Occasionally I am drawn into memories of
Cape Town - these nostalgic interludes are usually sparked off by guests at Roma asking me
where I hail from. "Does that accent come from New Zealand, Australia or
England?". I proudly reply that my home town is Cape Town, South Africa - and we
launch into conversations of why I am here, why the South Africans are killing Portuguese
and how beautiful my home country is. I don't mope around in home-sick mode as the Algarve
is certainly on a par with the rustic magnificence of the Western Cape. All I dream of is
hiking in the Cape Mountains and then Monchique rushes into my minds eye.
If you haven't experienced Monchique, then you are pretty
much in the same boat as I am. From the early days of my Algarvian experience I heard
about Monchique and it was filled with mystery. The name evokes a certain mystique
and the views are reported to be legendary. I plan to visit this village of Chicken
Piri-piri, forests, mountain streams and wonderful vistas in the very near future. No
doubt it will be described in this diary in full. However, for now I have to settle for
stories from fellow Algarvios, photographs from carvoeiro.com and the constant views of
the imposing hills of Monchique that perpetuate my visions while exploring the immediate
vicinity of Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, Lagoa, Portimao and Alvor.
The week has been full of Carvoeiro.com, Roma and a
business idea that is falling into place. I was invited to lunch on Wednesday at Carvoeiro Sol hotel in order to interview Julio Santos, the
General Manager of this delightful hotel. Myself, Vicki good (the sales manager of the
group) and Julio enjoyed a tasty lunch of Dourado fish and Chocolate Mousse, with a fair
amount of wine thrown in. I cycled back to Roma, and in mid journey my mobile phone rang.
It was a good friend from South Africa calling me to say hi and to let me know how his
wedding had gone. Great news!
Tomb
Raider time is arriving and on Thursday I am travelling to Portimao to see the movie
at the Modelo Cinemas. The power of the Internet has allowed me to see and read interviews
with the star Angelina Jolie, pictures, movies of the premiere in Hollywood, which all the
stars attended and on Friday night, my cousin in America and I logged onto a live chat
session with Angelina Jolie (along with thousands of other fans from around the world). It
was rather disappointing that Angelina didn't tell me she was coming to Carvoeiro but I
live in hope! : )
Until next week
Nick - nick@carvoeiro.com
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