After experiencing pure Spanish cultural activities consisting of Bull Fights and Flamenco Dancing in Sevilla, both Andy and I were required to return our brand new Volkswagen Polo to the Sixt Car Rental Agency in the southern Spanish city of Malaga. We both agreed that we got a real cheap deal with the rental for a week and also giving us the ultimate freedom of driving our own car in Southern Europe.Needless to say, we were happy that we only filled the gas tank 3 times, paid limited road toll fees only in the north and most importantly and amazely without getting a speeding ticket we drove the car more than 130-140 KM / hour on the highway feeling like we were cruising in the Nevada desert. The only thing that was missing from the car was it's ability to convert into a convertible.
Driving to Malaga was a smooth and easy ride through the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains with the last thirty kilometres being a quiet drive without touching the accelerator on any part of the hill. I had to drive as Andy was feeling sick and also sleeping in the passenger seat, the downward drive was like cruising down the big hill going into the town of Cochrane, Alberta. Steep and curvy were the main feelings however we save lots of gas by putting the stick into neutral and using the brake from here to there made the drive really smooth and peaceful until we reach the outer limits of Malaga.
Once we have reach Malaga, I was not happy that we did not have pack any traveling directions to where the Picasso Corner Hostel, the International airport or the Canada Embassy branch (This is Andy's looooong story in his quest for a Power of Attorny). Being frustrated and driving around the city centre, I told Andy that we should "Screw this S#$%" and agressively drove back out on to the highway and search for our way to the International airport. Reaching the airport, we have returned the car and took a public transportation bus (with a paper map from the airport tourism office) to the Picasso Corner Hostel where we have booked rooms for the next three nights.
Upon our arrival at the Picasso, I immediately began to feel that my body was shutting down, sweating, coughing, sneezing, and feeling nauseous. After eating the local hostel Spanish food, I decided to go downstairs to bed to see if I can fight off this flu-like symptoms. For the next three hours, it progressively gotten worst as I was hacking and dealing with the biggest nose run of my life. Thank god later I have fallen asleep.
The next day I woke up late and decided that the Picasso Corner Hostel would become my Picasso Corner Hospital for the next 3-4 days. I went to the pharmacy that morning to purchase some Anti-Histamine medication and to rest in bed drinking water like a plant starving in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
During my R & R at the Picasso Corner Hospital, I realized that the Hostel's computer systems were badly managed and in need of configuration repairs. One of the client computer's WIFI connection was disabled and also had to reinstall the operating system from scratch. I told the staff that I was an IT manager in Vietnam for three years, allowing them to believe that I can fix their computer system for free or possible exchange for food and possible free night sleep at the Hostel.
We both stayed at the Picasso Hostel Hospital for nearly a week and ended up paying for three nights out of six with free food every day for fixing their computers and also helping with their public website. The had some other small issues in the hostel such as slow Internet and a broken card reader on their fax machine so in the end they were easy tasks for me to repair for them. At the same time, the hostel staff members were sooo nice and took care of me to fight the flu and also treated me as their own. I even got a chance to talk with their cool owner who lives up North and to explain to him that their hostel web domain has expired and he needs to renew it ASAP.
As I stayed in the Hostel, Andy mostly went out to the Beach and met a few new people from the USA. It was good for both of us as sometimes spending too much time with each other can make us ready to kill each other.
The biggest highlight that made my life happy during the week was the chance to talk with Moony over the phone / Internet as we have missed each other's voice for over a month. Thank god for Internet Phone connections. (Cheap too!!)
Also during this time, we also had the time to explore on the Internet and talk with some of our friends in order to decide that we would continue our journies into the country of Morocco or make an 180 degree turn and head Northwest to Germany. Andy was facing decisions to leave for Africa as his novelty of Europe was starting to ware off. For me, I wanted to make sure I got my money's worth of using the Euro-Rail tickets before June 26th for 10 travel days in Western Europe.
It were days of decisions, decisions and decisions...
