Benoaján and Grazalema, May 15

 I wanted to do another walk in Benaoján before taxiing off to Grazalema, where I will stay four nights.  First was a circular walk to Las Cuevas del Gato.  Got there and umm, I had no idea what you were supposed to see exactly.  THIS was the spot.  There was a restaurant, not yet open, and a kiosk, ditto, but I must have been missing something.  What looks like a cave in the photo is an indentation in the rock on the other side of the river.

Oh, well, let's get on with the circular part.

No, not exactly, because there was no bridge.  It must have washed away in the same flood that took the other bridge.  But no mind, the path I had been on was pleasant enough, and I enjoyed the return along the river.

Part two was to walk to some other caves and off I headed up a nice farm track.  Got to a big gate that looked like it was the enclosure to someone's house; it was not locked, so I went in.  Oh, what a lot of sculptures on the property!

I think this is supposed to represent an ant:

And just one more, probably not an ant:

I realized, after reading my notes, that uh-oh, I was at the home of a sculptor, so I retreated!  But had a hard time finding where the path was to go because the instructions did not state that after this point, it changed dramatically from a track to a skinny uphill climb, the access to which was almost impossible to find.

It was between these two posts that are part of a fence and from the other path they, not being in a close-up picture, are almost indiscernible from the fence of which they are a part. There were supposed to have been cairns, but there weren't.  

Anyway, it was a lovely hike.  I still had a bit of time before the taxi was due to arrive, so I went back on the path where those stepping stones were.  Clearly, other people had quite a different take on them!

BUT they were all wearing bathing suits, and even though I didn't catch a picture to prove it, a bunch of kids were swimming in the upstream part, having a great time!

The drive to Grazalema, an utterly charming town, was through dramatic peaks.  ¡Impresionante, de verdad!  The B and B is sweet.  My room is tiny but the views are stunning.  The person who runs the establishment, one Andrés, is very nice.  He gave me a packet containing instructions for a bunch of walks, but honestly, it was overwhelming, especially since I do not do non-GPS excursions.  The walk I had planned for tomorrow, I learned, has a glitch, so I put together something else that requires a return by taxi from a town that has no taxi, so we will see how that goes!  You really need a car to get to a lot of the walks; taxi service is minimal and buses there are not.

After taking a shower and trying to feel whelmed minus the over, I went to a bar in the main plaza to get something to eat.  Grilled cod with tomatoes; delicious! 

Benaoján, May 14 +15

 I had a plan.  It was to do a walk called the Montejaque Circuit.  But to do this (from where I am staying) you first had to go back up a very big hill, along a major highway, find the ayuntamiento (town hall) in said town, all of which would take a minimum of 40 minutes, more likely an hour or more, do the walk, which, when I read the description closely, made me a little bit nervous, and then, do the reverse highway route to get back to the hotel.  Even a modified plan turning The Circuit into out-and-back, lost its appeal, what with all that highway walking, so scrap that.  Instead, I decided to walk from Benaoján back to Ronda, a route different from the one I had taken Ronda to Montejaque.  A splendid decision!  

The walk was a combination of easy, kind of hard, interesting, and utterly boring, and all this in less than four hours!  

Why, what is this?  Someone left an herramienta (tool) in the road:

It may have been useful for fixing up this house, dated 1912:

But this house was quite inviting, what with the roses and open door:

Arriving in Ronda, I found that streets were blocked off because of some sort of race.  I also found out that the ice cream establishments don't do ice cream at 11:30 a.m.—bummer—and furthermore that no taxi seemed available for the return to Benaoján, most likely due to the race.  So...I WhatsApped Carlos, the very kind dueño of the apartment I had stayed in in Ronda, who gave me the number of Estaban, the taxista, but Estaban was in Malaga at the moment, so he gave me the number of another taxista, whom I had already called but who had not answered. After several tries, he did. But could I understand a word he was saying?  I could not!  I handed the phone to the woman in the bar, from whom I had just purchased an agua con gas; she and he sorted it out, the taxi arrived, and we were on the way!

