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Switched from Mint Mobile to Tello. If Tello works acceptably, convert permanent USA mobile line from Ultramobile PayGo to Tello next year. Tello allows easily switching from minimal to full service.
Másmóvil website shows phone number from last year as invalid. So need to buy new SIM. If kiosk at bus station closed, then Másmóvil stores:
UK ETA Visa required for transit through London. Online application took about 15 minutes and cost $13, valid for 2 years. [ETA was not necessary,because transit without going through UK immigration.]
Blood donation, to ensure ferritin level stays low. Previous donation was Nov 2023, or about 15 months ago. Blood pressure was 113/77 and hemoglobin 16.1, both in good range.
Bought Alsa bus ticket, Madrid->Granada, $28.
Applied for another credit card, because problems using CapitolOne Mastercard with Alsa purchase. BankOfAmerica Visa worked, but I want spare in case BankOfAmerica fails at some point (canceled, lost, stolen, damaged). Had to unfreeze at 3 credit bureaus to allow application to proceed. [Application rejected due to using new residence address that is not yet in credit report.]
Paid Kyiv storage locker via PayPal since bank transfer didn't work last year. Had mixed feelings prior to paying, but no regrets after. So apparently, I'm still long-term committed to making Ukraine my permanent home once war ends.
AxosBank sent me paper mail notice that account inactive for 12 months, despite me logging on several times during past year. Smartphone app has always been troublesome. Decided to close account and replace with unlocked debit card from another bank. AxosBank is also deeply involved with crypto, so will likely go bankrupt or be shut down at some point.
Bought round-trip Madrid-Buenos Aires, $1231, and one-way Madrid-Belgrade, $148. Purchasing difficulties with both tickets: Buenos Aires ticket required 2FA sent to spare smartphone SIM, Belgrade ticket required Mastercard instead of Visa. Leave Madrid 8:45 on Thursday, so Mon-Wed of that week to buy winter coat and city shoes and take bus from Teruel to Madrid. Overnight in airport. Arrive in Buenos Aires 16:20 on Thursday, check into hotel, buy SIM on Friday if not possible at airport. Leave Buenos Aires 18:10 on Sunday, arrive in Madrid 10:55 on Monday. Flight to Belgrade at 17:50, arrive 20:55. Two weeks in Serbia, then bus to Sofia.
Early morning wakeup (3:00). Skipped exercises other than pushups and calf stretches. Flight departing 06:40 from Reno to Oakland on Southwest. BART between OAK and SFO airports. Evening flight San Francisco to London on British Airlines.
No passage through British immigration, so ETA visa was unnecessary. Flight from London to Madrid on British Airlines, arriving 18:00. Able to buy Másmóvil SIM at airport, so no need to visit store: €20 activation fee, €10 every 30 days for 60GB days, 400 minutes. Added another €20 to balance, enough for 2 renewals. Withdrew cash from ATM. RENFE Cercanías train to Méndez Álvaro / Estación Sur de Autobuses.
Early morning Alsa bus to Granada. Pullup bar on south side of river Genil, about 500m southeast of Mercadona (across from Plaza del Humilladero, opens 9:00). Bus to Dúrcal departing from Plaza del Violón at 10:10 Festijos, 10:40 Saturdays. Camp in mountains at usual spot. Very light drizzle in evening.
Felt depressed during long trip from Reno, but mood lifted and doubts about lifestyle disappeared as soon as I got off bus in Granada, then lifted further upon leaving Nigüelas and ascending into the mountains. Main problem with current lifestyle is need to travel between Europe and USA each year. Once Ukraine war resolved, make Kyiv permanent winter/summer home, thus greatly reducing travel.
€60 for 2 nights at Hotel Lanjarón. Booking.com failed during reservation attempt so made reservation by telephone. Pullup bars at newly built calisthenics park next to soccer field at top of town.
Terrible headache that persisted all day plus some sort of skin rash on neck that started several days ago but is gradually healing.
Headache gone in morning. No soreness in back and shoulder muscles from carrying pack, whereas legs felt weak. Possibly lungs never fully recovered from covid and thus less oxygen available than in past years. Back and shoulder muscles are pure endurance, so oxygen deficit not an issue. Or maybe muscles weakened in 3 months since hiking in Bulgaria. Bulky muscles definitely decay much faster now that I'm in my 60's. Back and shoulder muscles used for carrying backpack are not bulky and thus don't decay quickly.
Right foot, which had plantar fascia problems in Bulgaria, is working better than ever. Fascia problems might have been result of improvements to gait to correct tendency towards bunion. Improvements forced fascia on inside of foot (controlling big toe) to work much harder and fascia wasn't strong enough and so tore. Evidently, fascia healed and became stronger than previously during 3 months of limited hiking. Improvements to gait of right foot also seem to be fixing problem with underactive gluteus medius in left hip.
€35 at Hostal Atalaya in Capileira.
Bought food in town, pullups at calisthenics park on highway just above town, ate at picnic area near calisthenics park Drizzling off and on all day. Legs felt stronger than yesterday. €30 at Casa Fermina in Trevélez.
Occasional drizzle. Legs feeling much stronger. So maybe problem on Tuesday was simply that muscles needed a few days to get into hiking condition, and not long-term covid damage. €30 at Pensión El Montoro in Cádiar. Pullups using children's soccer goal in central park.
Paid for 2 more nights in Cádiar, to avoid rain and also rest right foot, in case plantar fascia that tore in Bulgaria not yet full strength.
