Bubión: the prettiest village in Spain.
I'd been to Bubión on a number of occasions and had never felt anything other than captivated by the sheer tranquility of a mountain village that secreted charm from every crack, pore and crevice - right from the colourful cigar-chomping bar-owner to the postcard-perfect, quaint houses that line the slopes.
[Loyd Grossman] David, who lives in a house like this?
Trouble is, leading up from Bubión (1,320m), which is ensconced between Pampaneira (1,090m) below and Capileira (1,450m) above, is a road that winds its way, inexorably, towards Mount Mulhacén, standing at 3,485m (11,433 feet). Guide books tell you that fit and healthy individuals can hike up from Bubión to Mulhacén in two days, stopping off at a well-maintained refuge en-route. The more adventurous types can try to ascend it in one day, climbing the 2,200 vertical metres via a longer 29km (18mile) trail, or, if feeling particularly prone to sadism, through a shorter, steeper route that includes many 30 per cent-plus sections. In summer, however, lazy tourists could be escorted right up to 2,700m - to the Alto Del Chorrillo - by a state-run minibus and make their way to a particularly scenic lookout over Trevelez, and onwards towards the towering, looming Mulhacén.
Finding myself in Bubión in August 2006 and knowing that Mulhacén lay only 8 miles away (as the crow flies) but significantly above the village, I had the bright idea of taking a stroll up the easier route, to see how high I could go on foot. Now, I had been especially diligent in maintaining a fat-man's lifestyle. I'd spend 60 hours in front of my PC, week in, week out, and snack away all day long. Flying around the world on regular business trips added to the pounds and turned a once-svelte, fit hack into a man who was scared to even look at the scales. Corpulence was my friend, the gym my enemy.