DAYS 17 - GRANADA TO CHIPIONA:

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WE WOKE UP FAIRLY EARLY AT 7AM FOR OUR BUS TRIP TO CHIPIONA AT 10AM, AND WERE APPARENTLY THE ONLY ONES UP IN THE WHOLE PLACE. AFTER PACKING EVERYTHING UP, IN THE BATHROOM SO WE WOULDN'T DISTURB OUR FELLOW HOSTELERS, WE LEFT THE HOSTEL IN SEARCH OF THE BUS STOP FOR NUMBER 33 TO THE MAIN BUS STATION. I GOT US A LITTLE LOST, BUT WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE BUS STOP AND GRABBED THE NEXT BUS. THE BUS WAS FAIRLY EMPTY AND NEVER DID FILL UP MUCH. AT THE STATION, WE QUICKLY LOCATED THE CAFETERIA FOR OUR MORNING COFFEES, AND SAT THERE UNTIL AROUND 9:20 BEFORE WE MOVED TO THE WAITING ROOM. THE ALSA BUS BOARDED AND LEFT ON TIME FOR THE FIRST LEG OF OUR TRIP, FROM GRANADA TO SEVILLE'S ESTACION DEL PRADO. APPARENTLY I NAPPED A BIT ON THE BUS BECAUSE WE WERE ENTERING SEVILLE THE NEXT THING I KNEW. SEVILLE HAS TWO MAJOR BUS STATIONS, ESTACION DEL PRADO AND PLAZA DE LAS ARMAS. THE PLAZA DE LAS ARMAS TERMINAL IS PRETTY MUCH ONLY ALSA BUS LINES GOING TO MAJOR TOWNS IN SPAIN AND INTERNATIONAL. THE ESTACION DEL PRADO TERMINAL HAS LOCAL BUSES AND OTHER BUS LINES THAT COVER THE SMALLER TOWNS IN ANDALUSIA. CHIPIONA IS DEFINITELY A SMALLER TOWN, WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 18,000. THE 10AM BUS WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP AT SEVERAL TOWNS ALONG THE WAY, BUT APPARENTLY, BECAUSE THERE WAS A BIG FESTIVAL IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF SANLUCAR DE BARRAMEDA, THERE WERE TWO BUSES, ONE OF WHICH STOPPED ONLY IN SANLUCAR BEFORE CHIPIONA. OBVIOUSLY, WE GRABBED THE FASTER ONE. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR BUS'S WIFI DIDN'T WORK, SO I HAD TO WAIT TO FINISH YESTERDAY'S BLOG UNTIL WE REACHED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW'S HOUSE IN CHIPIONA.

BY COINCIDENCE, A LADY ON OUR BUS WAS AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF MY WIFE, AND AFTER HALF THE BUS EMPTIED IN SANLUCAR, SHE MOVED UP CLOSER TO TALK TO MANOLI. MY WIFE HAD TOLD HER BROTHER ANTONIO WHICH BUS WE WERE ARRIVING ON, BUT JUST TO MAKE SURE, MANOLI'S FRIEND CALLED HIM ENROUTE. WE DO HAVE A CELLPHONE WITH US, BUT WE DIDN'T PAY EXTRA FOR THE REGULAR CELLPHONE SERVICE IN PORTUGAL OR SPAIN, SO WE COULDN'T USE IT TO CALL WITHOUT PAYING SOMETHING LIKE A DOLLAR A MINUTE. WHEN WE PULLED INTO THE LITTLE CHIPIONA TERMINAL, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, HIS WIFE CONSUELO, HIS SON MANUEL, AND HIS DAUGHTER SALOME, WERE ALL LINED UP AGAINST THE WALL WAITING FOR US. WITH OUR MONSTROUS LUGGAGE AND 6 PEOPLE, WE OBVIOUSLY WEREN'T GOING TO ALL FIT IN THE CAR, SO MANUEL AND SALOME TOOK OUR LUGGAGE IN THE CAR WHILE MANOLI, ANTONIO, CONSUELO, AND I WALKED THE FEW BLOCKS TO THE HOUSE.

WE ARE STAYING IN CHIPIONA UNTIL SATURDAY, THE 31ST OF MAY. SINCE WE AREN'T LIKELY TO DO THAT MANY EXCITING THINGS, I MAY NOT WRITE ANOTHER BLOG UNTIL WE LEAVE FOR HOME.

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