Hotel Pestana Alvor Praia

... since we left the UK). We learn that there is a campsite in the town centre. Initially we viewed this with some trepidation and indeed it was less than rural surrounded by apartment blocks, however, cheap (euro 10 a night) clean and run by a very friendly Dutch lady; ideal for a couple of nights of cosmopolitan living (Lym gets to put his jeans on for the first time since leaving the uk). <br><br>so Saturday night on the town... for starters we had a ...

... 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.<br><br>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.

... br>"How was that for you James?"<br>She's serious. Apparently she thinks I should be excited about my upcoming two weeks with them. I tell her what I'm thinking about their whole little scheme. I wouldn't say that I sugar coated it for her. She's surprised, and I demand to talk to Frank. Frank sees this whole volunteer program as a great source of free labour, its just unfortunate that we like to eat three times a day.<br>"This is the way we've always done it. If you don't like ...

Aside from meal prep, I spend the day organizing (discarding) fresh produce. There's basically nothing to make a meal with, and we're not getting a resupply until tomorrow. We've pulled some nice Hake steaks from the freezer, which is an exciting start. I explore the property for inspiration. There are several varieties of wild herbs, and some forgotten tomatoes. I ...

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

... and salvage a few mangy bell peppers, and some nice lemons. I've already defrosted some boneless skinless chicken breast which I've deemed safe for human consumption. We decide on a Mexican theme; black bean and corn salad, red rice, and citrus marinated chicken. Its the sort of meal that would get a 'B' in a high school cooking class. To my surprise the guests love it, and even ask me how I made it! Obviously they didn't read the Lonely Planet.<br><br>

... it was pretty tame until one of the toreadors almost got trampled by one of the bulls, the dude was lucky they dulled the tip of the bulls horns. <br><br><br>http://picasaweb.google.com /Jonny.D.Lawrence/20091016Albufeira?aut hkey=Gv1sRgCImA4oCXitDO5AE&amp;feat=dir ectlink<br>

... there, he was hilarious and exactly like a euro version of an American beach bum. <br>We also went to check out the lagoon, I got out for a couple tacks, the wind was super light and I crashed my kite and it deflated... fun. I had to walk my kite back through shallow water ...

... not "surfers" but we we&#8217;re much less scared of getting tossed by the big waves this time. We also came to the conclusion that it maybe wasn&#8217;t us that, but that it&#8217;s the size of the board that was hindering our performance....<br> <br>http://picasaweb.google.com/Jonny.D .Lawrence/20091011Sagres?authkey=Gv1sRg CMmMtI7egbGKvAE&amp;feat=directlink

... up an ecological farm in the neighbourhood of this village. The people are really nice and it is an international group which is connected with the Portugees environmental grassroots organisation GAIA (Grupo de Acção e Intervenção Ambiental) (http://gaia.org.pt) For one and a half week I stayed in Colos and I took part in a meetingweekend about the project. It could be that I will come back in the future when the farmproject will start...