On December 28th, also known as Holy Innocents’ Day, many people play jokes on others. It’s equivalent to April Fools Day in the United States. On top of playing pranks on one another, many cities have their own special festivals.  Visit Jalance for the Fiesta de los Locos, or Crazy People’s Dance. Ibi holds a Flour Battle, or Els Enfarinats Festival throughout the day. Celebrated on January 5th, towns across the country hold parties and parades to commemorate the arrival of the Three Kings the following day. Spend the night in Madrid or Barcelona to see parades with massive floats. Children expect larger gifts from the Three Kings overnight, so they often leave their shoes on windowsills or balconies to be filled with presents. Children wake up on January 6th and open the presents that the Three Kings brought them. Exchange gifts throughout the day. Afterward, have a large feast to celebrate. Enjoy a Roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped fruit cake with a figurine baked inside. Whoever finds the figurine becomes the king of the day!

Summary: Play pranks on one another on Dia de Los Santos Inocentes. Go to a parade on the eve of Epiphany. Give large gifts to one another on Three Kings’ Day.


Leave the item in the fridge for up to an hour in order to cool the wax completely. This will make it easier to remove the wax and ensure it doesn’t spread further.

Summary: Allow the wax to cool completely.


Divide the batter equally among three bowls. For the first batch of batter, add a few drops of red food coloring or edible gel paste to the bowl and stir with a clean spoon until the color is fully incorporated. Add more color as necessary to achieve the desired intensity. Repeat with the blue and yellow food coloring.  You can actually use any colors you like for tie-dye cupcakes, and can also use more than just three colors. Be sure to use a fresh bowl and a fresh spoon for each batch of colored batter, otherwise the colors will become muddy. You can also mix and match food coloring to achieve different colors. For instance, you can mix blue and red to achieve purple. To have white in your mix, leave one of the bowls of batter uncolored. Prepare a cupcake tin by lining it with white cupcake liners. Into the bottom of each liner, drop 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of red batter. Then place one or two spoons of yellow batter on top of that, followed by an equal quantity of blue batter on top. Stop when the liners are filled half way.  You can layer the colors in any way you like, and don’t have to use the red, yellow, blue pattern. different spoons for each color. If you're using more colors, use ½ to 1 tablespoon (7.5 to 15 ml) of batter for each color. Instead of spooning the colors into the liners, you can also transfer each batter color to a separate pastry bag, and pipe in the batters one color at a time. To create the tie-dye effect, take a clean toothpick and gently swirl around the batter in each liner. Don’t mix too much, or you will end up blending the colors and they’ll become muddy.  You can create circular tie-dye patterns by swirling the toothpick in circles. Create wavy patterns by zig zagging the toothpick in the batter. Make tie-dye spikes by dipping the toothpick into the batter in a few places and pulling it straight out. This will lift the bottom batter colors to the top.

Summary: Dye the batter. Spoon the colors separately into cupcake liners. Swirl the colors.


Bike touring is when you ride with all of your living requirements packed on your bike in panniers -- small bags that attach to your bike. Because you will be traveling long distances, every pound you can shave off of your bike will make a difference on your legs and lungs. The bare essentials that you should not skip on include:  Water bottles and purification tablets. Hand pump. Extra tubes and a tube patch kit. Extra brake and derailleur cable. Bike multitool. Headlamp. First-Aid kit, especially if spending time away from cities/towns. You should always use rear panniers first, but if adding a set of front panniers will reduce stress on vital bike parts and potentially help you climb. While it will not actually lighten your bike, it will keep your back tire, frame, bike rack, and rear brakes happy and help stabilize the bike. Bring an all-purpose camping cleaner instead of separate dish soap, shampoo, body soap, and detergent. Bring small items you like to do to use during your downtime, such as books to read. Just be sure not to overpack them or else it will add unnecessary weight.  While a full sized bike pump may be easier to inflate tires with, a hand-pump is much lighter. Instead of bringing dishes, pack a metal mess kit. You can cook with it and save leftovers inside. Bike touring is not a glamorous affair, and you shouldn't expect to dress like it. You should have 2-3 pairs of bike shorts and jerseys, a lightweight rain jacket and/or pants, depending on climate, and a set of clean clothes to change into after riding. If it will be a cold night then a pair of pants, a hat, and gloves are all light and easy additions.  Opt for wool clothing since it doesn’t retain as much much water as cotton. Keep one pannier for dirty clothes and one for clean clothes, and re-wear dirty stuff as often as you can before switching to something clean. Unlike back country hikers, clever tour bikers don't have to carry all of their necessary food supplies on their back each day. If you plan your tour to run through at least one town every 1-2 days, you can cut down a ton of weight by purchasing your meals late in the day. If you stop near or in a town each day, buy that night's dinner and the next day's breakfast and check a map. If you'll be in a town sometime early the next day, buy lunch later and eat it on the side of the road, then repeat the next day.  Make sure you always have 3-4 high-carbohydrate riding snacks (granola/protein bars, fruit, dried cereal, etc.) on hand. When biking long distances you need to eat something every 30-60 minutes. Always have one lightweight "emergency meal" available in your bag. Granola, dried rice or pasta, beans, etc. in case you cannot find a place to stop. You can also try to forage for food whenever you stop. The same lessons learned by backpackers, who carry everything they need on their backs, can help you keep weight off your wheels. Lightweight tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads may not be quite as essential for a biker, but they will still make a big difference. Every camping brand offers light-weight variations on their equipment, but here are some hints for making do with the best you've got.  Instead of bringing a tent, just bring a tarp and a collapsible pole that you can fashion into a shelter. Foam pads, including foam mattress toppers for twin beds in a pinch, are incredibly light, though they may be bulky. Use the lightest-weight sleeping bag you can get. If you're touring the California coast in the summer, for example, your 0-degree bag is likely too heavy for your needs. If you’re serious about really making your bike as light and efficient as possible, all the little safety/convenience gear can be stripped. Don’t bring a cycle computer or your cell phone if they add too much weight.  Be smart when packing -- will you really read 3 books on the trip? Do you need the pair of nice, heavy jeans, "just in case?" Touring is about living simply and enjoying the scenery as you ride, not packing your entire life on a bike. Never remove reflectors from your bike since they help other drivers see you.
Summary: Understand that you should carry as much as you can safely carry on long tours. Consider getting front panniers to distribute your weight evenly. Be smart about your accessories. Get used to dirty clothes. Whenever possible, buy food day-by-day. Invest in lightweight camping equipment. Get rid of the minor stuff.