Camping en España

Today and yesterday I was able to cross three items off of my "Spain Bucket List!"

     Yesterday afternoon, we packed up at Kayla's apartment. I've been camping many times before, but was still surprised to see how much stuff we needed for just one night! Everybody had a heavy load on their backs, but I was the turtle! I carried around the tent, which is wrapped up in some circular carrier--it was awkward to load the bus on our way to the mountain!

Brad, Andrew, Kayla, Sally and I [am the "turtle"]

     About a ten-minute bus-ride later, we were in a small pueblo outside of Murcia. We climbed up through the town and passed a really neat looking graveyard. From the outside, it reminded me of the above-ground tombs that I visited in Lafayette Cemetery, New Orleans this January.

Some places just have this pull...I HAD to come back here.

     As out of shape as I mentioned that I was in the last post, I had a bit of difficulty climbing up the slopes. There were a lot of loose rocks, and not a very pre-trekked path. On our way up, we stopped to pick some tasty lemons on the outskirts of an orchard. They made our water taste twice as refreshing!

     Eventually, we got to a road where people can drive most of the way up the mountain to picnic or hike around. We walked up the road for quite a bit; I was glad to get back to sure-footedness. At any point on the way up the mountain, you could turn around for a beautiful view. Even halfway up, we were already so far above the city! Once we made it to the top, I felt like I should've been in a plane to get a view like this.

     There was a clearing with picnic tables and a great view of an even higher peak of the mountain. We tried to casually avoid the picnickers, as camping technically isn't allowed there.

The level Kayla is standing is where we camped. Spoiler alert: the next day we hiked all the way up to that peak!

We made it to our campsite!

     We spent quite a bit of time searching for firewood. I think the guys enjoyed awakening their inner cavemen (or monkeys?) by jumping up and ripping down huge, dead branches from trees and carrying them back to our site....although I think we enjoyed it just as much.

Kayla brings home the bacon

     Before we got the fire going, we climbed up a bit further on the mountain and watched the sunset on the city. It was just amazingly beautiful--I probably took a thousand pictures of it. We went back down and cooked hot dogs and s'mores. So, sooo yummy. I had forgotten how much I missed the perfect combination of cookie, marshmallow and chocolate...

After filling up on s'mores, we went back up to get a view of the city at night.

Andrew in a little cocoon outside (the girls got a tent!)

     The next morning we all woke up a bit groggy and sore... there's something about sleeping outside that really seems to throw off your body clock. We packed up camp and hid it behind a boulder. Little did I know: we had much more exploring to do!

Me at the very, very tippy-top. I can't believe I made it!

     We climbed up even further, to the peak of the mountain that we saw when we first came to the clearing. Andrew, Sally and I found a great spot to watch the mountain climbers. Sally and I laughed that we pigged out on chocolate as the climbers did their strenuous workouts. It made me want to climb so much! I'll have to take a class as some point.

We watched a jacked 65-ish year old man embarrass the younger climbers. Dayum.

     After a few hours of chillin' up top, we headed back down to camp to continue chilling and prepare ourselves for the long trek back down the mountain. I tried peanut butter on just about every leftover food I could find (I haven't had it in over 4 months!).

Our trek down the mountain...AKA saying goodbye to our escape from reality

     We realized we had missed the next bus, so we had just the perfect amount of time to stop into the cemetery we had passed on the way up! It was similar to the New Orleans cemeteries, except for two things. First, this cemetery was more modern, definitely constructed in the mid 20th century based on the dates that I saw. Second, each family "grave" was enclosed in its own mini-chapel. There were several family members in each site, often grandparents, children, and nietos (grandchildren). Each grave looked like a tiny church--it had a door, windows with blinds, and usually two benches opposite each other. There was an altar with candles and flowers inside each grave. We couldn't enter them because you needed a key for each one, but we could see all we needed by peeking in the windows. What a neat experience--I was so excited to check this off of my Spain Bucket List!

     We got home a little while after 5pm, so I washed my stanky clothes and took the most glorious post-hike ducha.

     After just a couple hours of cleaning up at home, I was out yet again in Murcia. We met up in Plaza Cardenal Belluga, in front of the Cathedral, to watch the Tres Culturas finale concert.

     I had no idea what to expect really; I just didn't imagine that it would be so fun and upbeat. There were Senegalese dancers, singers, and musicians, Murcian dancers, poetry-reading, and a lot of clapping. It was such a fun experience to watch the people in front of me sort of bobbing along to the music; it seemed like no one could stop themselves from moving!

The dancers looked like they were all having an absolute blast up there, and some of the African drummers were smiling so big that you could see their teeth from far away in the audience.

Video: Murcians dancing on sand to Senegalese drummers!

It was really neat to see the Cathedral all lit up like that...as if it wasn't already beautiful!

After about two hours of the spectacle, my glutes and legs reminded me that I was far too pooped to keep standing. What an exhausting and exhilarating couple of days!

The Trek.

