AYAMONTE and ISLA CANELA, SPAIN

The earliest vehicle inspection available. In Sevilla it is 16 days later.

Waiting at the Inspection centre in case 11 people before me without appointments will be invited for the inspection. I gave up after three hours and they were all still waiting.

Best to go to the coast for the night, Isla Canela (Cinnamon Island) very close to Portugal.

They take organic recycling seriously here.

Next morning in the lovely border town of Ayamonte, from where you can cross the river by small ferry to Portugal.

GRANDOLA, ALCACER DO SAL, LISBON, BEJA, SPAIN

We left AWAKE to spend one night at the coast at Alvor before driving to Lisbon airport. On the way we stopped for the night in a dedicated camper parking area for the night at Grândola. It was from here that the famous song “Grândola, Vila Morena”,  came stirring the uprising against the oppressive regime of the unpopular dictator Salazar.

 In the morning we continued north to Alcácer do Sal, parking by the river for a break and walk.

We continued to Lisbon and found a parking area about 6 km from the airport. At 4.30 am  I dropped Anita at the airport for her fog delayed flight to Poland. Traffic was light so the fog did not stop me going carefully south east in darkness.

I crossed the 12 km Vasco de Gama bridge (you pay tolls only travelling north) over the Tejo (Tagus) River, and saw nothing!! I continued carefully until I reached  Beja, arriving before shops (and toilet) were open. I slept before continuing into Spain.

The Tom Tom gps took me over narrow roads into Spain over the Guadiana River about 60 km north of the south coast. 

Driving south towards Ayamonte I was able to buy an exchange Cepsa gas cylinder, the light weight aluminium ones which are really the best to carry but not available at Cepsa petrol stations in Portugal.

 The purpose of this expedition into Spain was to make the annual inspection for the vehicle, but with the problem of repairs to the wheel arch and running light I had no appointment as I did not know when this would be fixed. No appointment had been no problem in the previous 2 years at Lorca, Murcia. It was a problem however around Huelva, and after waiting three hours, and being 11^th in the queue of those without appointments I gave up appointments waiting ahead of me, I gave up and went to Ayamonte at the border to Portugal for the night. The next available appointment was two weeks away.

Next day after wifi time in a café in Ayamonte, and a café cortado, and the vehicle full of diesel (20 cents per litre cheaper in Spain), I returned to Portugal .

AWAKELAND

A few kilometres inland from Portimao is the eco-community  / workshop centre of Awakeland, home in 2019 to the Portugal Tantra festival and ISTA training. We hoped to meet Ashik, the Portugese founder, but as he had gone to South Africa for a holiday with family. We spent New Year’s Eve with manager Andrew, and German volunteers Lucas and Jannika. 

By now Anita’s mother was in worse health so she booked an earlier ticket to fly to Poland to care for her, to take over from her daughters who did a magnificent job looking after her and making her last days happy, while other family members stayed away, waiting to fight for her money and not taking a last opportunity to make peace with her. Oh how families can be with greed and ego of some members, and they are so toxic that they upset all other family members!! 

As it happened, she died on 30 December so Anita was heading back to the funeral and the work of clearing her affairs.

I return to Awakeland soon to plant trees and to meet Ashik before I fly later to join Anita.

LAGOS, ALVOR & PORTIMAO

Returning to the warmer Algarve south coast of Portugal we made our way to Lagos, one of the few ports of call on my 2001 sailing trip UK to Mediterranean. 

We walked around and enjoyed an Indian lunch with mango lasse, as well as some lingerie shopping in the sales. It is a major centre of the Algarve. Walk around the historic centre and along the river.

East of Lagos is Alvor with it’s wonderful estuary and long sand dune protection, and small river entrance. We parked in our favourite spot close to the beach and enjoyed the long boardwalks and beach itself. 

This cost is tidal and it is always fascinating to see at low and at high water. Nature is close to local facilities.

Portimao is an important riverside centre on the coast immediately east of Alvor.