With all these keys a hanging and a jangling from my belt I must have looked like a gaoler as I walked across the central plaza area complete with it's plush swimming pool. Ian, my x brother in law and his wife Aju own a ground floor corner apartment in this plush golf oriented Condominium here in Villamoura. Their good friends and Keen golfers owned an apartment in the opposite corner where a plumber was busily engaged installing a new hot water boiler. Now plumbers being plumbers there was no way boiler was going to be installed within the rather optimistic 2 hour time slot allowed by Chris.
Crisis! What was to be done. The golf course was booked and paid for and others were waiting to be picked up.
"Ahaaa!" Says Super-Steve. "You all get off and play your golf and I'll wait for Mr plumber to finish and join you later for the meal."
A large wad of cash, to pay Mr plumber, was hurriedly and unceremoniously thrust into my hand along with 2 sets of apartment keys. I then watched as, complete with golfing paraphernalia, they all disappeared down the road in a cloud of dust. Well there would have been dust if it hadn't rained about an hour before.
Sadie was very conveniently parked roadside right outside Ian and Aju's apartment. Her keys were of course also a dangling and a jangling from my belt. Everything turned out well. I had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely shower and do various other tasks in readiness for us to hit the road once again after a very pleasant few days spent with Ian and Aju.
Three hours later boiler was in and I was duly instructed as to it's operation before handing over money and obtaining signature receipt. Jangling and dangling keys then locked up both apartments, started Sadie and off we went to liase with the golfing crowd at 'Armacao de Pera'. "just keep going right down to the beach, you can't go any further, we'll find you." They had said. "Recipe for disaster." I thought. However; all was OK and we did meet up successfully to enjoy a good meal in a lovely old family run Portuguese restaurant.
A dangling and a jangling keys were handed over and boiler operating instructions duly repeated. We were all by that time however; a bit inebriated so I'm not sure whether what I said was heard properly or indeed whether what I said actually made any sense at all.
Then; all of a sudden there we were. Tanya and I once again alone and walking back to Sadie in her beachfront car park ready to settle in for the night.
I was glad to climb into my comfy bed and dropped straight off to sleep. A good nights sleep however; was unfortunately not on the agenda. Just after midnight the local youth plus there boom boxes on wheels started to arrive. Car doors were opened, boom box volume was turned up and it quickly became obvious this was their patch, their time for a party and consequently time for Super-Steve to mutter a few obscenities, drag himself out of bed, start up Sadie and move on.
There was no problem and 'the youth' were all in good humour. The booze was flowing though with everything happening just a little too close to Sadie, like right next to her, for it to be comfortable. And the night was only just starting.
Middle of the night. Strange area. Where do you go? Fortunately we were not too far from a lovely wild camp spot at 'Ferragudo', just East of 'Portimao' right on the river opposite the port. The location was soon programmed into Mrs Satnav and she faultlessly guided us there along the quiet, dark and empty night time roads. By 2am we were all once again snuggly settled surrounded by unbroken peace and quiet.
At 8am a bloody German cruise ship arrived at 'Portimao' and sounded its foghorn 3 times as a welcome. I thought the world had come to an end and Tanya, frightened out of her skin, fell off her night time perch of drivers seat and without further ado leapt onto my bed, burrowed under the duvet and, trembling like a jelly in an earthquake, snuggled up close to me.
Not the best of nights. Today we have remained here at 'Ferragudo' and enjoyed a day of beautiful weather. We capitalised on it by exploring 'Portimao' on the bike ending up at the beach end / resort which was very civilized and very attractive too.
- - -
Friday April 5th and here we are at 'Barragem St Clara' inland and north of 'Silves' - not impressed with Sives. Full of motorhomes and as usual here in Portugal Tanya is not allowed in anything remotely resembling a tourist attraction. From that particular perspective Portugal and me are rapidly falling out.
But onto 'Monchique' we go. OK but wet and cold. We followed the tourist signs up to the old convent. Now you would think, seeing as there were brown tourist signs directing you to it, there would be something to see. Well in a way there was. And indeed it was a dangerously old and crumbling convent with signs all over it indicating it was now occupied by a private family. However private family turned out to be enterprising as they had left one narrow entrance where they duly shepherded the tourists in to what, from the inside was an even more dangerously crumbling ruin with nothing left of it apart from one small section of intricately curved roof held precariously in place by some rickety looking timber scaffolding. The enterprising family were obviously occupying it as evidenced by their chickens, goats and further bits of rickety scaffolding supporting the walls and roof of the bit they were in. €5.00 were duly handed over to the distinctly weird looking character holding out a tin at the exit. As we walked away I felt as though I had just walked around some dingy but genuine horror movie house. The upside was the fact Tanya was allowed in and of course the fact we had exited safely without the whole lot collapsing in a heap of damp and green weed infested masonry directly on top of us! All in all, most peculiar.
Helen has been Tanya and I's companion today kindly loaned to us by her long term partner Douggy who, having arthritic problems does not do much walking. They are from the Isle of Wight and here on a two month tour in their motorhome. We have enjoyed a lovely day and a good walk, in good weather for a change, all along the valley and the hills adjacent to this huge man made lake with its impressive dam. We are parked at one end of the dam (Barragem) in a lovely quiet and level picnic type area. Helen, Tanya and I returned from our walk by actually walking up one end of the steeply sloping and rock faced dam. A good choice with Helen, who was easily bamboozled into this crazy return route, and I not realizing the immensity of the dam until we were half way up and she decided to look down. The rest of the way up was lovely as she held my hand ever so tightly, did'nt say much and took on a fetching shade of ashen white.
All was well however; and once we reached the safety of the road on top of the dam she could not wait to relate to Douggy how we had just walked up the actual dam and ..... "Wow! It was amazing." For me ..... A very pleasant walk with charming female company. A nice change for both Tanya and myself.
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