I'm back, with a tan.

After spending most of Monday (1st) morning looking for my credit card that had decided to disappear the previous day, (just found it now sandwiched between two CD's just next to where I thought it was), I rushed to the airport and ran on to the plane. I listened to my crash course in Spanish on the plane. Touched down into cloudy Valencia and waited for my bag. A small cat in cage went passed me twenty times on the carosel but no bag. Damn.

My spanish friend Vanessa worked the mornings and showed me the sights and best places to eat in Valencia in the evenings. There is a really good small tapas bar in Carmen where we met with Carol, fantistic food and only six quid a head. I decided to wander the streets of Valencia in the mornings. Valencia has many fantisic buildings in the old quarter and rather grand state buildings within the main squares. No camera, so no photos. Vanessa and Carol took me to the beach on Tuesday and we had paella and sunbathed on the rocks.

Vanessa's boyfriend Sergio lent me some spare clothes as we waited to hear from the airport, nothing, nor would they answer the phone. We visited the airport in person to get an answer on Wednesday as I was getting desperate by this stage and needed my tent for camping early the next morning. We found that the bag had turned up and was being delivered, sometime. We stayed in and waited and waited. At 9 we had to go out to meet friends for a meal, I dawdled getting ready, gave up and we left the apartment to go out, I would have to delay going to the festival. As we got to the exit of the apartment block there was a man looking for an apartment number holding my bag. Thank f*ck!

Thursday morning I was to meet Simon early in Benacassim who had travelled up on the overnight train from South Spain. My first attempt to get the train involed me somehow buying a six zone travel card and attempting to board a train to Madrid. I was relying on simply using a machine to buy my ticket like the UK, but they are very restricted in what stations you can use. A slightly less hurried approach was needed. I went across the road to the internet cafe and printed the details of the next train so I wouldn't have to rely on my poco Espanol. I met a couple of people who were also struggling to find information in the station and the thee of us joined up to travel Benacisim. I met Si, quickly slammed my tent in the last bit of space in the rapidly filling campsite with Simons group, and headed to the beach.

Thursday night we went to see The Posies, The Polyphonic Spree, The Tears, and Underworld. Naturally we'd already consumed plenty of Sangria at the beach and a few of the litre glasses of Heineken at the festival. I think the bands were great, I'm sure they were, I can't really remember apart from Underworld who were fantastic.

Friday - wake up (hot tent), shower, beach, swim. Hangover cured. John had spent the morning in some rather confused state, mistakeing a toilet roll for a swiss roll and bumbling around the campsite. We had Few beers, then wandered down to the festival. Watched Athlete for a bit then went off to see Lemon Jelly, who were great. All the great dance tunes turned up a notch, the two guys playing loads of instuments througout each song.

Peaches started her set with shake yer tits, shake yer dix, which set the theme for her mad show. Watched a bit of The Cure, and watched Basement Jaxx. I heard from the others that up close the stage theatrics were amazing.

Saturday - wake up (very hot tent), shower, beach, swim, sorted. Started the night with Kaiser Chiefs who were a brilliant live act. We also saw !!! (Chk Chk Chk) who we never knew but I am definately going to buy their album as they were one of the best bands of the weekend. Saturday night turned into bit of a drink fest with Simon, the five euro litre jugs of Heineken going down rather quickly.

Sunday - wake up (very hot smelly tent), fall into the shower - naked girls, stumble down beach to the beach, swim. We started with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds which kinda reminded me of a drunken singing session with my housemate Jeri. I was then torn between Mylo or Oasis, but stuck in the middle of the huge crowd with old the old tracks being played, I stayed for Oasis. To follow was Kasabian and LCD Soundsystem.

Monday - wake up, cover tent with tin foil and try to air it out and slept in the shade in the campsite which was becoming empty as many rushed back to work. Nathan and Co had tried climb the huge steep hills the previous night and John didn't stir till late afternoon. The evening came and we finally made our way down towards the bars and onto the beach party to see the end of Alex Under and the start of Layo and Bushwacka wihin a crowd of party mad Spanish. The beach party was set in front of the ruins of an old fort. Lasers and lights splayed out across the crowd with screens showing video montages, excellent set up.

Tuesday - Wake up, fall back asleep. Wake up several hours later and pack up. Me and Si then travel back to Valencia on the train and Vanessa picked us up and showered and slept for a bit before going out to the same tapas bar as the previous Monday. Si caught the overnight train back to Malaga for his onward jouney home to Gibralter.

Wednesday - Rest and go back to the airport. After a delay and spending a couple of hours talking to Lisa whom I'd met on the Saturday. I get an upgrade to Club class as I go onto the plane by BA, so there's me in my festival clothes and sandles next to a bloke in a suit. We land and I wait for my bag. And wait, and wait... bollocks, not again! I go over to the lost luggage area and the guy promises me they answer the phone in Gatwick whilst another guy goes to look for it. He returns a few minutes later with the bag. I think I'm going to change my overbag to a bright pink one.

Home, put my room back together after my frantic card searching and climb back into my own bed.

The fib festival is soo much better than Glastonbury, you can get out, go get decent food, watch the gorgeous girls on the beach. It's quite a bit of a marathon, the bands start around 5PM and play till 5AM for five days straight. There was loads of bands I really wanted to see but never made it to. I really wanted to see Mylo, Mouse on Mars, Four Tet, Andrew Weatherall, Roisin Murphy, Ladytron but you can't be in two places at once!

There were a lot of British bands playing this year so there were loads of brits there too. Which isn't always a good thing. The was also plenty of Spanish, French, Germans, Australians, and Scandanavians there.

Tans good, I never burned, just turned golden to the anoyance of everyone else!