Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Madrid and coming home
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A week in Barcelona
Friday, December 4, 2009
Barcelona, take 3
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Beginning My Trek Home
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Mountain Biking Day 2
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Today I made it to Citta Della Pieve!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Our search for Citta Della Pieve
We never did find Citta Della Pieve, but the search was fun. We had prepared ourselves to walk 20 k's (about 13 miles) to see a pretty village near the farm, but vicious dogs, unmarked paths, spiders, and old ladies stopped us from reaching our long sought after destination. Just kidding, about most of that... the dogs were constant and at many points we searched for sticks to defend ourselves but they weren't necessary. There isn't much day light anymore, we started too late, so we had our picnic in some random field on a log, got lost and ended our search for Citta Della Pieve and instead looked for "home." It was dark by the time we found the farm and we had to be on the defense when cars were driving by, they never saw us... but we made it. Here is a video from the walk. There was a dog that I really think was going to bite us but when I began yelling, "CIAO, CIAO" an old lady came, we couldn't understand what she was saying, but she kept walking with us... here's the clip...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Paciano, Italy and a long explanation as to why I burnt the hamburgers!
I feel more like a guest in the home of Gracia and John than a wwoofer. I remember meeting another wwoofer in Portugal who said that the quality of food you receive as a wwoofer is evidence of how much you are appreciated and respected, because food is your payment. I can say now James, that I agree. I don't mean quality as in expensive, but quality time put into preparation and cooking and making sure that everyone is happy... Cat, my old softball teammate who is Italian, told me that food is happiness and love... and in the Italian culture it is. Grazia would literally give you the shirt from her back. Working has been pleasant... except for my mishaps in the kitchen yesterday, which include, cat eaten desserts, my seriously overcooking HAMBURGERS (how hard are hamburgers, christ!) for lunch, heating up pesto (apparently thats a no no), spilling cake batter in the oven, on the floor, everywhere, almost baking a metal spoon in the cake, and most notably using a 50 euro block of cheese for some meat rolls, which was not only expensive but due to be sent out to John's brother in Norway... So, you see, I'm causing some destruction, but hopefully more laughs than "what the fucks".
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I love John and Grazia!
Matthias and I have made it safety to our work location. John picked us up from the train station with a friendly American face on (he's from Kansas) and I instantly felt at home. Grazia, John's amazing Italian wife is always feeding us and telling us great walks to take... she's so welcoming and friendly. The work day is relaxed... they told us to get up when we want to and they expect us to help out, not work like slaves... yess!!!!!! This is great. This is what wwoofing should be like. Mattias and I aren't used to it though, yesterday we worked from around 9 to almost 5 and couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the time. We took a walk to the closest village and had a beer and then went grocery shopping with John and Grazia. Mattias helped Grazia with dinner and I spoke to John about the states and my naivety about how the world works. He said I definitely had a country upbringing and its true. Some of the lessons I've learned in Europe hit me like a brick wall.... it's like I'm learning for the first time that life isn't fair... to the point of being incredibly cruel... where was I?
Anyhow, the kids, Eddie and Luca are great. They speak Italian and English and are always smiling. I am going to enjoy my time here immensely. The landscape is absolutely beautiful with rolling hills, villages and mountains in the distance. Also we are amongst an olive tree farm that produces olive oil. I haven't checked out the buildings yet but I want to take a tour soon... we can smell the olive oil and hear the tractors, it's just great!! I have come to love olive oil even more while in Europe and I'll probably never go a day without a glass of red wine. John has been giving us wine at dinner and it's been so good. I've already learned a few dishes from Grazia- she's a great cook.. Anyway, I need to start the day... just wanted to let you all know I am happy, safe and way overfed so no worries about me... for the next 3 weeks I'll be here and warm. I hope you are all well (or at least on the up and up... my family has the flu :( sorry guys). Cheers!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Florence, Italy
Just arrived to Florence... just found a job since the olive guy cancelled... here's the link to the people we'll be working for... it's not olive picking but it will do! http://www.workaway.info/000000000285-en.html
Friday, November 13, 2009
Perugia Italy continued
