It's 1:23am and I'm sitting on an overnight bus, heading towards Almería. I just finished a bit of work that I needed to get out of the way before my easter break. I will walk from Almería to Granada, in the South of Spain. I can now write that—if work crosses my mind—I shall dismiss it with the wave of my hand, because I've earned my off-time (alright that's only bravado, I'm sure I'll reply to Slack messages should I get them).

Two days ago I met with my friend and mentor Javier Cañada, I told him about this walk, that I wanted to create a newsletter, and that I wanted his advice. He asked what I wanted to do. I shrugged my shoulders: I know that when I walk I am inspired to write, but I don't really have an agenda, I simply write about what comes up. Javier mentioned the possibility of having an underlying theme, but that something could be non-explicit, themes in which the protagonist/author—through his acts and allusions—works on a non-explicit theme.

The idea excited me, but it also felt it would be difficult to do authentically. I would have to write about something I don't want to write about so that I would only allude and act upon it, instead of directly writing about it. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: this exercise is for a different walk, but this walk can be a pilot of that walk.

I should try to get some sleep now, but my hopes are not high: it seems airplane spacing has reached Spanish buses, and for the two inches the seat reclines, it's not worth bothering the person behind me.

I know by memory everything I'm carrying on my backpack and on myself. Here's the list

  1. Three pairs of boxers
  2. Three pairs of socks
  3. Three shirts: one long-sleeved, one t-shirt, and one sleeveless wife-beater.
  4. Dress pants. Looking sharper than the hobo I actually am has proven useful on many occasions. One pair of shorts.
  5. Barefoot shoes (I hate that term, they have a sole, it's just thin). I was going to take hiking shoes, but it seems the shape of my foot changed because—after trying them on—I felt my pinky fingers would have blisters on day one. So I just took my day-to-day barefoot shoes.
  6. Snus as a tobacco replacement. I'll quit again on this walk. I've done this so many times (quitting and coming back) that I don't believe this is the last, but I do notice that each year I'm smoking less and less. My quitting periods have surpassed my smoking periods (I think).
  7. A razor
  8. 90 Euros
  9. Macbook, phone, charger, headphones
  10. Health card and ID
  11. Three little bottles of olive oil which a coworker gifted us
  12. Toothbrush, toothpaste
  13. Flip-flops
  14. Small towel
  15. Deodorant and soap

I lied about memory: I'm probably I'm missing something. Anyways, 2:14am, time to close my eyes and try to doze off.