Peace out Tipi Valley!

At the time I’m writing this, it’s my last night here at Tipi Valley. It’s been a great few weeks, and I’m a little sad to go… but also feeling ready for something new. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be catching a bus out of Aljezur to Lisbon, and then heading out to Montijo. The plan is to stay there for a bit with another WWOOF host. I’m not exactly sure of what I’ll be doing there… from what I gather, she’s an author and is involved in some urban permiculture work… we shall see.

Jodie and I spent our last day here (our day off) in Lagos, which is a coastal town southeast of Aljezur, situated at the mouth of the Bensafrim River and Atlantic Ocean.

We had been thinking we would take a bus, but the only one headed that way didn’t leave until noon and we wanted to get an early start… so we walked from the valley into town hoping we could hitchhike the rest of the way (about a 40 minute drive). We ended up getting picked up by this Dutch guy… who we learned had come to Portugal twenty years ago as a biologist and then retired to teach sailing in Lagos. It’s so intriguing to learn the stories of people that have ended up here. A few days ago, we hitched a ride with a girl (early 30’s I’d say) who, ironically enough, had moved to Portugal from London as a photographer after volunteering at Tipi Valley.

Jodie and I spent the day roaming through the streets of Lagos. It's relatively touristy, but the narrow streets, stucco buildings, and marina help to maintain a very authentic feel to the small city.

Sundays are pretty quiet, but we wandered in and out of a few local shops and cafés. I LOVED this one…

Freshly-squeezed carrot-apple juice… delicious.

I know showers have been few and far between, but our self-esteem took a bit of a blow after many failed attempts at hitching a ride home. Finally, these 2 young Portuguese guys on their back to Lisbon picked us up. This ride confirmed just how crazy Portuguese drivers are.