So waiting in Perugia has been a bit difficult at times... it's cold here, we're really conserving money... yesterday we smeared a hard boiled egg between bread (ha!)... I learned that when you're hungry things taste much better! We've been trying to save money and yesterday my purse was stolen, ouch. It makes me feel personally hurt- the girl was real nice to me the night before... I went to brush my teeth in the morning and then leave for the day and noticed that my wallet was gone and so was she. Things are looking up... my olive picking job fell through but today I skyped with a nice guy from Kansas who needs workers... so after I get my passport on Monday we will travel back to the mountains to work for him for a few weeks. I will miss Thanksgiving at home so much, by the way!!! I'm not going to worry about the money that I'm loosing in this situation... it makes me too sad/mad and I can't afford (haha) to feel those things now... I have to go to western union tomorrow (thank goodness I still have my international drivers license for I.D.) and then get my credit cards sent to my new job and finally go to the embassy on Monday... I will likely get a fine since I've overstayed my welcome but I guess that's fair.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
PERUGIA, Italy
Monday, November 9, 2009
Buon Giorno!! Rome Nov 7th and 8th
I have a new appreciation for the expression, "Rome wasn't built in a day," because even when you get lost in Rome you find historic sites, monuments and rubble dated 2,500 years ago. This city really is amazing. On the 6th Matthias and I pushed our limits and walked clear across Rome to the Vatican city. We saw sites all along the way and back, 20 to be exact. Vatican City [ruled by the pope of course] was gigantic, 110 acres to be exact and with a population of just over 800, it is the smallest country in the world by both population and area. It was an impressive site but such an exagerated and gaudy show of catholocism. It wasn't my favorite place.. that would be the Pantheon. It's a temple that was built to honor all of the gods of ancient Rome. The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns. The columns are under a concrete dome, with a central opening open to the sky. On the night we saw it there was a brass band playing outside which added to the atmosphere and awe of the structure. We also accidently found an Leonardo Divinci exhibit which although we couldn't afford to visit it, the mechanics and drawings in the bookstore were fasincating. We crossed the Tiber River and it was the first time that I've felt fall. It's definately getting chilly and the leaves have even changed color here in Rome. Matthias and I have been very careful with our money and although our lonely planet guide says to budget 60/100 euros a day for Rome, today we spent 13.90 including food and our hostel.
November 8th: Yesterday we spent much of the day walking but in the vacinity of the Pantheon where old Rome is located. We saw the Colosseo, Domus Aurea, the Arc of Constantine and the Circo Massimo to name a few. We also saw tons of fantastic fountains in the rain which were beautiful, my favorite being the Trevi fountain. It's 85 feet tall and 68 feet wide. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. 3,000 euros are thrown in a day! Wow.. Today we spent a total of 18.20 with food and hostel... so it is possible to visit Rome on a cheap budget... granted we didn't go into any historical sites but you can see so much from the outside! Today [Nov 9th] I've come down with a bit of a cold and feel a bit run down so this concludes my Rome excursion as we're leaving tomorrow for new pastures. Today we'll walk around a bit but I'll give my impressions of Rome now... it's beautiful and impressive, of course it's Rome but I'm frustrated. Everyone looks like they've spent hours getting dressed and primping in the mirror. Probably I'm sick of my worn and torn clothes and jealous of their money and perfectness but it seems so cold. My eyes welled up today upon passing a 5 year old boy begging for money. As he held out his cup I noticed his eyes most. He looked like he was staring into brighter days- his eyes were glossy as if he were watching his own private daydream on big screen. Rich people with their serious faces stomped by as if they were on a runway, never looking down, never stopping, never thinking. I can't say the boy noticed them either as he didn't even blink. Their shiny cat woman boots and his shiny eyes were likely the only thing that united them. I related more to the boy but couldn't help but be envious of these beautiful Italian people. I just wish it didn't matter. I wish the world, I wish I, was always more concerned with making others happy than worrying about well, mundane niceties, shiny cars, things that people won't remember you for... how does that song go? "It's all about the Benjamin's?" I buy it... but that sucks big time. Yah, I know,
Friday, November 6, 2009
I MADE IT TO ROME, ITALY!
I just finished traveling 20 hours on a ferry, 1 hour on a train and 20 minutes walking to get here at this cheap hostel in Rome, Italy! The border patrol didn't look for a visa, just my passport expiration so I made it in. The ferry ride was rough. We just had regular seats like on an airplane but at least we got to walk around the ship. It was big- it even had a restaurant but it was so expensive which we expected so we brought our own food on. I asked for a pillow and they said it wasn't possible...jerks but what do I expect for 40 euros!
