Cooler than Expected

And by cooler, we mean COLD!

After seventeen and a half hours in transit we finally arrived at our destination!  We weren't entirely sure we'd even make it to the condo last night after discovering there was a taxi strike in Malaga, the capital city of Spain (bet you didn't know that!!).  We assumed the situation might be the same in Marbella.  Fortunately, the taxis were stacked outside the bus station entrance just waiting to switch their signs to 'occupied'.  

The driver had no idea how to get us to our condo and after a few wrong turns within the giant complex that is the Royal Aloha Vacation Club, we located the security guard, got the keys, and were pointed in the general direction of our room.  

Four turns of the key opened the front gate.  Two and half more turns got us into the suite.  It was freezing inside! No central heating combined with the 8 degrees Celsius temperature outside could have made for a chilly evening. Fortunately we were provided with a small room heater that we set to high before heading out to find food at 9:30 pm.  

Down the street is a small Italian restaurant (which there seem to be a lot of here) so we went inside and ordered a pizza and a marsala pasta dish.  It was surprisingly delicious, and if it weren't for the loud-mouthed, insulting, rotund Brit at the table beside us we might have actually enjoyed the meal even more.  He gave us all kinds of travel advice and proclaimed that a young couple with such obvious deep pockets will have a great time.  It must have been Jim's 5 o'clock shadow and my I've-been-traveling-for-twenty-hours-straight body odor that made us appear so blessed with mounds of money.

We paid the 33-Euro bill ($50), returned to our now room-temperature suite and crawled into the small double-bed to pass out.

At ten o'clock this morning we were awoken by a ringing telephone.  John and Fatima, our hosts, wanted to give us our orientation to the club.  John was very friendly and while we couldn't quite get passed his perfectly coiffed and, quite frankly creepy goatee, we smiled politely and listened to what he had to say. Aside from the usual information about restaurants, banks, bus stations and the like, he was most excited to show us where we could find the private outdoor pool - available for our pleasure.  If the sun ever comes out, maybe we'll take a peek.

We also learned that there is no Wifi in our building so we'll need to head down to the Italian restaurant, or McDonald's, to use internet.  As such, I may not be able to write in the blog daily, as I had hoped to do...at least while we're in Marbella.

After taking a stroll around the neighborhood and finding a (not 'the') grocery store, we returned home to make the worst pot of coffee we've ever had.  Jim picked out a good one! I guess that's what you get when you can't read the language and you're too cheap to pay more than $5 for a bag of coffee. Jim drank most of the pot and said it did what he had hoped it would do...whatever that means :).

View from our balcony.

It's blustery here today, raining on and off, and we're ready to head to the beach!

The Eve of Departure

It's 8:45 pm and I'm curled up on the couch watching Gravity while Jim plays the saxophone (and quite well, I may add) at some event on the other side of town.  Our bags are packed and stacked against the bedroom wall.  The house is clean and laundry washed - oh, that reminds me - I need to put it in the dryer!  And Shadow is comfortably curled up in front of the fire.  It's awfully calm in here considering we fly out tomorrow afternoon.

This is the biggest trip I have ever taken and there isn't an ounce of nerves, excitement, or otherwise floating around this house tonight.  It feels like any other night and I can't explain why.  Perhaps because I have planned every detail for the next 2 days and do not feel the need to worry.  Or maybe it's because my good friend Mr. Orich once (OK, a few times) reminded me there is no point in worrying about the "what if's".  It could also be, quite simply, because I know deep down that embarking on this journey is simply the right thing to do at this stage in my life.

Jim and I will certainly miss hanging out with many of you over the next three months, and I apologize in advance for my potential failure to send the usual happy birthday messages.  We'll be thinking about our friends and family along every step of the way and wishing you could be there with us.  But since you won't be, a postcard or two will have to suffice!

Packed and Ready to Go

Jim and I have slightly different concepts of what needs to be packed for such a long stint away from home.  He is of the mindset that if something is needed, you can always buy it there.  I, on the other hand, am cheap and practical and would rather just buy it here it Bianca Amor's Liquidation Centre where I know it will only cost a few dollars.  As such, our luggage looks completely different.

For starters, my bag was packed a month ago.  I know, I know - it sounds crazy.  But it's been a while since I traveled for any considerable length of time (the longest time away being 6.5 weeks) and my travel gear/clothes/personal products all need some serious updating - especially having only ever traveled with a backpack.  By packing prematurely (very prematurely) I can determine what I already have and what I need to buy.  And by knowing what I need early on I can watch for specials and sales on those items!  You get it now, right?

So yes, my bag is bigger than Jim's (which happens to qualify as carry on luggage - smart guy) and contains more unnecessary items.  But I have the room so why not fill it with shampoo and conditioner, snacks, and an extra few pairs of underwear.  Jim is used to traveling for much longer periods of time - the longest being 5 months - so naturally he is better at packing efficiently.  He's okay with only wearing one or two shirts for 3 months.  I however, am not.

As the next week creeps up on us, I will continue to unpack, downsize, and repack until I am completely assured that I have enough matching wardrobe pieces to satisfy my once-in-a-blue-moon desire to look good while still maintaining a reasonable luggage weight.  And Jim, well, Jim will be sitting back relaxing while trying to smother his 'I told you so' grin.

What's the one thing you can't live without when traveling?

The Beginnings of Grand Misadventure

         Team Jimbali!

Jim and I have created this little blog for those of you interested in following the misadventures of our 3-month journey across Europe.   

Departing on February 9th, the grand plan is to arrive in Barcelona, Spain on February 10th where we will immediately board another plane to Malaga (southern Spain, along the coast) and further, a bus to Marbella.  We were fortunate in acquiring a timeshare from my (Ali's) uncle and aunt there and are taking full advantage of it for 2 weeks, making day trips out to Sevilla, Granada, and Ronda (among other towns in the surrounding area) and perhaps even Gibraltar and Morocco.   After 2 weeks of exploring Spain's southern region - also known as Andalucia - we will be making our way toward Madrid for a couple of days then it's back to Barcelona via train.  

From this point on we plan to utilize the Eurail system to its fullest, winding our way around Europe: south of France, northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Paris, London and Ireland.


These, of course, are merely suggestions.  For after Spain, we have booked no accommodations and have decided to choose our route based on finances, weather, level of frustration, and desire (not necessarily in that order).


So if you're interested in following along and perhaps even living vicariously through two folks that really have no idea what they're in for, then by all means bookmark this blog.  Feel free to post comments or questions and we'll try our best to respond to them as soon as possible.

Until then...