LIISA HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH COUCHSURFING HOSTS IN THE AREA AND A GUY CALLED YOGI HAD OFFERED TO HOST US ON HIS FARM. HIS PLACE WAS INLAND, SO IT MEANT LEAVING THE ENCOVA TRAIL, BUT LOOKING AT THE MAP WE FIGURED THAT WE COULD EASILY WALK FROM THE FARM TO ALJEZUR, (ABOUT 18KM) WHICH WOULD PUT US ON THE ROUTE VICENTINA. PLUS A NIGHT ON YOGI’S FARM SOUNDED LIKE AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE AND NOT TO BE MISSED! 

WE WERE UP EARLY AND OUT, SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR 70’S STYLE APARTMENT. IT FELT GOOD TO BE ON THE ROAD, THROUGH THE STREETS OF PORTIMAO AND ON AND OUT IN TO THE COUNTRYSIDE! A QUICK SUPERMARKET

STOP FOR HEALTHY FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, AND ON WE WENT…. TIRED FEET, BACKPACKS HEAVY, LIISA’S ARMS GROWING LONGER BY THE MINUTE STRETCHED BY MARTIN THE GUITAR- IT FELT FUCKING AMAZING! IT FEELS GOOD TO CARRY YOURHOME! I LOVE IT! COUNTRY ROADS PAST MILLIONAIRE VILLAS LED US THROUGH THE ALGARVE HILLS…. LIISA HAD HER GOOGLE MAPS ON TO LEAD US THOUGH THE WILDERNESS, I HAVE FAITH IN HER, EVEN PAST THE ‘DO NOT PASS’ SIGNS!

WE CAME TO A SMALL LAKE AND HAD A PICNIC.

OUR BACK PACKS WERE LEFT ON THE ROAD ALMOST OUT OF VIEW AND A CAR SLOWED TO CHECK WE WERE OKAY. A QUICK THUMBS UP AND HE WAS OFF, BUT HOW SWEET! THERE WAS NO-ONE AROUND, NO HOUSES IN VIEW, AND MY FEARS OF WILD DOG ATTACKS WAS EVER PRESENT! THEN WE SAW A PILE OF FLY-TIP CONSISTING MAINLY OF GIANT BAMBOO CANE SO WE PICKED A WEAPON/ WALKING AID EACH AND ON WE MARCHED… WE CAME TO A TINY VILLAGE AND HAD A CHOCO MILK / COKE BREAK WITH THE PORTUGUESE WORKMEN, THEN FORGED FORWARD… THE BAGS GREW HEAVIER, THE SCENERY WILDER, AND THE SILENCE AND PEACE SURROUNDED US WITH CALM…

WITH ABOUT 10KM TO GO WE EMERGED ON TO A CAR WORTHY ROAD AND CONSIDERED HITCHING BUT THERE WAS LITTLE TIME TO CONSIDER. WE WERE PICKED UP BY A FRIENDLY PORTUGUESE FELLA WHO DECIDED TO TAKE US TO A COMMUNITY HE KNEW WHERE ‘..WE WOULD BE WELCOMED AND ENJOY.’ WE EXPLAINED THAT THIS WAS NOT OUR DESTINATION BUT HE INSISTED THAT AS IT WAS SO SUPER COOL AND THERE WAS A MAJOR PARTY ON TONIGHT WE MUST GO! HE TOLD US WE SHOULD JUST SPEAK TO ANYONE AND THEY WOULD HELP US! AND IF WE DIDN’T WANT TO STAY WE COULD EASILY WALK BACK TO OUR COUCH SURF PLACE! SO WE WENT. WE WERE DROPPED OFF AT THE ENTRANCE TO THIS ‘HIPPY HEAVEN’ AND VENTURED UP THE OFF-ROAD TRACK…. THERE WERE CAMPER VANS GALORE, HIPPIES, HIPPY DOGS, CACTI, TENTS, FUNKY ART AND AND PORTALOOS… WE WANDERED IN PASSING PEOPLE THAT PAID US NO REGARD AND FOUND A BAR! AFTER TWO BEERS AMONGST THE CHILLED OUT STONERS AT THE BAR, WE CONCLUDE THAT THIS PLACE, WHILST VERY PRETTY, IS A BIT A BIT WEIRD…. I EXPLAINED OUR ODD SCENARIO, THAT WE HAD BEEN DROPPED HERE BY MISTAKE AND NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY, TO THE GUY BEHIND THE BAR, JAMIE, WHO IT TURNS OUT HAD COME TO LIVE HERE FOR A FEW MONTHS FROM WALES AND WAS ON THE AFTERNOON ‘SHIFT’ TO MAN THE BAR. HE EXPLAINED THAT WE NEEDED TO TALK TO THE ‘LEADER.’ WE MAY BE ABLE TO STAY OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND WITH THE PEOPLE ARRIVING FOR TONIGHT’S HAPPY PIZZA PARTY, BUT NOT INSIDE AS IT’S MEMBER ONLY. A WOMAN RAN PAST US IN HYSTERICS, REPEATEDLY SCREECHING THAT SHE HAD LOST HER BUMBAG, BUT NO-ONE REACTED. JAMIE HAD A VAN BUT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE GUESTS STAY WITHOUT PERMISSION…. IT ALL SEEMED A LITTLE ODD. THE HIPPY HEAVEN HAD MORE RULES THAN A HOUSE SHARE IN BRUM AND NOT MUCH FREE LOVE FOR THE CRAZY CRYING LADY. WE WERE TOLD TO LOOK OUT FOR THE ‘LEADER’ RUDOLPH, AN OLD GUY WITH LONG BLONDE DREADS, A SMOKING JACKET AND FLIP FLOPS! WE NEVER DID FIND THE ELUSIVE RUDOLPH BUT ANOTHER ‘MEMBER’ CAME TO TELL US THAT HE WAS ON SITE NOW BUT TOO BUSY TO TALK TO US. THE PLACE WAS PREPARING FOR THE BIG PIZZA PARTY…

