I think tonight just confirmed some small thing about Spain. We arrived in Albacete for the next test at about 4 pm. I had a quick clean and went to wander the city before everything closed up. Short walk into town, and It was empty. I thought everything was already closed up… too bad. Wandered around anyway, there was the odd store open here and there. This was around 6pm. Then slowly more and more opened up and more and more people arrived. Not a lot happens in Spain before 9pm. Most places wont start serving dinner until 9pm at the earliest. So now town was pumping, shops were selling, and I bought a new pair of shoes. Very cheap, so I had to :)

need to finish this post at some other time in the future...

BT

Spanish doctors (if they can be called that) Woke up this morning, and knew it would not be good. Had the same headache I have had in the past when I get food poisoning. Tried to fight it, 1.5 litre of water, bread, but no luck. Half way through the second outing, I had to drop the pit board and make a dash for the toilet. Long story short, it was bad for a couple of hours, and I finally went to the infield care to see what they could do. There was an EMT that spoke only Spanish, and two 'doctors' one of which had some decent English. After some basic tests, it was indeed bad food, and their solution was a fuck off big needle, full of some shit I didn't know. He said it would help the vomiting and the pain (headache I guess) and in about 2 hours I would feel better. Fair enough, except the needle went into my ass, with no prep! And I'm pretty sure that after use, the needle was put back on the shelf… no entirely sure. :|

But in the end (hahaha) I felt better in 2 hours, and was able to finish working on the car for the next test in Albacete.

BT

Seen it all now. where else in the world (well, there may be others, but not where i have been) can you see a 2 year old wandering around a smoke filled bar, at 11pm ?!? where i ask you? amazing, really.

BT

Spain is fucked. In a good way of course. From a previous entry, about the small village we stayed it, you can see the lifestyle in some areas is a bit different. We discovered that in the grocery stores, it is possible to buy 3 litres of 50% alcohol… doesn't sound interesting, I know. But it comes in a plastic bottle, the liquid is clear and it is easily confused for a large bottle of water. Which is how it ended up in our coffee machine at the race track! One guy went shopping for lunch and drinks and simply saw a large bottle of clear liquid. Fucked up taste to the coffee though!! Did I forget to mention that 3 litres of this stuff is only 3 Euro…

BT

Uliela, Spain. Somewhere near Almeria. This part of Spain is so much different from the few other places that I have been. The landscape alone is interesting. Like I have not seen before. More hilly and mountainous than I thought for sure. But so dry and bare as well. For acres and acres there were (what I would call) covered gardens. Huge tents set up, like a greenhouse, but they looked temporary. Must be the only way they can grow crops here in the summer.

But it's the lifestyle in this small town that I can't get over still. The village must be only 600 or so big .. if that. Our hotel has a small resturant/bar thing. Every morning, in the bar, there are the same people. Older, some going to work, some just starting the day. If they have a coffee, it is 50% coffee and 50% brandy. At 7am! That's if they even have a coffee at all, most just have the brandy, or a cognac, or some strange drink I have not seen before. I think it is Anis, or Anisette or like that. It smells like Zambucca. I have not tried it though. So here are all these old guys, drinking brandy at 7am, then off to work by 9! Crazy. Mind you, not all of them get right drunk at 7am, only a few do. But after work, the rest of them catch up for sure!!

This village has a 'square' in the centre, and within 1 sq km around the centre, there are 6 bars. 6. Great village!

BT