The endless nights of alcohol fuelled partying, barely sleeping enough and eating take away for most meals was taking its toll. I’d put on close to 10 kilo’s since I left Oz and was feeling tired and worn out. I needed a break from the hostel life.
The choice was between Lagos, Portugal and the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco as to where I should head for a beach break. I wanted to surf and with winter coming on in Europe, I had to head as far south as possible. I was a little unsure about the Canary Islands because it was a little further away and probably harder and more expensive to get back with limited options. I was also 90% certain on attending the Valencia MotoGP on November 11. So Lagos it was!
I landed in Lisbon on the 24th of October and took a bus straight to the city centre. After getting lost numerous times I finally found the Oasis hostel. The hostel was homely and they had a great dinner set up for the guests, which encouraged everyone to mingle. I didn’t drink as I wanted to lay off the alcohol for a while and went to bed early. The next morning I headed to the bus station and took a 4hr bus to Lagos. I think it cost €20, but I can’t be sure. It wouldn’t have been much more than that. From what I saw of Lisbon, I liked it. The people were helpful, the buildings were old with character, and the bridge across the river is massive. I would go back again for sure.
I arrived into Lagos in the afternoon and walked straight to the Big Chill Hostel. It was really difficult to find, as there is no sign on the building. It was a good 20 minutes from the bus stop plus 10 minutes getting lost… great fun!! We told Paul the manager and he said the owner is having it made. The hostel really was a home away from home. Paul was an excellent host by making us feel welcome and he helped out with local knowledge. He even took us out into town at night and partied with us. The hostel was pretty much empty the whole time I was there, with only ever about 6 people, which was perfect. For the first few days I slept lots and just ate fish, chicken and steak. I loved the detoxing.
From Friday to Sunday the Australian MotoGP was on at Phillip Island and the cable TV had every session live! The coverage started at midnight and finished at 6am the next morning, so I only watched the qualifying on Saturday night, but didn't miss any of Sunday’s racing. It was tiring staying up but I loved it. I felt sad to be on the other side of the world while my friends and family were at the island watching Casey win a 6th straight race at home. I was trying not to yell too loud because everyone else in the hostel was asleep, but I was so excited. I had the TV on mute and was streaming the action live on my computer in English so I could hear the commentators. It was hard to get to sleep that morning.
I explored Lagos with my GoPro and iPhone as I still didn’t have a proper point and shoot camera with zoom. Lagos is such a beautiful coastal town and each beach has it’s own hidden treasures. A 2-minute walk from the hostel was all it took to be at an amazing beach with boulders in the water, small waves breaking and caves to explore. Making the most of the GoPro, I made a few time-lapse movies. My favorite is of the sunset one afternoon from the cliff top. Earlier that day, a German woman and I walked along the cliff to the next main beach where we ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the water. I had Swordfish, Algarve style (algarve is the most southern region in mainland Portugal), which was a grilled swordfish covered in mushroom gravy including roasted peanuts and raisons with orange slices and potato on the side. It was delicious and cost €11.80 or $14.80AUD. We polished it off with a glass of local red wine. Walking along the 100m high cliff top tracks was great. In a few spots the cliff was falling away, with cracks a foot wide and running 10 meters long (see photos), it’d be interesting to see what it looks like in 10 years time, if it’s still there.
The town itself has a population of around 22,000 people, but I’m sure that’d be an inaccurate figure in the summer time. English speakers run all of the bars, as it’s a very popular location for surfers and travellers worldwide. I spent a few days just wandering around the cobbled stoned streets taking photos of buildings and nothing in particular. The people were lovely and all pretty good at basic English. We tried speaking Portuguese, but it’s not easy.
I met 4 Aussie surfers from Torquey who were surfing their way around Europe and Africa. They were off to Morocco after Lagos. I didn’t end up surfing in Lagos, the waves were few and far between and the gear was expensive to hire. I walked around a lot taking photos and taking in the fresh air. We went swimming a couple of times during the warmer 22° days & once on the way home from the pub under a full moon. But my favorite swim was one night after playing cards with 2 sisters from Poland, Andy from Byron Bay and I took them skinny-dipping, that was invigorating… and cold.
Monica, from San Francisco, who I met in Barcelona, came to Lagos for a couple of days and she loved the serenity as well. She’s also on a world trip.
Lagos was a beach break where I caught up on sleep, chilled out, took lots of photos, swam in the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time, went on long walks and enjoyed some sun. I think what I really needed was to get a job and settle for a while. I need a base to relax into a routine for a while. I think I’ll head to the UK after Valencia and visiting friends in Seville.
- I discovered Instagram.
- In Lisbon a metro ticket costs €1.75 for a day, including the €0.50 reusable card.
- The food in Portugal was delicious. A popular local dish is Piri Piri Chicken which is roasted chicken marinated in a spicy oil. We ate it a lot in restaurants for around €6 per half chicken.
- Fresh fish & seafood is popular and there are a lot of ways they cook and serve it. YUM!!
- A Streets Cornetto costs €1.25 or $1.55AUD.
- There are a lot of abandoned buildings, which are falling down, everywhere in Lagos. It makes it look dumpy.
- We came across the same coastal plants we have at the beaches at home.
- I couldn’t find a place which served decent coffee.