British and “Northern European” refugee's. Our “Governor” today is MUCH more pleasant (The big beaming smiles must be working)... It is $AUD3.50 cheaper than previous – hope this one has hot showers – same sort of deal. No grass just a gravel site

(They call them pitches here), no toilet paper (they sell it to you) and astronomically overpriced facilities.

Catchya Later.....

Sunday 20^th January 2008. Campsite near Estepona
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded 16°C

As we cannot move on to Africa until we resolve our difficulties with our finances we must remain Spain. No hassles here, day staff need a “face transplant” in order to smile... and if he barks any more we will give him a bone :-)

Monday 21^st January 2008. Campsite near Estepona
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded 16°C

Remain in limbo....

Tuesday 22^nd January 2008. Campsite near Estepona to Campsite within 25ks or so of Algerceras
Approx. 35.97k's Average Speed 11.84kph Cycling time 3Hr(s) 2Min Max speed 54kph Max temp we recorded 15°C

Rose at 05:00 to ring the bank re our problems... Looks like a bumpy ride until it's sorted... The “ banking world” has no “box” for someone who takes a long journey lasting “years”... Anne, Graham and Jo have been invaluable as a support for us back home, as have our family and friends. We thank you ALL from the bottom of our collective hearts!

Went back to bed after the call and slept a troubled sleep. We got up and decided we will cycle on to within reach of our exit point. (The place we exit Spain) Along the way we met a great pair of guys... Both with interesting stories. The guy on MY right had a “quadruple” bypass then hopped on a bike and cycled Europe for three years... He is now as fit as a “mallee bull”. The young guy on my left is a competent cyclist – he rides a tandem with his wife – They are about to embark on a circumnavigation of Spain, their tribal lands. After which he will write a book about his experiences.

The current “refugee camp” is somewhat cheaper than some and the same price as our last one. ZERO facilities and a pricing structure that would sicken the most hardened “corporate supporter”...(excluding the brain dead of course) Here it is bellow

We cannot continue with Europe due to costs. Spain has been a “financial” nightmare and we cannot last much longer given the prices of even the most basic of commodities. We are both under no illusion as to our next step!! Africa is a troubled continent, Many countries are in turmoil, none more so than Morocco. Of course we do not know what we will meet. My Daughter Sharon went there some years ago (Pic's can be seen on the index page) and found it enthralling. We have no itinerary so are free to explore as circumstances permit – or – leave if we must.

We sign off today with a sad point... Our fellow cyclists and Adventurers Andrew and Joanne Hooker have abandoned their ride relatively close to their goal of “Three oceans on Three wheels ©”. I will reprint their statement here, it can also be seen on their website. They were instrumental in us starting our trip and provided the inspiration for us to pedal.

When we started this 3 Oceans on 3 Wheels trip we were filled with a ton of excitement, expectation and wonderment, and month after month as our trip progressed we experienced so many wonderful and amazing places, met so many wonderful, warm, hospitable and fabulous people. But as good as all of that was, as time has gone on and the miles have disappeared under our tyres we both began to enjoy the trip less and less, not so much because of the places we were seeing or the people we were meeting, but because the road is a hard task master and has been wearing us down physically and mentally.

For some time now we have been filled with indecision and wonder about where our trip has been heading and that somehow the dynamics of the trip had changed, the goal of reaching the Atlantic Ocean and thereby completing the 3 ocean trilogy no longer seemed that important any more. We spent quite some time considering a number of options but there was nothing that felt or seemed right, so the only logical conclusion was that it was time finish this ride, and to go home.

We have both recognised that we love the outdoors, especially being in the middle of nowhere, surviving by our own means and challenging ourselves, and we have also recognised that we are not good at the city to city, town to town thing.

So now it is onto another small adventure, getting ourselves and our gear home. We are fortunate enough to have friends back in Arizona where we can sort, clean, package and organise it all from, and that is where we will be while we sort it all out.

Over the course of our trip many of you have been sending us messages that encouraged us, telling us how much you have enjoyed riding vicariously with us, we have kept and cherish them all, and we thank you for them. Some of you will be disappointed with our decision to finish, we too are disappointed that the trip is over, but at the end of the day, we know that we have made the right decision.

We are not sure where life is going to take us next, hopefully there will be more tours, though maybe slightly shorter than this type of epic, and we will no doubt report on them if and when they happen, but in the meantime we will be returning to Australia to see our family, 3 children and 9 grandchildren.

Thank you for riding along with us.

Andrew & Joanne.

We salute you both, anyone that can cycle 40,000+ kilometres of the toughest terrain on the planet deserves and has rightly “earned” the respect of many. You have cycled the Arctic, the Canadian mountains, the Australian outback, Continental USA. You have encountered Freezing temperatures, Polar Bears, Brown Bears and all the Aussie “nasties” one can think of..... Just to name but a small fraction. We will cherish the memory of crossing the Nullarbor with you (Something you two have done twice!)... and read your stat's with awe. Take care and good luck on life's next adventure – We are CERTAIN there will be one from you guys :-)

Wednesday 23^rd January 2008.Campsite within 25ks or so of Algeceras To Ceuta Spanish Morocco.
Approx. 26.35k's Average Speed 11.68kph Cycling time 2Hr(s) 15Min Max speed 51kph Max temp we recorded 11°C

Cool and a very “wetting” mist greeted us and stayed around until about midday. Cycled the 22 or so k's to Algeceras then boarded the high speed ferry to Ceuta Africa.

SUMMARY European SPAIN

Spain for us was “Andalucia” and the coast road at that. We had little contact with ordinary Spaniards. Those people we did meet were exceptionally warm human beings. As a cyclist, Spain has a lot of work to do, to catch up with Western Europe... We did see quite a few Spanish cyclists, braving the busy coast road. In fairness the Spanish motorist was kind and polite to us and without their courtesy(s) we would have had a much more difficult time. “Bravo” “Bravo” is a word we often got as we rode past. We also met a guy (Juan Carlos Sedeňo) Juan was born in England, but speaks only “intermediate” English and identifies as Spanish. He is about to embark upon a “tandem” circumnavigation of his country. My understanding is, he will write a book on his findings. I hope he translates the book into French and English as well as his native language, to get as much penetration as possible. The weather and countryside is distinctly different to it's northern neighbour(s) It is pleasantly mild despite it being January. We both thank the Spaniards for their hospitality.

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