I can't wait to see Rome tomorrow... it was night when we arrived so tomorrow will be great!1 Talk soon
mel
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I'M NERVOUS
So, Matthias and I went to the American Embassy today... it was a daunting place. They took all our things and just gave us badges to go in. I asked about how I could extend my visa since it was expired. They said that if I'm already illegal I'm supposed to leave and there is a tiny possibility that one foreign office will extend but they advised me to send a convoy in for me just in case they wanted to deport me! So, Matthias was my convoy and there was nothing the office could do. They told him that I'm not Spain's top priority since I'm from the states but they have to tell me that I'm supposed to leave.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I made it to Spain ...barely
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sagres (2 days)
Sagres has been great... we stopped at a bar asking for a room and they had one for 25 euro a night for both of us... so cheap so we're staying 2 nights (leaving tomorrow) for Lagos and then Seville. By the way, Matthias is likely coming with me to Italy because his work fell through... this is great news... a travel partner.... much safer, etc. etc. We will take a bus from Seville to Barcelona Spain on Wednesday and then a ferry from Barcelona to Rome, Italy on Thursday.... arriving on Friday in Rome! By the way, this should all cost about 120 euro from the most western point of Europe, which is where I am now, Sagres. I have 998 euros... so this will be an interesting penny pinching trip. Matthias gave me a sweatshirt, check! So, now I just need jeans or something... it will be colder in the North. My initial plan was to take a train through France but the ferry is cheaper (and more south) and once I visit Italy and Greece I'll know if I can afford France, hopefully so. I'm going to try to get my visa extended in Italy but the longest it can be extended is January 20th so I'll likely be home for Christmas unless of course I meet a beautiful Italian man who will marry me for EU citizenship. Hmm... ho ho ho... see you for Christmas! Will post pics soon... just have a crap connection but love my new camera!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Lagos, again.
Matthias and I went out Wednesday night as soon as we checked into our hostel. We drank way too much... I think because we were used to only being allowed to have 2 drinks a day at the farm... and that included soda... you all know me and diet coke... I rarely had space for beer! We got back to the hostel at 6am (early for Lagos) and went to sleep. After a long sleep in we walked to Playa de Ana (The beach of Ana) and rested then ate great indian food and went back to the hostel and read. I'm reading "The boy in the striped pajamas" and it's really lovely. Thursday we went for a long walk to the light house and took some videos and pictures, we had lots of Portuguese coffee (like expresso) and went to Nah Nah Bar (an amazing place to eat burgers- oh how I miss American food!) Yesterday (Saturday) we took a LONG bike ride to Portomao to go to the movie theatre for Halloween... except Halloween isn't big in Europe so there was nothing scary playing or anything scary to do... although we tried to pretend that the train ride back to Lagos was scary but really it wasn't... we ended up watching "signs" at the hostel and it really was a bad movie but Matthais had to wake me up because I was having bad dreams and screaming in my sleep... awesome... bit embarrassing... today (sunday) we're having breakfast, checking out of the hostel in Lagos and taking a bus to Sagres.... it's the western most tip of Europe... so fellow American's... I'll be as close as possible to you at about noon your time today :) Check ya later! P.S. Will post stupid videos soon!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Leaving the Quinta
Monday, October 26, 2009
Another work day at the Quinta
Today Matthias and I woke up per usual by 8am and had breakfast before getting to work. The 6 great guests left this morning at 6am and left envelopes for us in their rooms. They wrote a really nice card and gave us each 60 euros! That's a lot of money and I feel so grateful. Matthias and I spent the morning debating whether or not we should put it in the tip jar. Our envelopes are still sitting on the microwave... we haven't made a decision as of yet. He feels we should and I feel we shouldn't. They were addressed to us individually and we really need the money. Other staff are not here everyday and they get paid; for me, it's easy, but likely I'm a greedy American... thoughts?
Oopsies
Since I've last written I've been to Faro (s'ok)-
Fatima, the Portuguese cleaning lady invited Matt (from the states) and I to her house for lunch. It was great to see a typical Portuguese house and eat a local delicacy, which lucky for me was pigs feet on this day. I didnt enjoy the pigs feet at all but the stew they were in was delicious and I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to try them. Portuguese always have parties in December where they slaughter a pig. This porco was from last year's celebration and I'm really glad I missed it. I've heard many Portuguese people say that the pig's scream- I couldn't handle that. I'm actually really looking forward to eating vegetarian when I return. I'm happy for all the carnivorous experiences in Spain and Portugal thus far, thanks goes out to all the suppliers of said "meat" and the animals themselves, but truth be told, I'm not a big fan. Did I hear a "hell yah" from Erin? :) (Miss you!)
