Portugal Days 4-5: Survivor Adventure

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Monday April 25

We started Monday morning with meditation and yoga. We practiced yoga on the roof deck with all the layers on, but it was so beautiful looking at the clouds when we laid down.

For breakfast, we had a frittata (another item I would not typically eat, do we see a pattern?!). It was delicious and also made by @laraBrunch.

After breakfast, we split into 2 cars, the van and Maggie’s car for the SUP river cruise. I actually had to sit in Maggie’s trunk for a short ride to her house.

I then switched to ride in the truck with Maggie and the paddleboards after we got to her house. Once we checked out the spot to launch the paddleboards from, we had to carry them down.

We had 5 paddleboards and the plan was to paddle for an hour and then switch off with the second group. Me, Suzanne, Karen B and Lauren were the first group with Terry leading us. Most of us changed into our wet suits and then off we went.

It was a rough start because of the sand bars so we had to keep hopping off our paddleboards and lifting the fin and pushing until we got to deeper spots. It was a beautiful sunny day so we probably didn’t need the wetsuits but it was nice for less sunscreen needed.

I was the only one wearing a watch and eventually Terry asked me what time it was. We figured an hour had gone by and we were supposed to reach a beach to meet the others. We thought maybe we were paddling slow so we kept going and then it was 1.5 hours. We could see a road and thought we were close. Then nothing. Next we were sitting and paddling through bushes one by one. We thought this didn’t seem right.

By then we reached the 2 hour mark and we decided we needed to turn around. However, none of us had the energy to paddle 2 hours back. We were tired and getting hot.

Terry was amazing and found a spot we could pull out the paddleboards near the road. We walked through the bushes and up to the street as we figured that was the best chance of getting back to town and if they were looking for us, being found.

Take note we were all barefoot and most of us in wetsuits walking down the road. I had my Go Pro for photos but none of us had a phone or even knew the phone number if we stopped a car. While my upper body was sore, my legs and feet felt fine for walking. I was happy the road wasn’t black asphalt so it wasn’t too hot. I figured my feet would toughen up from the barefoot walking.

We started walking towards town. We did stop one car and ask how far town was. This old lady was so sweet and somehow estimated 30 minutes, I think by walking, although I feel like it would have been longer. About 15 minutes into walking though, Maggie came around the corner. We were rescued! I have to say, at no point was I too worried because we were all together and we could see the town. The river was one way so we were not really lost, but just had paddled too long. There was a miscommunication in that we were supposed to paddle for 30 minutes and then turn around and the beach area was like 10 minutes from the launch spot. All of us as we walked just thought about how this would make a great story so we were in good spirits through this.

Unfortunately, the second group never got to go because of the mishap. We were tired and hungry so Maggie suggested a restaurant. However, none of us brought money because we didn’t think we would be going out. Jen trusted me with her card and we headed to the restaurant for a late lunch. By this point it was 2pm.

I ordered the pork style dish and a giant 1.5 L bottle of water. I sat with Karen S, Kim and Ann. When the food arrived, I was highly confused as there were clams on top of my food. I told the server I had ordered the pork and they said yes pork. It turned out the pork was underneath. I didn’t have my phone with me so no photos, but once Karen and Ann kindly took the clams off and enjoyed them, I enjoyed the pork and sweet potatoes.

By the time we paid for the food and left, it was 4pm when we returned to the lodge. Given that we left before 10am, it was quite a long day in the sun for everyone.

I showered and hung out in my room for a bit, enjoying the coolness of my room after the sunshine. We were going out to dinner that night so we had a couple hours to chill out and then everyone got dressed up. I was glad I packed one dress and was able to wear it out one night.

For dinner, I had the Portuguese specialty, black pork. Even though I had just had pork for lunch, I had more pork and it was delicious.

For dessert, we had chocolate mousse and a sweet potato bon bon chocolate. I definitely loved the mousse.

Since dinner was at 7:30, we didn’t get back until after 10pm. It was a long day. I texted Brian when we got back but then went right to sleep.

Tuesday April 26

Tuesday morning was the first morning I needed my 6:15am alarm. Surfing was moved to 7am Tuesday after the mishap Monday with paddleboarding. I got my swimsuit on, did wordle and snacked in my room.

 I walked outside, waiting for the other girls around 7am and I saw a beautiful rainbow over the ocean. As we waited, the single rainbow turned to a double rainbow. It was so beautiful and made getting up early after the late night so worth it. The rainbow got brighter and the second one got brighter.

Once we were all in our wetsuits, we headed down to the beach around 7:30am. The waves were small. We carried the surf boards down, did a short warm up and went off to the water. It was drizzling a bit but we were in the water anyway. It was hard to time the waves and paddling. I was able to get to my knees a couple times but that was all.

Still, I’m glad I got up early despite how tired I was. It was really raining by the time we finished. We got back just after 9am. I needed food! We stripped down from our wet suits, using the outdoor shower. I ate breakfast in my bikini because I couldn’t wait and I was warm from surfing anyway. We had granola for breakfast with fruit. I probably had like 4 bowls because surfing at 7am makes you hungry.

At 11am, we headed to the yoga studio to do a class.

Then we had a short discussion on some journal questions. Afterward, we went into a local café. I had the most delicious bean salad and a kombucha drink.

We headed back to the lodge from there and had about an hour before we headed out again. This time we went into Aljezur and walked around Aljezur castle.

Then we walked in some shops. We stopped at a gelato place and I had a brownie.

Once we got back to the lodge, it was nearly 7pm. The days felt long and short at the same time. I think I was really good at being in the present moment on this trip. Terry made pasta, salad and veggies for dinner.

It was delicious. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to crawl into bed at 9pm.

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