Raining off and on all day. Poncho worked to keep everything dry. €45 at Pensión El Tinao in Yegen.
Raining off and on all day. Pullups using bus shelter in Bayárcal. Camped on abandoned road, just off highway, about 1.2km north (as crow flies) of Bayárcal. Made reservation for tomorrow. Location of tarp appeared okay upon pitching tarp, but flooded when rain increased during night. Just to the side was a location which did not flood. Quilt and pullover both soaked.
Packed up during lull in rain, skipping exercises and breakfast. Accumulation of water had disappeared by then. Campsite not obvious depression and ground porous, however compacted ground. Need to be very careful about camping on compacted ground. Drizzled continued for several hours, then stopped and sun emerged just as I reached Puerto de la Ragua about noon. Lots of snow above 1700m, but road itself completely clear. Picked up additional water at Fuente de la Yeguas, which was running strong. Dried most gear upon descending past snow line. Trail more overgrown than ever. €37 for single occupancy at Hostal Labella in La Calahorra. Gear finished drying during night.
Partly cloudy, windy, cool, dry air. Ground dries quickly in weather like this. Bought 2.5 days food at store. Pullups using tennis court gate in Charches. Fuente de la Fraguara running normally. Camped at usual spot at 1800m. Long day hiking was good test for full healing of plantar fascia of right foot, but maybe split into two short days in future. Very cold sleeping initially due to wind, then wind slowed and rain began and continued all night.
Did rowing and pushup exercises and ate breakfast during lull in rain in morning. Rain resumed later, turning to snow above 1900m. Ate lunch in hut near pass. About 10cm snow accumulation at 2000m and above. Picked up water at Canaleja Alta. Setup camp in light rain at usual spot. Rain and wind picked up later.
Drizzling in early morning, then stopped and sun came out enough to dry gear, eat breakfast and pack up. Rain resumed later. €70 for 2 nights at Hostal Casa Grande in Baza. Pullups using children's play equipment in Alameda de Cervantes or soccer goal in Parque de la Constitución.
Nasty sinus infection upon waking in middle of night. More susceptible to such minor illnesses since covid. Supposedly, covid eats away at immune system, T-cells in particular. Sinuses felt okay after morning exercises. Skin issue on right side of nose also resolving. Bought food for tomorrow and also Monday, so as to be able eat Monday morning before leaving camp. Recent rain marks end of severe four year drought here in Spain, so welcome, though inconvenient for hiking.
Drizzling off and on all day. Carried 2L out of Zújar, after fully hydrating there. Camped at usual spot.
Starting raining in morning, after breaking camp, then off and on drizzle remainder of day. €30 at Hostal Montecarlo in Cúllar.
Rain in morning, then alternating showers and sun in afternoon. Crossed paths with older German woman hiker headed towards Cúllar. I suggested some campsites for next few days. She started GR7 in Tarifa on Feb 10, but cold and wind in mountains past Ronda was too much, so she took bus to Elda and is now hiking GR7 south, then will flip-flop back to Elda. Camped at usual spot just before Orce.
Partly cloudy, mild temperature, low humidity, overall very nice day. Hostal Ruta del Sur in Huéscar had no vacancies when I called to inquire. €45 at Hotel Patri instead (€60 if using booking.com versus direct). Pullups in nearby Parque Manuel Rodríguez Penalva.
Made reservation for tomorrow. Carried 4L out of town. Camped at usual spot. Rained during night.
Sunny, breezy, mild temperature. €30 at Hostal Puerta de Andalucía.
Camped at usual site. Some drizzle during night. Temperature near freezing.
Fuente La Rogativa dripping slowly, so obtained water from pool above fuente, whose gate was unlocked. Water had slight algae taste but otherwise seemed okay. Chinups at fuente picnic area using old swingset frame. €25 at Pensión El Nevazo in El Sabinar. Rain started soon after arriving at Pensión.
While packing up in morning, discovered pillow/pullover stuff sack (with sleep hat inside) was missing. Maybe left at Saturday night campsite. Need to store inside miscellaneous clothing stuff sack in future. Will use one of silnylon clothing stuff sacks as pillow stuff sack for remainder of trip. [Later: found pillow stuff sack in bottom of backpack while setting up camp. Because hotel room was small, I had put various items back into backpack to organize them, after removing ground pad for morning exercises. When I then dumped backpack after exercises, pillow stuff sack somehow got stuck inside. Storing pillow stuff sack inside miscellaneous clothing stuff sack should prevent this sort of thing in the future.]
Chinups using bus shelter next to El Sabinar park. Beautiful day: cool dry air, sunny. Camped at usual site.
Occasional rain. Made reservation for tomorrow. Camped at usual spot.
Some drizzle during night. Sun in morning. Very nice weather. €45 at Hotel Primavera in Calaspara.
After eating big meal and drinking 2.5L, left town with 6L and 1.5 days food. Made reservation for Saturday. Chinups using old football goal outside town. Partly cloudy and mild temperature. Camped 6km outside town.
Short day. Camped at usual site. Spotted adult tick on bugbivy while setting up camp, where I had been sitting and reading for about an hour previously. Crushed tick between rocks then did quick self-inspection but found nothing.
84th day in Schengen. Fly to Buenos Aires.
Total of ?? nights in Spain: initial night on bus, final night in airport, ?? nights camping, ?? nights in hotels. €?? total hotel expenses, or average of €??/night.
tbc