My latest whoa is that I'm just found out that I'm illegally in Portugal right now. I called the embassy before I left and got wrong information. I thought I could stay in each country for 3 months but it's actually 3 months in the European Union which includes Portugal and Spain. So, I'm not sure what happens now. I wanted to fly to Italy but I think they might send me back to the states if I do so I think I'll take a train there or perhaps stay in Portugal in Spain since my funds are getting low. I'm not quite sure... I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to think about my situation and near future. I did email the university in San Diego to ask that they go on with my deferment, meaning they will review my application again and let me know if I 'get in' again. I'd like to have the option, but I suppose it didn't look good, my applying and not attending. I have figured out that of course I like working with children. I also love horses, farms, hard work and keeping busy. I think there's a therapeutic and constructive way to summate all these loves. I'm working it out.
Anyway, our current guests rock. They're from the Isle of man, England. I've made many a Mojito for them throughout their stay (they actually had over 100 drinks in 7 days between 6 of them). Nice work. They leave tomorrow and then we literally have no guests for the first time... which is another sign that it's time to go. I have good and bad reactions to the Quinta. I haven't worked it all out in my head yet so I'll get back to you.
My immediate plans are to leave at the end of the week for southern Portugal. I want to spend Halloween in a city and I think Matthais will come too. He's going to volunteer in a city in the south and I might stay there a week also to buy myself some time. It looks like I will come back to the states for Christmas afterall.... my money is low and I shouldn't be illegally in a country, right? That's not nice on my shoulders. I've contacted a horse farm in Arizona about staying there- no word yet but my fingers are crossed. If not Arizona I think I'll find somewhere to volunteer in the states. It's a good way to see the world I think... as long as you don't work like a slave and have the time to get away and think.
Here are a few pics from the month's activities...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Quinta (Farm)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
9/11-9/12
Thursday, September 10, 2009
9/7-9/10 Quinta
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday at the Quinta
The Quinta, Saturday
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Santa Clara, Portugal: Working at the Quinta
*Remember click on pics to see them larger*
So after saying Goodbye to everyone at the hostel and apologizing for my tears I hoofed it back to the train station and by hoofed it I mean ran. Mama was talking to me about what happened and wanted to make me sandwiches so I was held up a bit. I made it with 3 minutes to spare (scary!) and sat back and tried to relax. I realized that I was supposed to go through the city of Faro but I knew I wasn’t and I hoped that Frank, my soon to be boss would still be waiting for me in Santa Clara. I got off the train in some tiny, tiny town and used Caitlyn’s money for a little snack (thank God for her!) My train left an hour later and it was a beautiful landscape the whole way. It was filled with rolling hills and cork trees, which is a big but dying industry here. Only buy wine with cork tops- you’ll be employing people and using natural resources!!
Anyway, when the station pulled into Santa Clara a small white house was the only thing in site. I crossed the tracks and saw a familiar face, it was Frank. His red hair stuck out, he smiled and said in an English accent, “Hi, I’m Frank how’s it going?” I said, “ok and thanks for waiting as I was a bit late. He put my bag full of dirty clothes in the back of his truck and we zoomed off. He said he had just picked up a box for me at the post office and that he needed to stop in town really quick. He pulled up next to a quaint white building and I looked around. I could see a fruit store, a general store in addition to the one Frank was in, another small store with a few cork products in it and a very small church. This was Santa Clara, the only town within 20 minutes of the Quinta. Oh my God I thought, but perhaps we have a lot of neighbors. The last 10 minutes of the drive was on narrow dirt roads and Frank was driving fast.
No one was around so it didn’t matter. When I arrived to the Quinta Frank brought me to my room. It was one of the guest rooms. He said I’d be staying here for the night and then if it was ok with me, moving in with another work exchanger, Matt. I said that was fine. I was hoping it really was fine… I hadn’t met him yet and it sort of depended. I set my bag down and Frank gave me a very quick tour and brought me inside the kitchen to meet Matt and Belinda (2 workers my age). They were very nice and I instantly knew it would be fine to share a room with Matt. He is 19 and originally from Boston but had been going to college in NY before he came. Belinda is from Australia and has been the assistant cook to Frank’s wife Daniela. Matt does more of the man jobs I’m told.
