Random Tarifa

Random Thoughts

It’s been a while since I have written. Partially it is because we have been busy doing very little and partially we don’t have ready access to the internet. And maybe I have been pouting because I keep writing and I get little response. I think the most responses came after the Las Cucarachas chapter, mostly things like “ehhh!!” and “yuck!!” and “creepy!!.” Leea and I are sensitive and some days we feel unloved because there are no messages in our inbox. So, if you are all feeling sufficiently guilty, I will now proceed with my story.

Well the cockroaches won. We are tired of sleeping with one ear cocked and the lights on to keep the cockroaches at bay. Or maybe my love of movement won out. I have discovered that I love to travel, as in moving from place to place. I love to get up in the morning and just go wandering on foot, especially in these towns with a maze of narrow winding streets. Staying in one place isn’t my favorite thing to do, even in a foreign country. In any event last night we came to Tarifa we will return to Fuengirola today, pack up and leave for Sevilla! We are both very excited.

We took two buses to get to Tarifa. I had forgotten that boarding buses in Spain is an art form and you have to dispense with all manners and graciousness or you will find yourself standing for the whole trip or sitting on the curb as the bus pulls away. You can’t just stand in a line pointing towards the middle of the door, because people push in from the sides, so you have to position yourself at about 45 degrees and push slowly forward moving your feet ever so slightly and pretending to be polite. Then when you get close enough you have to grab the bar that runs along the side of the door. This prevents anyone from pushing in sideways, especially the older ladies who are masters of the art of pushing through a crowd. Last time we were in Spain John went into a little market to buy a banana and the older ladies literally squeezed him right back out the door. His problem was he had been brought up to give deference to older ladies. In Spain you could starve with that approach.

While boarding one of the buses, on of these squat older ladies, dressed in a skrrt and top version of the leisure suit, grabbed the pole and attached herself to Leea’s back making sounds somewhere between moaning and feeding chickens. She looked like a square soft toned polyester patch on Leea’s back. But Leea stood her ground and boarded the bus before her attached lady. I was so proud of her.

Tarifa a very small town on the southern most tip of Spain. From Tarifa you can see Africa, which is about 35 minutes away by boat. As posited by the former Govener of Alaska, I am now an expert on foreign affairs because I saw Africa from the bus this afternoon. Tarifa sits on the point the where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet. It is one of the most windy places in Europe, and therefore a major kite boarding spot. Kite boarding is done with a small surfboard like object which is attached to the kite. When done correctly in good conditions the rider spends most of his or her time twirling in the air. Tarifa is like surf town, think Huntington Beach with Spanish flavor. So it is a fun place, with tons of young people, and the sight of the kite boarders is extraordinary.

Our hotel is in the middle of the old walled city. Very nice. And we are especially excited, almost orgasmiccaly so, to be able to sleep with the lights off and have a shower where the temperature stays set where you put it and doesn’t go spastically from ice cold to scalding hot.

We spent the afternoon napping and then went out shopping. They have several fun brand stores here. John’s favorite was Tarifa Piratas whose goods sport images of Piratas. I think I have decied to get an image of Johnny from Las Piratas del Caribean tattooed on my calf. Leea’s favorite is Mala Mujer whose merchandise suggest that bad women are a good thing. For instance the tee shirt in pretty pink I bought for my granddaughter says, “Si crees que yo soy mala deberias encontrar mi madre,” or “If you think I am bad you should meet my mother.” Sorry Laryssa. I really wanted one that said, “you should meet my grandmother,” but they haven’t made that one yet. The store we both liked is called kukuxumusu. No, my hands didn’t slip on the keyboard, that’s the name of the store and the brand. Their stuff has cartoon images of animals, some very graphic, all very funny.

Then we had quesadilla and patatas fritas at Coyote a TexMex place John and I loved when we were here.

This morning I got up and while Leea took a shower and wrote post cards I went out and wandered the little narrow streets eventually strolling along the paseo. John would be so proud of me. I was strolling so well that some of the locals said, “Buena’ día.” Leea and I spent the afternoon strolling on the beach ankle deep in water and laying in the sand. We had our back packs on and I thought we looked like army cadets on a long training march, but Leea pointed out I only had on my bathing suit bottoms, not fatigues.

We should have more consistent internet availability for the remainder of our trip, so hopefully I will be sending regular missives.