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Azambuja, Portugal

So I slept like a baby in the tiny little single bed in the huge room in the very strange hotel. Must be all the starch I devoured last night. The morning starts with the included breakfast – thank goodness for the little gems of pasteis de nata, because the rest looks pretty grim. The “juice” is a chemical **** storm of note – judging by the colour it has everything but the juice of any fruit in it. The coffee is blue black, when I added the milk it became a dishwatery grey. Well, all the more reason to start with my assignment. And that is what I did today – writing a 2500 word assignment evaluating a modified ADL assessment tool for illiterate people in North India. The less I say about this, the better. It is done. Sela….
At about 16h00 I give up and go for a walk. Opposite the hotel is a bullring (!!!!), with crowds of people queuing to get in – my heart sinks. If there is a bullfight opposite me tonight….I might have to go and look. On the way back I hear it is some or other “pop” concert. (With my knowledge of popular music it might have been one of the biggest stars ever – who knows). I am glad my room is on the other side of the hotel, where the high speed train passes every hour making the entire room shake!
The town is fast asleep, shutters down, only the young and restless out and about here and there. I walk up to the church, beautiful old building with the interior walls all done in the most beautiful traditional Portuguese tiles. Serene. A very friendly young priest greets me with the most endearing smile.
Walking back I realise that I am actually quite scared of what lies ahead. I have no idea what it feels like to walk for 30 kilometers with a backpack Tomorrow it is predicted to be 29 degrees, and I only took a black t-shirt. WHY – I have no idea. Looking at what I can ditch from my bag – it will have to be the hair product. (Only teasing). The handbook for my assignment can go, and I realise that my electric toothbrush and charger weigh too much. As for the hair dryer and tongs – TEASING!!!!
Now I am going to see what the friendly non English speaking gentleman has on the menu for Sunday night supper. Mmmmmmm – just realised that I only ate two little de nata’s today….

A new soul in the restaurant tonight. Google translate helps to choose what looks like “larded streaky…. something”. I am holding my breath – it could mean anything. It is such a shame to not speak the local language. I am now so confused between Spanish, Portuguese and my smidgen of Italian that I give up all together and try sign language. It does not go down well. Trying to blend in in a truck driver bar in a far-off motel in the middle of nowhere with one Spanish word that I learned from the obnoxious Vida e’Caffe waiters is just not going to cut it.

Walking through the little town today I am astounded at the simplicity of life here. Washing hanging from windows in the tiniest little houses, no garages or huge gardens or swimming pools. Not a single house has seen a lick of paint in years – quaint enough to take photographs of it here, at home we stress about “maintenance”. And work ourselves to a standstill to pay the bills of more maintenance.

Of course there is soccer on the television, the fluorescent lights are all on the brightest possible setting. This is so typical of rural Europe – at home I would not be seen dead in a “restaurant” like this. Here I take photographs because it is so different and “European”. Joke! I just need to go to Rugby or Brooklyn and find rows upon rows of places just like this one. What would the difference be? Nothing.

So I figured it out – the truck drivers change shifts here, I see them waiting for one another, quick chat and the new driver jumps in and off he goes. Those finishing their shift pop into the bar for a few beers. The hotel is remarkably clean and well kept considering that there cannot be more than 10% of the rooms occupied. The Indian theme is quite surprising, but hey, a theme is a theme. It could have been Hawaiian for all I cared last night! And at 35 Euros, disgusting breakfast included it is a bargain.

So dinner was greasy and starchy – more carbo loading. But hey – who am I to complain? I love grease, add chips to anything and I am the happiest junk food eater. Apparently I said yes to a huge slice of melon – certainly would not have asked for it. I cannot imagine what this chunk of lemon and the gallon of beer will do in my stomach….

The end of an eventful day. Assignment – laat hy val waar hy wil. Nou is daar nie omdraai nie.

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