I meet Daniela and she doesn’t seem too excited to meet me but she’s in the middle of making dinner and Frank says she takes some time to warm up to people. She is Austrian and she speaks German, English and Portuguese… impressive… and actually her 3 kids speak all 3 languages as well, including her 6 year old Carolina. She is the only one I have met so far, as the other kids are in France. The Quinta is different than I pictured it. First of all, there is no one even remotely close to us. I can see a small Inn across the lake but to get there you must go by boat and even then they don’t really have a bar. It is so deserted that most everyone who comes are couples seeking some alone time… so I don’t see myself hanging out with any guests. Let alone that a lot of them are Spanish or Portuguese. I learn quickly that Belinda does the cooking when Daniela is away and that Belinda is leaving in one week…which has now come and gone! L She was so sweet. She drew portraits of everyone, even me and gave us all letters. She was in the same boat as me only knowing English and a little Spanish. I add 2 and 2 together and realize that I will be cooking gourmet food for guests. This is scary because not only would it be stressful to cook for 15 or so people but the ingredients are in Portuguese. This will be a funny story when I’m old. Guests pay almost 25 euro for dinner here… that is like $35 American! I’m already learning so much about cooking and if it weren’t for being terrified of really messing up I would be totally excited about this opportunity. Belinda was always in the kitchen with her laptop reading recipes though so I can do that. I think.
Although, I’ll have to think up 3 to 4 course meals. I’m sure once I get more comfortable with Daniela and her with me the pressure won’t be so bad. Actually, they are going away for 2 days soon and I will have to cook everything with Matt helping me. I will make sure to have the recipes ready! He’s not much of a cook but he’s a good server and has been here for 2 months so he knows exactly how to run the place. I’ve got the bar tending down and the booking system but I need to know Portuguese to be of any help on the phone. Luckily Matt has family in Portugal and has been around Portuguese since he was young. He understood it when he arrived but now he can speak it quite well. I’m very impressed with him. He draws well, he reads during his breaks, he works hard, he plays the guitar, he speaks Portuguese, he makes bracelets and he’s only 19. He is young but he seems old. It’s comfortable sharing a room with him. Sometimes we hang out and sometimes we do our own thing during our breaks from 3-6.
Belinda left today which was really sad. I really liked her and it was nice having a girl around that was my age. Now I only have Matt and Daniela’s young kids once they come back to start school… and actually there are 5 dogs here. I am allergic but the company is worth my crazy sore throats and stuffy nose. So the dogs are all so different. I don’t know the types but I’ll take pictures with Matt’s camera soon. Their names are honey, sideways (because he always walks sideways and makes you fall), Mike Tilla (named after a war vet), Pesca (Portuguese for bird I think) and my personal swim partner, Molly.
So the work here is varied. Frank always starts people off with a long tedious task so test them. Belinda had to tile the kitchen, Matt had to move a bunch of wood piles and I had to transfer 1,500 written emails into an excel database, add them to his established email contact list and then organize them into a Portuguese and English speaking list. I researched email marketing companies because Frank wanted me to send 10,000 emails 20 at a time so as to not get sent to the spam folder and I thought that was unrealistic to do in a week. He hired someone so YAY! My tedious task won’t be as long! I still have to separate the group into languages… is there an easy way to do this in excel?! I will find out- 10,000 is a lot.
Today is Friday and each week I will have Thursday and Friday off. Saturday-Wednesday I work 7:45am-3pm and then again from 6pm-10pm, that is about 11 hours a day. I wake up at 730, roll out of bed, put a dress on and head to the kitchen. I put silverware, plates, bowls, cereal, croissants and coffee and tea out for the guests and juice oranges for yummy fresh juice. After that I can eat with Matt, Fatima (the cleaning lady) and Dulce (the gardener). Fatima and Dulce are both amazing women who only speak Portuguese. I think Fatima understands me a bit. I told her my throat hurts and she made me the most amazing honey lemon tea. I want to learn Portuguese because I hate being limited in my conversation with them.
So after breakfast, Belinda goes off to do a lot of laundry and help Fatima, Matt builds rock walls and fixes roofs and I work on my tedious email list until lunch at 2. We all help serve lunch, eat ourselves and then usually get a break from 3pm until we have to set up for dinner at 6pm. During our break we can do whatever we want. It’s still hot out so I always go swimming and usually take the kayak or surfboard out for a paddle. I also like to fit in a few pages from one of the books I brought. I just finished my final day off until Thursday and I spent it sleeping on the dock, reading and getting sun burnt. It was great. Even though we have days off, we still help out. Frank and Daniela rarely get a day off so the atmosphere is such that we want to help. That being said I slept til 10am today and aside from talking with Frank about the email job and learning the booking system I didn’t help out until dinner time. I helped serve food and clean up. I have been dying to catch my blog up and I’m excited that it’s finally happening. Now that Belinda is gone I will assist Daniela by making dessert and or the appetizer and help her plan a meal and Matt will set up the intricate table, steam the silverware and glasses, make flower arrangements, slice butter and pick flowers to decorate it with, get the water pitchers ready, choose music and we will both take turns running the sprinklers.
