Portimo Youth Hostel Portimão

... douche! Compensation however was provided in the form of left over indian coupled with homemade garlic bread; a fitting end to yet another wonderful day under the sun.

17 Nov
I ho I ho, itºs off to Praia Mos(pronounced Mosh) we go... itºs another beautifully warm day in surfville, Lym and Annabelle all tooled up with picnic, drinks, waxed boards and a whole load of optimism as we arrive at the mosh pit. Lymºs in first, Annabelle ...

... we can, particularly of Praia de Bordeira. About 50km south of Odeceixe and we arrive in Lagos, one of the major Algarve tourist destinations. We arre initially overwhelmed by the size of the place (we really have been living in areas with low populationo density) and by the number of Brits abroad, but soon gain our bearings, checking out the surf (looks good!) and decide its time for us to have a night on the town, including a meal out (our ...

... above the river Odeceixe which runs out to the Atlantic. This was an idyllic location and though the tide was all wrong to surf, we parked up on the river bank within sight of the ocean: an absolutely fantastic location which was all ours complete with open fire. We commented on how different the Portuguese attitude is to free camping; its almost part of their constitution!

Over the last couple days I've watched my shaky plan fall around me. I don't really know where to go next, and surprise bills are depleting my meager funds. Thankfully I'm stranded in Southern Portugal, its cheap and beautiful, indeed there are less desirable places to be stranded.

I decide to join a group of young kiwis heading to Lagos; partly for the social aspect, partly because I would like to see more of the coast. Faro ...

... from this chef. Daniella laughs, she is the chef. She obviously finds it more amusing than I.

Dinner is also a simple affair here. Daniella leaves to take a shower before dinner. I'm given no directions as to how I should finish the meal, but it is obvious that I am expected to. I have no idea how long the meat has been in the oven, and to be honest I don't really care. A quick count on vegetables and dessert portions and it becomes obvious that not enough food has been ...

An excursion to Lagos’s Marina followed by a boat trip to Ponta de Sagres (The most western point of Europe, from where the Portuguese sailors started the discovery of new worlds) will allow to enjoy the
natural beauty of the rocks, especially the famous and most impressive caves of Ponta da Piedade, wild beaches and the sea waves on the cliffs along the coast and also some of the ‘highlights ...

In Albufeira, we went to a Portugese bullfight, not the real deal as in they don't kill the bull, rather they stab them in the back with a bunch of arrows. I thought it was mean, especially the first bull because it was pretty much still a baby and looked scared instead of angry. Jon ...

... tons of mussels on the bottom, also not fun. The road to get to this lagoon was really sketchy, there's a video in the link below so you can see for yourself.

http://picasaweb.googl e.com/Jonny.D.Lawrence/20091012Alvor?au thkey=Gv1sRgCN_Jy47QxsiTwAE&feat=di rectlink

The west and south coast of Portugal is pretty much a long stretch of beaches surrounded and separated by huge red cliffs and you can get from one beach to another by crawling through caves in the cliffs (I also think that's where the bums sleep at night...) We did some surfing at a small secluded beach that I had been to 4 years ago with my family. We’re ...

... you can savour freshly grilled in the local restaurants the same evening. It's perhaps one of the most unspoilt fishing villages on the Algarve. Narrow cobbled streets wind past fisherman's cottages, and we find a quiet, friendly atmosphere in our beachfront restaurant, where we enjoy fresh Tuna Algarve style and grilled mahi mahi. The superb dinner, including a bottle of vinho verde, comes to just € 32.00.