When I came into my room,  something was scurrying across the floor.  A mouse?!  No, it was a gecko!  I had a pet!  But not for long.

At about 5:00, I felt the urge for another little walk, and so, apparently, did a couple from England because we meet on the path and walked together.  Soon, we had even more company:

It was a fine time for everyone to be out.

Ronda to Montejaque (Benaoján) May 12, 13

It was time to leave Ronda, going steeply downhill only to then go steeply up hill because that is how it is here.

Despite insistence to the contrary, there is a lot more cement and asphalt on this route than I was expecting.  And maybe I am not the only one who does not love these surfaces:

Death was by bicycle, I believe.

On the other hand, these little ones were safe (for a time) but calling for their MAMAs:

Is Juan Espinosa Hidalgo a good boy or what!

The conclusion of today's walk was Montejaque, but I am in interlude mode now—off the C2C path and doing circular walks—so I walked about 45-60 minutes, mostly along a highway to get to Benaoján Station, which is about 20 minutes from Benaoján the town, so if you want something from the local grocery (a peg up from a 7/11), you have to be willing to walk up a very steep hill for 20 minutes.  I was!  

The place I am staying is lovely.  This is the setting:

BUT, as comfortable as the room is and as lovely the views, there is a sense of isolation.  Why, I am not sure.  Anyway, the hotel has an upscale restaurant for which, I was instructed quite sternly when I checked in, one must have a reservation, so I made one.  Arriving  at the appointed hour, I was quite surprised to see only two tables occupied.  My table had a big 6 on it (my room number) to indicate that it was reserved for ME!  The meal, salmon and a tomato salad was beautifully prepared, and guess what?  Salt and pepper on the table! I did something very tacky, though:  I brought plastic bags so that I could take what I could not eat—enough for another meal— secreting away the "leftovers" when no one was looking.  Seeing as hardly anyone was there, that was not a problem.  A frig in the room is a big plus.

May 13 My plan was overly ambitious: a combination of two walks, which would have been about eight hours.  After I completed the first half of the first segment—the out part—I decided not to do the three-hour add-on.  A good decision.  The walk was lovely: not too easy, not too hard.  All told, between one thing and another, I walked some fifteen miles, good enough for a day.

 

But here is how it began.  Having ascertained the direction yesterday I confidently walked to the start, only to be met, several feet on, by this ugly barrier:

What the heck!  Why is this silly, flimsy annoyance IN MY WAY? So I pushed it aside, walked on just a bit to discover that ummm, the bridge was not there.  (It had been washed away in a flash flood some time ago.)  I saw an alternate path; maybe there is a crossing farther down.  There was:

OMG!  About two dozen stepping stones, each too far away from the other and a little bit too small for comfort AND the ones in the middle were wet.  I cannot do this and live.  I consulted my OutdoorActive map, saw that one could continue on the path, get to the highway, cross the river there and maybe reconnect with the path, which, in fact one could, by climbing over the barrier and making one's way very carefully down a steep, scree-like path.  Encountering the stepping stones again on the other side of the river, I saw this advisement:

 

Other than this initial bit of drama, it was a most pleasant day.  Birds singing (a lot), the river rushing, fields of flowers mostly yellow, just enough upping and downing to keep things interesting, and other than at the start, no directional challenges:

There was one strange, stoney, section that had to be crossed.  It looked like Dead Man's Gulch replete with a dead tree (Hang Man's notch?)

Oh, and one other thing.  Don't you just hate it when people leave their trash in beautiful picnic spots?

At least I knew it was not Alex because A) she would never do that and B) It was not a DIET Coke!

A fact learned from a Xword puzzle: Only U.S. city bordered by two national parks:  five letters.   

Ronda, May 09, 10, 11

 The drive to Ronda from El Burgo was spectacular.  And the place I am staying is luxurious beyond all.  Coming here from having stayed two nights at a hotel that could have been the setting for an  E. A. Poe poem or Miss Havisham's quarters, why the contrast  practically made me giddy!  I am in an apartment with all the amenities, even a toaster!  There are rugs, excellent lighting, a seating area, a sleeping area, modern bathroom, a sweet patio, a real table for dining, frig, stove, and: 

 

I did not even have to prod Google photos to upload.  There is so much juice here, they uploaded just like that!  

