Satnav, more like let's map read.

31/5/10

I think technology can only be called successful when it does the job all the time. The satnav hates me. It really does. It decided to die around Zaragoza, citing new roads as its downfall.  Luckily, I can map read and all that jazz, and we made it to Aliaga, all be it with the help of a very friendly local woman who couldn't comprehend our total lack of Spanish literally walking us to the campsite.

Once there we realised the limitations of our 'we'll pick it up later' approach to Spanish. It's odd feeling this stranded in a place language wise, and a mildly scary thought. However tomorrow is a new day, and we can brave a run to the shops, and try to find this library so we can get our geomaps.

Oh, and further proof that we're doomed, the electric hookup doesn't take what we've brought. It's a standard fused European plug outlet. So if it rains I think we'll skip having power. Time to survive off noodles?

P.S.€1 cans of beer = win. That is all

28 Days Later

Well, technically 40... But in 40 days we´ve managed to hit our target of 28 days of field work. Sounds bad, but that´s not counting the week we had off around my birthday, so in 33 days in Aliaga, we worked 28. Boom. Go us! In those 28 days we´ve managed to do 20km square, which isn´t bad going. Today we also clocked 34 Celsius in the car. I had a wee bit of heat stroke and went and had a nap on the floor of the shower block for about an hour. Go me!

So for the next few days we´re going to be doing some easy work, some logs etc of the area, and just make sure everything is squared off. Meeting up with the Southampton lot on Sunday for the football and a chance to talk to someone other than Ben for an evening, an offer I can´t pass up. Not that we´ve had any fights, but we´ve run out of interesting things to say really, and now it´s all about the weather, what we´re going to have for dinner. I exaggerate really.

We´re considering blowing out of town early too and speanding a day in Santander, just for a change of scenary. But that´s all up in the air at the moment. I´m just glad to be officially finished. My DM´s managed to survive the trip, although the casualty list of clothes now includes both my pairs of shorts, with two lovely rips in the butt, probably from sliding down jaggedy rock faces and such, hopefully not from having a fat arse.

So, in a week I´ll be sitting pretty in my new room in the Stryder House, so long as Ross Orla or Culv let me in.

Ciao ciao ciao

Lovely shade of pink

So for the last few days we were in the lovely town of Peniscola after enjoying a long wander around to Valencia and then Vinaros. We had a pleasant time trying to find a hotel in Vinaros, in that all the hotels were shut. Spain just seems to shut down on the weekend, so we were totally out of luck. We managed to find a place thanks to Mum, and the lady at the campsite sent us off to the lovely resort town of Peniscola. We managed to sit ourselves on the beach a few times, and we found a cracking club called Mandarina. www.mandarinaclub.net incase you want to have a look. We stayed at a plcae called Camping Ferrer, and we got a small twin room. The hotel/campsite had a pool and such that we didn´t use, and a bar etc. We also found ´Pub Popeye´ and ´Pub Teatro´, and a swanky posh hotel bar with pool tables. I managed to beat ben 2-1, so I was happy.

For my birthday I hired a motorbike which was a nice cruiser style for two hours. That only set me back 13 Euros because we are off season. We also hired a jetski for an hour, which was awesome! And a pedalo... And a kayak. Those were just for the lols to be honest, but they allowed us a good paddle around the beach. Those were my birthday treats for myself.

Now we´re back in Aliaga, and we were stuck with a storm on the first night. Any finally, some English are here too. Southampton uni. Tehy´re not camping, there´s apparantly apartments just out of town that we had no idea about, which actually works out cheaper than the camping...swell.

Oh, and as if we weren´t plagued with problems, we also found that the road that we´ve been using the locate ourselves on one of our maps doesn´t exist... That´s right, it´s not on my map at all. So we have our work cut out for ourselves, just for the next few days!

Going missing for a while

Because the internet here is only a weekday thing, I thought I would give you all one more post before Ben abd I shoot off to enjoy a few days rest on the coast. The first rule of my 21st is, Do not talk about geology. The second rule... I can´t be bothered, it´s a ´Fight Club´reference for those who don´t get it.

Anything of note? Well, the rain has set it again. We had about a week of glorious, too hot to work sun, and now it´s raining again. Had a cracking thunder storm today though. Just about to head to the shop and try and get some dinner, which we will somehow cook in the rain.

I did also totally stack it in front of a few Dutch folk in the washing room. The floor was wet, I was in flip flops. I sent the washing everwhere. That´s the exciting life that Ben and I lead here.

So yeah, if I don´t manage to get any new posts off in the next few days, it´s because I´m enjoying myself on a beach somewhere on Spain Mediteranean coast.

Ciaociaociao

Today's fold area. Managed to map that bad boy pretty well! Yeah! Geokeen we are!



This is the bad mamajama that we found by poking a stick down a wee hole on the top of a mountain! He didn't like us, and we swiftly left that place before he called on his spider brothers!



This is pretty boy scared me shitless. Strolling along, happy as Larry, and boom, lizard!



This is the best photo of the eagle/hawk that I've managed to get so far! Whenever they circle above us, trying to decide if we look tasty, I always try and get a good photo! This one took me about 3 weeks before I finally got it

All busted up

Due to taking the shortcut today, my legs are properly scratched up. Like really bad. And I'm sun burnt. Yes, after about two and a bit weeks of no sun, finally it comes out. I am red... Nough said!

As I said a few days ago, I would whap on some pics. Here are some, with a running commentary.



This is me with a massive eagle/hawk feather that I found, which I happily put in my hat! Boom!



This is me enjoying a mug of sangria!



Panoramic shot, goes without saying. I think that's 'La Olla'



Ah, now this one might look familiar! If you look at the first post, this is the image that I snatched off of googlemaps. We managed to find it, and so I took one there!



Me, standing proudly next to the Cornish flag we hung next to the tent. This one was on the first day!

Don't fuck up!

The immortal words of one Robin Shale has become a wee mantra of ours these last few days. And so far we have avoided any majoy fuck ups! Today though, whilst scaling an outcrop, I did slip. Did I hurt myself? No way! Did I... Rip my trousers from knee to crotch... Mebe! That's right, I exposed myself for the whole of the little valley to see. Ben averted his eyes in embarassment. Thankfully I'm not one to go commando! However, I did make a hasty retreat back to camp where I changed into shorts. That was really cold! Like, seriously cold! Like, cold man!

So yeah, that's all that's happened really.
Boom!