Eye rubbing…bringing back the events of the last week.

March 16th 2022

We got to experience the Sahara Sand the day we left Lisbon…..

One and a half years ago we left Kenya to fly back home to CA. Turkish Airlines flew us first from Nairobi to Istanbul. We got to see the northern parts of Africa -from the air - the places we dreamed to ride our bicycles. 

The Nile, the Sand…sigh….

The Sand that landed here in Lisbon didn’t seem like the Sahara….more like yellowish fog.

Intense though:

It appears that this is as close as we will get to experience the desert from the African continent for now.

The Sandstorm enveloped us for 2 days and I am positive we are still carrying particles from that part of Africa in our lungs now.

We don’t ride our usual distances in a day. Aiming south, keeping the water on the right and - yet -still winding around a bit. Though the riding is good, Gurly feels awesome and her heaviness contributes to something of a grounding feeling. The sensation of being “down to earth” and yet moving the whole time.

Here comes the sun …soon traded in for rain that doesn’t seem to want to stop. So, here in Aljezur we talked our lovely host into keeping us one more rainy day.

Back in the sunny days we got to dip our toes for the first time (since arriving on the European continent) in the Atlantic Ocean, cooked our dinner on a sandy hill, watching the sunset, 

https://youtu.be/sHbQgN7T7kE

sleeping to the sound of the waves. 

….and then breakfast.

That was the 10 star night after the one we spent in a 5 star hotel “by accident”

…….because we didn’t see the warning signs (actually didn’t understand them….maybe didn’t want to…or…..what ever…), nor did we listen to the advice of a very experienced cyclist back in Lisbon sending us off with a very detailed GPX map. 

Day 2 after leaving Lisbon seemed far away….but right before the second ferry at Setúbal the road block was undeniable. The steepest, most beautiful descend to the waterfront …..

….on this tour yet made it impossible to ride back to the main road we needed to get back to and around the 2km of the road closed to (even) pedestrians. Way up there…..NO WAY! So, we dismounted, took the bags off one by one, pushed down the somewhat flimsy, wiry fence a bit further up away from the main “road closed gate” and “threw” our gear, our bikes and ourselves onto the “forbidden” side. We had just about loaded up again, when an official car with an official female supervisor escorting official workers to fix the road which was in danger of being pounded by falling  rocks from the cliff above. Man, was she angry when she saw us! Her face was as hard as the rocks above and her teeth clenched as if she hadn’t gone #2 for a week or more. Technically we were already half way through this closed disaster, but she had the upper hand and when I looking at each and every muscles in her face while she was giving us “a piece of her mind” it was clear to me that there was absolutely no hope that she would budge. Dang it!

Someone had a key and helped us through that gate on the absolute wrong side! The end of that beautiful road.

Most of the few visitors there were local tourists either on motorcycles, couples in small cars walking the beach…fishermen….no one who could have given us a ride back up with our load to that intersection….. except there was a guy with a dump truck. “I can take you after work at 5pm”  It was almost 3. 

For one “bad” guy/woman, there is always at least one or more “good” ones to make up for it! 

We got a ride almost all the way to the ferry with a cool guy, a backhoe (snuggled up with our bikes in the back) and its funny nice operator.

Thank you Louis!

At the ferry terminal it was already dark and on the other side of the river even darker….

A resort right at the landing with a minimum of two nights at €300 made us cycle further into the night, but the nice clerk called the

5 star Troia Design Hotel to give us a room for €116 including breakfast buffet (like you have never seen!) - only 6km along a lonely road through the dunes (but paved!)

I’ve got some weird photos …

A Cinderella shoe made of cooking pots and lids.

15 floors…our luxury apartment was on the top!

…but I forgot to take photos of the absolute generous breakfast buffet, the two bathrooms, living room, spacious bedroom with a giant TV screen, two balconies, bathtub, 2 showers and wash rooms, bathrobes, slippers, a -walk -in -closet and a kitchen! Not that we needed or even used all of it, but we walked around through the whole thing a few times. Check out time was 2pm! I didn’t have time for the spa experience and the swimming pool ….but I did my morning extensive yoga with a view, after a good night sleep and breakfast like someone who hasn’t eaten in days.