Category: Travel

Santander 1: Shellfish from Space

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Spain, Travel

As we had arrived fairly late into Santander our first morning was spent getting our bearings. I photographed the hotel as we left, a habit I’ve developed since my futile attempts to pronounce the name of a Delhi hotel to about 70 taxi drivers. So. Why Santander. Well, the Little Nurse and I love Spain but not so much the resorts. We are going to visit all the cities and all the large towns. As soon as we see cheap flights we’re off. STN-SDR was £40 return.  Continue reading “Santander 1: Shellfish from Space” →

Cambodia 1: Siem Reap for us. Luggage in Bangkok

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Cambodia, Travel

Is there a sadder sight than five or six passengers hanging around a recently emptied baggage carousel where the passing of time is marked by the continuing circuit of a solitary dilapidated bag belonging to none of them. Being the most realistic of the disappointed travellers gathered thus, I pushed off to the lost luggage desk. The service was South East Asian. They look as if they don’t care. They look as if there is no system. They look as if this situation has never before happened. But there are wheels within wheels, and, after a few questions, you are handed a handwritten scrap of paper bearing an unfeasibly long reference number and sent on your way. Continue reading “Cambodia 1: Siem Reap for us. Luggage in Bangkok” →

All the Links

Featured by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Travel

I don’t always finish writing up the whole trip. I’ll keep coming back to them though.

To make it a little easier to get around here are all the links to the posts so far:

  • Malaysia  1   2   3
  • Trip to Bangkok, Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue, Hong Kong 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9
  • Camino de Santiago. 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10
  • Camino Two 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15
  • Spain in General 1  2
  • Seville Feria de Abril 1 2
  • Cambodia and Southern Vietnam 1  2
  • US Cities New Orleans, Boston, 1 2
  • Spain: Santander  1
  • Italy: Naples  1  2  3
  • Cambodia, Vietnam  1  2
  • Canaries Tenerife 1  2
  • Spain Girona  1   2
  • Spain Valencia/Benicassim 1  2  3  4  5
  • Spain Extramadura  1  2

Feria de Abril Seville 1:

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Spain, Travel, Uncategorized

After a night in Malaga we caught the 10.30 train to Seville. It got in an hour late. We had about a half hour walk to the hotel. We swapped wheelie cases because the Little Nurse was struggling with hers. Too heavy she said. In reality one of the wheels was jammed. It might as well have been an anchor. Dragging it for half an hour killed the case  completely so a new one would be obtained later. Continue reading “Feria de Abril Seville 1:” →

Life in Spain 2: Car Parking, Extreme Single Tasking and Random Windows.

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Spain, Travel, Uncategorized

Continuing my slant on the idiosyncracies of Spanish life.

The opposite of Multi Tasking is, naturally enough, Single Tasking and that’s the way they roll in Spain. A Spanish man never does more than one thing at a time. In fact major tasks like buying a stamp or going for a haircut could very well be the only accomplishment in a whole day. A major task, like filling up with petrol, Continue reading “Life in Spain 2: Car Parking, Extreme Single Tasking and Random Windows.” →

Camino 8: Ghost Town.

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Camino De Santiago, Travel, Uncategorized

The Don Suero Hotel Leon, my home for the last two nights is right on the Camino route, so I sat outside with my morning coffee watching dozens of pilgrims continuing on their way. As I had taken the extra day in Leon I didn’t recognise many of them. People I had met earlier had mostly rolled out the day before. Continue reading “Camino 8: Ghost Town.” →

Life in Spain 1: Waiters, what can you do?

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Travel, Uncategorized

The Spanish do things differently. Here’s a few things I’ve noticed about the idiosyncrasies of Spanish life.

Street Names.

Almost all Spanish Street Names are named after people. Not things or places. There is no Spanish equivalent of Acacia Avenue or Thames Road. It’s all people. They start off with the great and the good. Kings are definitely top of the list. Continue reading “Life in Spain 1: Waiters, what can you do?” →

Camino 7: Leon, The Lost Day and The Detroit Rule

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Camino De Santiago, Travel

 

Only one snorer in my room of six last night. Me. Or so a scowly German woman told me over breakfast.
Well. ‘Good morning to you too’ I said.
Even at home I routinely go to bed wired to my Ipod. That along with some wine and beer has made snoring and other erm… noises in the albergues a non issue for me. Listen if you want to stay in albergues that’s the way it is. Stop complaining and get some earplugs. Or an Ipod.
I came across the scowly woman later on that same day and she sped away from me. Needlessly, as I had stopped snoring by then. No-one snores when they are awake and walking along. She should have known that. Continue reading “Camino 7: Leon, The Lost Day and The Detroit Rule” →

Camino 6: Unnecessary Weather and the Headmistress of Mansilla.

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Camino De Santiago, Travel

 

It was raining when I set off this morning. Unnecessary I thought. John the Dublin lawyer from last night caught up with me. He was really moving which spurred me on in the rain. We went quickly through the next 3 villages and soon arrived in Sagahun over 19 klicks from Ledigos. John was on a mission and we covered it in a little over 3 hours. Had it been a race we would have come a close second and third to olympian Haile Gebrselassie, had he been on the Camino instead of winning the Berlin Marathon. Continue reading “Camino 6: Unnecessary Weather and the Headmistress of Mansilla.” →

Camino 5: The Long and Boring Road.

by manwalksintoanairport, posted in Camino De Santiago, Travel

The next day I walked to Ledigos. This is a notoriously long straight flat and boring stretch. There is 17km before the first village, Calzadilla. Just outside of Carrion there was a guy with a horse and cart. The cart had seats and the guy was touting for pilgrims to ride. I declined, not wanting my Camino de Santiago to become a Paseo de Santiago, That’s not the same thing at all. Oh no, not for me it isn’t.Blog camino Horse Cart Later the cart passed me with more than a dozen passengers. At 15 Euros a pop. That’s €180 a trip. Two trips a day nets €2520 a week. Just a little bit more than a High Court Judge. So, law school students, have a little think about that. Continue reading “Camino 5: The Long and Boring Road.” →