Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of passport renewals, rain showers, Chinese meals, sliced fingers, long walks, website work, and a painful ankle to finish it off. Plenty of coffees, plenty of friends, and plenty of small dramas that kept life interesting.
Monday, 17th March
I woke at 02:30 to the unmistakable sound of my Spanish neighbours either enjoying themselves or suffering from cramp. I chose not to investigate. Thankfully, it only lasted a few seconds, and I went back to sleep until 07:30. After coffee and Wordle, I published last week’s journal and made porridge with banana, raisins and honey.
The sky was grey, and I had no desire to go out for a St Patrick’s Day Guinness, so I planned to work on my India photo albums. I say planned, but I never actually started. Instead, I received an unhelpful email from a solicitor in England, which pushed me to renew my passport. The online process was surprisingly easy. I took a photo with my phone, uploaded it, paid the £120.86 fee and received instructions on where to send my old passport.
With the office closed, I spent the day at home. After tidying the kitchen, I settled into my armchair with a blanket and played Civilisation VI. A while became hours, and hours became the whole day. I finally stopped at midnight.
Tuesday, 18th March
I woke at 07:00, fought the urge to get up, lost the battle and made coffee. After Wordle, I walked to Time For a Change to send my old passport back to the UK. It was closed, so I walked to the doctor’s surgery to ask about a Hepatitis A booster. The nurse checked the latest guidance and said boosters were no longer needed. I did not fully trust him, so I asked at the pharmacy too. They confirmed the same.
Back at Time For a Change, Keith helped me prepare the envelope. I added my passport, reference number and a business card, sealed it and paid €6.50 for postage. With that done, I walked home under darkening skies and messaged Martin to say I would skip lunchtime drinks but still meet him for dinner.
By late afternoon, the rain had stopped, so I walked to Buena Vista for a pint. It was closed, so I continued to Rocco’s, where I discovered it was Happy Hour. I messaged Martin, but he refused to come because Rocco’s is on his ever growing list of places to avoid.
At 19:00, I walked to Asia Star Chinese restaurant and joined Martin, Kate and Aria. I ordered the cheapest menu of the day and was pleasantly surprised. Hot and sour soup, lemon chicken with rice and cheesecake for €11.95. Excellent value. After dinner, I walked home along the promenade. The TV would not work because the Internet was down, so I went to bed at 21:30.
Wednesday, 19th March
I woke refreshed just before 07:00. The Internet was working again, so I did Wordle and added descriptions to my India photo albums. At 09:30, I took recycling out and rode my scooter to Café Prensa. Steve was already there, and soon Steve and Bev joined us.
After coffee, I went to the tourist office for a bus timetable, but despite the posted hours and all the lights being on, the door was locked. Several of us stood outside, annoyed. I continued to the Avatel office to ask about upgrading my Internet plan. They upgraded me on the spot to 1000 mb speed, 50 GB mobile data, free Spanish TV and a free year of Amazon Prime.
I bought groceries at Economy Cash, checked the tourist office in Rio Nalon (which had vanished entirely), then visited my neighbour Christine to tell her about the new Internet deals. Back home, I added more India albums to my website, ate a cheeseburger and spent the afternoon wrapped in a blanket watching Grimm.
Thursday, 20th March
I woke early to a cold, wet, grey morning. I stayed indoors, contacted a local charity about collecting furniture and worked on my website. The rest of the day was spent playing Civ VI or watching Grimm. Before bed, I checked my Internet speed and was delighted to see it had already been upgraded to just under 1000 mb. I also received the link for my free Amazon Prime year.
Friday, 21st March
I woke to the sound of rain. After coffee, porridge and Wordle, I tried to clean my new razor but could not reassemble it. I contacted Amazon, and because I had insurance, they approved a return. I boxed it up and printed the paperwork.
I spent the morning adding more India photos to my website, including albums for the journey from Lucknow to Varanasi and the sunrise boat trip on the Ganges. In the afternoon, I researched Japanese style toilets again and found a company in Murcia called Nashi. After a few quick replies to my questions, I ordered one with a two month delivery and fitting window.
Saturday, 22nd March
I woke at 07:00, stripped my bed and put washing on. After coffee and Wordle, I took the razor return parcel to Euronics, then went to Buena Vista for breakfast. Liz joined me, and we chatted over a second coffee.
Liz was going to Carrefour, so I went with her and bought a pork steak for Sunday dinner, some ham and a 3XL shirt on sale. It was tighter than I would like, but wearable. Back home, I fell asleep in front of the TV between episodes of Grimm.
Sunday, 23rd March
I woke at 06:45, had coffee and porridge and worked on more India photo albums. Debbie messaged, and we arranged to meet next Friday. Later, I cooked the pork steak with chips, mushrooms and a fried egg.
In the afternoon, I walked around the corner to photograph some street art. On the way back, I stepped on uneven ground and turned my ankle. At first it did not hurt much, but once I got home, it swelled rapidly and became agonising. I had no painkillers, so I messaged Christine, who was out, then Kate, who sent Martin with some tablets. He brought water and a bin in case I was sick.
I fell asleep after taking the painkillers. At 22:00, I tried to get to bed, but the pain was awful. Christine and John arrived with more painkillers, and once they left, I finally fell asleep.
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