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Bought Alsa bus ticket, Madrid->Granada, and made reservation for hotel in Granada. Confirmed that buses to Dúrcal run on Saturday, which is Día de Andalucía. Mercadona open 9:00-15:00 on Día de Andalucía.
Mailed Raytheon pension forms.
Felt sick in evening.
Terrible stomach ache all night, probably food poisoning. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups and pullups.
Something still not right with intestines. Skipped morning exercises other than RDLs, pushups, chinups. Explosive foul-smelling diarrhea in afternoon. Felt much better afterwards.
Intestines slowly improving. Did all morning exercises normally, though noticed some tiredness on jump squats.
Bought flights for another Argentina trip. Madrid-Buenos Aires on Ne Plus Ultra for $847 (depart midnight May 27, arrive early May 28, depart noon Aug 11, arrive early morning Aug 12). Madrid-Belgrade on Air Serbia for $107 (depart noon Aug 12, arrive mid-afternoon Aug 12). Buying experience stressful as usual due to clumsy airline web sites. Air Serbia purchase failed completely on smartphone. Tried both BofA Visa and CapitalOne Mastercard with both Opera and Chrome browsers. Then switched to laptop running Windows 11 using Opera and Edge browsers. Bofa Visa again failed but CapitalOne Mastercard succeeded. Problems apparently related to browser switching from Air Serbia website to/from Visa Secure and Mastercard Secure 2FA verification websites. Incredible how people expect Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize the world when companies can't even get what amounts to 1970's computer technology to work properly, including situations where the company has a massive financial incentive to get things to work.
Debating what to do about Ukraine storage locker, whose rent is coming due. Previously, I felt good about continuing to pay rent, as if thereby committing myself to eventually returning to Ukraine as my permanent summer/winter home, which I looked forward to. But situation has changed due to all the infrastructure damage. Time is long overdue for true patriots in the security forces to stage a coup, exterminate the worthless politicians and other war profiteers, surrender to Russia. Ukraine is already is half in ruins and will soon be fully ruined. It's like no one in the security forces there has any desire for Ukraine to continue to exist as more than a Galician rump in the west and depopulated agriculture/mining colony owned by transnational corporations elsewhere, older people dying off, younger people moved to EU or Russia, impoverished immigrants from Africa and South Asia working in the agricultural/mining colony. Destruction of electrical and communal heating utilities means winter will be unlivable for many years to come. If just spending summers in Ukraine (winters bicycle touring in USA) and even that only starting 2027 at the earliest, then storage locker not so important.
Went ahead and paid $202 for another year with Kyiv storage locker (via PayPal, since problems previously with bank transfer). Kick can down the road and make final decision next year.
Called Raytheon. Name still wrong. Direct deposit due 28Feb.
Filed income taxes using H&R Block on smartphone with zero problems. So only obligatory use of laptop is to buy Air Serbia ticket, due to glitch with credit card card authorization, which should eventually be fixed. Additional uses where laptop faster or more convenient than smartphone, but not strictly necessary: (a) manipulate music files using Audacity; (b) full backups to SDcards; (c) write, make major changes to, and/or perform extensive debugging of Python scripts.
Considering permanent residence in Bulgaria as alternative to Ukraine. But wait until age 70, when Social Security pension becomes proof of monthly income. Current requirements for retirement visa besides proof of income: (a) clean criminal record with apostille by Nevada Department of State and official translation; (b) basic medical insurance covering expenses to $30K (maybe $300/year); (c) proof of accommodation (can find nice furnished apartments for $400/month); (d) in-person visit to consulate in Los Angeles for interview; (e) Bulgarian bank account to receive pension (possible to open this as non-resident if good reason, such as applying for residency).
Ultramobile PayGo changed their autopay system such that I lost confidence in autopay continuing to work. So ported number to Google Voice, as I had been intending to do next year. So now 2 Google Voice numbers plus Tello eSIM.
Brought bicycle and other gear to storage.
