On our last morning in Salema, we slept in a bit,
mostly because I hadn't slept very well. We made some tea and ate
the biscuits we'd bought the night before. I was feeling a little
light-headed and queasy - perhaps somehow related to our carousing
the previous evening? I ended up sitting out on the patio, drinking
some water and getting some fresh air, while Dan finished getting
ready.
We caught up with Leeza to settle the bill, and chatted with
her a bit about tourism in Salema, getting listed in the Rick
Steves guidebook, the Portuguese disposition, and a few other
things. She was very friendly, and very talkative. She graciously
offered to give us a ride down into town so we could get lunch
before we headed back to Lagos.
For the sake of convenience, we decided to get lunch right on
the town square, at a place that served mainly salads and pizzas.
Due to a misunderstanding about whether Dan was ordering for
both of us or just himself, we had a funny running gag with
the waitress about what was for me and what was for him. (Greek
salad for me, Greek salad and grilled chicken in piri piri sauce
for Dan.) It was a good lunch, simple and tasty.
Time was starting to grow tight, so Dan went over to the taxi
stand to see if we could get a cab to take us back to Lagos.
As he was about to call, a taxi pulled into the square with some
passengers. He tried to flag it, but the driver didn't see him.
At this point, Dan saw the bus, which only runs once an hour,
at the top of the square. I had already paid the bill, so we
grabbed our bags and sprinted up the hill to catch the bus. Luckily,
we made it!
The bus wound its way back to Lagos, stopping at completely
unmarked stops and letting people off in the middle of the road.
This puzzled us. How did people know, without a marker, where
the bus would stop? Do all the locals just know
to stand at, say, the fourth olive tree on the left?
Back in Lagos, Dan got our tickets for Lisbon while I made another
stop in the nasty bathroom with no toilet seat or paper. As an
added treat this time, there were various old men loitering in
the station who seemed to enjoy leering at any woman going by. |
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We got on the bus for Lisbon, which was staffed with a grumpy
stewardess. Once we got on the road, she glowered her way up
and down the center aisle, selling cans of soda, bagged snacks,
and chocolate bars. For the better part of the journey, we also
got to enjoy a movie, Austin Powers: Goldmember, dubbed
in Portuguese!
Although this bus was supposed to be an "express,"
we retraced our steps through all the towns in the Algarve.
Between that and a massive traffic jam, it took two hours just
to get to the main motorway. The bus was hot and bumpy, and I
was still feeling a little bit ill. I was also feeling anxious
about Lisbon, which I think stemmed from not feeling well, combined
with my readiness to be back at home.
This is the point in a trip, about two weeks in, where we always
feel like we're just ready to be done. Once we get over this
hump, though, we both seem to be good for at least another
week or two of traveling. And, as it turned out, my apprehension
about Lisbon was unfounded. We loved this city, and would happily
return any time. We loved the vibe of the city,
and the beautiful and varied architectural styles. But most of
all, we loved the fact that everywhere we went, something bizarre
and interesting was going on. |