First mission was to go to the grocery store.  This was not the grocery store:

On the way, I discovered that Don Quixote may have had knee replacements:

Who knew?  He does not look too happy about them.

Back to the hotel. Very well located, on the major street in the new part of town—tomorrow will involve exploration of the old city—which street is pedestrians only.  How nice is that!  There are several ice cream establishments, so you know that Ronda attracts tourists!

May 10: The morning was devoted to a circular walk of the city to which I added a detour or two.  The scenery was dramatic.  Even the professional photos do not do it justice, but they are way better than mine. (Make sure to look at photos of The Gorge):

https://www.google.com/search?q=ronda+spain+images&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjHmfnPx9X3AhVKXxoKHfucCoIQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=ronda+spain+images&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQ6BwgjEO8DECc6BAgAEEM6BAgAEBhQ8ShY2DxgvD5oAHAAeACAAWGIAc8JkgECMTSYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=jq56Yscayr5p-7mqkAg&bih=637&biw=1150&hl=en

The afternoon was spent on a fool's errand.  Guy noted a detour on the walk to Montejaque (on the 12th), so I went to look for it.  His instructions kept sending me farther and farther away from the route, so  finally I gave up and discovered that the original route seems to be functional.  We shall find out!

Early evening was taken up with another "official "walk around the old  city.  It was great!  In addition to very high, old walls, there was a rose garden:

and the streets are the way they used to make them:

Some sheep being driven by a shepherd:

And a big, black bull!

Who, in these parts, needs a matador:

Or,  maybe, a bull-ess on roller skates:

May 11: Another beautiful walk, at least part of it was!  Once you got "there" you saw almost overwhelming rock formations and walked along a river bed.

I turned back before I really wanted to because I was hungry and kept imagining the lunch I would make:

It was as good as it looks: Sautéed sliced potato, onions, and eggs, SEASONED with salt and pepper, topped with chopped tomato and avocado on a bed of watercress. 

OK, we cannot leave Ronda without one picture of the setting!

                

Ronda is a must-visit town for the sturdy.  It is truly gorgeous but you have to be willing to do constant, steep upping and downing!  

But this lady will take care of you:

It says so on the plaque.

El Burgo, May 08+09

The plan was to stay in El Burgo an extra day in order to do a River Walk, then hike to Ronda tomorrow.  But I decided not to walk to Ronda because the elevation and descent look like this:

 

and because of the other usual reasons that go into "difficult."  Guy has it as a seven hour +  stage, but the bulletin board in town claims it takes eight hours and twenty minutes, and the cardiac demand is 4/5.  I decided to walk the route until it got to the steep uphill part, and come back.  In other words, an out-and-back.  This first section is not terribly interesting, but it is along a broad track, not too demanding, and, with an extra stretch added on, the hike was about twelve miles.  

Although I never listened to podcasts or books while I walk "walks"  as opposed to, say, training, when one is on track that requires no attention, and is somewhat boring, the desire for diversion manifests itself, so I went to the audiobook  Don't Sleep, There are Snakes, which I was excited to begin only to get a message that there had been something amiss with the purchase.  Bummer.  Podcasts were not an option because there was no cell reception, so I listened to more of Typee until I could stand not one more minute of it. 

There were pretty flowers along the sides of the track:

There are two bar-restaurants in El Burgo.  I ate at the more popular one yesterday; I think I did not order "the right thing," which must be something other than dry, tasteless morsels of chicken, which advertised themselves as kebabs, only they were not. Today I went to the classier establishment.  Salmon, a definite improvement, but salt and pepper, the addition of which would have improved the dish considerably, seem not to be a staple of Spanish Cuisine and never appear on the table.  Later on, a Magnum purchased from the local Gasolinera and an agua con gas (seltzer), acquired from yet another bar, made a dessert that hit the spot!

