Colina Sol Carvoeiro

... of the trip, played some frisbee and then decide weºd go for an early evening stroll around Lagos old town; Annabelle splashes out on a new pair of fishbone earrings (made of silver!), we pop into the local Ecomarche, pick up 4 frosty ones and decide to sit opposite the marina on the esplanade and chill for a while. Then itºs back to base where we have a chat with some very friendly Belgian silver surfers, who inform us they have been camping ...

... we awoke around 8am) start, it was time to stock up on provisions from the Intermarche, the Portugues version of a large supermarket. We have noticed a wide variation in prices for eg bread which is very well baked,is cheaper than in the uk. the same goes for beer and wine also fruit and veg. not so items which are imported such as alpen (euro 5 a box pg tips euro 2.40 for 80. Anyhow having stocked up we headed to Praia Mos, a little too late to ...

... 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!

... Imposing cliffs drop into the sea, and it has an "end of the world" feel to it. I forgot my camera, so you should just google some photos.

I returned to the hostel to check my emails. Good news for a change! I have a host in Seville through couch surfing, and a host in Badajoz willing to take me on for a couple weeks of olive picking. Life is good. I joined Kirsten for a celebratory beer, and a wander through the streets of Lagos.

... 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 ...

... the kingdom of Dom Manuel I, the headland already had a beacon kept lit all night by the Capuchin friars. With a range of 95 kilometers, the present-day lighthouse is one of the most powerful in Europe. From the fortress of Sagres a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean is unforgettable.

Night show at Hotel Algarve Casino was spectacular. The dancers and the light show were truly unforgettable.

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 ...

... part. We go lost! We traveled on the back roads made of nothing more then dirt and pot holes. We followed a two level truck filled with sheep, it looked as though they were piled on top of one another and at the next pot hole one would fall off the top of the truck. We pulled over in a small country town looking for someone, anyone who could speak English. We found an elderly store owner who ...