It is very dry here so every night at 8pm we have to start 6 sprinklers; which are quite far apart and then shut them off at 845pm and then start sprinklers 7-12 and run them until 930pm. I’ve been doing it a week and still need a map and still get soaked. A lot of them go around in circles and you really have to run fast and know the land in order to stay dry. Matt has been here 2 months and he still comes back wet so I don’t feel bad. He runs through the bushes but I did the flower arrangements the other day and noticed the huge spiders so I stick to the rock paths… which makes it nearly impossible to stay dry. Anyway, dinner is served when the gong is rung, around 8-830. We serve bread and butter and the “entrada” (entrée in English) which is confusing because to us, the entrée is the main course. In Portugal, the entrée means appetizer. After the appetizer comes the ___ followed by the pudding, which is dessert to us. After dessert we pick fresh mint from the garden and make fresh mint tea which is so good after a long days work. We clean up the kitchen and Matt (and Belinda until tonight L ) head to the area known as the kid’s room to relax with our mint tea and watch television from England. We only get like 3 channels but even that is a welcome treat. Matt and I both fall asleep within an hour of watching and eventually make it to our room.
After my emailing job, which sort of blows since I’m inside all of the time I will have a few roofing jobs and some rock wall jobs. Matt and I will likely work together on these ones so that will be a nice change. I really like learning new things so I am happy that the work is varied. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the garden but Dulce will be off soon so I will be tending it a lot more. We get a lot of the food from the garden but Daniela is from Austria. The cuisine here is certainly international and heavier than I thought it would be. For breakfast we eat toast with butter or jam, lunch is buffet style with multiple veggie salads (like shredded carrots with apple, cucumbers with tomato and onion and tuna salad with olives and main things like Shepard’s pie or pizza… both made gourmet style (with lots of goat’s cheese and rich things like that). I’ve had a tummy ache nearly everyday but I haven’t stuck to my lactose free diet either. I didn’t want to make a fuss about anything so they don’t know that I need to eat lactose free or that I am allergic to dogs. I’m getting more comfortable so I’ll mention it at some point! Oh and I’m allergic to Tide and that’s what they use to laundry detergent… you should see my poor rashes lol! It’s funny at this point. I feel like I’m always telling Matt about some new problem! What can I say I am a sensitive girl!!
Anyway it’s 1am and I have finally gotten a lot of things out and I’m happy about it. The internet is really touchy here which means no skype or gmail video chats! L That is a huge bummer but I am happy that there is at least internet sometimes! I hope you are all doing well and I will try to give updates more often! Love you all. P.S. They call me “Mel,” short for Melissa but also in Portuguese it means “honey”… sweet huh
Friday, September 4, 2009
Holy LAGOS!!!! >>Portugal<<
I met 3 particularly great people in Lisbon whom I did the majority of my site seeing with, Maria, Angel and Simon. Maria and Angel were heading to lagos so we decided to take the train together. Angel and I had an impossible time finding a hostel to stay in so we booked an expensive guest house type thing but upon arriving to Lagos and bringing Maria to her hostel, "Mama" said she could fit us. I had read about this hostel, called "The Rising Cock," "Mama" herself and the crepes she makes every morning with her famous lemon tea. Mama insists on being called this and is like your mother whilst you’re away. I was skeptical at first but she was really there for me when I needed her- more about that later.
The hostel is infamous for crazy 24 hour parties but it seemed quite quiet. I could hear a movie playing in the background and few people were going in and out. It was mid day and super hot so I figured most people were at the beach. Mama had a double bed amongst a room for 8 for Angel and I so we took it without a question. It was so much cheaper than our other option and we were already there with our heavy packs! Yes! Maria was also placed in the same room so things were good! Angel and I had already developed a brother/sister relationship so it wasn't even weird. Once we got settled we went straight to the beach and from there waited in line at a restaurant for hours!