The River Walk, more accurately, Up-in-the-Hills-above-the River, was to be today's sport before taxi-ing off to Ronda with Rojita.  So off I set at sun up only to—guess what—not find the path.  This was VERY annoying, partly my fault, partly Guy's terrible instructions, and partly the limitation of navigational devices. In reverse order:  navigational devices don't help that much if you are on a track parallel to the track you should be on, especially if they are close. I won't even go into the stupid instructions, OK, just one part: they never said to cross the river near the start of the walk, and my error was not realizing that I should have been on the other side of the river.  After fuming, I decided to take the path I was on—on the don't-cross-the- river-side because it was pretty, and indeed, the walk ended up being one of the most gorgeous I have done so far; the photos do not do it justice because they do not take in the views:

Field

Stream:

The only unfortunate part was that I had to turn back before I desired in order to make sure I was back in time for the taxi.  Also, I wanted to see if I had thought through the error I had made at the beginning. I had, and found where I should have gone.  But for sure the intended walk would not have been lovelier than the unplanned excursion. 

Carratracas to El Burgo, May 07

 Carratracas to El Burgo was supposed to be the itinerary, but, alas, it was not.  The stage is about seven hours, with some, as Guy puts it, "tricky navigation" and lots of elevation.  And remember, no markers of any kind because we are no longer with the GR 249. But I was game!  Left at 7:00, a bit concerned because it was already warm out.  Got going, and, in about forty minutes, at a three-way intersection, discovered that the route on GPsY and on OutdoorActive were not the same.  How this could be, I have no idea since they are  downloaded from the same source.  I decided to go with GyPS's route, which, of course, was not the correct move, literally, because after a while, the track ended, just like that.

Who says that yellow and red don't go together?

A tree, all by itself, growing!

I returned to the three-way intersection, and this time took the route that O.A had displayed, but because of the time spent error-izing, it was too late to try to accomplish the intended itinerary, so an out-and- back would have to suffice.  I did nor feel bad about this decision except.....at the point I turned around, before a major ascent, the route was becoming more and more beautiful.  I ended walking about five and a half hours anyway, and it was not easy!  But my watch was praising me for my efforts.

Of course, again, this involved a change in Rojita's schedule and because the fare was high—about $65.00—I preferred not to pay it twice.  I called La Casa Fonda Pepa, and thank God, that a) there was a signal and b) the guy understood me because I could not understand him!  Taxi successfully cancelled. At about 12:30, when I stumbled back into the restaurant-with-rooms, Rojita was still there, but now the taxista had other plans for the day and would not pick us up.  Dori, the organizer of all things, did not know another taxi driver.  But she called a relative who was willing to take me.  I offered to pay what the taxista charged.  A deal was struck.  

A little while later, a lovely car rolled up:  there was Miriam, the driver, her cousin (she did call him primo) and a woman who I think was Miriam's mother.  And of course, me!  Off we went.  Turns out that the mother is a physician from Buenos Aires, who moved here to start an infertility practice.  The daughter helps her, and the very nice cousin seems to help everyone.  It took a good hour to drive to El Burgo, and a very twisty-turney drive it was, too.  There was a stop for gas, my treat.  I won't even tell you what a tank of gas costs in these parts.  By the time we arrived, I had made some friends!  Things really did turn out for the best.

The hotel room here in El Burgo is about the dreariest I have ever stayed in.  Could the two light bulbs in a room be any dimmer?  I think not!  At least there is hot water, and one can sit outside, which is marginally better.  These circumstances encouraged me to get out of the hotel and get the lay of the town, which I did, and I am all set for tomorrow and the local walks I am going to do.

A super misterio del día:

There is at least one person who may know what those are!  (I wouldn't have if I had not seen the sign!)

El Chorro to Carratracas May 06

 I cannot imagine doing today's walk, 11 miles, almost all of it demanding, in the same day as the first section.  It was a gorgeous stretch with just a few directional issues near the end.  

