An Andrews Adventure: DAY 233

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Apart from the beach combing, the walk through town Dian and Nicole took, the postcards they sent off, the call to Capitol One made by Charles to sort out (once again) our card that had been wrongfully frozen, apart from that, it was to be a day of scouting out camps. Just before leaving Olhao we were informed by Pam the painter (her easel was set up in a quiet corner of the boardwalk) that we weren’t in Olhao at all, but just outside it in the small town of Fuseta. Though she was from England she had visited many times because the setting was just so lovely and the people so kind. Nicole and Dian found this to be true when walking through town, for even the smallest smile or attempt to say ola (hello) or obrigado (thank you) would crack their sea-weathered faces. The men seemed joyful in their fishing tasks, and we saw many working on their old boats, still doing it the old-fashioned way.

The following is a brief description of the camps we visited:

> PRICE(Y) WATER TOWER

So named because of the much needed Internet connection that was supposedly best near the water tower…but with no spaces nearby. It was altogether clean, huge, filled with happy, sun-kissed ex-pats, and quite expensive. We chose to move on (but not before making our lunch in their parking lot).

> NAMETAGS

Fit with water park, tennis court, three bars, restaurant, bathrooms galore and more, camp “nametags” did NOT have the funky, old vibe we were going for. They even made us wear nametags around our necks to walk around the camp. Thanks, but no thanks.

> 3 POOLS AND A TURNSTILE

Again, HUGE camp, three pools, large restaurant on a hill, and a pass needed at all times to get through the turnstile (with a bouncer-like guard to boot). It looked to be a tad older, and it was very clean, but it was also quite expensive and we still had a lot of day left to explore!

Because we were taking our time, we made pleasant detours through small seaside towns, our favorite being Faro with cool street art, a good old fisherman vibe, pleasant cafes, and a plethora of pretty, old buildings in between the stages of decay and restoration.