We were running out of daylight to find a camp spot. We tried a campsite with motorhomes, but no luck. The place didn't take tents. The guy suggested a beach further down. We rode through tunnels on a bicycle path right along the coast. It was one of the most amazing rides. At dusk we ended at a park right in between towns that was secluded from everyone. We got to camp right on the beach. I was worried we'd be taken out to sea in the middle of the night. All was good though and we woke up to a perfect sunny day on the beach.
We had such a perfect beach spot, that Seth and I left our tents up all day and kicked it on the beach. We soaked up sun rays, read our books, and I made some art. The beach was full of neat shells so I hand drilled holes in them. Takes about 1 hour to drill the hole since they were pretty thick shells. I made some necklaces and earrings. Joe and Chris left and checked out some beach spots further down to busk, but no luck. It turned out to be Spain's Mothers Day which is 2 weeks ahead of the U.S.
The next day we rode a long boardwalk that led us all the way into Malaga. Malaga is a huge touristic city with lots of parks, old monuments, and a port. There's a giant Moorish castle that takes up a huge part of the city up on top of a hill. There's a lot of plaza's with bars n restaurants down alleyways and windy roads for pedestrians only. The port is a huge marina that Cruz ships come dock with spots to enjoy the views around. All very fancy. Top notch places to rent out leather couches n chairs to sit in and order drinks.
Joe and Chris tried busking our first night in downtown Malaga. They soon found out that there's certain busking hours and busking spots to play. The hours are noon till 3 and 5 to 9pm. The busking spots have numbers throughout the city. It's very regulated. I tried selling art since I saw other people out there selling. We all quickly got shut down by the police. The police told me there's no selling art anywhere in Malaga except on the 1st Sunday of every month on the boardwalk. Pretty lame. No wonder there's a fight for art in Spain. We decided to not busk at all with having to obey so many rules, and just enjoy our time there. We ran into our friend Sebastian who we met at Isla Bonita. Crazy. We forgot he lives in Malaga and then to run into him. Sebastian saw our bikes and came over. It was so nice to see him and catch up. We were supposed to meet up with him later that night but it flash flooded on us unexpectedly. We jumped out of the rain and hung out under a patio tables umbrella. The place turned out to be owned by Antonio Banderez. So cool. It was a huge downpour and all of our belongings got wet. Lots of thunder and lightning.
Every night (which was 3) we rode out of town to our beach front campsite. Luckily the sun is hot during the day so we dried our belongings in no time.
All of us needed bike repairs done and we found a guy who took us to a bicycle co-op. The volunteer there hooked us up. His name is Rel. Seth's bike needed the most repairs and Rel took him under his wing and showed Seth how to fix everything. Joe put on new handle bars and Chris fixed his front rack. Me, I just needed a little oil on my chain. If you ever need your bicycle fixed for cheap, a bicycle co-op is the place to go. You give a donation and they help you fix your bike. Co-op's are full of all kinds of bike parts n tools. One guy is usually in charge and has the knowledge to help and everyone there is volunteers. If your in Malaga, the bicycle co-op is called Grease.
We also hit up a Decathalon to stock up on our propane tank, bicycle tubes, and camping goods. I got me a new blow up pillow. It's the way to go. Light and easy for traveling. I also got some new socks to cozy up with at night. On our way cruzing around Malaga, we spotted a bar that was a microbrewery. We had to pull over and get a beer. It brought back the American beer taste that we've all been longing for. The beer in Spain is super cheap (6 pk. 1.20) but it's super light and no taste. I don't even waste my time drinking it. I prefer the wine here. Chris treated us and it was divine.
Since we were in a big city, Chris bought Seth a skateboard for his pre birthday present. Seth's other skateboard fell apart due to the sun, rain, and salt. Skateboards are hard to find in Spain. Seth was super stoked on his new board. We had a blast getting things done and sight seeing Malaga.
