Travelling on foot
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Spain information

Note: this is still on the works and awfully uncomplete. I'll be adding things as frequently as I can.

Power and plugs

AC/DC 220 volt, the plugs have two rounded male connectors. European standards apply throughout (remember not to take the UK as european standard).

Spanish phonetics

When you go abroad and don't know the local language, it's still very useful to learn a bit about the phonetics. That way, you can read and pronounce words that sound more or less correct. I'll refer only to the main singularities of the Spanish language. It's difficult to describe phonetics in written language but I still hope it makes sense.
- only five vocal sounds: "a" is like the english short "a", like in cramp; "e" is also like the english short "e", like in refuge (first syllable); "i" is like in "pity"; "o" is like in "lorry"; "u" like in "poor"
- the "j" sound: it's like an aspired "h", like in "house" but stronger sounding.
- the "g" sounds differently depending on the vocal that's behind. Before "e" and "i" is like the "j" (strong sound); before "a", "o" or "u" is quite like the English "g" (softer sound). Special cases are the "gue" and "gui" groups: the "u" is not pronounced and it's there only to mean the "g" is like the English "g" (soft), unless there's a diaeresis on the "u" (like this: "ü"; you may not see it well in your computer) in which case the "u" is pronounced as usual and the "g" is soft
- the "n" with a tilde on top (like in "España", that is, "Spain" in spanish; you may see weird things instead of that character on your local computer) : this sound doesn't exist in English as far as I know. It's a nasal sound, sounds similar to a "...ni..." group within a given sillable. Pretty much like the Portuguese "nh" or the French "gn" (like in Espagne).
- the "h" is not pronounced. It's still there for historical reasons (it had a sound some centuries ago).
- "ch" has a special pronunciation also found in English sometimes, something like in "architecture".
- the "r" has a strong and a soft sound ("lorry" vs. "tiara"). It's strong at the beginning of a word or when doubled ("rr"); and soft anywhere else. Quite like in English, actually.
- tildes just mean stress, they don't have any phonetic meaning (like in French). You should stress the syllable with the tilde.

Some useful backpacking terms in spanish

Backpack - Mochila
(Camping) Tent - Tienda (de campaña)
Sleeping bag - Saco de dormir
Sleeping pad - Colchoneta aislante
Stove - Hornillo
Fuel - Combustible
Alcohol - Alcohol (this one's easy!)
Butane/propane - Butano/propano
(unleaded) petrol - Gasolina (sin plomo)
Kerosene - Keroseno