Mid-morning flight Reno to San Francisco. Evening flight San Francisco to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul in late afternoon. Slept on floor in airport. Carpeted and quiet, so tolerable.
Morning arrival in Madrid. 2 hours waiting in passport line. Good thing I planned 5 hours to get to bus station. Bought €35 Orange mobile service (unlimited data 28 days, tariff later changed to 45GB for €10/28 days). Should have waited to get to Terminal T4 (for Cercanías station) to buy MásMóvil, since that worked out well last year. Cercanías train to South Bus Station. €34 Alsa bus to Granada. €72 through booking.com at Hotel Universal. Overnight layover in Istanbul adds to length of journey, but morning arrival in Madrid is much better than late evening arrival.
Día de Andalucía. Bus 360 to Dúrcal, leaving 12:30. Legs felt stronger than last year, partly because several hours good sleep at hotel versus brief nap on night bus. Carried 4.3L water out of Nigüelas, without difficulty, so back and shoulders also strong. Camped at usual spot.
Raytheon pension was deposited using correct name.
Slept well and alert and energetic in morning. Followed new trails marked green on map, which leads sports center at top of town of Lanjarón. Horizontal bars (near football field) now wrapped in tape, so less slippery than last year. €30 via direct reservation at Hotel Lanjarón versus €35 shown on booking.com. Terrible sinus pain in evening.
Slept badly, with sinus headache and itchy eyes all night and into morning. Plus some leg muscle soreness. €35 direct reservation at Hostal Atalaya in Capileira versus €40 shown on booking.com. Long hard day. Should stay at least 2 nights in Lanjarón in future to allow body to adapt.
Raytheon sent certified letter with old name, with signature receipt requested. Postal Depot refused to sign initial delivery attempt but will sign for second delivery attempt tomorrow.
Slept poorly. Terrible sinus headache all night and into morning. Decided to take a rest day. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups and chinups (calisthenics bars 200m outside town, along paved main road).
Slept poorly again, with sinus headache all night. Headache ended about mid-morning. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups and pullups. Drizzling and cold. €30 at Casa Fermina in Trevélez versus €35 shown on booking.com. More headache and stuffy nose in evening and during night. Maybe eating too much bread. Cut back from 500g to 350g and try to get whole wheat instead of white bread.
Headache in morning but disappeared after exercises. Possible I'm not breathing properly while sleeping and headache is result of oxygen deprivation. Or maybe bedding is treated with chemicals. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups, plus chinups later at football goal near library in Lobras. About 10cm snow on ground in Trevélez itself and trail outside town, plus some dangerous ice in places, with below freezing air temperature. No snow on ground near Juviles or beyond, temperature quickly warmed as sun came out, hiking with sleeves rolled up by mid-afternoon. €90 for 3 nights at Pensión El Montoro in Cádiar versus €105 shown on booking.com. Need rest break to recover from this flu or covid illness.
Some sneezing upon awakening, some mucus coughed up from lungs, mild stuffy head feeling but no sharp headache like on previous days. Did all morning exercises.
Body feels back to normal. Decided to stay another day in Cádiar to minimize exposure to forecast rain.
€45 at Pensión El Tinao in Yegen.
Rained heavily last night. Decided to hike on highway to avoid mud. Better idea would be GR7 to Mairena, then highway, because highway from Valor to Mairena is winding. Picked up 4L in Bayárcal. Camped near last year location, but further down trail on flat spot near old chestnut grove. Ground very damp packed dirt, so rain will run off rather than be absorbed. Carved ditches around up slope sides of tarp in case rain tonight. Made hotel reservation for La Calahorra. Whole body feels sore and problems with right knee.
Frost on tarp and ground frozen in morning but water bottles ice free because placed near my head. Skipped morning exercises other than inclined rows and pushups. Slightly pulled muscle during rows. Plus right knee pain continues. Fuente La Ragua running, however I was already carrying plenty of water. Trail down from Puerto de la Ragua has finally been cleared of thorns, below 1800m or so. Above that, possibly to walk around thorns. €40 at Hostal LaBella in La Calahorra.