We didn't get back to the hostel until 11:30pm and everyone from the hostel had already left. We decided to take a look around just the 3 of us and went to the most famous of the bars called, "Monkey Bar." It is insane. The bar tenders act like they are on speed! They run around taking shots themselves, giving people funnels and weird things to drink from and not one was wearing a shirt. Within 5 minutes of being inside I got burned by a cigarette twice, got a beer spilled on me, got stepped on and then hit on by a midget. No judgments here but it was all a bit overwhelming. We had the distinct feeling of being too late for the party to catch up and thus way too sober for this so we went home with the intention of getting back to the hostel earlier tomorrow night in order to meet everyone and go out from there.
The next day we went to the beach of course and discovered some really, really beautiful ones! They had amazing rock formations and really cool caves. Lots of people were jumping from ledges and added to the cool, free atmosphere. Everyday we went to the beach with more and more people. Everyone would go out and drink together at night, eat Mama's crepes in the morning and maybe watch a movie before going to the beach. It was so chill! The hostel was not a crazy place this week because everyone was in Valencia for the famous tomato fights. The boys at the hostel were a bit disappointed with the odds, 3 girls and like 15-20 boys, but they had a good time anyway... and there were no shortage of girls at the bars. Lagos is known to be a crazy party town where crazy things happen! It is quite small and most capital is brought in from the fishing industry and tourists.
There were a few notable bars... one was Inside Out. They had fish bowls [scorpion bowls, aka loss of memory in liquid form] that are best shared between at least 4 people. Two girls in my room tried to share one and lets just say our room was a gross disaster in the morning. So one night we went out with the hostel and shared one... everyone had really strange nights that night. I woke up on the beach alone at 830 in the morning and returned to find Angel in the bed covered in blood. He still doesn't know what happened and Maria was quite naked in her bed. Everyone ate crepes and spent the next couple of hours piecing our night together. I had gone back to the hostel and told people that I wanted to write and draw and took my notebook. There was nothing in my notebook the next day. Hilarious! One guy remembered dancing in his underwear in a chair at a bar and one girl still wasn't home. We again went to the beach and took a boat tour through caves. It was fantastically beautiful and I am super tan!
The next night a great girl I met, named Sara (from Australia) and I decided to make our own fish bowls for the hostel.. but much lighter this time!! Everyone gave us 5 euro and we ended up with 100 euros and made 4 tasty fish bowls! I even managed to get Inside out to give us free huge straws! After drinking them some people went out early and some of us stayed. I stayed with Sara and some Australian boys to play some card games. When we went out we were stopped by this funny little guy and he invited us for free drinks, apparently that's what it takes to get people to his bar. First of all, it was called, "Smiles" and it had smiley faces everywhere and a stripper pole and seriously NO customers! The bar tender having nothing else to do decided to give me and a couple of the boys some lessons. It was so funny and so difficult, by the way. I am NOT sexy on a stripper pole but she said I did well because I have some upper body strength. Afterwards we found part of the group and had a good night dancing and talking until we left the bar at about 4am. I immediately spotted a beautiful white horse. The man must have noticed my instant love for the thing and motioned for me to get up on it. So this was random but amazing! He was an old man with a black suit and top hat. He put his hat on me and let me take the horse around the block by myself and didn't charge me a thing! My camera is pretty broken so the pics I have now are from other people's cameras. We all extended our stay a night (including Angel and Maria) and spent it at some other bars and restaurants. We went to the Nah Nah Bar every night for dinner... it was right across the street from our hostel and it served the best burgers I've ever had!
Another night that was random and funny was a night we went out and had fun but came back relatively early and went to bed. Sara and I woke up at the same time and both wanted to take a walk. We left in our PJ's (Mom, I was wearing that funny Animal t-shirt you gave me haha) and we stumbled across a foam party! A foam party! And we went in, of course. They didn't charge us anything. We walked in and it was like a crazy dream. People were drinking, it was 5am and they were completely covered in soapy foam, except the girls tried to keep it off their pretty make up faces. Everyone looked RIDICULOUS and some were taking themselves and their foamy dance skills seriously which made Sara and I laugh so hard. We decided that this was insane and since we had an early night and the rest of the group hadn't and actually went skinny dipping we were up for the foamy craziness. We were both really sleepy and for some reason thought that since the foam looked soft that it actually was and decided to wrestle in it... we stopped when I pinned Sara and realized that actually the floor was covered in water and I almost drowned her. LOL The foam kept getting above our heads and was almost suffocating but so funny at the same time. We saw one guy from our hostel and apparently he had been there for hours. We decided to bring the foam party back to the hostel and loaded are arms with foam and then put it on people's faces and jumped in their beds... I hugged the guy at the front desk.. he spent the rest of the night wet but said this was not even a little bit surprising or weird compared to the things he's seen. The poor guy! He turned out to be as awesome as Mama... again more about that later.
