I LOVE SPAIN!!!!! It's barely my first day here and it seems I've probably experienced Spain the way that one would imagine it. Off the plane straight into "siesta" with a awesome lunch of fresh bread, cold meat and a potatoe-tuna salad. My host Jonathan Neill (Aqua-Ventura) and the President of the Valencian Kayak Federation (who are sponsoring my trip) picked me up from the hairy port and took me straight to the club where I was introduced to some of the local gang.

From my first minute in Spain the Spaniards strike me as a very individualistic nation not prone to any type of cosmopolatinism. These guys have figured out what works for them and you'd beter slot into the system buddy. No room for hang-ups here. They are friendly, helpful and interested. But the thing I love most is, it seems that eating well is very, very important.

Jonathan and his wonderful wife Violetta live in a five hundred year old villa on a small farm in the Spanish countryside at the foot of some majestic mountains. The home is exquisite (9 bedrooms); they have a 25m long crystal clear natural spring at the bottom of the garden; they have a well in the kitchen where they get their drinking water from and their 2 kids, Isabella (6) and Dillan (4) run wild with as little clothes on as possible (generally none). Jonathan and Violetta run an adventure tour company called Aqua Ventura and their lives revolve around being outside and being active. They do what they love and love what they do, in short, my kind of people!

So we arrived at the beach with a fresh breeze blowing. Wonderful, great for downwind!! Jono was keen and I was keen, but we were rushing to get done before the wind died, so we paddled upwind Spanish style....check the video. The stretch of ocean we paddled is where they will be hosting a race in April next year, and judging by all the indicators, it's going to be a awesome race.

I have quite a full schedule here with clinics the whole day Thursday, Friday, Saturday; and then on Sunday the last of their local series race.

Keeping logging on to see new pics and videos of the trip.

Adious!!!