Knee pain continues but somewhat better after morning exercises (pullups using swing set in children's playground next to hostal), especially sitting in lotus pose. Unable to fully recline in supine hero and very painful initially in that pose. Decided to take a rest day at hostal.
Knee improving but still not normal. Able to recline fully in supine hero pose during morning exercises but skipped butterfly pose (baddha konasana). Forcing knees down in butterfly might have been what caused my knee injury. Asian squat and lotus poses provide enough hip opening that butterfly might be redundant, so thinking of deleting that pose from morning routine. Another possible cause of knee injury was bad gait Monday, because of hurrying to avoid rain. Decided to take another rest day here in La Calahorra, then 3 nights camping instead of usual 2 to get to Baza.
Right knee pain finally gone but knee feels slightly loose. Skipped butterfly pose and deleted permanently from routine. Camped in pine plantation 10km from La Calhorra. Rained during night and occasional drizzle in morning.
Drizzling and overcast in morning then sunny and cool from noon on. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups, Asian squat, supine hero (no knee pain with this last exercise). Followed GR7 on LocusMap instead of my old GPX. New route is slightly longer than old route, mostly dirt roads with several tricky forks, about 200m cross country through open scrub versus maybe 500m cross country with old route. Chinups using tennis court gate in Charches. Picked up water for lunch at central square in town. Picked up 2.5L for tomorrow at Fuente La Fragua, which was running strong. Camped at usual spot. Some soreness in right knee.
Sunny and cool. Skipped morning exercises other than rowing, pushups, Asian squat, supine hero (again no knee pain with this last exercise). Loaded 2L at fuente 1km past campsite, and 2L again at Canaleja Alta. Camped at usual site. Right knee felt loose all day but only minor pain.
Decided to delete peacock pose (elbow planche) from morning exercise routine, due to tendency of elbows to slip and back muscles to spasm and get strained in response to this slipping. For years, I've been frequently "forgetting" and skipping peacock pose, as if subconsciously aware of low benefit/cost ratio of this exercise, so long overdue for deletion. Shorter and simpler morning exercise routine is, easier to motivate myself to do it. Did remaining exercises without difficulty. Right knee almost back to normal while hiking, which was a massive relief because I was beginning to worry it might never fully heal. Chinups using football goal at plaza near Consum supermarket in Baza. €70 for 2 nights at Hostal Casa Grande, where I spent 90+ days in 2020 during covid-19 lockdown hysteria.
More soreness in knee than yesterday—discouraging relapse.
Added 2FA and made other changes to Google and Porkbun to increase security. Reason for not doing this previously was concern that somehow I would fumble-finger things and end up locking myself out. Also bought $100 advance credit at Porkbun, so auto-renew not so dependent on banking system. Losing domains would be absolute disaster.
Woke up to continued soreness on inner side of right knee, but negligible soreness while hiking. Carried 3L out of Zújar. Camped at usual spot on way to Benamaurel.
Skipped toe to ear stretch and lotus pose, in order not to stress knees. Body felt exhausted by today's hike, but at least right knee appears to be healing. Maybe my body was making an effort to spare right knee and that is what caused exhaustion. €30 at Hotel Montecarlo in Cúllar.
Slept poorly. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups and Asian squat. Drank 2L with breakfast and then carried 4L out of Cúllar, so enough for tomorrow. Camped amid pines halfway between Cúllar and Orce, so short day today and tomorrow. Right knee is improving, but not fully normal, so plan to continue short days for another 2 weeks. This will also enable me to arrange arriving at supermarkets and hotels to accommodate Semana Santa.
Right knee slowly improving. Skipped lotus pose to avoid stressing knees. Maybe remove lotus from morning routine. Camped at usual spot just before Orce. Whole body feels weak.
