Reflections in the HI Pousada

Punjabi vegetable jalfrezi - no comment. Two chapatis for 5€! What... OK. 10€ for the meal, but the mental distortion for the flat breads. Leeds's finest from Abul Bakr £1? I don't know how The Algarve does it - supply and therefore damned? Certainly it filled a hole. Pilau rice slightly damp too ... And a small bottle of water 2€60¢. Don't go to Mehfil if you don't want to leave feeling Meh and not very happily filled! Time for a siesta and that's it? I made my bed prior to the late lunch. It's all good. It's in my belly.

But the upper bunk squeaked every movement. The sour faced woman on reception said they have no lower bunks left so I accepted the upper bunk in 102, but everything was bouncing around loosely when I moved. Luckily the unhelpful woman had ended her shift and a more helpful man moved me to a lower bunk (which was a available in 104!!!) so I moved my stuff and took 102 key back. Now I have Samuel from Recife Brasil opposite: he was already here web designing and taking it easy as he has been travelling 6 years straight! In 102 the Everton FC supporter was also Brasilian and a carpenter... I never met the gentleman below me who would've suffered my movements all during the evening.

That's good. Two of the four lemons I've been carrying since Monte de Vascão are chopped into small wedges and into the narrow neck of the Nalgene I borrowed from Tony to replace the battered and bruised Quechua flask I found at the albergue peregrinos Porto back in December: it doesn't stand up...

Reflecting on this trip: I always get a positive feeling, when I am on my own up in the hills (where Alentejo and Algarve rub shoulders), of total peacefulness and tranquility - even during the heavy rain coming towards Amendoeira da Serra from Mértola on Friday morning it was a good wet... When I relaced my boots on the north bank of the Vascão I actually cheered and I willingly picked up a staff-like bamboo cane to help me up the ravine to Mesquita. Twice on the Nascente I got my credencíal stamped, not once on the central from Faro back in January, but it's no problem I've so many credencíal and tons of sello so I rarely stop to consider what has just been stamped on the pages I have been carrying since 2013: I did on the Camino Frances, obviously! A good night's sleep. It's Sunday. That's all folks?