Stunning!

Not rare, I know, but oh so pretty:

Shots of scenery do not capture the context.  It is one thing to look at them there hills and quite another to BE in them:

DOG looks ferocious, but did not bark, just wagged his tail like crazy, and followed along for a few minutes:

The hillage, of which there was much, was relieved for a bit by a track through some pine trees:

The place I am staying is adorable:  €25.00 for the room, but €60 to transport Rojita to El Burgo (not to be confused with Burgos in the North.)  The room is bare bones, as you might expect, but there are charming terraces full of plants and chirping birds where one can sit. They happen to be the only spaces where you can get wi-fi!

And the people who run the place, which is famous for its restaurant, are just so nice!  No, I did not eat at the restaurant because you do not order, they just bring food, and I feared—feared—heck, there definitely would be pork or shellfish in the dishes.  So it was tuna and salad again.

Coco should move here; he'd have plenty of company. There are so many barking dogs!  Arf arf arf!  Woof woof woof! In the day, in the night, all the time! 

Abdalajís to El Chorro, May 04+5

 Stepped out the door at 7:10 and rain!  Retreated to vestibule to don appropriate gear.  Today's route is classified as difficult, but I am breaking it into two parts, the shorter segment being today's because, on the way to Carratraca, the end point of this stage, there is the Caminito del Rey to walk!

Despite the weather, it was a beautiful walk:

Watch out for falling rocks:

The rain was on and off, so I was wondering about the Caminito excursion.  

Here is how it works:  hordes of people board a bus—it runs every half hour—we are talking major big bus on skinny, serpentine road—in El Chorro, pay €1,55 (about $2.00) and roll along to the start of the walk.  This does not include the hoards of people who arrive at the access point by car.  It turns out, though, that many of them must be going to the restaurant up there, not walking the walk, because only two tour groups were there when I arrived at the check-in.  This is a one-way only walk:  You start north and you go south.  In ends near the hotel, very convenient.

What struck me, aside form the obvious magnificence, were the remnants of the old Caminito.  Now, that was terrifying!

Anyway, so spectacular is this experience that I am going to do the walk again tomorrow.

I suggest you read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caminito_del_Rey

For photos—I am not even going to bother with mine—go here:  

https://www.google.com/search?q=el+caminito+del+rey&sxsrf=ALiCzsbU4MQ4Oom_g-qWSCJySlO8OFFY_Q:1651685843260&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqN6fscb3AhXLm6QKHaRVADYQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=988&bih=637&dpr=2.5

There is a supermarket in El Chorro.  A lady sits behind a desk in a room less than half the size of my kitchen; there is a chain beside her so that you cannot go to the refrigerator in which there was a bit of random produce such as one head of lettuce, a wilted leek and a few other things, like ham.  I bought an apple (not bad), chocolate (not good), and one tomato, (ehhh).  

May 05: Since the apple was good, I went back today to purchase another, but Mirabel did not open her market for the good people of El Chorro or its visitors.

I had bought a ticket way in advance for today's walk, the first of the morning at 9:00.  Caught the bus at 7:50, which was supposed to leave at 8:00, but wait until the appointed hour, the driver did not. There was only one other person on said bus, who, it turned out, was an employee of the restaurant at the access point.  "Wow," I thought, "I am going to have this walk all to myself!"  But, no.

When I got to the starting point, after a very pleasant 2.7 Km. walk through woods, tons of people who did not have reservations were lined up to buy entradas.  No one tells you which line to get in, so I got in the wrong one.  After waiting some time, I figured I had better check, and a guy told me that my "ticket" was not sufficient proof of purchase, nor were the various confirmational e-mails, so, like a naughty delinquent, I was sent to the back of the line of non-ticket holders.  When I finally made it to the booth, it took the woman much time to retrieve my information.  After forty-five minutes of bureaucratic disorganization, I was on the Caminito again.  

A fun job.....for some people:

Today was a rest day; my watch is disappointed in my move goal.  Guess what?  I don't care!