Dutch volunteers paid for Tia, the orphanage director, along with Peter and Daphne, who give her tremendous support,to have a break and come to Europe, including visiting us here for a few days in Spain. It has been a privilege and a blessing for us to welcome them here and introduce them to some of those who have supported Thamsanqa. We arranged a wine and cheese afternoon which was in no way spoilt by the heavy rain that decided to arrive- for one day only- on that very day! To hear straight from Tia herself, how life is in the township of Motherwell, what are the challenges faced and how she deals with them , what her aspirations are, is a riveting experience.

I have been asked how a monthly donation could be made without any bank taking a cut, so all money would go to the orphanage. I think we have now solved this problem; if anyone is interested in doing this, please contact me. Eventually, I hope to put details on the blogsite.

I never posted any photos, as promised, of the finish of the TDA in Cape Town. Belatedly, here are a couple.

30k to Cape Town and not looking pretty!

Minutes later with Table Mountain in the background.

I have been enjoying cyling  again with the local Benissa cycling club on a Sunday and with English/German friends twice during the week. But yesterday I decided to do a solo ride.

I wanted to head out to Castels de Castels on the super new road that has opened at last. From there, I passed through Famorca and Facheca – two villages I keep meaning to stop and explore. But not this day; I had too far to go. I wanted to go to L’Orxa (Lorcha).

Taking the road to Tollos, the smell of pine in the air was quite strong. Beniaia is a hamlet a few kilometres further on, the two streets lined with pots of geraniums. I wanted to stop for a bite, but the only bar there is closed Monday-Wednesday. So I continued , past Margarida towards Planes. Just before entering the town, you take a right, signposted Beniarreis. Skirting the town, there is a great view of the castle, originally one of many that  formed the barony of the local Moorish overlord, Al Asraq. ( I took what I thought was a wonderful shot, but I found out when I got back  that the camera was in video mode!)

The  descent to the Beniareiss reservoir is fast; I recorded my fastest personal speed of 71 kph. In Beniareiss itself, I stopped at a bar for fried eggs and black pudding. The bar was buzzing with local people. As with Spanish bars in general, service was quick and pleasant and I was soon back on the bike.

From the reservoir, the River Serpis snakes it’s way through the valley towards Lorcha, some 8 kms. away, allowing small- scale market-gardening in the rich earth. Approaching Lorcha, there are mountains on all sides. It is easy to miss the impressive castle of Perpuixent as it stands proudly on a hill with a steep mountainside as a backdrop, into which it blends. This again was in the hands of Al Asraq. In 1269, after his fall from power, the town and castle passed through various hands, until 1288 it was donated to the Templar Knights.

When the Moriscos (Moors) were finally expelled from this part of Spain in 1642, the town had no more than 30 houses, but was repopulated with Majorcans, as were many villages in the area.

Lorcha has a more recent claim to fame, however. In 1892, businessmen from Manchester opened a narrow gauge railway from the port of Gandia to Alcoy to open up a market for the sale of coal. The company operated 8 locomotives, built in Manchester, but each named after one of the 8 stations on route. Though the line closed in 1969, the route is a splendid way to walk or cycle though stunning countryside.( see http://www.billnot.com/trains/agframe.html)

I meandered through the quiet, narrow streets of Lorcha for a while; the only sign of activity was shown by a group of pensioners, playing cards outside a bar.

Unless you want to retrace your steps-God forbid- the only way out of lorcha is to climb the mountain on the narrow, tarmacced road. It is better not to know what is ahead when you make this climb on your bike; so I am sorry to be the one to spoil it for anyone who might now be tempted to ride it, but it is a nasty one! But, on top, you have sweeping views down the valley. Descending  into the Vall de Gallinera, unless you stop, you will miss the views as you pull as hard as you can on the brakes to keep control. Soon you arrive in Benimeli and enjoy the ride down through the valley.

Through the Vall de Gallinera, Benirrama in the foreground, the fire lookout point on the mountain top.

This will be the last time I shall cycle through the afternoon in August. The heat is draining and brought back some unpleasant memories of cycling through the heat of Sudan.

Distance 149 kms.  Time cycling 7hrs12mins  Average speed 20.6kph