The beauty about Lagos is that there really isn’t much to see aside from the beaches so I didn’t feel that pressure to see all of the sites, there were none. The group I had been with had to go to their next destinations on Thursday but I didn’t need to be at work for another day so rather than pack up my stuff and find a city closer to my work location for one night I decided to stay in Lagos. The Australians from Smiles, 2 guys from England and one Spanish guy were the only people left that I knew so I went surfing with them in a city about 30 minutes away on the coast. We left in time to see the most beautiful sunset ever in another town that the Spanish guy, "Toba" knew of. It was nice to be in a car again driving on an open road, as opposed to always being on a bus.
That night we all went out. I ran out of cash so I brought my debit card to get a little money out for some drinks, big mistake! We had a good night out and one of the Australians and I went to the beach because we heard cool music. There were tons of hippy people there playing instruments and camping out on the beach w/ their dogs. It was really cool- they sounded great. Upon getting back to my room I noticed that I didn't have my debit card. I got online and cancelled it immediately and then realized that I had only gotten 30 euro out because I didn't want to walk around with a bunch of cash in case I lost it. Well, that didn't work out well. Now I had about 23 euro and I still hadn't paid for the 2 extra nights I had stayed. I owed 60 euro and still hadn't paid for my train ticket to get to Santa Clara, Portugal for work and I didn't have money for food. All of a sudden I was in a bad place. I decided to freak out about it in the morning. I wasn't ready to except that all of a sudden I was up shit creek without a paddle!
So, in the morning I had crepes as usual and went downstairs to tell the hostel my problem. The guy at the desk Nick said he'd have to talk to Mama about it. He walked away and I was really embarrassed. I felt like I was taking advantage of them not making me pay when I added nights and I was a bit scared that I was to get 4 hours away by train with no money. What if I missed the train. I knew I had to take 2, so if I missed the connection I wouldn't have any money to stay anywhere or any money for food. My cell phone was dead. I was all alone. Ahhh!! So obviously I cried! It was a bit overwhelming, being in Europe with no money. Mama, bless her, let me pay like 18 euro and said it's ok because she knows I will be back again. She let me keep 5 for the train fare. I walked the 20 minutes to the train station and was pretty upset. I had 5 euro and I wasn't even sure that I would make this train let alone the connection. When I arrived I paid the train fare and had trouble understanding when my train was leaving. Finally I found someone who spoke English and they told me I still had an hour and a half so I conjured up all the Portuguese I knew and asked if I could leave my bag at the station so I could go get food. Well, in reality I didn't have money for food but it was the only Portuguese I knew. What I really wanted to do was go back to the hostel because I left so upset that I forgot to say goodbye to the Australians and Toba, the Spanish guy. Also I needed to call home to get my debit card straightened out. They let me leave it there which was great. That meant I could walk a bit faster and not sweat bullets- it was 100 degrees after all.
When I got back a girl who works at the hostel had heard about my situation and gave me 20 euro for my trip. I told her I would pay her back but she told me not to worry about it because good karma would come back her way. This made me cry too, because it was so nice of her. Actually, everyone was really nice and said that I'd be ok. I found the Australians and lost my shit again with them. I began to realize it wasn't just the debit card situation that I was upset about. I was ending a chapter and beginning a new one and that's always hard for me. Transition. Ew. I was worried about the train transfer because Angel (from Cali), Maria (from New York) and I had been waiting for our train for 30 minutes in Lisbon to go to Lagos and it stopped so far up the track from where we were standing that we had to run with our 30 pound backpacks to catch it. It was so close that my bag actually shut in the door... my heart was beating so fast that I thought I was going to die. Also it was difficult understanding which platform to be at... and on top of everything I didn't know what to expect with work. I hadn't thought about it at all. I was living in the moment the whole time and didn't learn any Portuguese, did no research on the area and didn't read the Quinta's website as well as I should have. I was scared and I was sad to leave my friends. They split up in 2 groups, half went to Sevilla, Spain and the others to Lisbon, Portugal... and I was headed to small town Portugal which it turns out is WAY, WAY smaller than I thought.