Going 4x4'n

One of my favourite trips was a JEEP safari tour we went on throughout the back roads of the Algarve.  Mike was our AWESOME, hilarious & super knowledgeable land rover driver/tour guide!!! It was nice to see the rural side of Portugal and get away from the city for a little bit.

We saw a lot this day and learned quite a bit too. We traveled to Monchique and then to a nearby mountain that is the highest point of mainland Portugal. Unfortunately it was pretty hazy, so the pictures aren't as good as the real thing!

One of the most interesting things I learned was that Portugal produces over half of the world's cork. The country has loads of cork trees and you can tell where they are because about 1/2 of the tree has been stripped of its bark. Cork cutters make precise incisions into the cork bark and then strip it off the trees — like peeling a skin away from a banana. An experienced worker can gather up to 600kg of cork each day! After harvest, each tree is painted with a big white number to indicate when it was last stripped. The trees are left for nine years to allow the cork bark to grow back and then the whole process starts again. Portugal makes a lot of cork related souvenirs and products. My mom wanted to buy a cork purse, but after looking at the price tag of about 200 Euro (about $400) she decided to pass.

The number seven means the tree was stripped in 2007. It will be stripped again in 2016!

After our cork lesson we went for a lovely lunch with the 4 other people on our tour. Then we made our way to a local beekeepers house. We learned that honey is huge in Portugal and it takes pride in producing all natural honey, as oppose to keepers who trick the bees with sugar water. If you buy honey and later on down the road it crystallizes, that is a sign the bee was fooled. I did not know that!

When we arrived at the beekeepers house he was talking to some locals that we had run into earlier in the day. We were driving down a dirt road but couldn't continue on because the trail was blocked by a truck and a police car. While we were waiting one of the men came over to tell Mike that they were going to check on their crops and got pulled over for not wearing their seatbelt. The fine was about 185 euro each! WOW!! This father and son are not the wealthiest of people, it was obvious and Mike confirmed this. The area we were trekking through was so deserted the least the police could have done was give them a warning by telling them if they caught them again they would fine them!!!! We waited for about 20 minutes and it didn't look like they were going to move, so we turned around.

In the jar is pollen (very healthy for you, but I think it would taste better with yogurt). The jar is sitting on a massive piece of bees wax.

Cork, honey and ORANGES! I have mentioned this in a previous post that there are hundreds of orange groves throughout the country. To this day I miss eating those delicious things!

It was a long and BUMPY day, but it was amazing! Thanks in part to Mike...it sure makes a difference when your tour guide is kick a%$!!!!!!
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The next day was our last day in Lagos. What a last day it was as we visited possibly one of my favourite places on earth!!!! We made our way to Praia de Dona Ana which is a gorgeous beach about 25 minutes from the city centre. The beach was almost completely secluded and it was heaven. Once again...a perk of traveling in the down time. I can only imagine how insane this beach gets in the summer!

Mom and I made our way to the bottom and had a beer. This was the first time I felt warm and felt like I had on too many layers. Mom even wore a tank top! We sipped on our Sagres beer (same name as the small fishing town we visited) and took in the scenery. After that we hiked up to the top to take a look at the spectacular view of the city! My back hated me for it, but it was worth it as it was absolutely breath-taking. If I ever win the lottery I WILL buy a summer house here! Now I know why Bon Jovi has one!

Ahhhhhhhhh...this entry makes me WANT TO GO BACK!