Is this real life?

Today was my second full day in Portugal, and my first day of work at Tipi Valley. The land here is absolutely beautiful, and hopefully these pictures can do more justice than the 1000 words I’ll still end up writing. So here goes…

After my stop at the café I was writing from yesterday (where I’m also sitting right now, sipping an espresso and eating a…mango, what else) I walked around the village a little more before heading back to Laurie’s to make some lunch. Here's what a look at his apartment from inside...

Laurie arrived back shortly after that to drop off Jodi (the other volunteer) and asked if I wanted to go with him to check out the camp. So the three of us (Laurie, myself, and his dog Sheesa who rides in the front of the pickup truck, preferably on my lap) made the 5 minute or so drive down to the valley. It was really exciting to see the camp… He gave me a tour of the gardens and Moroccan lounge, and talked a little about what Jodi and I would be doing in the next few days. I can’t wait for the vegetable gardens and fruit trees to be ready… So far only lemons are ready to pick, but there are tangerines, oranges, peaches, figs, olives. We picked some fresh mint and he had me taste some growing peppercorn. I’ll have some pictures up of the camp soon. I’ll be moving down there in a few days so will have plenty of time to explore the area.

We hung out for a while before driving a guy home whose been doing some landscape work there. He’s from Thailand and doesn’t speak a word of English… but sometimes we smile at each other, hah! Laurie had got a call from a friend who was trying to get rid of some trailers on his property so we stopped to check them out on our way home. This Englishman, who was working to get his house ready to sell told us all about coming to Portugal years ago with his wife on somewhat of a bohemian-surfing voyage. Four kids later though, they were headed back to Wales for good. He gave us a tour of the quant and secluded house, which he hopes he’ll be able to rent out for the season to some travelers chasing the area’s renowned surf. Laurie and I headed home, after stopping for a glass of wine in the village. Jodi was out with some friends who were visiting nearby, so I made dinner for us. I’m not sure if he just really appreciated having someone cook or if he actually loves tofu and veggies, but dinner was well-received. We pretty much go to bed soon after dinner, as there’s not much light inside but my body’s still not adjusted to the time so was up pretty late reading, headlamp style.

Today was the first day of actual work. We were up and out by 7:30ish and working by 8. I also found out this morning that I only work until 1pm (6 days/week and then off on Sundays), which was kind of amazing because I assumed it would be a full day. Jodi and I were in the kitchen the whole day cleaning. Here’s a picture below… This is the “before” shot, so I’ll try to get an “after” one up within the next few days.

Jodi and I walked back to Laurie’s in the early afternoon. Here's a view from the road home...

This is the view looking back from Laurie's apartment...

I made a quick lunch and headed out for some exploring. There’s a bike here he said I could use whenever, which is great for exploring and also to get some exercise, considering I can still only run short distances. I still hadn’t been down to the ocean yet, which is about 10 or so minutes from the valley. By far the hilliest course I’ve ever rode, but I love me some downhills. It is a little scary though because the cars here fly but the roads aren’t busy so you can see them coming in plenty of time.

The views from the cliffs are absolutely breathtaking. The only people I came across from these spots were a few fishermen… I’m sure it’ll be busier during peak season, but it’s incredibly peaceful the way it is right now.

 

Later in the evening, Jodi and I went to check out a hostel in the village we had heard has wireless internet. Not sure how often I’ll be in the village once I move down to the camp, but it’s a good place to skype and catch up with messages. Before coming to this café, I picked up a few things at the natural food store. It’s tricky trying to read ingredients in Portuguese but I’ll do what it takes to get my chocolate fix.

           

Starting to get chilly right now and I’m still sitting outside, so heading back to the apartment for some dinner. Once the sun goes down, the temperature drops pretty drastically…incentive to be in my sleeping bag early. Goodnight!