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Sunday, April 7 – Malaga to El Burgo, 1662 km
Over the past week I have been working on Mike to persuade him to take the arduous trip over the mountains to Ronda, one of the ‘must-see’ sights of Andalucía. Ronda is only 100 km from Malaga, at the western end of the same district, but the route requires a climb from sea level of just under 1100m, almost the height of Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains, before descending to Ronda at an altitude of 750m. We have decided to trip over two days, 70 km today and 30 tomorrow, to avoid an ordeal like the day from Priego to Granada.
We follow the Av. de Andalucía, A-357, due west to get out of the city. Fortunately it is a Sunday morning so traffic is light. We immediately leave the coast as it bends to the south-west. The route crosses low hills just outside the city, and then follows the valley of the Rio Guadalhorce. Here the road surface is good but it is not very scenic. Our road bends north. Shortly after the village of Pizarra, we turn on A-354 to continue west. 
Here the road begins a long, steady climb, not too steep at first, but the mountains close in around us as we approach them. I am still coughing when I exert myself, and it is hot too, away from the sea. The heat drains me as much as my cold. 
I haven’t seen Mike for a couple hours but I find him waiting for me in the shade of a bus shelter just before the town of Casarabonela . We stop for a break and a snack. “Do you feel up to a big climb?” he asks me, pointing to a quiet side road that switchbacks up to the town and continues through a pass on the far side of the mountain that the village clings to. Casarabonela is a vision in white against the mountainside. It is stunning and irresistible. “I am sure I can make it if I take my time,” I respond, accepting the challenge. I set off ahead of him to get a head start, but it isn’t long before he passes me again, being a much stronger climber, and healthier at this point. The climb is steep, as steep as the road through Montefrio. It feels like mountain climbing, only on a bicycle – slow going, never ending. After we pass the town there are no cars on the road. I spot Mike above me a km or so ahead of the pass. The views are incredible but not good for photographs. There is a haze that blurs the distant scenery.
The pass is at 730m, beyond which we encounter strong gusts of westerly winds and broken road surfaces, so we are not able to drop very quickly. It drops about 200, before climbing gradually to El Burgo, today’s destination. I arrive at 3:15. Mike has been waiting for me for 10 minutes.
The Let’s Go Guide says bartenders here will know of private rooms in peoples’ homes for very economical prices, but Mike doesn’t want to ask locals. I am feeling weak after all our 
climbing but he wants to walk around the steep streets of the town to search for rooms to let. As it turns out, there is only one hostel in this small town. We rent a room for 2500 pesados, a bit pricey for our budget, but it’s a beautiful room with a balcony. Mike uses his boundless energy to walk up and down all the streets of the town. I stay here on the bed, writing my journal and enjoy the comfort and peace. The doors to the balcony are wide open as I stretch out on the bed. I am aching all over, but happy. I am surprised by the strange electronic chime of the local church. It
reminds me of the tones that are sounded just before an announcement in an airport, but it is soothing too. When Mike finally returns as the sun sets, when the mountain air becomes too cool to be comfortable, we close the balcony doors and have a picnic dinner on the bed to save money.
PHOTO 1: outside of Malaga
PHOTO 2: Cartama
PHOTO 3: Pizzara
PHOTO 4: below Casarabonela
PHOTO 5: from Casarabonela
PHOTO 6: at the pass above Casarabonela
PHOTO 7: valley before El Burgo
PHOTO 8: waterfall in El Burgo valley
PHOTO 9: Roman bridge into El Burgo
PHOTO 10: El Burgo
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