| Beaches and Internet Access I
slip out of the bonds of sleep and make my way to the door as the tenuous strands of
dreamy exhaustion fall behind me. The hot sizzle of cicadas greets my entrance into the
garden and as I stumble over to the pool, I realise that it is just another day in
paradise. The cool pool slips her liquid arms around me as I am deeply enveloped by her
caress. Now that I am becoming more aware, I look up in a vain search for clouds ... none.
Yet another cloudless, windless, hot Algarvian day. I have never seen weather this
consistent before, although many Algarvios are grumbling about what a strange summer it
is. I am quite happy with one hot cloudless day after another.
The Internet service is beginning to drive me crazy. Especially when Steen
e-mails me from France to say that he is ripping away at 600kbps on his cable connection,
my cousin e-mails me from the USA to tell me how fast he downloads movies at 300kbps and I
look at my miserable connection which has fallen to 14kbps. When are governments going to
realise that having access to free Internet service will boost their economies? You might
say, "Oh but Clix and Oninet are free Internet Service providers!". What I mean
by free Internet is no telephone costs, being online 24 hours a day and being connected at
high speed (+300kbps).
Can you imagine the consequences of people not having to dial up, of having near
instant access to movies and high quality streaming video and audio, listening to any
Internet radio station from around the world, shopping with a credit card in limitless
stores. It would create more of a demand for people to learn about computers and fuel a
need for more online services which would in turn create an need for more employment,
higher salaries and this would have a ripple effect on the economy.....
Hey Nick WAKE UP! Looks like you fell asleep and started dreaming again. Back to
Portugal and my 14kbps connection.. mmm. I discovered a wonderful beach on my Thursday
afternoon sundowner quest. I had ridden west towards Portimao from Carvoeiro and as I
glided down into Ferragudo, I noted the rusty burgundy bar called "Joes" on my
left. I turned in and cycled up the cul de sac to a parking area which overlooked a
beautiful beach with about three or four restaurants to pick from and volleyball courts,
windsurfing school (and hire) and a beach football court. Not to mention wide expanses of
sand, a few cliffs and the large mouth of the Rio Arade stretching out to Praia de Rocha
on the other side of the estuary.
Its a great place to spend a day and the wind sweeps down across a large safe
expanse of water in the afternoons, which is ideal for windsurfing. No doubt I will be
sailing next Thursday on my day off. I spotted one of the "Wind Song"
cruiseliners as it sailed out of Portimao while lying on this very beach on Saturday. Have
a squiz at the photos.
Thank you for reading this diary.
Nick - nick@carvoeiro.com
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