    Southern Spain, the area where Murcia is located, is a very dry region. I may have mentioned this in an earlier blog, but water is so scarce here that you often see artificial turf grass on medians, in parks, almost anywhere. I've actually gotten excited to see grass before! When I came home to Middletown for one night, before leaving for Hawaii, I was completely captivated by the greenness! There's a golf course behind my house, so rolling green hills, trees and reeds swaying in the wind, colorful flowers, etc. I loved it!! The point of this is that I have been dying to get back to nature.

     So, when we finally got to Hawaii, I begged Remy to take us on a hike. I got my wish, but was a little surprised at the outcome. This is a bit embarrassing, but I realized that I am more out of shape than my two twenty-something brothers (okay, that's not surprising), but also my fifty-something parents!! My mom was skipping way up ahead of me, while my Dad and Uncle lagged back to make sure I didn't fall down the mountain in exhaustion.

As you can see, there were tons of roots and other obstacles to potentially stumble over! (Pic by Josh)

     To be fair, the 'hike' up the mountain, became a climb at points...but still. I walk a ton, I just never run (because I hate running). I hope to do some more fun exercising with my best friends Devin and Erica this summer; biking the C&O canal, taking some yoga classes, and definitely more hiking, especially along the Appalachian Trail.

Josh took this picture of me!

     Back to the hike: although it was a bit strenuous, it was amazingly beautiful and well worth the sweat. The whole hike totaled about two hours, but we made it up to an incredible view of the beaches. My Dad has all the pictures on his computer :( but luckily I took some pictures on my cell phone (they're awkward sizes, but don't judge). When I get the good-quality pictures later, I will update this post!

This view is only halfway up! I was too pooped at the top to take a picture.

     This was our last day with Josh, so we headed to Ala Moana mall in Honolulu. I didn't take any pictures since I have been there before but it's, like everywhere else in Hawaii, ridiculously pretty. It's open air, meaning it's not enclosed, there's a koi pond with mini-waterfall,and tons of great shops organized by whether or not you can afford them. We didn't buy anything because Josh wanted to head to the next place to look for a gift for his wife Emily. He picked her out a super-cute dress, then we sped him off to the airport. We were sad that he had to leave so soon, but I only had about two more days anyway.

I probably should've prefaced these posts by explaining that I had no idea I was going to Hawaii until just a few days before I left! I missed the last week and a half of classes (questionable decision), flew thousands of miles and plenty of hours, and am so so so incredibly lucky and grateful for the experience. My parents are amazing for giving me this opportunity and convincing me to do all of this missing school and traveling alone. Remy is also amazing for going to school in Hawaii and giving us the opportunity to go out there and visit him. His next step is attending graduate/doctorate school at Georgia Tech--yay, a new place to visit!

If you're interested, I'll try to quickly explain my travel experiences. 

1. 4.5 hour train ride from Murcia to Madrid (after a 30 minute walk to the bus station) 
2. 15 minute connector train from Madrid Chamartin Train Station to Barajas airport
3. 8.5 hour flight from Madrid to JFK (New York)
4. 3 hour layover in JFK
5. 1.5 hour flight to BWI 
6. 1 hour-ish drive home!! I got to sleep in my own bed!
7. 1 hour drive to back to BWI the next day
8. total of 8 hour flights from BWI to San Diego and
9. San Diego to San Jose
10. we stayed the night in San Jose, so about a 30 minute drive there and back to the airport
11. 5.5 hour flight from San Jose to Honolulu!!

Apparently a panda was sitting in front of me...? I think it's a hat, btw.

In total, about 30.5 hours just driving, flying, and training...and that's only ONE WAY! On the way back, I also went to Burbank, London, and Vegas. I met a cool person, heard some interesting stories, and met some creepers (the joys of flying solo).

     Overall, it was a crazy experience. I can't believe I did so much solo traveling (I even stayed in a hotel by myself for the first time). When I got back to Murcia, I realized I have less than six weeks left!! Where has the time gone??

Feria del Turismo

Yesterday I took my first school field trip in Spain! It was an optional field trip organized through the Tourism School, so naturally we went to the Turismur Tourism Fair.

I think Sandy likes my weird poses

The fair, about a forty-minute bus from campus, was totally paid for by the school (bus ticket and admission). The idea behind the fair is to showcase what tourism opportunities are available throughout the Region of Murcia.

Credit: http://www.ifepaweb.es/blog/?p=2078

Each small city or pueblo in Murcia has its own booth set up with pamphlets, video presentations, and representatives there to answer any questions. There was a huge section of mobile homes and cars on display for consumers. I noticed that there were a lot of rural and adventure tourism "vendors" showing off their offers of spelunking, rafting, senderismo or hiking, mountain climbing, canoeing/kayaking, etc.

Sandy and me chillin' inside a motor-home

It made me really want to get out and do some adventure tourism before I go home in less than two months! It's really getting down to the wire, so I made a mini bucket list of ideas from the fair, just to keep me on track.

