| We are into summer with force and
the hot days just leave the trees weeping at night, bemoaning their sapless fate to the
breathless evening. It is exhilarating to jump into the cool pool after work, and roll
languidly under the liquid layers of water. Then to lie on a warm bed while my skin cools
into sleep - mosquitoes knock on the door but thankfully, due to a new electrical gizmo,
they don´t invade the peace of my dreams. I am finding solace in the Portuguese culture,
and the slow pace of life here doesn´t compare to Cape Town´s humm. It is really
enlightening to find a people who take so much joy in the simple things life offers us, a
conversation on a street corner, a meal, a drink on the square..... Carvoeiro and Benagil are two little villages, like the rest of the Algarve that
have been overtaken by tourism. The fishing community, once a thriving existence for most
of the population has almost been extinguished due to the attraction of other industries
for the young and the industrialisation of the fishing process. I was talking to the owner
of a restaurant in Benagil yesterday, and he was relating to me how there are only two
fishermen left. This was once a village (not so long ago), where the only way to transport
goods in was by donkey. The road into Benagil is a recent addition to the local
infrastructure. Like it or not the property business and construction business is booming
as jackhammers thump away and whining machines pierce the slow summer days.
Life winds on and I fill my days with scheming and brainstorming new and
novel ways to market Carvoeiro.com. This is necessary to increase the volume of visitors
to our web site, in order for us to attract more advertisers - it is a vicious circle
albeit an enjoyable one. It looks like we will start making some t-shirts or caps to sell
and give away as promotions. More webcams look like they have to appear and our visitors
are demanding a night-life section. Looks like I will have to get reporting. I cycled down
to the BOTE disco last night after work for a few drinks with the boys, and I managed to
persuade the leader of the band playing to grant me an interview. It would be great to get
sponsorship for the night-life section so I will have to work on that one. Work at the
restaurant carries on and last night I was drafted back into the kitchen just for the
night - great fun to be creating food again, although it was very quiet last night.
Cheers
Nick - nick@carvoeiro.com
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