Leon in the shade

After my scrubby shower and tea and toast I went to bed - not to sleep but to let fresh sheets envelop me, and stare at the ceiling and let my brain go free range. It went to many areas it's not supposed to, looked back to see if anyone was going to yank the leash, and got a bit suspicious of the freedom so eventually walked back on its own, assuming it was a trap.

I then got dressed and took myself to an Asian fusion restaurant, once it opened at 8.30pm. Leon is the last city before Santiago so it was my only chance before Portugal for something not Spanish. You stand absolutely no chance in the villages.

This place was very cool, it had good reviews and I did a really good job of doing it all in Spanish, actually. The waiter could see I was trying and kindly didn't switch to English, I think that might have pushed the last bit of air out of me.

I splurged on more food than I needed just because it was going to be crunchy and fresh and a different flavour and I wanted cheering up. The ssam spring rolls were excellent without qualification - no 'for Spain' or anything, it was amazing. The bun itself was nice but the sauce was innnnncredibly salty. The gyoza were fine - he was very excited to explain the sesame sauce injections, I thought it was darling, if odd. As a package, the variety was a relief. Good move, if my most expensive meal yet by far.

I walked around like my own ghost for an hour afterwards, winding up at a bus stop of course, which are like mini-airports in a way, you see all sorts of lives in all sorts of conditions. I leaned on a wall watching it all, feeling lonely, before making my way back with astonishing accuracy. I am genuinely really good at directions in old towns now. I'm like a bat.

As much as I gave myself the night off from updating this, writing is an outlet rather than a burden on trips with a language barrier, particularly when travelling alone. I've made a personality out of being articulate so when I can't do that verbally it upsets me more than I think I realise, and I need to redirect it. Even if it's just my own echo, these entries make me feel I have made myself understood.Read more