• camping
• rafting
• hiking (senderismo) 
• cueva sima de la Serreta (Cieza)--planned for Saturday 
• Mula (my classmate Vero's pueblo)--planned for Friday
• Museo Salzillo, by the bus station in Murcia
• Mueseo de la Ciudad (Murcia City Museum) 
• Sierra Espuña (mountain range/national park)
• a cementary? They look really cool, like the above-ground ones in New Orleans

I was very happy that Sandy introduced me to Vero, a girl in our tourism classes--it was nice to meet a new friend and practice my español!

Mari recommended that we try a "picardia," one of the sweets famous from her pueblo of Abaran. It looked like a fried egg, but it tasted like caramel! 

It's got a little nut inside!

Marta, Sandy, Vero and me

Vero, Sandy, and me :)

Vero and me inside a motor-home!

Loving Sandy in front of Fortuna's pueblo booth.

El Pueblito de Abaran

Mari, Sandy, Kayla and me after a yummy chocolate crepe! (Before leaving Murcia)

Today, I took a wonderful daytrip to Abarán, a small town about an hour's bus ride from Murcia. My classmate Mari was very excited to show Sandy, Kayla and me around her pueblo.

I have noticed that many Spaniards have an immense sense of pride about where they're from. My landlady constantly presents me with ideas for where to eat and explore around Murcia, cab drivers and cashiers have been more than willing to tell us which sites to see, and many of my classmates talk about their small towns as if they were glamorous tourist destinations, often referring to attractions as "precioso!"

Me 'n Kayla on the bus to Abaran

Finally in Abaran!

Upon arrival in the pueblo, our first stop was a convenience store owned by Mari's grandfather. He was friendly, so I decided to buy something. I sifted through the magazines and opted for a Cosmo. The Cosmo is not always sold by itself like in the States, but often comes in a pack: a few things attached to a big, square piece of cardboard and wrapped in saran wrap. For only €3,50 I got a pretty thick Cosmo, a supplement Cosmo Beauty issue, and a full-length DVD of Una Pareja de Tres (Marley & Me) in Spanish and English. When I later paged through my magazines, I found that they had wayyy less advertisements! I wonder if there are more subtle advertisements (make-up & clothes in articles, that don't look like ads)? 

There were two birds in hanging cages outside the store. Their names are Pimpón (ping-pong) and Happy!

Then it was just about lunchtime, so Mari gave us a few options and we decided on a Chinese restaurant. It's a cuisine that I have so rarely indulged in while in Spain (I've heard that the Chinese restaurants are hit-or-miss in Murcia). This place, however, was good and cheap! We split two bowls of mixed rice and veggies, and each got a coke, for €3 per person. 

Kayla with our food. Yum!

I did get to meet Mari's cobaya or, guinea pig!

 After a tasty lunch, Mari invited us inside her apartment where she lives with her parents and sixteen-year-old sister. When we met her mother, she offered us a variety of drinks and snacks, but we settled on tea (of course, after we politely declined several times). Sandy, Kayla, Mari and I chatted with her mom and sister over red tea and Kit-Kats. I wish I had taken a picture! They were so sweet and really nice to talk to. We discussed lots of cultural differences in schooling, our countries' respective geographical organization/ city-planning, festivals, television, language, and ages to drive, drink, and attend university. 

Done with lunch and tea, we grabbed Mari's sister and set out to explore Abarán. We climbed and descended several steep streets in order to reach the Ermita (hermitage) and beautiful view of the land. Mari assured us that these streets were "nothing" and that she was sparing us from the truly steep ones!

 There was a little below-ground convenience store set up beneath the church. We took full advantage of the granizados de limon, basically lemon slushies.

Sandy 'n Me at the overlook

Kayla and me with our granizados

I love seeing new places :)

 Our next stop was one of the Norias of Abaran, waterwheels that the town is famous for. According to Wikipedia, Abaran has four of the seven Norias that still function in the region of Murcia and the Noria Grande is the largest functioning waterwheel in Europe!

We had just enough time left to wander along the river Rio Segura, coincidentally the same river that runs through Murcia and right past the Tourism School!

I begged Mari to show us some nature since I've been so deprived of it, living in a city for the past few months. Rio Segura sparkled in the afternoon sunlight and the sky was just the clearest, perfect blue. The river was lined with little white and yellow daisies, golden wheat that gently swayed with the breeze, and bright red poppies that really popped out from the surrounding earth tones. I love flowers (especially poppies), so I really enjoyed our walk. No wonder Sandy calls me "Flor!"

I love poppies because they are so silky and fragile,
but they still really pop with color

Sunshine sparkling on the Rio Segura

Golden wheat swaying in the breeze

Incredible blue sky

Eucalyptus trees' leaves are green on top and white on the bottom.
It looks sort of mystical when they blow in the wind!

Sandy, me and Mari on a mini-pier

A wide, shallow section of the river--there's a little pier for fishing