THE PARTY WAS THAT EVENING. IT IS APPARENTLY FAMOUS AND HELD WEEKLY, ATTRACTING PARTY ANIMALS FROM AS FAR AS LISBON. WE ARE TOLD THAT IN AN HOURS TIME THIS WHOLE PLACE WILL BE WILD! I CAN BELIEVE IT! WE ARE MEANT TO BE STAYING AT OUR COUCH SURFING HOST YOGI’S PLACE AND SOME VOLUNTEER TELLS US HE WAS THROWN OUT OF THIS COMMUNITY BUT HE IS UNSURE WHY. WE TRY TO FIND OUT MORE BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW MUCH…. THE PARTY IS IMMINENT AND SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL BE MANIC!!!!!!

I WANT OUT! THERE ARE NO FREE HUGS HERE. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST PLACE TO BE IF YOU WANT AN ALL NIGHT RAVE BUT I’D RATHER A CHILLED OUT FARM… LIISA SEEMS IN AGREEMENT AND WE LEAVE THE HIPPY KINGDOM AND SEEK OUT YOGI’S PLACE, ABOUT 3KM DOWN THE HILL, AS THE EVENING DRAWS IN… 

WE FIND IT THANKS TO LIISA’S EXPERTISE ON GOOGLE MAPS AND A FEW OFF ROAD INSTRUCTIONS FROM YOGI AND IT IMMEDIATELY FEELS WAY BETTER! CHILLED AND LOW KEY. THERE IS A SMALL GATHERING OF PEOPLE, 6 MAX, AROUND A CAMP FIRE, CHEERING OUR ARRIVAL WHEN THEY SPOT US STROLLING THROUGH THE DARK… YOGI WARMS US SOME LEFTOVER VEGGY RICE CONCOCTION AND WE SIT ABOUT SWAPPING STORIES. THERE IS YOGI HIMSELF, AN OLD GERMAN HIPPY, WHO RENTS THE ‘FARM’ AND AFEW WOOFERS FROM GERMANY, BELGIUM AND ISRAEL.

THE FARM IS BASICALLY SOME LAND AROUND A LAKE, WITH A LARGE ALLOTMENT THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WELL CARED FOR AND PROVIDES FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

 

 

 

THE OUTSIDE KITCHEN AND ‘SINK’ IS A BIT CHAOTIC AND THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF OLD SOFAS AND ARMCHAIRS TO LOUNGE ABOUT IN. YOGI INVITES US TO SHARE HIS CARAVAN AS IT HAS 2 DOUBLE BEDS, SO LIISA AND I MAKE OURSELVES A NEST IN ONE OF THEM. THE CARAVAN IS CRAMMED FULL OF  BITS AND BATS, BUT IT’S REALLY WARM THANKS TO THE LOG BURNER AND WE HAVE A COSY NIGHT’S REST.