There are many walks to choose from, but some are too short, some are too hard, some need a car to get to the start, and some need a permit, which is a pain to acquire because no one answers the phone, nor do they respond to e-mail, and to go the office is a $35.00 cab ride (one way!), AND, even if they could help, the local tourist office is closed half the week. So I chose a walk that needed a return-by-taxi, and added an extension because I feel somewhat under-exerted. It was a spectacular walk. I loved every second of it!
The scenery was stunning, the path was demanding, but not too, directional challenge enough to keep one alert, and ascent and descent plenty but not exhausting. It was supposed to take three and a half hours (without the addition), but it took me about five due to the care with which the stony surface required unless you were a gazelle or twenty.
Speaking of stones, there was an area of meadow—a nice change after all the clambering over rocks— that was heaped with piles and piles of stones. Were they once walls?
If someone wants to go into the stone business, this is the place to get the goods!
And, would you believe wild pigs (boars? I did not check.)
One was close-ish to me; Baruch haShem, he ran away to join his freinds. Yes, I was afraid of him, too!
The walk proper went from Grazalema to Benaocáz, but I went on to Villaleunga del Rosario, not a spectacular add-on, but it only took an extra hour and a half. Bought an agua con gas at a bar and the bartender got me a taxi, who turned out to be the same Antonio who had driven me from Benaoján yesterday, and who will be driving me tomorrow at 6:15 a.m. to the start of the day's walk.
Lunch again in the Plaza; too much olive oil! This was the view from my table. (You really do want to click on the image to see it bigger):
The sign above reads, "Agua Potable!" These fellows, however, were not producing water or anything else, for that matter.
May 17, off to El Gastor with Antonio at 6:15. The cab ride was quite enjoyable because Antonio told me about the history of Grazalema, and he made a huge effort to speak slowly so that I could understand. I did.
Two walks were on the agenda: One described as short and more difficult—do that one first—the second, longer but easy.
6:50 a.m. from the picnic area above El Gastor:
Walk number one was fine to start with; in fact, it was marked:
which is so nice!! But then it got really hard, if not a bit scary; I quit before competing this segment:
To be precise, I did not claw my way up to the very tippy-tippy-top of that peak. Loose rocks, sandy in between, no discernible path....time to retreat short of the summit. I finished walk number one taking significantly more time than the estimate, but hey, the easy walk was next.
It was hot—it was already quite warm at 7:00 a.m.—shadeless, lots of upping and downing on the most boring track ever. The views were fine, in fact, in places, quite nice:
But it was such a slog for two + hours! A perfect time to listen to audio-book, which I am quite enjoying (Don't Sleep There are Snakes, by Daniel Everett). At the merciful end (of the walk), I found an easy way into El Gastor, bought a Magnum and an agua con gas. When I told the proprietress that I needed a taxi, she asked around the bar, made a call—no success—sent me scurrying off to the little grocery down the street to ask if proprietor's husband or brother might be able to take me; he wasn't. Ran back to the bar. Lady made a few more calls, and an hour and a half later, a taxi pulled into town. Enjoying that ice cream, the cold drink, reading the Daf of the day—it had some totally weird stuff in it—and working on the Spelling Bee, made waiting not unpleasant.
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