Right knee pain might be related to changes in gait and posture. Right foot was never as well developed as left foot: more pronation, tendency towards bunion. Addressing this problem resulted in right foot plantar fascia problem last year. Now that plantar fascia is healed, right foot works better than previously, with no more tendency to bunion. Similarly, once right knee working properly again, long-standing left hip tightness and undevelopment of left hip/buttock muscles might resolve themselves.
Pine forest along high route to Huéscar. Camp here in future and add yet another day between Cúllar and Huéscar, part of plan to reduce hours/day of hiking and camp more in the future. €35 at Hostal Ruta del Sur in Huéscar.
Right knee improving. Ate in town, carried from town 1.5 days food and 6L water, to allow rest day, because need to slow down to accommodate hotel reservations for Semana Santa Camped at usual spot 10km north of Huéscar.
Used orange.es website to add €20 to balance and change tariff to €10/29 days. All sorts of issues with receiving 2FA SMS code, verifying with GooglePay, etc. My computer/telecom/financial life feels like a rickety house of cards just waiting to collapse.
Knee improving but toe to ear difficult and had to skip lotus pose to avoid stressing knee. Thinking of deleting lotus pose entirely. Burmese pose sitting is what I actually need and use outside of morning exercises. Burmese sitting plus Asian squat together should be enough to keep hips open.
Add 50 hindu/cossack squats on even/odd days. Reduce regular squats to 50. Replace lotus by ardha siddhasana.
€70 for 2 nights at Hostal Puerta de Andalucía in Puebla de Don Fadrique. Want to avoid arriving in El Sabinar on Saturday.
Pullups using tennis court gate at town recreation center.
Knee improving. Beautiful weather. Picked up water at fountain in Cañada de la Cruz. Camped at usual spot.
Knee continues to improve, but very slowly. Cold dry and very strong northwest wind. Fuente La Rogativa running but didn't need water. €25 at Pensión Nevazo in El Sabinar.
Beautiful weather, warmer and without wind of yesterday. Camped at usual site before Moratalla.
Ford over rush-filled creek had more water than usual, so boots got wet. Camped at usual spot before Calasparra.
Discovered shampoo bottle missing during rest stop. Probably fell out yesterday evening and was not easily visible because ground where I camped was whitish dirt. Replaced with one of bottles used to hold repair items. Same size bottle, because I had long ago anticipated someday losing or damaging shampoo bottle.
€55 at Hotel Primavera in Calasparra through booking.com. Annoying that I couldn't pay immediately upon making booking, to secure booking. Instead, necessary to leave credit card unlocked until arrival, where I paid in cash, then immediately locked card.
Maundy Thursday, stores close early. Ate big meal in town, left town with 7L water, 1.5days food. Camped at usual spot in olive grove 5km from town.
Adult tick crawling on ground pad while eating breakfast. Crushed between rocks. Right knee almost back to normal. Camped at usual spot.
Skipped morning exercises other than pushups. Pullups using football goal in Abarán riverside park. Stores open normal hours. Bought fresh food for today plus 2 additional days food. €46 at Hostal Mesón del Moro through booking.com.
Easter Sunday. Warm and sunny. Skipped exercises other than pushups. Ate breakfast and drank water at hostal, carrying 4L. Camped at usual site.
Easter Monday. Warm and sunny again. Picked up 3L in Torre del Rico. Camped at usual spot.
Pullups using stairs behind stage building in Pinoso park. €36 at Hostal La Cañada in Pinoso.
Fuente running in Enzebres. Camped at usual spot after Cases del Senyor.
Continued beautiful warm and sunny weather. €55 at Hostal Carrizo in Elda direct booking. Last year was €40, but much nicer room this year, without that noisy toilet. Also made reservation for Alcoy through booking.com.
Right knee almost fully healed, but probably another month needed to restore original flexibility. Warm and sunny again. Camped at usual spot.
90th day in Schengen.
Total of tbc nights in Spain: tbc nights camping, 33 nights in hotels. €tbc total hotel expenses, or average of €tbc/night.